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)
1
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Faithin' and hopin' to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind
The north is to south what the clock is to time
There's east and there's west and there's everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
I am mine
And the feeling it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
We're safe tonight
The ocean is full 'cause everyone's crying
The full moon is looking for friends at high tide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
I only know my mind
I am mine
And the meaning it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
We're safe tonight
(What)
And the feelings that gets left behind
All the innocence broken with lies
Significance between the lines
We may need to hide
And the meanings that get left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
We're all different behind the eyes
There's no need to hide, yeah
The lyrics to Pearl Jam's song "I Am Mine" speak to the idea of individuality and personal agency. The first verse highlights the idea that some people are so focused on their own selfish needs that they are willing to wait in line to delay their inevitable end. In contrast, the singer recognizes that they only truly own their own mind and must make the most of the time they have. The second verse compares the cardinal directions to the linear passage of time, emphasizing the enormity and complexity of life. The singer acknowledges that while they were born and will die, they are in control of their own experience in between.
The chorus repeats the idea of personal ownership with the lyrics "I am mine." The following lines speak to the universal experiences of loss and sorrow - the ocean is full of collective tears, and the full moon is looking for companions in high tide. The third verse reflects on the struggle of dealing with pain and the importance of being honest with oneself - denying the reality of sorrow only makes it worse. The final lines of the song emphasize the unique nature of each individual - we are all different "behind the eyes" and there is no need to hide from who we are.
Overall, "I Am Mine" is a powerful statement about the human experience and the importance of recognizing one's own agency in a complex and ever-changing world.
Line by Line Meaning
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Selfish people are impatiently waiting in a queue
Faithin' and hopin' to buy themselves time
They hope to delay any negative consequences through their faith
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
Personally, I believe that my life is slipping away with each breath I take
I only own my mind
The only thing I possess is the agency of my thoughts
The north is to south what the clock is to time
Just as the north represents the opposite direction to south, similarly the clock represents the passage of time
There's east and there's west and there's everywhere life
East, west, and the rest of the world are all where life is present
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
I am aware of my birth and assume that there will be a point of death
The in-between is mine
The absence of knowledge about their life's span is under my control
I am mine
I am my person
And the feeling it gets left behind
The sentiments that follow us
All the innocence lost at one time
The innocence that disappeared with time
Significant behind the eyes
Much significant things are hidden behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
Unnecessary to conceal myself
We're safe tonight
There's no threat tonight
The ocean is full 'cause everyone's crying
People's tears have filled the ocean
The full moon is looking for friends at high tide
At high tide, the full moon is seeking friendship
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
Sorrow deepens when it is ignored
I only know my mind
I am not entirely sure of others' thoughts, only my own
I am mine
I am my entity
And the meaning it gets left behind
The explanation that people forget
All the innocence lost at one time
When they lose innocence
Significant behind the eyes
A lot of meaningful information concealed
There's no need to hide
No good justification to conceal oneself
We're safe tonight
We are protected and secure tonight
(What)
Informal expression to ask for further explanation, clarification, or repeat the statement or question
And the feelings that get left behind
The emotions that get left behind
All the innocence broken with lies
Lies responsible for tearing down innocence.
Significance between the lines
Meaning between what's mentioned in a statement, particularly significant things.
We may need to hide
We might have to conceal ourselves.
And the meanings that get left behind
The significance that's left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
All the innocence that was lost
We're all different behind the eyes
We all have distinct ways of thinking.
There's no need to hide, yeah
It's unnecessary to conceal, yeah.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eddie Vedder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CS Fretes
Pearl Jam - Ten
0:00 1 - Once
3:51 2 - Even Flow
8:45 3 - Alive
14:26 4 - Why Go
17:45 5 - Black
23:31 6 - Jeremy
28:49 7 - Oceans
32:31 8 - Porch
35:01 9 - Garden
40:00 10 - Deep
44:20 11 - Release
Erin Beth
Couldn't be happier you uploaded the whole album to your page. This is one of the few albums I don't skip a song from the beginning of Once to the end of Release. Thank you!
Kimberly G
Not one bad song on this collection! All of them top of the class!
Венцислав Ламбринов
Great,great album man!❤️💪
Donn S. Telfair
Y?x
gutabo
Thank you very much, altho I always just press play and hear the whole thing. Perfect album!
Jack Brown
The only Pearl Jam album where I don't skip a single song. A masterpiece, wish the band still made music this good
Stefanie C
This, Nevermind and Pretty Hate Machine.
markfromct2
Totally agreed Mr. Jack Brown
James Steven's
Live on two legs my brother the best album ever