Pearl Jam is an American grunge/alternative rock band formed in Seattle, Wa… Read Full Bio ↴Pearl Jam is an American grunge/alternative rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Drummers Jack Irons, Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, and Dave Abbruzzese are former members of the band. Pearl Jam outsold many of their contemporaries from the early 1990s, and are considered one of the most influential bands of the decade, being dubbed as "the most popular American rock and roll band of the '90s".

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)

Last Exit
Pearl Jam Lyrics

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Lives opened and trashed..."Look ma, watch me crash..."
No time to question...why'd nothing last...
Grasp and hold on...hold tight and fast...
Soon be over...and I will relent...
Let the ocean swell dissolve 'way my past
Three days and maybe longer won't even know I've left
Under your tongue...I'm like a tab...
I will give you what...you're not supposed to have...

Under my breath...I swear by sin...
For better or for worse...a best we began...
Let the sun climb, oh, burn away my mask
Three days, and maybe longer, shed my skin at last...shed...shed...
Let the sun shine, burn away my mask
Three days, and maybe longer, won't ever find me here
Let the ocean dissolve away my past
Four days, and not much longer...
Let my spirit pass...
Ooh...

This is, this is...(3x)
My...last exit

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Pearl Jam's "Last Exit" speak to the idea of letting go and moving on from a difficult situation. Through lines like "Lives opened and trashed... 'Look ma, watch me crash...'", the singer seems to acknowledge the ways in which their life has been thrown into chaos and destruction. However, there is also a sense of determination in lines like "Grasp and hold on... hold tight and fast...", as if the singer is actively fighting against this destruction and trying to maintain their grip on things. This struggle is ultimately futile though, as the singer admits that "Soon be over... and I will relent..."

The idea of shedding one's skin and starting anew is prevalent throughout the song, whether it be through the imagery of the sun burning away a mask, or the idea of dissolving one's past in the ocean. There is a sense of release and renewal in lines like "Three days, and maybe longer, shed my skin at last...shed...shed..." and "Let my spirit pass...". However, there is also a slight sense of danger and recklessness in lines like "Under your tongue...I'm like a tab... I will give you what... you're not supposed to have...". The singer seems to be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this release, even if it means breaking the rules or indulging in something dangerous.

Overall, "Last Exit" is a powerful and introspective song that speaks to the universal desire for change and growth. The lyrics are raw and honest, with a touch of darkness and danger that adds to the complexity of the message.

Line by Line Meaning

Lives opened and trashed..."Look ma, watch me crash..."
I've revealed my innermost feelings and been hurt as a result. It's like a performance for people to watch my downfall and I can't control it.

No time to question...why'd nothing last...
I'm too busy living life to bother with asking why nothing seems to last or endure.

Grasp and hold on...hold tight and fast...
I'm trying to cling on to my current path, but things are moving quickly and I'm struggling to maintain my grip.

Soon be over...and I will relent...
It won't be long before this phase of my life is over, and I'll give in to whatever comes next.

Let the ocean swell dissolve 'way my past
I want the ocean to wash away my past and everything associated with it. Start anew.

Three days and maybe longer won't even know I've left
I'm leaving for some time--maybe three days--but it could last longer, and I might not realize how much time has passed.

Under your tongue...I'm like a tab...
I can have a profound effect on you, just like taking an acid tab.

I will give you what...you're not supposed to have...
I can offer experiences or knowledge that society might frown upon if they knew about it.

Under my breath...I swear by sin...
I'm so committed to this promise that even swearing under my breath feels like a serious oath.

For better or for worse...a best we began...
We started something hoping it would end up for the best, but either way, we gave it our all.

Let the sun climb, oh, burn away my mask
I'm ready for the world to see the real me, and I hope the sun exposes my true identity by burning away my facade.

Three days, and maybe longer, shed my skin at last...shed...shed...
I'm shedding my metaphorical skin, and it might take a few days or longer, but I'm ready to start fresh.

Let the sun shine, burn away my mask
Again, I'm ready for the world to see the real me, and I hope that the sun can help me reveal my true identity by burning away my facade.

Three days, and maybe longer, won't ever find me here
Even if someone comes looking for me after three days, or even longer, they won't be able to find me because I don't want to be found.

Let the ocean dissolve away my past
I'm ready to leave my past behind, and I'm hopeful that the ocean can help me achieve that end.

Four days, and not much longer...
I've extended my stay slightly, but it isn't too much longer now.

Let my spirit pass...Ooh...
Maybe even beyond my physical presence on this earth, I want to be gone completely.

This is, this is...(3x)
I'm gearing up for something big, and I need to keep reminding myself of that.

My...last exit
This is the last time I'm leaving, and it might be permanent.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID ABBRUZZESE, EDDIE VEDDER, JEFF AMENT, MIKE MCCREADY, STONE GOSSARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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