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Sleight Of Hand

A HitchHiker PoetA HitchHiker Poet Posts: 129
edited January 2005 in Words and Music...Communication
I really love this song, I've studied the lyrics. Can anyone help me figure this song out?? Thanks
Don't need a raincoat, I'm already wet..
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • coleencoleen Posts: 938
    what are you trying to figure out?
  • Spot In The SkySpot In The Sky Posts: 1,175
    its about being an amazing song.
    "The world is dangerous, feel safe here tonight..." EV 9/17/06

    38+6 shows at the age of 27 and counting...but still no Undone

    My podcast: Hotel Manager Talk- Dedicated to Hotel Employees, tell your friends. http://www.HotelManagerTalk.com
  • coleencoleen Posts: 938
    Originally posted by Spot In The Sky
    its about being an amazing song.

    truer words were never spoken. :)
  • Coming back to lifeComing back to life Posts: 401
    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.
    A restaurant with a smoking section is like a swimming pool with a pissing section
  • bambi girlbambi girl Posts: 406
    you know, i never used to be into this song much...i used to skup it actually....can you believe that! pretty recently, i just sat down and listened to it, and it was like i was listening to it for the first time where i truely kinda understood and appreciated it. amazing song.
  • a country doctora country doctor Posts: 145
    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
    BANZÄÄÄ

    When he was six, he believed that the moon overhead followed him
    By nine, he deciphered the illusion, trading magic for fact, no trade-backs
    So this is what it's like to be an adult?
    If he only knew now what he knew then
  • WashDirtyFrankWashDirtyFrank Posts: 75
    Dudes, I love this song
    "This is a public service annowncement... with guitars!!"
  • SawThingsClearerSawThingsClearer Posts: 52
    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
    makes much more sense to live in the present tense
  • CantKeepFukinUpCantKeepFukinUp Posts: 168
    Originally posted by SawThingsClearer
    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

    where can i find a that online chat?
  • KCPJFanKCPJFan Posts: 58
    I think it is a good song, and agree that it is about someone allowing life to pass them by.
    ".....this land is mine, this land is free
    i'll do what i want, but irresponsibly
    it's evolution baby...."
  • Mr PyjamaMr Pyjama Posts: 253
    This is my favourite of Binaural at the moment. A brilliantly written song.
    Situations get fucked up and turned around sooner or later...
  • movedbymusic78movedbymusic78 Posts: 20
    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.
    Love is Deep, Dig it Out, Standing in a Hole Alone.

    I see you take another drag
    One more lost soul to raise your flag
  • keyinmyhandkeyinmyhand Posts: 29
    For me, this song is about letting everything important to you slip away. "He finds himself staring down, at his own hands, not remembering the change, not recalling the plan..." One day he "wakes up" only to find he's aged and he's never really made a difference in the world or someone's life. He was given a gift, and he wasted it.
    " When you want more than you have
    You think you need
    And when you think more than you want
    Your thoughts begin to bleed."
    E.V. Society


    "And by the way, their real and their spectacular!"
  • Restless SoulRestless Soul Posts: 805
    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.
    "We have to change the concept of patriotism to one of “matriotism” — love of humanity that transcends war. A matriarch would never send her own children off to wars that kill other people’s children." Cindy Sheehan
    ---
    London, Brixton, 14 July 1993
    London, Wembley, 1996
    London, Wembley, 18 June 2007
    London, O2, 18 August 2009
    London, Hammersmith Apollo (Ed solo), 31 July 2012
    Milton Keynes Bowl, 11 July 2014
    London, Hammersmith Apollo (Ed solo), 06 June 2017
    London, O2, 18 June 2018
    London, O2, 17 July 2018
    Amsterdam, Afas Live (Ed solo), 09 June 2019
    Amsterdam, Afas Live (Ed solo), 10 June 2019



