Eddie Vedder’s lyrics often seem like a peek inside his journal entries. Even when writing through the lens of characters, you get the sense of Pearl Jam’s singer sharing his own Sisyphean struggle against life’s stubborn obstacles. Some songs, like “Alive”, are based on true stories, while others are observations. Or single characters stitched together from a multitude of experiences. I think Vedder’s great talent is being both vivid and abstract at the same time, which allows listeners to place themselves inside the story.
Videos by American Songwriter
Choosing only three songs to highlight Eddie Vedder’s best lyrics wasn’t easy, but this brief list should still leave you with goose bumps.
“Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town”
There are multiple heartbreaking moments in this song. A woman never leaves her small town, and one day an ex-lover enters the store she’s working in, and he doesn’t recognize her. Even though she’s never left home, she’s changed anyway. He’s not the same person, and from her perspective, he’s gotten somewhere. Found success.
We always imagine that leaving home creates profound change. And it does. But the people who stay also evolve in ways only visible over long periods. She wants to scream hello, but knows the connection between the two has faded. What’s worse, so has his memory of her. She’s nothing more than a stranger. Probably to herself, too.
I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate,
Perhaps that’s what no one wants to see.
“Better Man”
Writing, again, from a woman’s perspective, Eddie Vedder describes an abusive relationship. His character remembers a past version of herself, ready to take on the world. She feels trapped now in this relationship and has lost all confidence to find someone better. While pretending to love him, she’s also lying to herself. This is as good as it gets, she thinks.
“Better Man” dates back to Vedder’s pre-Pearl Jam days. On YouTube, you can find footage of him performing the song with Bad Radio in San Diego. Already timeless in the warbly clip of a future Hall of Famer fronting an amateur group. Vedder also borrows a songwriting trick from Bruce Springsteen in using an uplifting melody to deliver a bleak tale. It gives hope to a character who feels completely hopeless.
Waitin’, watchin’ the clock, it’s four o’clock, it’s got to stop
Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech
As he opens the door, she rolls over…
Pretends to sleep, as he looks her over.
“Given To Fly”
The man in “Given To Fly” leaves a negative environment behind and heads for the ocean. There, he’s lifted by the wind and set down gently on his knee—humbled by the vast sea in front of him. The following verse sounds like Eddie Vedder describing what it’s like to surf and the sensation of flight with the “sea as his floor.”
But Vedder’s flying man metaphor represents a freedom from the restraints of cynicism. The protagonist was stripped and stabbed, yet he still stands. The optimism and love he shares grow and catch on like a contagious kindness. And the supernatural component gives a boundless vibe to the whole thing, lifted by Mike McCready’s soaring guitar.
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.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.