Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament's previous band, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with their debut album, Ten, in 1991. Ten stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for nearly five years, and has gone on to become one of the highest-selling rock records ever, going 13× platinum in the United States. Released in 1993, Pearl Jam's second album, Vs., sold over 950,000 copies in its first week of release, setting the record for most copies of an album sold in its first week of release at the time. Their third album, Vitalogy (1994), became the second-fastest-selling CD in history at the time, with more than 877,000 units sold in its first week.
One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam's members often shunned popular music industry practices such as making music videos or participating in interviews. The band also sued Ticketmaster, claiming it had monopolized the concert-ticket market. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."
Pearl Jam had sold more than 85 million albums worldwide by 2018, including nearly 32 million albums in the United States by 2012, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 in its first year of eligibility. They were ranked eighth in a readers' poll by Rolling Stone magazine in its "Top Ten Live Acts of All Time" issue. Throughout its career, the band has also promoted wider social and political issues, from pro-abortion rights sentiments to opposition to George W. Bush's presidency. Vedder acts as the band's spokesman on these issues.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam
Studio albums
Ten (1991)
Vs. (1993)
Vitalogy (1994)
No Code (1996)
Yield (1998)
Binaural (2000)
Riot Act (2002)
Pearl Jam (2006)
Backspacer (2009)
Lightning Bolt (2013)
Gigaton (2020)
01 Last Exit
Pearl Jam Lyrics
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No time to question...why'd nothing last...
Grasp and hold on...hold tight and fast...
Soon be over...and I will relent...
Let the ocean swell dissolve 'way my past
Three days and maybe longer won't even know I've left
Under your tongue...I'm like a tab...
I will give you what...you're not supposed to have...
For better or for worse...a best we began...
Let the sun climb, oh, burn away my mask
Three days, and maybe longer, shed my skin at last...shed...shed...
Let the sun shine, burn away my mask
Three days, and maybe longer, won't ever find me here
Let the ocean dissolve away my past
Four days, and not much longer...
Let my spirit pass...
Ooh...
This is, this is...(3x)
My...last exit
The lyrics of "Last Exit" by Pearl Jam express a sense of resignation and acceptance of one's fate. The opening line "Lives opened and trashed" suggests that the singer has experienced a series of disappointments and setbacks, and is no longer surprised when things don't work out. The line "Look ma, watch me crash..." reads like a resigned cry for attention or validation. The following lines suggest that the singer is no longer interested in questioning why things don't last or trying to hold on to them. The phrase "Soon be over...and I will relent" implies a sense of inevitability and surrender.
The second part of the song seems to describe a desire for transformation or escape. References to the ocean and the sun suggest a desire to dissolve or burn away one's past or mask, and to shed one's skin in order to leave something behind. The line "Under your tongue...I'm like a tab" suggests a possible drug reference or a suggestion that the singer is trying to offer an escape from reality. The repeated refrain "Let the sun shine, burn away my mask / Three days, and maybe longer, won't ever find me here / Let the ocean dissolve away my past / Four days, and not much longer... / Let my spirit pass..." implies a sense of transience and impermanence, as if the singer is seeking a temporary respite from their problems.
Overall, the lyrics of "Last Exit" by Pearl Jam express a sense of disillusionment and a desire for escape from the disappointment and transience of life. The song suggests that the singer has accepted that they cannot control their fate, and that they are seeking a temporary respite from reality in order to shed their skin and start anew.
Line by Line Meaning
Lives opened and trashed..."Look ma, watch me crash..."
Life has been rough on me and I have nothing to lose. I'm going to take risks and see how far I can push things.
No time to question...why'd nothing last...
I don't have time to dwell on why things didn't work out. I need to keep moving forward even if I don't understand why things happened the way they did.
Grasp and hold on...hold tight and fast...
I need to hold on tight to things that matter to me and not let go. I need to be strong and determined even in tough times.
Soon be over...and I will relent...
This struggle won't last forever, and eventually, I will have to give up and accept whatever outcome comes my way.
Let the ocean swell dissolve 'way my past
I want to let go of my past and start fresh. I want the sea to wash away all of my troubles and allow me to move on.
Three days and maybe longer won't even know I've left
I'm leaving everything behind and I don't care who notices or not. I just want to start anew somewhere else.
Under your tongue...I'm like a tab...
I am like a drug that you can't resist. You keep me close and take me whenever you need a boost.
I will give you what...you're not supposed to have...
I'm going to provide you with something that other people would tell you it's not good for you, but you still want it.
Under my breath...I swear by sin...
I have made some bad choices in my life and now I'm paying the price. But I'm still going to keep going and not give up.
For better or for worse...a best we began...
We started out with the best of intentions, but sometimes things don't work out. I accept that and I am willing to move on.
Let the sun climb, oh, burn away my mask
I want to let go of my pretenses and let people see the real me. I want the sun to shine bright and reveal my true self.
Three days, and maybe longer, shed my skin at last...shed...shed...
I want to leave my old self behind and become someone new. I need to shed my old skin and start fresh.
Let the sun shine, burn away my mask
I want to let my true self shine and not hide behind a mask anymore. I want to be authentic and true to myself.
Three days, and maybe longer, won't ever find me here
I'm leaving and I don't plan on coming back. I want to go somewhere where no one knows me and start a new life.
Let the ocean dissolve away my past
I want to let go of my past and all the negative things that have happened to me. I want the ocean to take away all of my sorrows.
Four days, and not much longer...
My time is running out, and I only have a short amount of time to make a change. I need to act fast and make the most of what I have left.
Let my spirit pass...
I want to be at peace with myself and let my spirit move on to the next chapter of my life.
Ooh...
This is a moment of reflection and contemplation. I am taking a deep breath and trying to find inner peace.
This is, this is...(3x)
This is the end, and I'm accepting it. I'm acknowledging that it's over and it's time for me to move on.
My...last exit
This is my final chance to leave everything behind and start fresh. I know that it's not going to be easy, but it's something that I need to do.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID ABBRUZZESE, EDDIE VEDDER, JEFF AMENT, MIKE MCCREADY, STONE GOSSARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind