Given to Fly

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Comments

  • Flannel Shirt
    Flannel Shirt Posts: 1,021
    Pearl Jams masterpiece.

    The song is about overcoming _____. You fill in the blank.

    Thats my opinion. Their most spiritual and inspirational song as far as I am concerned. The music is absolutely beautiful.

    The Jesus reference definately works as well.
    All that's sacred, comes from youth....dedications, naive and true.
  • ledbetteroregon
    ledbetteroregon Posts: 107
    This song always reminds me of my dad, who passed away from cancer two years ago. With all the obsticales he faced, the ups and downs, and finally being free, this song really hits me. At my dad's funeral, i read the words to Long Road then I concluded with the inspirational line from Given to fly:

    "He still gives his love, he just gives it away. The love he receives is the love that is saved"
    9/16/96, 7/18/98, 11/02/00, 08/4/01, 12/08/02, 4/13/03, 10/22/03, 9/24/04, 3/18/05, 9/01/05, 9/02/05, 7/06/06, 7/07/06, 7/09/06, 7/10/06, 7/20/06
    7/22/06, 7/23/06, 04/07/07, 8/3/07
  • JohnDSOTM
    JohnDSOTM Posts: 26
    JohnDSOTM wrote:
    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?

    Ok, I'm not as nuts as I thought I was, and I didn't dream it. I knew I heard this somewhere before!

    http://s15.quicksharing.com/v/6429942/GIVEN_TO_FLY.wav.html

    If the link doesn't work, it's a clip from 02/08/03, Brisbane Australia show (# 1), and as the song starts Eddie says "this is about a guy who quit smoking".

    Mystery solved (at least for my own sanity).
  • Ms. Haiku
    Ms. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,389
    ohmygawd, ohmygawd, ohmygawd! I just heard it this morning, and again, that SWOOSH feeling. This song is almost about to take-over Born to Run as my life theme song. Now, that's saying something, since no one in the band is from NJ, and I don't see references to the highway. It's hard to imagine my life theme song without a reference to NJ or the highway, but there you go.

    I feel so full of energy that I'm eating a big bag of white cheddar cheese popcorn, and about to get sick. Ooops.
    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
  • Michael McPherson
    Michael McPherson Posts: 7
    I think eddie is definitely refering to Jesus whether he knows it or not. He still gives his love he just gives it away...thats Jesus...thats what christianity is meant to be, even if u don't think thats what it actually is. But maybe its not Jesus, maybe its just a person, but that person he is talking about is being Jesus to someone by sharing the love. Every christians job should be to be Jesus to someone, and share the love.
  • slightofjeff
    slightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    There are definitely some Christ-like themes in the last verse ... about this human being who has discovered a way to save the world, yet the very people he's come to save attack him for it.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do

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