  • sentimental ornamentsentimental ornament Posts: 7
    Awesome song. The music is beautifully fragile, really haunting
    "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, i know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky."
  • Cropduster84Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
    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.
    'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton
  • pariahpariah Posts: 596
    I still wonder if the last verse says the man stops "drifting" and goes back into his old rhythm ("resurfaced to the norm") or commits suicide or something ("he waves goodbye, to himself / i'll see you on the other side")...
    "Until you realize the importance of the banana king, you will know absolutely nothing about the human-interest things of the world."
  • overstandoverstand Posts: 54
    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. :)
  • CharliePCharlieP Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 1,035
    To me, this song is about someone noticing how the traffic flows and starts wondering about all those people that he doesn´t know, but guesses how their lives are without knowing them. then especially this guy who seems pale, too much daily routine, thinking whether he is satisfied or not...

    well, that´s just my take on it..

    RnR!

    Roskilde 2000, Berlin 2006, Athens 2006, Dusseldorf 2007, Copenhagen 2007, New York NY 1 + 2 2008, Berlin 2009, London 2009, London 2010, Berlin 2010, Manchester 2 2012, Berlin 1 2012, Stockholm 2012, Oslo 2012, Copenhagen 2012, Amsterdam 1 + 2 (EV solo) 2012, Amsterdam 1 + 2 2014, Stockholm 2014, Oslo 2014, Leeds 2014, Milton Keynes 2014, Heartland Festival DK (EV solo) 2017, Berlin 2018, Barcelona 2018, Copenhagen 2022, Prague 2022 (Cancelled)



  • «¤tîg®ê§§¤»«¤tîg®ê§§¤» Posts: 5,137
    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
    he who forgets will be destined to remember
  • ArabesqueArabesque Posts: 34
    Sleight of Hand is a captivating song. It's one of those that gets lost in the rest of the CD but if you look hard enough you'll find it and realize how great it is.

    It's interesting how Pearl Jam finds ways to hide great songs on records. Like Red Mosquito too.
    "This is another sing-a-long." - Eddie Vedder before singing Lukin live at Madison Square Garden.
  • MccreadySeasonMccreadySeason Posts: 23
    didnt like this song when it first came out, but boy after listening to it a number of times a couple of months ago i love it. Mccready puts down some nice guitar playing.
  • Words never listenWords never listen Posts: 46
    Hmm, i don't dislike this song, but it doesn't mean much to me. Maybe because i really don't understand it :)

    But the version that is on Benaroya Hall seems strange to me?
    How can I forget your tender smile
    Moments that I have shared with you
    Our hearts may break
    But they're on their way
    And there's nothing I can do
  • jumpmanjumpman Posts: 1
    I agree with you. I see it as the man who plays by the rules. Goes to his job, comes home; suffering day to day. Realizes toward the end of his life that although he's done his duty, he's got nothing; he is nothing.
    SawThingsClearer wrote:
    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
    "You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets. Or you can come to terms and realize you're the only one who cannot forgive yourself...Makes much more sense to live in the present tense."
  • Spot In The SkySpot In The Sky Posts: 1,175
    this song is so moving sometimes. if youre in the right mood, and say your play list is on random its like....BAM! and you totally focus in on it...cause its amazing.
    "The world is dangerous, feel safe here tonight..." EV 9/17/06

    38+6 shows at the age of 27 and counting...but still no Undone

    My podcast: Hotel Manager Talk- Dedicated to Hotel Employees, tell your friends. http://www.HotelManagerTalk.com
  • LightYearLightYear Posts: 41
    Words never listen wrote:
    Hmm, i don't dislike this song, but it doesn't mean much to me. Maybe because i really don't understand it :)

    But the version that is on Benaroya Hall seems strange to me?

    I LOVE Benaroya, but was not a fan of this song on it. I think the studio version on Binaural is a rare case where the recording is better than the live version. I thought the emotion came through much better with the backup instruments.
    "No time to be void or save up on life...
    You got to spend it all."
  • MohabMohab Posts: 310
    Definately hard to beat the atmosphere of the studio version. Lately its become my favorite pearl jam song.
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