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)
Why Go
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into a wall made of stone
Maybe someday
Another child
Won't feel as alone as she does
It's been two years
And counting
Since they put her in this place
By some stupid fuck
And mommy agrees
Why go home?
Why go home?
Why go home?
She seems to be stronger
But what they want her to be is weak
She could play pretend
She could join the game, boy
She could be another clone
Ooh, whoa ah, yeah oh
Why go home, why go home, why go home, why go home
What you taught me (why go home)
Put me here don't come visit, mother (why go home)
Sting me
Why go home, why go home, why go home, why go home
What you taught me (why go home)
Put me here don't come visit, mother, mother yeah (why go home)
Why go home, why go home, why go home, why go home, why go home, whoa
The lyrics of Pearl Jam's song "Why Go" tell a poignant story about a girl who is trapped in a mental institution. The singer feels alone and isolated, and in a desperate attempt to find connection, she scratches a letter into the wall. The song suggests that this is an act of hope - she is reaching out, even if only in a small way, to the world beyond her confinement. However, as the singer explains, her confinement has taken a toll on her, and she has been "diagnosed / By some stupid fuck / And mommy agrees." The implication is that the girl is not getting the help she needs, and that she is being held in a damaging and harmful environment.
The chorus of the song poses a series of rhetorical questions: "Why go home?" The repetition of this question creates a sense of urgency - as though the singer is pleading with the girl to find a way out of her situation. The suggestion is that there is something better waiting for her outside the institution - someplace safer, more supportive, and less damaging to her mental health.
As the song progresses, the singer's tone shifts. At first, he seems to be criticizing the institution and the people who have put the girl there. But then he turns his attention to the girl herself. "She seems to be stronger / But what they want her to be is weak," he sings. The implication is that the girl has been transformed by her time in the institution - that she has learned to be "weak" out of necessity. However, the singer is also suggesting that she has a choice: she could play along, and "be another clone," or she could find a way out.
Line by Line Meaning
She scratches a letter
The girl is so desperate to communicate her thoughts that she resorts to carving them on a wall made of hard stone.
Into a wall made of stone
The wall is significant because the girl feels trapped just like the wall holds her feelings captive.
Maybe someday
She hopes that someday, someone else will be able to relate to her struggles and she won't feel so alone.
Another child
She isn't the first child to be put in this place, and she won't be the last unless something changes.
Won't feel as alone as she does
She's in a situation where nobody can understand her or help her, and it's a very lonely place to be.
It's been two years
The length of time underscores how long the girl has been forced to remain in isolation.
And counting
The phrase serves as a reminder that time is running out for her.
Since they put her in this place
The trauma of being confined to a mental institution has left its mark on her, and she knows she isn't the same person she used to be.
She's been diagnosed
The girl has been labeled and reduced to a set of medical symptoms, taking away her humanity.
By some stupid fuck
The insensitive approach of the doctors and other caregivers towards her has made her feel more alone and resentful.
And mommy agrees
Even her guardian has failed to stand up for her rights and has allowed her to be subjected to this inhumane treatment.
She seems to be stronger
Despite everything, the girl has found some inner strength to cope with her situation.
But what they want her to be is weak
Her caregivers are threatened by her strength and are doing everything in their power to break her spirit.
She could play pretend
The girl could pretend to be submissive and agree to their authority, but she refuses to give in.
She could join the game, boy
The system wants her to conform and behave like others to fit in, but she's not interested in playing their game.
She could be another clone
The system encourages uniformity and sameness, but she refuses to lose her identity and become one of the clones.
What you taught me (why go home)
The girl is questioning what she has been taught by her mother or caregivers that has landed her in this place.
Put me here don't come visit, mother (why go home)
She resents her mother or caregiver for abandoning her in this institution and denying her basic human contact.
Sting me
The girl feels betrayed and stung by the people she has trusted all her life.
Why go home
The girl is questioning the value of going back home to a place or people that hurt her and put her in this situation.
Whoa
The line serves as a lament for the girl's lost childhood and innocence.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jeffrey Allen Ament, Eddie Jerome Vedder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind