Sleight Of Hand

its about being an amazing song.

It's the 1st of a 2 parter, the other being soon forget, about a man who only cares about money and ends up dying full of regret, I think.

i discovered it for myself too
usally i used to skip all the time, but recently i listened to it and i loved it

he waves goodbye, to himself
i'll see you on the other side...
another man...moved by sleight of hand...


even if i don't know why it says sleight of hand

From the online chat the boys did in 2000:

AskPearlJam: mean5150-guest says: What inspired the soul-searching lyrics of "Sleight of Hand"?
Eddie: Stuck in traffic.

For me it’s about someone who falls into routine and comes to realize that they have let their whole life pass them by without appreciating/taking advantage of it

I think it is a good song, and agree that it is about someone allowing life to pass them by.

I think sometimes you can look too deeply into something, not that there's anything wrong with that. For me this song is about whether you chose to do something (through consequence), or you just let it happen (by sleight of hand.)

I think it's about someone who doesn't take control of their life, and just finds themselves drifting along.

Have you ever looked back at your life and realised that maybe somewhere along the line things just happened to you, things you didn't choose or control. You just let them occur. There's so much in life, so much we miss because of routine.

Sorry for rambling but that's just the way i see the song.

And so much for not looking deeply.

This is one of my top three Pearl Jam songs. It should have been on RVM. It's also one of the reasons why Binaural is my favourite PJ album.

This song is a complete one-off. The music, the sound, the arrangement and structure, the whole atmosphere of the song, its all so different to anything else they've ever done. At first I found it hard to listen to because the tune and the beat seemed at odds with each other but I think that's why I love it so much. It just shows their raw talent, and the fact that they aren't afraid to stretch things and try something different. I was a bit disappointed with Riot Act because I hoped they would go more in this direction, they haven't really written anything in this vein since have they?

I think I read somewhere that Eddie used to work as a security guard and he used to wake up every day thinking "Is this all there is to life?". I think the song is about that, people who have to "pour themselves into uniform" and take on the role they're playing in their job everyday. Everyone does it and it becomes part of who you are, without you thinking most of the time what the bigger picture is. Maybe putting off those sorts of thoughts "until you have more time". Its so true for so many people, and so soul-destroying.

This song also makes me think of Kurt Vonnegut's writings, which I think Eddie reads too, so maybe it was inspired by him too.

Restless Soul wrote:

This song is a complete one-off. The music, the sound, the arrangement and structure, the whole atmosphere of the song, its all so different to anything else they've ever done.

Totally, its so haunting.

simply:

it is about how your life changes, you become someone/something you never intended to become (good or bad)

....and it all happens without you even seeing it happening....like magic



that's my interpretation. make up your own mind about what it means to you and that's what it means.

i was watching Letterman night before last (wed nite here in oz) and david said to paul as he moved a cd across infront of him, "did u see that paul? Sleight of Hand" cracks me up cos im thinkin of all those ppl who wouldnt understand it, and dont realize how many lines on the Letterman show that have come from pj being on there