Given to Fly

mteahen

This may have been discussed long before, but what do you think is being referenced in this song? I've always seen the religious parallels- but that's so uncharacteristic of PJ. Any insight would be appreciated.

RyeGuy

i def see how someone could relate this to religion. A human being that was given to fly is fairly religious. But i think it could be about a ordinary person who is willing "to share the keys to the locks on the chains he saw....everywhere."

"stab by faceless men....well he still stands."
^could be Jesus being crucified.

all in all a great fuckin song.

Eraserhead

I see it being about evolution. Ocean to tree to flying.

Ms. Haiku

This song challenges the concepts that humans were once fish. It hypothesizes that humans were once birds, as how many of us love that feeling of freedom of flying, jumping, running, just that feeling of soaring. Ok, so the hypothesis is mine.

However, I think within us all is the ability to have that boundaryless feeling, and it embraces that type of joy. It gives an example that no matter how much one person was being brought down, the protagonist was going to find a way for that boundaryless feeling. I think that feeling is just a part of play in all animals.

MellowMind

this is one of my favourite songs but i do not understand what the lyrics are about whatsoever...i cannot associate them with anything and please do not take offence but i admire your tries but I don't think you are right...seems quite tough...I think possibly Vedder just wrote stuff that came to mind, random stuff without meaning....there's loads of songs like that and i'm pretty sure that most songs don't really have a meaning or anything....bet half of the songwriters in the world write something with a vague story but mainly 'cause the sentences fit together and then adapt a story to it.....dont you think?

mteahen

I'd like to think that this is just EV's stream of consciousness, but there's got to be more. While i'm not an overly religious individual, I do know the story of Jesus, and I've always (although conflicted) seen parallels-
nothing could save him, walking on water, stripped/stabbed, the love that's recieved is the love that saves, strange spot in sky- sun/son of god.
I know I'm taking this way too literally, please enlighten me!

Switch

This is the reason i don't believe it to be a direct parallel to the story of Jesus:

He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands.

Last time i checked, Jesus was crucified, then came back to life. In this verse, it kinda says he came back, got killed, and came back again.

Edit. That's a load of crap. Jesus is often seen as God in human form. According to the bible, God walked the Earth with Adam and Eve. Floating back down may be a reference to Jesus being born and 'God' walking the Earth once more.

I still don't think this song is a religious reference though. Doesn't seem like something Vedder would write about.

Boss302

I always took it as Ed's attempt at a native american creation myth story. I think it is a story to explain a random image in the sky. The great part about this song is that no matter whom you talk to they have their own twist on it. I think everyone I've ever talked to about this song loves it.

mteahen

you're right, jesus was crucified, but (as the bible "says") he fasted in the desert for 40 days, was enlightened/prepared for his death, came back to be crucified, but was also stripped and stabbed (literally) before hand.
That's what's gotten me so confused, because it would be so unlike EV to write this.
The native american concept is an interesting one as well.

Ms. Haiku

What would happen if instead of thinking it's about Jesus, you think that it's about someone who lived at the same time as Jesus, but only heard stories about him. Sortof like RockMan suggested; an ordinary man. It could still be as powerful, you know. Even the meek and unknown can move mountains.

mteahen

That is entirely plausible, and more consistent with PJ music as a whole.

chadwick

its an awesome song..its free flowing, no limits, imagination running wild..
i mean an imagination flying wild..i dont beileve its about religion at all..
just freedom, someone wanted to share but was destroyed for being different
by ppl who misunderstood..ran for hundreds of miles..got to the ocean.. smoked a joint in a tree..ect,ect..but the love he recieves is the love that is saves..

dontloseyourheat

I always thought it was a song about enlightenment and finding the beauty in nature and life.


He could've tuned in, tuned in
But he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
The wind rose up, set him down on his knee

A person is struggling through life, just going through the motions. Then one day he realizes that he is not happy with his life so he runs away to his "happy place" which is the beach.


A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
Delivered him wings, 'Hey, look at me now'
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor
Oh, power, oh
He's.. flying.....whole

He is surfing which I believe is a very spiritual activity for many people. As soon as he steps on his board, his worries are gone. Now he can just concentrate on nature and life.

He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands

He now realizes that the important things in life aren't materialistic. He sees everyone bounded by "chains" such as money, jobs, etc. and believes that these people are not fully enjoying their lives because of this. He tries to spread this message but everyone just condemns him.


And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly

Despite the fact that must people are not accepting of his views, he continues to live his the way he wants and spread his message. The people that accept his message and find the beauty in life are "saved". The last part is the most confusing to me. What does the writer mean by a strange spot in the sky? The most obvious explanation is that the man has passed on but his soul continues to fly but that doesn't fit the rest of the song. Another possibility is that by finding true happiness, the man is free and able to "soar".

mteahen

I keep coming back to religion (apologies), but another interpretation might be someone who broke free from the ties and mental bounds of traditional moral thought, possibly including religious traditions (ie. christian mythology), and came to experience the world with his own sets of values and enlightenment.

