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)
Down
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down. Cry me a river dried up and dammed.
The names can be changed but the place is still the same.
I am loaded. Told that all's for naught. Holds me down.
Rise. Life is in motion. I'm stuck in line.
Rise. You can't be neutral on a moving train.
One day the symptoms fade. Think I'll throw these pills away.
Won't let the light escape from me.
Won't let the darkness swallow me.
So long.
"Down" by Pearl Jam is a powerful and thought-provoking song that deals with the theme of depression and the struggle of moving forward. The song starts off with the lines “Down. Fall by the wayside no getting out. Down. Cry me a river dried up and dammed.” which immediately sets the tone of the song as being one of despair and hopelessness. The singer seems to be stuck in a rut, unable to escape the situation they are in.
The second verse of the song talks about how the singer is loaded and how all that they’ve done feels for naught. This, coupled with the fact that they are held down, implies that the singer may be feeling weighed down by their own success, or lack thereof. The chorus of the song, however, takes a more positive turn. The lines “Rise. Life is in motion. I’m stuck in line. Rise. You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” suggest that the singer knows that they need to rise up and take control of their life, otherwise they will be left behind.
The final verse of the song shows a glimmer of hope. The singer talks about how one day the symptoms of their depression will fade, and they might be able to throw away their pills. The song ends on a positive note, with the lines “And if hope could grow from dirt like me. It can be done. Won’t let the light escape from me. Won’t let the darkness swallow me. So long.”
Overall, "Down" is a powerful song that deals with depression and the struggle to move on. It offers a message of hope in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Down. Fall by the wayside no getting out.
Things are going downhill fast and there is no escape from it.
Down. Cry me a river dried up and dammed.
Feeling so hopeless that even tears have dried up and emotions have been suppressed.
The names can be changed but the place is still the same.
Nothing changes even if the people and things around change.
I am loaded. Told that all's for naught. Holds me down.
Having a lot (of problems, burdens, etc.) and feeling like everything is pointless and it's weighing one down.
Rise. Life is in motion. I'm stuck in line.
While life moves on, feeling stuck and unable to move forward.
Rise. You can't be neutral on a moving train.
One can't afford to be passive or indifferent when everything around is changing rapidly.
One day the symptoms fade. Think I'll throw these pills away.
Hope for a better future, where there will be no need for medication to deal with symptoms of mental illness.
And if hope could grow from dirt like me. It can be done.
If one feels hopeless and worthless (like dirt), there is still a chance to find hope and have a better future.
Won't let the light escape from me.
Will hold onto hope and positivity even in dark times.
Won't let the darkness swallow me.
Will not let the negative emotions or situations take over completely and destroy oneself.
So long.
Goodbye or farewell, with the implication that the person is leaving behind something negative and moving on.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON NIX, MICHAEL WAYNE ATHA, CLIFTON J. ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ChandraShekher Mishra
Down. Fall by the wayside no getting out.
Down. Cry me a river dried up and dammed.
The names can be changed but the place is still the same.
I am loaded. Told that all's for naught. Holds me down.
Rise. Life is in motion. I'm stuck in line.
Rise. You can't be neutral on a moving train.
One day the symptoms fade. Think I'll throw these pills away.
And if hope could grow from dirt like me. It can be done.
Won't let the light escape from me.
Won't let the darkness swallow me.
So long.
Deivid Lira
Essa é um clássico!!!!! Comprei o "Lost Dogs" de um vizinho que aleatoriamente me perguntou se eu gostava daquele "cantor". Era o disco que eu tava procurando fazia tempo, não acreditei quando ele me ofereceu por R$ 10,00. Eterno!
Ricardo Estevão
Caramba kkkk pode apostar, melhor álbum já lançado depois do Ten, e essa é sem dúvidas a melhor do Lost Dogs
Will Maluco
são coisas que tem que acontecer !pra que quem curte o bom e velho rock n"roll ... ...possa levar adiante a boa musica!
Henrique Francisco
Sorte hein. Tbm gosto muito. Essa vou tocar com a minha banda.
Power House Band
What a great band. I love their music
lane mcstaley
*they're
cristhian David
Como amo esta canción, larga vida PJ.
Patrik Pettersson
For all those up! :) Thank you Pearl Jam for all the excellence! What a beautiful song about hope and beating depression this is. One of my favorites. Always helps me when the darkness is about to swallow me and the light is about to escape. But we're not letting it, right!? Lovely dedication to the great Howard Zinn! Miss him. Love & light to you all. ❤️🙏
Noe Ferrone
This song always makes me feel better !!! Thanks Pearl Jam I love you infinitely!💃🏻💫🌌
LizardJam1
LOVE THIS !!!! always enjoyed this song--sounds so good.