Open Letter to Mr. Vedder

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  • MarylandTeacher
    MarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    molhatchet wrote:
    Interesting and heartfelt interpretation to this song I must say. I was 15, almost 16 years old when it first came out I lived in the dark world in that time. I remember "feeling" the song "Black", never thinking about it. I just FELT it. That whole album was a pillar in my private Hurricane hell, when nothing was stable in my life. SOMEONE ELSE felt what I was feeling and they were older than me.
    I just hung onto the knowledge that someone else felt those feelings that I did, all through my growing up, and they were SINGING about them.
    Those feelings faded away over time but I would sling shot back to them when another song came out that said all that I couldn't when it came to how I felt.

    I am glad that there is a teacher like you out there. Keep being you

    Molhatchet,

    The song really can be felt--it's that strong. When we are able to identify with music, we bring that art to life. That's the power of poetry.

    Thanks again for your kind words,

    Matt
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • MarylandTeacher
    MarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    I am so truly thankful that there are still teachers/people like you out there. I have two young sons and I could only hope that they find themselves with such an amazing mentor as yourself. Thank you for restoring my faith in the educational systems of this country. BTW do you have a website? If not you should, so the kids not lucky enough to be in your classes can benefit too!

    Thank you.
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Released1980
    Released1980 Posts: 1,790
    BRAVO! That was absolutely the BEST thread I have ever read in this forum. I am so impressed. May the man in the sky bless you always. I'm gonna read it again now...
    "It's so nice to hear that in other parts of the world, the stress- borne from envy- that one finds for themselves is the animosity they develop towards a person selling a box of records. How fortunate!" ~ Thirty Bills Unpaid

    MLMF NYC
  • MarylandTeacher
    MarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    Released1980 wrote:
    BRAVO! That was absolutely the BEST thread I have ever read in this forum. I am so impressed. May the man in the sky bless you always. I'm gonna read it again now...

    Thanks.....I appreciate your kind words. 8-)

    Matt
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • JB113274
    JB113274 Posts: 2
    My name is Brice I am French and I am living in Dax, in the south west of France
    I apologize for the terrible mistakes I'm gonna make while writing this post
    I just wanted to testify about how the lyrics of E.V helped me in the most difficult part of my life.
    I am 29,
    last year me and my girlfriend we lost our Baby, THIBAULT, one day after his birth.
    There is no words strong enough to explain the pain,
    Pain is a weak word
    Months ago I entered a hospital because this pain was destroying me.
    I miss him so much, every day

    During the ceremony, the 04.09.2010, we listened two songs, a French one chosen by Marina, my girlfriend, a beautiful song called Mistral Gagnant and a PJ song, indifference. Since I am 10, I love this song but from this day, this song and the lyrics became a part of me.
    I never posted before but I just wanted to say thank you to Ed and Pearl jam because somehow they helped me

    thanks to thme
  • twostepsback
    twostepsback Posts: 11
    very good! Keep up the good work- america needs MORE teachers like you!!
  • whispering hands
    whispering hands Under your skin Posts: 13,527
    it is so crazy awesome to see this thread still going!! So glad that what you're doing is still touching lives!
  • amethgr8
    amethgr8 Posts: 766
    wow, that is some specific interpretation of the song Black. Literally speaking, it's probably a good example of poetry to cross-examine and illustrate poetry in general.

    I've always often wondered if the song is really speaking of love of a girl or something more general.

    I'm a girl, so by nature I probably looked at the more general side of the song...

    I think it justs about something you thought, you had such specific expecations of and it didn't turn out that way. It turned out that way for a bunch of other people but not me and there is some envy there, or longing to be part of something one thought they were supposed to be part of. That's such a crushing realization when people are younger. For 18 years our lives are in the hands of other people and we think we will have so much control when we're allowed to "live life on our own" and as you get older you realize how little control you have in life and you only have control over how you feel or react to it.

    But that's how we all end up through our experiences, tatoo'd for life, pieces of our past lives we can glue back together... lots of times we get 2nd chanced but we don't get any do-overs.

    but wow, that was some specific interpretation, deep.

    amy
    Amy The Great #74594
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  • neutron baum
    neutron baum Posts: 294
    whispering hands wrote:
    it is so crazy awesome to see this thread still going!! So glad that what you're doing is still touching lives!


    Yes, let's keep this going. I just read it and now I am literally choked up. Unbelievable.

    I can't hear Black without feeling emotional, it was the song that kept listening to during and after my utterly painful divorce a few years ago.

    Thank you for breaking this masterpiece down in such a way that it echoes all the thoughts I had but not creative and imaginative enough to write. Keep up the good work exposing these kids today to something so meaningful. There are many other PJ songs there should be an entire class devoted to it and I nominate you to be the Professor!

    Thanks again. :D
  • Scottacus25
    Scottacus25 Posts: 1
    Just bumping this up again because 13 years later I still think about this post when I hear this song. And along the same lines, here's a vocal coach breaking down the unplugged performance of Black: https://youtu.be/TVHVgDn9Rzg

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