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)
Master
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
We just want you to know we can see through your masks
But build and destroy
You play with our world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my head
And then you hide from my eyes
Then you turn and run following the fast foolish line
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You won't need to believe
But I see through your eye
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water that runs down my drain
You that fasten all the trigger
For the others to fire
And you sit back and watch
While the death toll gets higher
You hide in your mansion
While young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies and is buried in the mud
You've thrown the worst fear
That could ever be hurled
The fear to bring children
Into this world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood that runs through your veins
How much do we know
To talk out of turn?
You might say that we're young
You might say we're unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never forgive what you do
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good?
Will it buy you forgiveness?
Do you think that it would?
Oh, I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
And I hope that you die
And your death will come soon
I'll stand on your [Incomprehensible]
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Into your deathbed
And I'll stand on your grave till I'm sure that you're dead
The lyrics of Pearl Jam's "Master" are a forceful condemnation of war and those who profit from it. The song is addressing those who control and have power in the military-industrial complex. Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of the band, calls out the "masters of war," those who build the guns, death planes, and bombs, and hide behind their high walls and desks.
The song creates a powerful statement against those who have never done anything other than build and destroy the world. Vedder accuses them of treating the world as their toy, threatening children and causing destruction. He points out the heinous acts they have committed and how they have unleashed the worst fear any parent could have when they use weapons to destroy.
Vedder's outrage at the behavior and actions of the warmongers culminates in a powerful finale where he hopes for their death, and they can purchase neither soul nor forgiveness. The song is a prophetic statement on how war, greed, and evil loose souls and destroy lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Come you masters of war
Addressing the ones who hold power over war and destruction
You that build all the guns
Those who manufacture the weapons of war
You that build the death planes
Specifically calling out those who make planes for bombing
You that build all the bombs
Those who make bombs and contribute to destruction
You that hide behind walls
The powerful who are not affected by the consequences of war
You that hide behind desks
Those who make decisions to go to war from their safe offices
We just want you to know we can see through your masks
Acknowledging the deceptive nature of those in power
You that never done nothing
Pointing out those who only lead by destruction
But build and destroy
Creating then destroying, leaving nothing positive behind
You play with our world
Manifesting people's futures as if it was just a game
Like it's your little toy
Treat the world as if it belongs to them
You put a gun in my head
Blaming the powerful for the violence and destruction caused by the wars they start
And then you hide from my eyes
Avoiding responsibility for their actions
Then you turn and run following the fast foolish line
Criticizing those who act recklessly without regard for consequences
Like Judas of old
Comparing those in power to the betrayer of Christ
You lie and deceive
Identifying the lies of the powerful and how they mislead people
A world war can be won
Hinting at the cost of their beatitude would be the destruction of humanity
You won't need to believe
The powerful are already sure of their win, no matter the consequences
But I see through your eye
Calling out the hypocrisy and selfishness of the powerful
And I see through your brain
Denouncing the inhumanity underlying their actions
Like I see through the water that runs down my drain
Equating their evil to common things and shedding light on how dark their actions are
You that fasten all the trigger
Identifying those who facilitate the means of destruction
For the others to fire
Making weapons accessible to those who will use them
And you sit back and watch
Observing the devastation they've caused without care
While the death toll gets higher
Not acknowledging the real cost of their actions and wars
You hide in your mansion
Pointing out the privilege of the rich and powerful compared to those who go to war
While young people's blood
The cost of war falling primarily on young lives
Flows out of their bodies and is buried in the mud
Describing the horrors of war and its casualties
You've thrown the worst fear
Condemning the leaders for creating a situation of intense fear
That could ever be hurled
Referring to fear of destruction and annihilation
The fear to bring children
Fearful for the future generation who will inherit the broken society
Into this world
Brought into this environment
For threatening my baby
Feeling fear for the safety of his family due to war created by the powerful
Unborn and unnamed
Referencing the child before the baby is born, before having the chance to grow and contribute to society
You ain't worth the blood that runs through your veins
Suggesting that the lives of these leaders are meaningless compared to the destruction they've caused
How much do we know
Acknowledging his lack of experience
To talk out of turn?
Apologizing for speaking out of turn
You might say that we're young
Addressing his own youth and inexperience regarding such important topics
You might say we're unlearned
Admitting the fact that he still has much to learn
But there's one thing I know
Reiterating the point that the leaders' chosen path is unacceptable
Though I'm younger than you
Pointing out the age gap between himself and the leaders in question
Even Jesus would never forgive what you do
Highlighting the inhumanity and the impossibility of accepting what these leaders do
Let me ask you one question
Posing an important question to those in power
Is your money that good?
Is money worth more than morality?
Will it buy you forgiveness?
Suggesting that forgiveness is not an option for the crimes committed
Do you think that it would?
Challenging the powerful to respond if they believe money can truly buy forgiveness
Oh, I think you will find
Suggesting that the powerful will be disappointed with what they find
When your death takes its toll
Talking about the unavoidable death of any human being
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
Reaffirming that wealth and corruption are nothing in comparison to human worth and morality
And I hope that you die
Expressing a strong negative sentiment against the powerful
And your death will come soon
Suggesting that even the powerful can die unexpectedly
I'll stand on your [Incomprehensible]
Expressing his disdain for the powerful and his desire to disrespect them in their death
In the pale afternoon
Setting the scene of possible events in the future
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Suggesting that their end will come as all human beings, and that their power or wealth will not save them from this fate
Into your deathbed
Highlighting that the powerful will one day meet the end of their lives
And I'll stand on your grave till I'm sure that you're dead
Expressing his desire to dishonor and desecrate the powerful's graves
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@StonedGossard_
Eddie's howl in certain bits of this song are hauntingly good
@bonniebabird
I remember the first time I heard Dylan sing this beautiful song. Too long time comin and here we still are
@rickstalentedtongue910
Dylan know who he is working for, and now is quite and his joy is sapped from his music, but not the wisdom.
@anwaradi
"And I'll stand over your grave 'til I'm sure that you're dead." Wow!
@freesouljah
“Lowered into your deathbed, and I’ll stand over your grave until I’m sure that your dead”…the song hits hard on Rumsfeld’s death day…
@yury2749
He was a stooge. Dylan is singing about the Marxists. They infiltrated both parties and now our political compass goes between Communism and Fascism, both of which are Marxist.
@turdferguson7504
It sounds like a line straight from the lips of the “masters of war”.
@batgurrl
Thanks for the reminder- powerful song ❤️
@jamesblanshard9468
A timeless Masterpiece x
@brutus4013
Another great cover ! Well done .