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"In Hiding" question

NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
edited December 2008 in Words and Music...Communication
I've always felt that all Ed's lyrics, while having a certain meaning to him, were meant to be interpreted in whatever way they made meaning to the listener; that being said, what the heck is meant by:

..."I knelt and emptied the mouth of every club around" ???
"Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
"Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Red BurritoRed Burrito Posts: 477
    lisafitz wrote:
    I've always felt that all Ed's lyrics, while having a certain meaning to him, were meant to be interpreted in whatever way they made meaning to the listener; that being said, what the heck is meant by:

    ..."I knelt and emptied the mouth of every club around" ???


    You mean...I knelt and emptied the mouth of every "plug" around. Meaning outlet kinda plug.
    the sorrow grows bigger, when the sorrow's denied
  • NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
    Red Burrito wrote:
    You mean...I knelt and emptied the mouth of every "plug" around. Meaning outlet kinda plug.


    Now THAT makes sense...but I took the words off the 10club SONG INDEX with the posted lyrics...I guess it was a typo...

    I'll just use your version from now on...THANKS!
    "Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
    "Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    lisafitz wrote:
    Now THAT makes sense...but I took the words off the 10club SONG INDEX with the posted lyrics...I guess it was a typo...

    I'll just use your version from now on...THANKS!

    I always thought it was "club" as in he went out drinking and now he's home (or at a hotel) kneeling in front of the toilet and puking "I knelt and emptied the mouth of every club around" and later he had the dreaded "bedroom spins"....
    be philanthropic
  • Red BurritoRed Burrito Posts: 477
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    I always thought it was "club" as in he went out drinking and now he's home (or at a hotel) kneeling in front of the toilet and puking "I knelt and emptied the mouth of every club around" and later he had the dreaded "bedroom spins"....

    WHAT!?!
    the sorrow grows bigger, when the sorrow's denied
  • phillyfanphillyfan Posts: 831
    hmmm
    If you hate something dont you do it too
    world fucking champs!!!
  • daryl jamdaryl jam Posts: 104
    ok. A "club" is a term used to describe a wine or booze bottle. when grabbed by the neck and swung upwards to the mouth it resembles the motion of swinging a club. the "mouth" of the club is the hole in the neck of the bottle from which the booze is emptied.
    angels dance on a pin head, just to make room for you and i....
  • NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
    OK, THAT makes sense, too!, sorta, although I never heard it before, and I've been swigging the "club" for many a moon...many times leading to bedroom spins (yikes!) but I'm glad for the time you took to reply and the thoughtfullness of the input! I can sing it either way now, and think of both Red Burrito and Dayrl Jam everytime I do!
    "Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
    "Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    A club as in a nightclub...a bar...

    Went to several nightclubs, took a taxi home after taking a cab to several clubs, stayed home/hotel instead of going to all the other clubs where he was going to meet up with other people or check out other bands (ignored all my rounds - or maybe he didn't pay for the rounds of drinks when it was his turn? Hmmm?), puked in the toilet (emptied the mouth), locked the doors, closed the drapes, stayed in bed (in hiding) for three days with a hangover ...probably drank in the first place to deal with some issue, but then realized the issue wasn't the end of the world when sober or taking a break from it for three days and then finding it easy to come to terms with it (it's all state of mind). (not necessarily in that order - I don't have the lyrics in front of me...)...and it's late - and I haven't taken my meds yet...

    I will listen to the live version from the Gorge, though and see if that changes my mind about "plug/club"...

    But the above is what I got out of the song...HOwever, I really like this song and don't want to ruin it by over analyzing it (which I almost did with other songs)...
    be philanthropic
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    daryl jam wrote:
    ok. A "club" is a term used to describe a wine or booze bottle. when grabbed by the neck and swung upwards to the mouth it resembles the motion of swinging a club. the "mouth" of the club is the hole in the neck of the bottle from which the booze is emptied.

    Yeah....that could work, too...
    be philanthropic
  • NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
    To ME, the song itself is about locking himself away (like when he was writing and had 'food slid under the door' (Ed, NJPAC)...or even after a break-up ...ignored his rounds: he would check on things within the confines of where he sequestered himself...just couldn't figure out the "club" part..but I'm going with "emptied the plug"..kneeling supports the theory.
    "Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
    "Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    Yeah...I'm wrong....well - sometimes to me it sounds like a really bad hangover song, but then other times it's obviously much deeper than that and sounds like a recovery from a bout of mild depression, or even decompression after a tour...

    Whichever way, I loved shouting along to that at the Gorge in 06 and it made me feel extremely euphoric!!
    be philanthropic
  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    I always thought the song was about tripping on acid.
    I smile, but who am I kidding...
  • Stone IronsStone Irons Posts: 430
    Here's what Ed said about the song:

    "The song was about taking a fast from life, doing anything to get yourself back in touch with something real. Abstinence from anything is cool, because the normalcy of life is deceptive: It's enjoyable for a while, and there are good moments, but sometimes that's not enough. You start questioning what's the point. By not opening my mouth I was able to get into that state. Jack called me at the end of it; he couldn't understand what I was saying. It took a minute to get my speech back."

    Source: http://pearljamhistory.no.sapo.pt/PJArticles_Interviews_02-08-98_-_philadelphia_inquirer.htm
    Can't escape from the common rule...
    If you hate something, don't you do it too
  • daryl jamdaryl jam Posts: 104
    uh.. i dunno. i have been a certified journeyman electrician for many years and have never heard of anyone "emptying the mouth" of a plug. anywhere. ever. but, i guess interpretation is an incredibly varied thing.
    angels dance on a pin head, just to make room for you and i....
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    The lyric there is 100 percent, most definitely "club."

