I never knew it was about surfing, but that makes complete sense as you explained it. I see why I associate it with my runner's high during running. It's the feeling of flying/boundaryless freedom that I guess he gets with surfing, that may be similar to what I get with a runner's high.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Alot of GREAT thoughts and opinions on this thread. Id like to focus on two aspects of the discussion: Boundless and Open.
When I think of this song and especially the lyrics, there is a sense of being free and open. As humans, we tend to be chained to things, our jobs, some of us are literally chained to our desks. We are bound by things that drive us to suceed and at times we do it not by choice, but by survival. How many of us wish they could do something else in lives professional, but we are bound by our decisions that we made. Remember in Single Video Theory, Jeff was talking about his perception of the song and he said he saw this vision of a man with his arms wide open, "flying".
In the movie, "Shawshank Redemption", the scene when Tim Robbins crawls through that 500 yards of human waste for his freedom, at the end he ends up in the little pond, with the rain pouring down, he raises his open arms up the sky. That moment right there symbolizes his escape from all the chains and boundaries in the prison.
"floated back down cause he wanted to share, the keys to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere, first he was stripped, then he was stabbed, fuckers!!!"
People who are free and unbounded, often want to share it with others, but society at times makes it impossible for all to enjoy this lifestyle, therefore the fuckers is life itself, holding each of us down from what we truly deserve.
San Fran 92, San Fran 93, Berkeley 93, Indio 93, Fairfax 94, DC 95, San Fran 95, DC 95, Va Beach 98, Columbia 98, Dc 98, Va Beach 00, Columbia 00, Philly 03, Bristow 03, Chicago 06, Chicago 06, Dc 06, DC 08
i had a dream the other night. in the dream i was flying. it was exhilarating!
i can still feel the power of that dream. and i feel that same "power" when listening to "given to fly". in some ways the song feels like an expression of freedom. i also believe that the song is a personal experience (like many pj songs), written as a release of some sort, but purposely unrevealing.
"therefore the fuckers is life itself, holding each of us down from what we truly deserve.
I agreed with you until this line. Life is a blank slate, and each day it could be a blank slate. Each moment it could be. There's a beer commerical or something from the 80's and my brother used the line as his high school yearbook quote:
Life is what you make it. Why not make it great.
I'm not sure if it's cultural, and it may be, this perception I have that I can change the direction of my life. However, I think it could be more than just cultural as many people fight for causes and win when others think that the restrictions are permanent. I don't think the fuckers is life. The fuckers would be the perceived restrictions, or lack of support for this type of life.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
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 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...
Sure, I see your point. It can be taken just at face value. When you do something that makes you feel good about yourself, whatever it is, you do feel a drive to go and share that best of you with others.
And I guess that one of the things that does it for me is also going to a PJ show. Only 3 so far (that's the number of times they've been here in Portugal), and can't wait for June to come, to see them again...!
maybe its a dude that is surfing and thinking about gesu?
in the dc boot he sings "keys", what is he leading to?
See this needle...a see my hand...
Drop drop dropping it down...oh so gently...
Well here it comes...I touch the plane...
Turn me up...won't turn you away...
I'm new here, and I just read this whole thread (great responses by everyone!), and I can't believe nobody has mentioned what I always thought this song was about.
It has been my favorite PJ song for years, and I swear, I mean, I really distinctly remember reading, or hearing an interview with Eddie, I dunno, something, about what it is about........it is about a guy who tries, and succeeds, to quit smoking. That's all.
Yes, you can call me nuts (you don't know me yet, but it's ok, 'cuz I am nuts), but I swear I heard this somewhere.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! The lyrics do "fit', so for me, I'm going with that theory.
Has anyone else ever heard this, or did I imagine (or dream) it?
havent heard that before, but it does seem to fit. Given to Fly is one of my favorite PJ songs, and to me it's about a guy who is troubled by something, and he figures out how to solve it, and he try's to share it with others, and they treat him bad and put down his ideas and what he believes in. But even thou those guys do that to him, "he still gives his love" and his ideas, and he is unselfish about it..."the love he receives, is the love that is saved" that's what i get out of the song. I dont know if it makes sense to anyone else...I love this song!
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!
well, images Jesus-related are two-millennia-old metaphors/imagery... it's pretty understandable how a person could use imagery from the best-selling book in the world. the meaning is probably not religious. but the imagery is definitely biblical (as opposed to religious).
as quite alot of tunes go, its heard and visualy appreaciated in many ways.
this would be the case with Given To Fly.
The writer is boundless, no borders for the pen and paper.
feelings drift along with many wide open avenues coming and going.
and they blend beautifuly.
as ppl do they have to analyze every single event, topic, whatever it may be.
to me, it means whatever you want it to mean/be.
i would think that even each dude in PJ has his own vision of what Given To Fly is and does to him.
So many songs do this, not just PJ tunes.
Poetry does this.
its all wide open, no limits, no rules, nothing carved in stone.
its even a dream.
enjoy.
its life.
This song always reminds me of my dad, who passed away from cancer two years ago. With all the obsticales he faced, the ups and downs, and finally being free, this song really hits me. At my dad's funeral, i read the words to Long Road then I concluded with the inspirational line from Given to fly:
"He still gives his love, he just gives it away. The love he receives is the love that is saved"
I'm new here, and I just read this whole thread (great responses by everyone!), and I can't believe nobody has mentioned what I always thought this song was about.