Switch

A strange spot in the sky could just be a metaphor, for someone who is free, free from the confines of daily life and what society considers the norm.

whispering hands

what if the song is a bout conciousness altogether.. For when we harness the power of controlling our own mind, it is an immensley powerfull tool for use in our everyday conciousness. so what if given to fly is refferring to the freedom found in knowing one's gifts? one's power? just a thought...

QuestionsLinger

I thought it was about Plato's cave allegory. You know, the people who were chained facing the wall with a fire behind them and only saw shadows of things instead of the real things. They mistook appearance for reality. One prisoner is released, and goes out of the cave and is first blinded by the light. Then feels compelled to share and tries to enlighten the others, but they revolt against him, happy in their chained ignorance. But he flies, whole in his enlightened state.

breath_girl

I recall reading another thread on this song and someone thought surfing. I have to say I kinda agree. After seeing Iconoclasts and Ed mimicking surfing on the Front of House roof at Gorge 2 it made me think that that person was on to something. Who knows.

Ms. Haiku

QuestionsLinger wrote:

I thought it was about Plato's cave allegory. You know, the people who were chained facing the wall with a fire behind them and only saw shadows of things instead of the real things. They mistook appearance for reality. One prisoner is released, and goes out of the cave and is first blinded by the light. Then feels compelled to share and tries to enlighten the others, but they revolt against him, happy in their chained ignorance. But he flies, whole in his enlightened state.

I think I heard of this theory before. Something about Eddie reading Plato. Makes sense, too.

I.m.Still.Alive

Switch wrote:

A strange spot in the sky could just be a metaphor, for someone who is free, free from the confines of daily life and what society considers the norm.

Yeah, I agree. I thinks it's about a man's struggle for freedom, about someone who's fighting to free himself, and to share his freedom. I'm just glad he did it. He's flying, right?

McShade

whispering hands wrote:

what if the song is a bout conciousness altogether.. For when we harness the power of controlling our own mind, it is an immensley powerfull tool for use in our everyday conciousness. so what if given to fly is refferring to the freedom found in knowing one's gifts? one's power? just a thought...

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I never made any association with religion or anything like that.

For me it was always about someone who went through a process of evolving in some way. First he was not OK for whatever reason(s) that was, but "made it to the ocean" and found something there that changed him in a better way. He then "wanted to share", which, again, was still not easy to do ("But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed..."). Anyway, "he still stands" and goes on giving his love, "he's flying", he reached some level of consciousness that alowed him to know the power that he has, that released him and made him "fly", despite the obstacles. Like a journey where he found himself and now he's stronger which makes him wanna continue to be stronger and a better person by sharing that and using it in his life with others...

whispering hands

McShade wrote:

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I never made any association with religion or anything like that.

For me it was always about someone who went through a process of evolving in some way. First he was not OK for whatever reason(s) that was, but "made it to the ocean" and found something there that changed him in a better way. He then "wanted to share", which, again, was still not easy to do ("But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed..."). Anyway, "he still stands" and goes on giving his love, "he's flying", he reached some level of consciousness that alowed him to know the power that he has, that released him and made him "fly", despite the obstacles. Like a journey where he found himself and now he's stronger which makes him wanna continue to be stronger and a better person by sharing that and using it in his life with others...

Yeah that's knda what I'm talking about. Like I said earlier that the mind is a powerful tool.. and should we learn to take concious control of our semi sub-concious being so that we represent ourselves truthfully and honestly.. then we in an essence are learning to fly.. to be free from the constraints of anger, hate, predjudice, and and retaliation for any hurt once gained at the hands of our fellow humankind.. "first he was stripped and then he was stabbed, by faceless men ( the cowards whose desire is to drag us down in order to appear in a higher concious) well fuckers he still stands" Yeah because after so long there's only one way to go from down.. and that's up.. and in the end of it all we've learned to fly..

McShade

whispering hands wrote:

Yeah that's knda what I'm talking about. Like I said earlier that the mind is a powerful tool.. and should we learn to take concious control of our semi sub-concious being so that we represent ourselves truthfully and honestly.. then we in an essence are learning to fly.. to be free from the constraints of anger, hate, predjudice, and and retaliation for any hurt once gained at the hands of our fellow humankind.. "first he was stripped and then he was stabbed, by faceless men ( the cowards whose desire is to drag us down in order to appear in a higher concious) well fuckers he still stands" Yeah because after so long there's only one way to go from down.. and that's up.. and in the end of it all we've learned to fly..