    I never knew what it meant ... but this thread has provided some pretty good food for thought. I'm fairly certain he doesn't mean "nightclub" though.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • Red BurritoRed Burrito Posts: 477
    slightofjeff wrote:
    The lyric there is 100 percent, most definitely "club."

    I never knew what it meant ... but this thread has provided some pretty good food for thought. I'm fairly certain he doesn't mean "nightclub" though.

    Why 100%? Because Ten Club has it written that way? I could be wrong with "plug"...no, nevermind it's plug.
    the sorrow grows bigger, when the sorrow's denied
  • lennybennylennybenny Posts: 37
    It's plug, for God's sake. I can't believ people are even arguing about this. He's come home, locked the door etc because ha wants to be alone and shut the world out. That includes 'emptying the mouth of every plug around' ie he unplugs the tv the phone etc. Jesus...
  • Red BurritoRed Burrito Posts: 477
    lennybenny wrote:
    It's plug, for God's sake. I can't believ people are even arguing about this. He's come home, locked the door etc because ha wants to be alone and shut the world out. That includes 'emptying the mouth of every plug around' ie he unplugs the tv the phone etc. Jesus...

    Thank you! I felt weird even arguing it but I could not believe what I was reading!
    the sorrow grows bigger, when the sorrow's denied
  • corduroidcorduroid Posts: 293
    lennybenny wrote:
    It's plug, for God's sake. I can't believ people are even arguing about this. He's come home, locked the door etc because ha wants to be alone and shut the world out. That includes 'emptying the mouth of every plug around' ie he unplugs the tv the phone etc. Jesus...
    I've always heard it this way, same interpretation.

    But this thread made me think, and want to actually check it out ... and sure enough, the official web page says "club." Damn. How could the band put the wrong lyric on their page?

    So I went back to the album, put the headphones on, and listened, over and over. Can't tell for sure what he's saying (Ed :rolleyes: :) ), but to my ear there's a hard G before 'around', as in 'ga-round.'

    And Katowice II 2000, one of the gold standards for me, is definitive. It is "plug" - loud and clear.
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    lennybenny wrote:
    It's plug, for God's sake. I can't believ people are even arguing about this. He's come home, locked the door etc because ha wants to be alone and shut the world out. That includes 'emptying the mouth of every plug around' ie he unplugs the tv the phone etc. Jesus...

    I don't think anyone was arguing - we were having a discussion...

    However...yesterday after leaving the gym with In Hiding blaring on my iPod, it hit me - he absolutely says 'plug' - and I immediately thought of what you said above...unplugs the phone, the fax, the TV, etc... (not the sink or bathtub or whatever)....

    For years I thought he said "club" and the only way it made sense to me was spewing after drinking at "every club around"..."the mouth" meant his mouth....

    But now I have been enlightened...my life will be better from now on... ;)
    be philanthropic
  • lennybennylennybenny Posts: 37
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    I don't think anyone was arguing - we were having a discussion...

    However...yesterday after leaving the gym with In Hiding blaring on my iPod, it hit me - he absolutely says 'plug' - and I immediately thought of what you said above...unplugs the phone, the fax, the TV, etc... (not the sink or bathtub or whatever)....

    For years I thought he said "club" and the only way it made sense to me was spewing after drinking at "every club around"..."the mouth" meant his mouth....

    But now I have been enlightened...my life will be better from now on... ;)

    I didn't mean to be quite so blunt last night, I'd had a few beers. It's still 'plug' though :)

    I think there's a mistake in the next verse as well:

    'I'd stay but my last tab left me' is from the lyrics page and doesn't sound right to me or make too much sense. I'm pretty sure he says:
    'I stayed here where my last step left me'

    It might be easier to make out on one of the boots.
  • NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
    ...and it's not like "I knelt and emptied the mouth of every electrical outlet around..." exacly rolls of the tounge. Ed wrote what fits, he pulled the plug on everything for a while, and THANK YOU to he who provided that link earlier..

    So, this was FUN!
    "Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
    "Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
  • juannisjuannis Posts: 73
    do do do do do do.....do do do do do....i was trippin' balls
    No time to be void and save up on life, you gotta spend it all.

    10/4/96, 9/11/98, 8/25/00, 8/27/00, 8/30/00, 10/4/00, 4/29/03, 7/3/03, 7/9/03, 7/11/03, 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 5/24/06, 5/25/06, 6/3/06, 10/22/06, 8/5/07, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/28/08, 6/30/08, 8/2/08 (EV)
  • dsvelunddsvelund Posts: 31
    slightofjeff wrote:
    The lyric there is 100 percent, most definitely "club."

    I never knew what it meant ... but this thread has provided some pretty good food for thought. I'm fairly certain he doesn't mean "nightclub" though.

    That post was a joke, right? I really hope you were being sarcastic. I will go farther though and say that I am 110 percent certain he doesn't mean "nightclub."
    2010 fire watcher
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    lennybenny wrote:
    It's plug, for God's sake. I can't believ people are even arguing about this. He's come home, locked the door etc because ha wants to be alone and shut the world out. That includes 'emptying the mouth of every plug around' ie he unplugs the tv the phone etc. Jesus...

    You know what, I'll buy it ...
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • lukinvedderlukinvedder Posts: 203
    i think its club, thats what i sing anyway. i believe its about him basically remebering being wasted on the street, and home less, taking solace in empty doorways. its like hes saying hes been there done that, but now he locks himself up inside his own house-but nothings changed but the surroundings.
    Christchurch, New Zealand 2009

  • walkingwoundedwalkingwounded Posts: 7
    I thought it was cub........
    still do
  • finnanniefinnannie Posts: 1,186
    Its club ... at least I think so.


    :) ( I just listened to Hartford 08 )
    Won't let the light escape from me.
    Won't let the darkness swallow me.
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