It has been my favorite PJ song for years, and I swear, I mean, I really distinctly remember reading, or hearing an interview with Eddie, I dunno, something, about what it is about........it is about a guy who tries, and succeeds, to quit smoking. That's all.
Yes, you can call me nuts (you don't know me yet, but it's ok, 'cuz I am nuts), but I swear I heard this somewhere.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! The lyrics do "fit', so for me, I'm going with that theory.
Has anyone else ever heard this, or did I imagine (or dream) it?
Ok, I'm not as nuts as I thought I was, and I didn't dream it. I knew I heard this somewhere before!
If the link doesn't work, it's a clip from 02/08/03, Brisbane Australia show (# 1), and as the song starts Eddie says "this is about a guy who quit smoking".
ohmygawd, ohmygawd, ohmygawd! I just heard it this morning, and again, that SWOOSH feeling. This song is almost about to take-over Born to Run as my life theme song. Now, that's saying something, since no one in the band is from NJ, and I don't see references to the highway. It's hard to imagine my life theme song without a reference to NJ or the highway, but there you go.
I feel so full of energy that I'm eating a big bag of white cheddar cheese popcorn, and about to get sick. Ooops.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
I think eddie is definitely refering to Jesus whether he knows it or not. He still gives his love he just gives it away...thats Jesus...thats what christianity is meant to be, even if u don't think thats what it actually is. But maybe its not Jesus, maybe its just a person, but that person he is talking about is being Jesus to someone by sharing the love. Every christians job should be to be Jesus to someone, and share the love.
There are definitely some Christ-like themes in the last verse ... about this human being who has discovered a way to save the world, yet the very people he's come to save attack him for it.
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
Comments
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
When I think of this song and especially the lyrics, there is a sense of being free and open. As humans, we tend to be chained to things, our jobs, some of us are literally chained to our desks. We are bound by things that drive us to suceed and at times we do it not by choice, but by survival. How many of us wish they could do something else in lives professional, but we are bound by our decisions that we made. Remember in Single Video Theory, Jeff was talking about his perception of the song and he said he saw this vision of a man with his arms wide open, "flying".
In the movie, "Shawshank Redemption", the scene when Tim Robbins crawls through that 500 yards of human waste for his freedom, at the end he ends up in the little pond, with the rain pouring down, he raises his open arms up the sky. That moment right there symbolizes his escape from all the chains and boundaries in the prison.
"floated back down cause he wanted to share, the keys to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere, first he was stripped, then he was stabbed, fuckers!!!"
People who are free and unbounded, often want to share it with others, but society at times makes it impossible for all to enjoy this lifestyle, therefore the fuckers is life itself, holding each of us down from what we truly deserve.
i can still feel the power of that dream. and i feel that same "power" when listening to "given to fly". in some ways the song feels like an expression of freedom. i also believe that the song is a personal experience (like many pj songs), written as a release of some sort, but purposely unrevealing.
Life is what you make it. Why not make it great.
I'm not sure if it's cultural, and it may be, this perception I have that I can change the direction of my life. However, I think it could be more than just cultural as many people fight for causes and win when others think that the restrictions are permanent. I don't think the fuckers is life. The fuckers would be the perceived restrictions, or lack of support for this type of life.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Sure, I see your point. It can be taken just at face value. When you do something that makes you feel good about yourself, whatever it is, you do feel a drive to go and share that best of you with others.
And I guess that one of the things that does it for me is also going to a PJ show. Only 3 so far (that's the number of times they've been here in Portugal), and can't wait for June to come, to see them again...!
in the dc boot he sings "keys", what is he leading to?
Drop drop dropping it down...oh so gently...
Well here it comes...I touch the plane...
Turn me up...won't turn you away...
It has been my favorite PJ song for years, and I swear, I mean, I really distinctly remember reading, or hearing an interview with Eddie, I dunno, something, about what it is about........it is about a guy who tries, and succeeds, to quit smoking. That's all.
Yes, you can call me nuts (you don't know me yet, but it's ok, 'cuz I am nuts), but I swear I heard this somewhere.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! The lyrics do "fit', so for me, I'm going with that theory.
Has anyone else ever heard this, or did I imagine (or dream) it?
this would be the case with Given To Fly.
The writer is boundless, no borders for the pen and paper.
feelings drift along with many wide open avenues coming and going.
and they blend beautifuly.
as ppl do they have to analyze every single event, topic, whatever it may be.
to me, it means whatever you want it to mean/be.
i would think that even each dude in PJ has his own vision of what Given To Fly is and does to him.
So many songs do this, not just PJ tunes.
Poetry does this.
its all wide open, no limits, no rules, nothing carved in stone.
its even a dream.
enjoy.
its life.
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
The song is about overcoming _____. You fill in the blank.
Thats my opinion. Their most spiritual and inspirational song as far as I am concerned. The music is absolutely beautiful.
The Jesus reference definately works as well.
"He still gives his love, he just gives it away. The love he receives is the love that is saved"
7/22/06, 7/23/06, 04/07/07, 8/3/07
Ok, I'm not as nuts as I thought I was, and I didn't dream it. I knew I heard this somewhere before!
http://s15.quicksharing.com/v/6429942/GIVEN_TO_FLY.wav.html
If the link doesn't work, it's a clip from 02/08/03, Brisbane Australia show (# 1), and as the song starts Eddie says "this is about a guy who quit smoking".
Mystery solved (at least for my own sanity).
I feel so full of energy that I'm eating a big bag of white cheddar cheese popcorn, and about to get sick. Ooops.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
for the least they could possibly do