I know it wasn't ment to be a speech, but hey...nice speach!!! really! And by the way, I totally agree with your words.

You know what? As I was posting my reply and going through the lyrics, I found it funny how the whole process involved the ocean/waves, which is a common reference in their songs and in Ed's lyrics. Maybe this is really about him? Maybe the life he had before when he "could have tuned in, but he tuned out" was his childhood in Illinois and then the "made it to the ocean" and the "wave like a fist to the jaw" could mean that what he found was by the time he moved to California...? just an idea...

Squirrel Jam

Hey gang.

This song is about surfing, literally (though surfing can certainly be a metaphor for other things, I'm sure).

Hope that helps,

Grrl Jam

vedderfan10

GrrlJam wrote:

This song is about surfing, literally (though surfing can certainly be a metaphor for other things, I'm sure).

Grrl Jam

I was just going to say that! Excellent first post!

If everyone could listen to the song with SURFING on their minds (just try it, and imagine you're surfing), they would get that it's about surfing - "arms wide open with the sea as his floor", "a wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw, delivered him wings..." Yeah, that's about surfing...Plus, the way the song is placid and builds to a big wave, and then is placid and builds again...yup, surfing...being out on that ocean really does make you free...it's about love of the sport and the idea of being at one with the ocean (or with nature in general)...

I've listened to it keeping the "Jesus" theory in mind, and man, I just don't get that reference...

The song is so autobiographical that it hurts! "Look at ME now!!" Look at me! I'm surfing! And it feels like flying!!

tellmesomethingtrue

GrrlJam wrote:

Hey gang.
This song is about surfing, literally (though surfing can certainly be a metaphor for other things, I'm sure). Hope that helps,Grrl Jam

still the discussion is nice.

i believe it is up to the listener to get want they want/need from the song.
that's the beautiful thing about music..............

pirlo21

Love the song, but can't help hearing Led Zeppelin's 'Going To California' !

McShade

Vedderfan10 wrote:

I was just going to say that! Excellent first post!

If everyone could listen to the song with SURFING on their minds (just try it, and imagine you're surfing), they would get that it's about surfing - "arms wide open with the sea as his floor", "a wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw, delivered him wings..." Yeah, that's about surfing...Plus, the way the song is placid and builds to a big wave, and then is placid and builds again...yup, surfing...being out on that ocean really does make you free...it's about love of the sport and the idea of being at one with the ocean (or with nature in general)...

I've listened to it keeping the "Jesus" theory in mind, and man, I just don't get that reference...

The song is so autobiographical that it hurts! "Look at ME now!!" Look at me! I'm surfing! And it feels like flying!!

Sure, I agree. Not only the way the song evolves, as you say, like a wave, as also what the lyrics say, in a very explicit way.
When I mentioned that this could be about his life ("moving to California"), I was thinking about surfing - don't imagine a lot of surfing going on in Illinois!!

But the song does talk about something more than surfing, or at least something that he got from it: "He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share is key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere".

Anyway, a wonderfull song! And as tellmesomethingtrue said, one of the beautiful things about music is the interpretation that each person makes of it.

whispering hands

wish I could surf.. but alas i am on the Shoreline.. riding horses instead..oh woe is me!!! JK.. I love this part of me life, it keeps me normal.

whispering hands

yes music is gorgeous like that..

vedderfan10

McShade wrote:

Sure, I agree.
But the song does talk about something more than surfing, or at least something that he got from it: "He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share is key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere".

.

I think when a person experiences pure and utter joy (like Ed does with surfing), they want to share that experience with others. Everyone has "chains" in their life (real or imagined) that they feel holds them down, prevents them from experiencing this bliss...people get bogged down in the day-to-day events in life, at work, home, family, and forget what it's like to have fun. For Ed, the joy of surfing is something he can look forward to enjoying no matter how much life might suck in other aspects. For others it's mountaineering, hiking, snowboarding, sailing, skateboarding, hang-gliding, whatever you feel absolute joy when doing. Ed happens to surf, so that's what he's talking about...he's floating because he's on a surfboard on the ocean...(plus, when they did the song at the Gorge II, Ed was "surfing" on top of the sound booth)...

For me, it's attending Pearl Jam concerts - If I could take all the overwhelmed with life people that I know to a PJ concert and have them experience the complete and utter joy that I experience, I would be so happy I couldn't stand it! If I'm having a shit day at work, I think of all the fun and how I felt at a PJ concert, and then I'm OK...That is the key to locks on the chains in my life...

And the "sometimes you see a strange spot in the sky..." line...I kinda think that refers to flying in a plane (like in touring)...or flying to Hawaii or wherever the surf is up...

I truly believe that this song can be taken at face value - but it's cool that other's believe it has other interpretations...that's the beauty of music, for sure!