Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Stone Gossard.
According to the Daughter Songfacts, the song was written from the perspective of a girl with a learning disability called dyslexia and her mother who doesn't understand the condition.
The song topped both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Billboard charts. The song spent a total of eight weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. "Daughter" eventually peaked at number 28 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart, becoming the band's first Top 40 single.
The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).
Daughter
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alone, listless
Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
Young girl, violence
Center of her own attention
The mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it
Tries to make her proud
Painted room, can't deny there's something wrong
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me
She holds the hand that holds her down
She will rise above, ooh, ooh
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me
The shades go down
The shades go down
The shades go, go
Go
The lyrics to Pearl Jam's "Daughter" are powerful and thought-provoking. The song explores the experience of a young girl who is the center of her own attention because of the violence that she has experienced in her life. The girl's mother is trying to read to her, but the girl is struggling to understand the words. The shades in the room go down, and the girl is left alone with her thoughts. The room she is in is painted, but there is something wrong that she cannot deny.
The chorus of the song is where we see the full impact of the girl's experiences. She says "Don't call me daughter, not fit to. The picture kept will remind me." The girl does not want to be called daughter because she feels unworthy of the title. The picture that is kept will remind her of the violence that she has experienced in her life. She is determined to rise above it, but she knows that it will be a difficult journey.
The song is a commentary on the impact of violence on young girls and how it affects their self-image. It is a poignant and emotional song that speaks to the heart of the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Alone, listless
Feeling lonely and disconnected
Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
In a place where there's no one else
Young girl, violence
A young girl dealing with violent tendencies
Center of her own attention
Focused on herself and her own issues
The mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it
The mother is reading to her child and the child is trying to comprehend what's being read
Tries to make her proud
The child is attempting to impress her mother
The shades go down, it's in her head
Closing the shades brings attention to the girl's internal struggles
Painted room, can't deny there's something wrong
Despite the room's decoration, there is an issue that can't be ignored
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The girl doesn't want to be associated with her family because she feels inadequate
The picture kept will remind me
A memory or image that will persist and continue to cause pain
She holds the hand that holds her down
The girl is in a toxic relationship or situation that keeps her from growing
She will rise above, ooh, ooh
Despite the struggles, the girl will overcome and thrive
The shades go down
Bringing attention to the girl's internal struggles
The shades go down
Continuing to focus on the internal struggles
The shades go, go
The struggles continue to persist
Go
Persisting struggles
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Abbruzzese, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KayYouderin-rg4vk
I was 13 when this song came out and already a Pearl Jam fan.
I was abused, mostly verbally and emotionally and via neglect, by my mother from birth to age 16, when I finally got to move away.
This song hit me like a freight train. The lyrics hurt so bad, but yet I had never felt so seen and recognized. I can’t help but sing along, often through tears, when I hear it.
I do make one small ad lib to it though- I sing “Don’t call me daughter. You’re not fit to.”
This daughter has done a lot of work to overcome the past. I have no contact with either of my genetic contributors these days and I have two children of my own that have never known the sort of suffering I lived through.
She has, indeed, risen above.
@smokinjz
Alone, listless
Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
Young girl, violence
Center of her own attention
The mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it
Tries to make her proud
The shades go down, it's in her head
Painted room, can't deny there's something wrong
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me
She holds the hand that holds her down
She will rise above, uh uh
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me
The shades go down
The shades go down
The shades go go
Go
@ramu3169
My mom became obsessed with Pearl Jam when she was 14, now Im fourteen and obsessed with Pearl Jam. Like mother like daughter?
@alvaodegaard
Hahaa good one! ^^ are you still make art? 😊
@roadbuzz
Today? Just curious.
@igottwopeepees
hows 20 treating ya?
@elincomparabletigreespartano
Thats called “ironía romántica” (idk what is the correct translation lol)
@sideskroll
Good for you kiddo! Good taste.
@discardeddede
"She holds the hand that holds her down." What an eye-opener.
@fry5544
Word.
@reneebingham7872
Makes “Better Man” make more sense
@benmancha4067
Saba I