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)
Garden
Pearl Jam Lyrics
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So misleading
The defection of the soul
Nauseously quick
I don't question
Our existence
I just question
Our modern needs
I will walk, with my hands bound
I will walk, with my face blood
I will walk, with my shadow flag
Into your garden
Garden of stone
After all is done
And we're still alone
I won't be taken
Yet I'll go
With my hands bound
I will walk, with my face blood
I will walk, with my shadow flag
Into your garden
Garden of stone
I don't show
I don't share
I don't need
What you have to give, yeah
I will walk, with my hands bound
I will walk, with my face blood
I will walk, with my shadow flag
Into your garden
Garden of
I will walk, with my hands bound
I will walk, into your garden
Garden of stone
I don't know
I don't care
I don't need you for me to live
The song "Garden" by Pearl Jam is a cryptic and introspective piece, with lyrics that are difficult to interpret. The opening lines suggest that our perceptions can be misleading, and our soul can be easily corrupted. The singer questions our existence, not in terms of whether we exist or not, but rather whether we truly understand what it means to be alive. The line "I just question our modern needs" implies that our society has created a set of values that may not be in line with the true meaning of existence.
The chorus lyrics talk about walking with hands bound, face bloodied, and a shadow flag, which symbolizes the struggle of life. The garden of stone represents a metaphorical place of confinement or imprisonment, where the singer is walking into of his own choice. However, the motivation behind this action is unclear, and leaves listeners with an unsettling feeling.
The final verses suggest that the singer does not need the validation or approval of others to live. The reversal of the opening lines (I don't show, I don't share, I don't need what you have to give) implies a shift in perspective where the singer realizes that the true value of life comes from within and not from external sources.
Line by Line Meaning
The direction of the eye
The way we perceive things visually can be misleading
So misleading
Our perception of reality can be deceiving
The defection of the soul
The disconnect between our inner selves and outer world
Nauseously quick
This realization can make us feel sickeningly uncomfortable
I don't question
I don't doubt
Our existence
That we are alive
I just question
But I do question
Our modern needs
The things we think we need in a contemporary world
I will walk, with my hands bound
I am willing to do anything despite being constrained
I will walk, with my face blood
I am ready to face pain and suffering
I will walk, with my shadow flag
My presence serves as a warning or symbol of something ominous
Into your garden
I am venturing into your territory
Garden of stone
An inanimate, desolate space
After all is done
When everything is finished
And we're still alone
Despite everything, we are still isolated
I won't be taken
I will persist and won't be broken
Yet I'll go
But I will still venture forth
I don't show
I don't display or exhibit
I don't share
I don't divulge or split with others
I don't need
I don't require
What you have to give, yeah
What you can offer me does not interest or entice me
I will walk, into your garden
I will still venture into your domain
I don't know
I am uncertain
I don't care
I am indifferent
I don't need you for me to live
I can survive and thrive without you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind