Have you seen your mother, girl?
Has she gone away?
Gone away and found the pearl
But the price she paid

Gone
When you wake in the morning, gone
When you find that there's no one sleeping, gone
Pretty Penny was her name
She was loved and we all will miss her

How far will you go I say
Just to bait a mouse?
Shorter lived and longer gone
Can you figure out?

Gone
When you wake in the morning, gone
When you find that there's no one sleeping, gone
Pretty Penny was her name
She was loved and we all will miss her

Have you lost your sister, girl?
She's all but blown away
Blown away and lost the pearl
And the price she paid

Gone
When you wake in the morning, gone
When you find that there's no one sleeping, gone
Pretty Penny was her name
She was loved and we all will miss her


Lyrics submitted by dsfire

Pretty Penny Lyrics as written by Robert Emile Deleo Dean Deleo

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Pretty Penny song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

27 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think, this has something to deal with family tragedy. I don't really know...

    mojo risinon June 25, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    To me this is about a mother who OD's and dies. The "pearl of great price" in the Bible requires the buyer to sell everything to obtain it--addicts do that for their drugs. The chorus is the daughter waking up and not finding her at home--either dead or crashed out at somebody else's place.

    dontkillwhiteyon March 08, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Heard this song on christmas of 2003 and i been wondering for 3 years who it wuz by...at first i heard it on the radio and i always have in tuned in my head cuz it brought good memories of 2003 christmas then 3 years later im downloadin songs from Ares by stp and i hear this song and i'm blown away...my second favorite band sings this great tune

    Negrumon February 10, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I do agree that it may have something to do with a family tragedy. I doubt it deals with the "second coming of Christ," but hey, anything's possible. :] I think the mother who OD's is the most accurate meaning.

    Does anybody think it might be about the worthlessness of one's life? That probably made no sense, so I'll explain a bit more... It mentions "Pretty Penny was her name," but was it really a name? If you compare a pearl to a penny, the penny is worth little, right? If Penny is the "name" then maybe it wasn't really a name like Bob, but more like a label of value... So when she finds the pearl, maybe she found somebody worth more than her and she leaves (by death or other means)... and it continues as such.

    Now, like I said before, I do believe the ODing of a mother is MUCH more accurate, but the above interpretation is how I first understood it.

    Reminds me of the sea.

    Cancerous Adversaryon December 05, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    youtube.com/watch

    Scott Weiland said the song is dedicated to Robert Pirano and his family...probably a personal friend of his or the bands, so the song is definitely about family tragedy.

    surge3on October 05, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this is what scott had to say about this song:

    "I wrote it third person and I only realized a couple weeks ago when I finally listened to the whole album that it was actually an introspective thing. It's easier to write in an allegorical sense-third person-when it's something you have a hard time looking at. It's probably one of my favorite songs on the album. I think people are going to either love it or hate it."

    stpfan22on April 28, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Purple was one of the most varied and experimental albums of the so called 'grunge era'. There are so many different layers and textures to this record, yet so many critics and othes were stuck in that first impressions mode and couldn't accept that STP had changed and finally developed their own sound.

    charlymurphayon June 11, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    It's gotta be about a drug overdose - by a mother.

    Pearl is slang for cocaine or heroin.

    "Pretty Penny" means something - and in this case, someone - of value.

    I think it's pretty straightforward.

    $p$on December 03, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i have never understood this song.... anyone have any ideas????

    randamanaeon February 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    My favorite STP song, I was 3 when this album came out and from about that age until I was about 5 Purple was the only album I owned.

    Played this song on repeat days in and days out.

    RasinManon October 06, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
Album art
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone). And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.