Given to Fly

I see it being about evolution. Ocean to tree to flying.

this is one of my favourite songs but i do not understand what the lyrics are about whatsoever...i cannot associate them with anything and please do not take offence but i admire your tries but I don't think you are right...seems quite tough...I think possibly Vedder just wrote stuff that came to mind, random stuff without meaning....there's loads of songs like that and i'm pretty sure that most songs don't really have a meaning or anything....bet half of the songwriters in the world write something with a vague story but mainly 'cause the sentences fit together and then adapt a story to it.....dont you think?

This is the reason i don't believe it to be a direct parallel to the story of Jesus:

He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands.

Last time i checked, Jesus was crucified, then came back to life. In this verse, it kinda says he came back, got killed, and came back again.

Edit. That's a load of crap. Jesus is often seen as God in human form. According to the bible, God walked the Earth with Adam and Eve. Floating back down may be a reference to Jesus being born and 'God' walking the Earth once more.

I still don't think this song is a religious reference though. Doesn't seem like something Vedder would write about.

I always thought it was a song about enlightenment and finding the beauty in nature and life.


He could've tuned in, tuned in
But he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
The wind rose up, set him down on his knee

A person is struggling through life, just going through the motions. Then one day he realizes that he is not happy with his life so he runs away to his "happy place" which is the beach.


A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
Delivered him wings, 'Hey, look at me now'
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor
Oh, power, oh
He's.. flying.....whole

He is surfing which I believe is a very spiritual activity for many people. As soon as he steps on his board, his worries are gone. Now he can just concentrate on nature and life.

He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands

He now realizes that the important things in life aren't materialistic. He sees everyone bounded by "chains" such as money, jobs, etc. and believes that these people are not fully enjoying their lives because of this. He tries to spread this message but everyone just condemns him.


And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly

Despite the fact that must people are not accepting of his views, he continues to live his the way he wants and spread his message. The people that accept his message and find the beauty in life are "saved". The last part is the most confusing to me. What does the writer mean by a strange spot in the sky? The most obvious explanation is that the man has passed on but his soul continues to fly but that doesn't fit the rest of the song. Another possibility is that by finding true happiness, the man is free and able to "soar".

A strange spot in the sky could just be a metaphor, for someone who is free, free from the confines of daily life and what society considers the norm.

I thought it was about Plato's cave allegory. You know, the people who were chained facing the wall with a fire behind them and only saw shadows of things instead of the real things. They mistook appearance for reality. One prisoner is released, and goes out of the cave and is first blinded by the light. Then feels compelled to share and tries to enlighten the others, but they revolt against him, happy in their chained ignorance. But he flies, whole in his enlightened state.

QuestionsLinger wrote:

I thought it was about Plato's cave allegory. You know, the people who were chained facing the wall with a fire behind them and only saw shadows of things instead of the real things. They mistook appearance for reality. One prisoner is released, and goes out of the cave and is first blinded by the light. Then feels compelled to share and tries to enlighten the others, but they revolt against him, happy in their chained ignorance. But he flies, whole in his enlightened state.

I think I heard of this theory before. Something about Eddie reading Plato. Makes sense, too.

whispering hands wrote:

what if the song is a bout conciousness altogether.. For when we harness the power of controlling our own mind, it is an immensley powerfull tool for use in our everyday conciousness. so what if given to fly is refferring to the freedom found in knowing one's gifts? one's power? just a thought...

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...