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)
Deep
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A windowsill
Ponders his maker
Ponders his will
To the street below
He just ain't nothin'
But he's got a great view
Can't touch the bottom
In too deep
Can't touch the bottom oh
On the edge
Of a know-nothin' town
Feelin' quite superior
The aged come
To the sky above
He just ain't nothin'
But he's got a great view
And he sinks the burning knife deep
Can't touch the bottom
In too deep
Can't touch the bottom
In too deep
On the edge of a
Christmas clean lover
Young virgin here from heaven
Visiting, yeah
To the man above her
She just ain't nothin'
She doesn't like the view
She doesn't like the view
She doesn't like the view
But he sinks himself deep
Can't touch the bottom
In too deep
Can't touch the bottom
Can't touch the bottom
Deep, yeah
Oh oh the bottom
Yeah
Oh oh the bottom
Yeah
Oh oh the bottom
Yeah
Oh oh the bottom
Yeah
Oh oh the bottom
Yeah oh oh
Pearl Jam’s “Deep” is a powerful and morbid song about addiction and the self-destructive behaviors that come with it. The opening lines, “On the edge/A windowsill/Ponders his maker,” set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is on the brink – both literal and figurative – and contemplating their own existence. The line “Ponders his will” suggests that the person is struggling with decisions and purpose in life.
The second verse introduces a new character, who is feeling superior and judging others from their “know-nothin’ town.” The person is described as “aged,” suggesting they have more life experience and wisdom than the first character. However, despite their elevated status, they too turn to self-destructive behaviors. In this case, it’s using a burning knife to get high.
The third and final verse introduces a young virgin who is “here from heaven.” This line could be interpreted in a few ways – either the person is religious and has a literal belief in heaven or is experiencing a transcendent moment. Regardless, the person is not happy with their experience and “doesn’t like the view.” The final line, “But he sinks himself deep,” ties the three verses together in a common theme of seeking escape through drug use.
Overall, “Deep” is a haunting and raw song about addiction and the longing for something more in life. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but the underlying message is clear: addiction can take you to very dark places.
Line by Line Meaning
On the edge
The subject is in a precarious or uncertain situation
A windowsill
The location where the subject is situated
Ponders his maker
Reflecting on the creator or higher power that brought him/her into existence
Ponders his will
Thinking about the purpose and direction of his/her life and choices
To the street below
The view that other people of the world have
He just ain't nothin'
The subject feels insignificant, unimportant, or worthless
But he's got a great view
Despite his/her own feelings, the subject has a perspective that others desire
And he sinks the needle deep
The subject turns to drugs to escape his/her problems and cope with reality
Can't touch the bottom
The subject doesn't know how to deal with the depths of his/her despair or addiction
In too deep
The subject has gone too far into their destructive behavior or thoughts
Of a know-nothin' town
A location where the local people are ignorant or stagnant in their thinking
Feelin' quite superior
The subject thinks he/she is better than the people around him/her
The aged come
The elderly members of the town visit or live nearby
To the sky above
The subject imagines a higher power watching over everyone
He just ain't nothin'
Despite feeling superior to some people, the subject still feels insignificant compared to the universe
But he's got a great view
The subject's environment provides some comfort or solace
And he sinks the burning knife deep
The subject harms himself/herself in a different way, possibly through self-harm or self-punishment
In too deep
The subject has gone too far into their destructive behavior or thoughts
On the edge of a Christmas clean lover
The subject feels like an outsider in a world of purity, innocence or love
Young virgin here from heaven
An angelic figure that symbolizes purity or goodness
Visiting, yeah
The purity or goodness of the angel is only temporary or brief
To the man above her
The subject has an upward view, possibly of a higher power or authority figure
She just ain't nothin'
The subject feels insignificant or unworthy of the angel's attention or love
She doesn't like the view
The subject does not appreciate the perspective or position that she is in
But he sinks himself deep
Despite the purity or goodness around him/her, the subject harms himself/herself in some way
Can't touch the bottom
The subject doesn't know how to deal with the depths of his/her despair or addiction
In too deep
The subject has gone too far into their destructive behavior or thoughts
Can't touch the bottom
The subject doesn't know how to deal with the depths of his/her despair or addiction
Deep, yeah
A repetition of the message that the subject is in a very dark and desperate situation
Oh oh the bottom
A repetition of the message that the subject has hit rock bottom
Yeah
An exclamation of finality or resignation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind