In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
(lies, lies, lies, lies, lies...)
(lies, lies, lies, lies, lies...)
How does he do it? How do they do it? uncanny and immutable
This is such a happening tailpipe of a party
Like sugar, the guests are so refined
A confidence man, but why so beleaguered?
He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer
Swinging for the fence, got lucky with a strike
Drilling for fear makes the job simple
Born on third, thinks he got a triple
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way...
I remember when you sang that song about today
Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
A think tank of aloof multiplication
A nicotine wish and a Columbus decanter
Retrenchment and hoggishness
The aristocrat choir sings, "what's the ruckus?"
The haves have not a clue
The immenseness of suffering
And the odd negotiation, a rarity
With onionskin plausibility of life
And a keyboard reaffirmation
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way...
I remember when you sang that song about today
Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
I remember when you sang that song about today
Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
Changed, changed, chains, etc...
(lies, lies, lies, lies, lies...)
How does he do it? How do they do it? uncanny and immutable
This is such a happening tailpipe of a party
Like sugar, the guests are so refined
A confidence man, but why so beleaguered?
He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer
Swinging for the fence, got lucky with a strike
Drilling for fear makes the job simple
Born on third, thinks he got a triple
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way...
I remember when you sang that song about today
Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
A think tank of aloof multiplication
A nicotine wish and a Columbus decanter
Retrenchment and hoggishness
The aristocrat choir sings, "what's the ruckus?"
The haves have not a clue
The immenseness of suffering
And the odd negotiation, a rarity
With onionskin plausibility of life
And a keyboard reaffirmation
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way through the city
Blackout weaves its way...
I remember when you sang that song about today
Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
I remember when you sang that song about today
Now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
Changed, changed, chains, etc...
Lyrics submitted by Stephen_Flow
Bushleaguer [Album Version] Lyrics as written by Stone Gossard Eddie Vedder
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Toolucky1234 are you one of those people Cobain made the song "In Bloom" for? Vedder has no class attacking Bush? I am glad that you think for yourself and not follow stuff just because Vedder likes it. However, let people have their opinion. Just because Bush has ass suckers behind him, does not mean he's a good president. The guy is an idiot who cannot present himself and is in control for power, not for the well being of America. He's blind, and I agree with Vedder. Just because you are a politician (not you, but in general) does not mean you know more than a civilian. "Bush knows a lot more about the situations we face Eddie Vedder"
I could not have said that better myself.
Well has anyone heard the patriotic country songs that plague the country stations? eehh... i forget, oh yeah, toby kieth, talk about an idiot, he makes his songs sound so "Patriotic", when is it ever a good thing to kill anyone.
This song could be about any bad leader... Bush, the leader of ICRWhale... it's essentially a revolution song with Eddie's very mature spin on it. Great song. I love the album version with the hard electric intro, the acoustic version they played across the Riot Act tour, and the melodic electric version they played on the 2006 tour. Always ilicits an interesting reaction from the crowd, in Uniondale NY in 2003, Eddie walked out wearing a Bush mask and stuck it on the microphone and through various parts of the song, stuck cigarettes in its mouth, poured wine down its throat, and French kissed it :P throughout the song, and afterwards, the crowd boo'ed and jeered the band, if you listen to the bootleg you can hear people going "fuck you asshole!" and "just play rock'n'roll!" and in the PJ20 movie Mike talks about how a firefighter in the pit kept showing Mike his badge. Afterwards the crowd started chanting "USA" and Eddie got into it with them, and followed it up with a cover of the Clash's "Know Your Rights" and later an impassioned version of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World". During the same tour they almost started a riot in Colorado, when some of the crowd thought Veddie Edder had impaled/hung the Bush mask on the mic stand.
good- more musicians actually writing songs about their anti-war stance instead of just stating their feelings and not singing about it (see also:sheryl crow). Ani Difranco's "self evident" is another good anti-war anti-bush song. If you really don't believe bush is evil go here:
wage-slave.org/scorecard.html
I was at the concert at Nassau Coliseum where they threw batteries at the band after they played this song. I think it was in the PJ20 movie as well...I’m not a republican but sure as hell I ain’t no hypocritical crybaby Democrat, however if you even slightly know Eddie Vedder you then know how much of a bleeding heart liberal he is AND that on the new album of that time there was an anti Bush song so just assholes being assholes. But 15 years later, I hate to say, I get it, I get why they hurled those batteries at them, us NYers 1 year prior just went through 9/11 and still were grieving and panicking and lost and this fkn out of touch ultra lib comes spewing shit like that when we needed unity more then ever was like having the timing of a wet fart at a eulogy. It was classless and stupid and I’m glad a statement was made, hopefully that opened Vedder’s eyes, oh wait, nope, it didn’t, fast forward to 2019, they put “HERO” next to Christine Blasey Ford’s face on Twitter during the Kavanaugh trial, you know the one that was 110% horse-shit and disappeared directly after he got on, you know, cause most things just disappear like that when they true!! Stop. Just sing and stop talking. Eddie. Sing your fkn songs cause you are in fact great at that, and stop talking cause you are upside down like the rest of the left!! Trump is the president !! The fkn people have spoke, they said a hard NO to the world you want, to the world you think you want, Obama didn’t save it, nor will the next asshole, just sing and then enjoy your billions in silence !
@TomThumb681 nope you’re a dope ha ha.
@force263 spoken like a true intellect, like a true dickless man that has no debate or discussion in him and uses playground bullshit as a means to criticize. It’s obvious you’re very limited so I’ll be clear, you are the reason Eddie and myself are pro-choice...
@TomThumb681 and @force263 <--- Like typical leftists, have NOTHING to offer but name calling. Have you not learned that doesn\'t work!? It doesn\'t win you a debate and all it does is get the right out to vote and win elections like they did in 2016 and will in 2022 and 2024. Its already happening. If you tell the other side they are just dum, or dops or dickless, you tend to lose supporters. I love PJ and think Vedder is amazing. He is welcome to write songs like this. Freedom of speech. If I dont\' agree with him, oh well. I still buy the albums (Gigaton is Fing amazing!) and love the band all the same. Then again I\'m not a leftist or I\'d be asking for this song to be taken off FB, YouTube, