Mankind

Great song by Stone Gossard. This song is definately underestimated among a lot of Pearl Jam fans. I think it's because it's quite a bit different from what you normally hear from the band. I think the song's about how everyone is shaped by products and possessions intstead of their feelings. The beginning of the song represents wanting to get out.

Like my response to hearing Avril Lavigne on the radio if I was more eloquent :)

Great, catchy song about materialism and lack of realism all throughout our society but especially in popular media. I think the relevance of this song grows with each passing season and fad.

Well, I agree, but I also notice that if you listen to the rhyming parts they are homophonius with words that have sexual connotations.
He rhymes "playing with my magazine" with "using up my listerine," and that subconsciously brings to mind the act of masturbation, because listerine and ovaltine rhyme with vaseline, and what better to use while playing with your magazine.
It's as if he is saying that all this consumerism and all these fads are like masturbation. They're just a simulation.

Think about what this song would have sounded like if Eddie had sung it..... it would have been a hit ..... a smash hit.... but placing stone at the mic made everything awkward on purpose to show that the public fears change..... I think that putting Stone on the mic was genious because stone does not have Eddie's voice that everyone loves.... he has his own while talented but unknown voice... that was cool....

i always loved the lyrics to this song, if you read the rhyming parts (magazine, listerine, ovaltine, and te other parts) it sounds ike stones being ironic and just rhyming whatever comes to mind, making fun of the useless pop you hear on the radio, my dad had that idea, even if im looking too far into it, its definetly extra catchy just on purpose

fxcknelson definatly nailed this one.... this song was written to be catchy....it makes me think of bands out today like Good charlotte, Simple plan, or bowling for soup that purposely make songs to be catchy and to drag their audiences in to buying their CDs ......... Kurdt Tbo also has a pretty neat interpretation..... interesting and cool....

Think about what this song would have sounded like if Eddie had sung it..... it would have been a hit ..... a smash hit.... but placing stone at the mic made everything awkward on purpose to show that the public fears change..... I think that putting Stone on the mic was genious because stone does not have Eddie's voice that everyone loves.... he has his own while talented but unknown voice... that was cool....

kurdttbo i think that the bit about the masturbation is even heavier than what youve suggested as the word battleship always reminds me of the red hot chili peppers song battleship this song was going to be called blow job park but then wasnt allowed and jack irons is on in this song it makes pretty good sense to me.

ill see if i can find anything else out about tis song i havent looked into it yet

Seemingly this song is mocking Stone Temple Pilots, im a fan of both bands but Pearl Jam are way up there in a class of there own.

amazing that this was stone's next song after dont gimme no lip. that song was catchy but not exactly deep...