Given to Fly

2

Comments

  • whispering hands
    whispering hands Under your skin Posts: 13,527
    McShade wrote:
    Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I never made any association with religion or anything like that.

    For me it was always about someone who went through a process of evolving in some way. First he was not OK for whatever reason(s) that was, but "made it to the ocean" and found something there that changed him in a better way. He then "wanted to share", which, again, was still not easy to do ("But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed..."). Anyway, "he still stands" and goes on giving his love, "he's flying", he reached some level of consciousness that alowed him to know the power that he has, that released him and made him "fly", despite the obstacles. Like a journey where he found himself and now he's stronger which makes him wanna continue to be stronger and a better person by sharing that and using it in his life with others...


    Yeah that's knda what I'm talking about. Like I said earlier that the mind is a powerful tool.. and should we learn to take concious control of our semi sub-concious being so that we represent ourselves truthfully and honestly.. then we in an essence are learning to fly.. to be free from the constraints of anger, hate, predjudice, and and retaliation for any hurt once gained at the hands of our fellow humankind.. "first he was stripped and then he was stabbed, by faceless men ( the cowards whose desire is to drag us down in order to appear in a higher concious) well fuckers he still stands" Yeah because after so long there's only one way to go from down.. and that's up.. and in the end of it all we've learned to fly..
  • McShade
    McShade Posts: 156
    whispering hands wrote:
    Yeah that's knda what I'm talking about. Like I said earlier that the mind is a powerful tool.. and should we learn to take concious control of our semi sub-concious being so that we represent ourselves truthfully and honestly.. then we in an essence are learning to fly.. to be free from the constraints of anger, hate, predjudice, and and retaliation for any hurt once gained at the hands of our fellow humankind.. "first he was stripped and then he was stabbed, by faceless men ( the cowards whose desire is to drag us down in order to appear in a higher concious) well fuckers he still stands" Yeah because after so long there's only one way to go from down.. and that's up.. and in the end of it all we've learned to fly..

    I know it wasn't ment to be a speech, but hey...nice speach!!! :) really! And by the way, I totally agree with your words.

    You know what? As I was posting my reply and going through the lyrics, I found it funny how the whole process involved the ocean/waves, which is a common reference in their songs and in Ed's lyrics. Maybe this is really about him? Maybe the life he had before when he "could have tuned in, but he tuned out" was his childhood in Illinois and then the "made it to the ocean" and the "wave like a fist to the jaw" could mean that what he found was by the time he moved to California...? just an idea...
  • Squirrel Jam
    Squirrel Jam Posts: 119
    Hey gang.

    This song is about surfing, literally (though surfing can certainly be a metaphor for other things, I'm sure).

    Hope that helps,

    Grrl Jam
  • vedderfan10
    vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    GrrlJam wrote:
    This song is about surfing, literally (though surfing can certainly be a metaphor for other things, I'm sure).

    Grrl Jam

    I was just going to say that! Excellent first post!

    If everyone could listen to the song with SURFING on their minds (just try it, and imagine you're surfing), they would get that it's about surfing - "arms wide open with the sea as his floor", "a wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw, delivered him wings..." Yeah, that's about surfing...Plus, the way the song is placid and builds to a big wave, and then is placid and builds again...yup, surfing...being out on that ocean really does make you free...it's about love of the sport and the idea of being at one with the ocean (or with nature in general)...

    I've listened to it keeping the "Jesus" theory in mind, and man, I just don't get that reference...

    The song is so autobiographical that it hurts! "Look at ME now!!" Look at me! I'm surfing! And it feels like flying!!
    be philanthropic
  • tellmesomethingtrue
    tellmesomethingtrue Posts: 35
    GrrlJam wrote:
    Hey gang.
    This song is about surfing, literally (though surfing can certainly be a metaphor for other things, I'm sure). Hope that helps,Grrl Jam

    still the discussion is nice.

    i believe it is up to the listener to get want they want/need from the song.
    that's the beautiful thing about music..............
    a snowflake falls in May
  • pirlo21
    pirlo21 Posts: 534
    Love the song, but can't help hearing Led Zeppelin's 'Going To California' !
    Cymru Am Byth

    PJ albums, at the moment!! -
    1,Vs 2,Vitalogy 3,No Code 4,Yield 5,Ten 6,Backspacer, 7Pearl Jam 8,Binaural 9,Riot Act.
  • McShade
    McShade Posts: 156
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    I was just going to say that! Excellent first post!

    If everyone could listen to the song with SURFING on their minds (just try it, and imagine you're surfing), they would get that it's about surfing - "arms wide open with the sea as his floor", "a wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw, delivered him wings..." Yeah, that's about surfing...Plus, the way the song is placid and builds to a big wave, and then is placid and builds again...yup, surfing...being out on that ocean really does make you free...it's about love of the sport and the idea of being at one with the ocean (or with nature in general)...

    I've listened to it keeping the "Jesus" theory in mind, and man, I just don't get that reference...

    The song is so autobiographical that it hurts! "Look at ME now!!" Look at me! I'm surfing! And it feels like flying!!

    Sure, I agree. Not only the way the song evolves, as you say, like a wave, as also what the lyrics say, in a very explicit way.
    When I mentioned that this could be about his life ("moving to California"), I was thinking about surfing - don't imagine a lot of surfing going on in Illinois!! :)

    But the song does talk about something more than surfing, or at least something that he got from it: "He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share is key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere".

    Anyway, a wonderfull song! And as tellmesomethingtrue said, one of the beautiful things about music is the interpretation that each person makes of it.
  • whispering hands
    whispering hands Under your skin Posts: 13,527
    wish I could surf.. but alas i am on the Shoreline.. riding horses instead..oh woe is me!!! JK.. I love this part of me life, it keeps me normal.
  • whispering hands
    whispering hands Under your skin Posts: 13,527
    yes music is gorgeous like that..
  • vedderfan10
    vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    McShade wrote:
    Sure, I agree.
    But the song does talk about something more than surfing, or at least something that he got from it: "He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share is key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere".

    .

    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 Ed, the joy of surfing is something he can look forward to enjoying no matter how much life might suck in other aspects. For others it's mountaineering, hiking, snowboarding, sailing, skateboarding, hang-gliding, whatever you feel absolute joy when doing. Ed happens to surf, so that's what he's talking about...he's floating because he's on a surfboard on the ocean...(plus, when they did the song at the Gorge II, Ed was "surfing" on top of the sound booth)...

    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...

    And the "sometimes you see a strange spot in the sky..." line...I kinda think that refers to flying in a plane (like in touring)...or flying to Hawaii or wherever the surf is up...

    I truly believe that this song can be taken at face value - but it's cool that other's believe it has other interpretations...that's the beauty of music, for sure!
    be philanthropic
  • Ms. Haiku
    Ms. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,389
    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
  • obiwon76
    obiwon76 Posts: 568
    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
  • tellmesomethingtrue
    tellmesomethingtrue Posts: 35
    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.
    a snowflake falls in May
  • Ms. Haiku
    Ms. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,389
    obiwon76 wrote:
    "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
  • McShade
    McShade Posts: 156
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    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...!
  • SBC03
    SBC03 Posts: 502
    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...
  • JohnDSOTM
    JohnDSOTM Posts: 26
    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?
  • bassmac2
    bassmac2 Posts: 12
    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!
    Given To Fly
  • danika_bookworm
    danika_bookworm Posts: 162
    elderlywoman, etc. wrote:
    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).
  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    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.
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "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

Categories