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)
Ship Song
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And burn your bridges down
We make a little history,baby
Every time you come around
Come loose your dogs upon me
And let your hair hang down
You are a little mystery to me
We talked about it all night long
We define our moral ground
But when I crawl into your arms
Everything comes tumbling down
Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down
In the first verse of the song, Pearl Jam's frontman Eddie Vedder sings an invitation to his lover to bring their ships around and burn their bridges down. This seems to suggest a desire to start anew with the person he is addressing. The second verse furthers this idea by asking the subject to let their dogs loose and let their hair down, to be a little bit wild in a way that they potentially haven't been before. The final lines of the second verse, "You are a little mystery to me/Every time you come around," reinforces the notion that the person may feel like they don't completely know this partner, but they still welcome their presence.
The chorus of the song focuses on the power of the relationship and intimacy between the two people. Vedder sings about how their conversations can define moral ground and how when he is held by his lover, everything comes tumbling down. This tumbling down could signify a release of stress or pressure, or it could mean that their beliefs and values melt away in the presence of each other. The final lines of the chorus "We make a little history, baby/Every time you come around" echo the sentiment expressed in the first verse of wanting to create something new and meaningful together.
Line by Line Meaning
Come sail your ships around me
Approach me and surround me with your emotional baggage or past experiences.
And burn your bridges down
Let go of your past and commit fully to the present moment.
We make a little history, baby
Our actions together have the potential to create long-lasting memories.
Every time you come around
Each encounter with you brings something new and exciting to the table.
Come loose your dogs upon me
Be unguarded and let go of any defensive tendencies.
And let your hair hang down
Relax and let your guard down.
You are a little mystery to me
I am curious about your true intentions and desires.
We talked about it all night long
We had a meaningful and deep conversation about our shared beliefs and values.
We define our moral ground
We have established our personal principles and beliefs.
But when I crawl into your arms
When I feel vulnerable and seek comfort from you.
Everything comes tumbling down
My walls and defenses crumble when I am in your embrace.
Contributed by Matthew R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
satarnag
Pear Jam always had gothic overtones in their music. So it's great to hear them do a cover of Nick Cave
Boo Spanyer Cassiopeia
classic song, love the way PJ does it! woothefreakinghoo :)
Mz K
Some of you need to relax...are you even aware of what a privilege it is to see a band so comfortable with their fans that they are willing to just jam and try something new right in front of you...this is an intimate moment and I wish I was there to see it and live it.
nikki2sox
Thanks for posting. I'm a die hard Nick Cave fan and cringed when I saw this at first, but Eddie actually has the voice to give it a unique perspective.
Boo Spanyer Cassiopeia
classic song, love the way PJ does it! woothefreakinghoo :)
pdquintela
They're big enough to set their egos aside and stop the song in front of a live audience when they realize they're not making it right. That's a band that understands art. In my opinion, this makes them even greater.
Vaca Leiteira da Silva
I wish Johnette and Nick had been there to sing alongside them! :)
love pearl jam, love this song, love nick cave. Beautiful :)
Todd Pearson
I was there too. Before the show, we hung out at the top of the Ampitheater and watched Eddie sound check... So amazing... They did a 6-7 acoustic set to open. Then a FULL on show. Peeee Jay!!!!
Kyle Feild
I wish Johnette and Nick had been there to sing alongside them! :)
BBellew3
Eddie later did a solo acoustic version of this, which is much better.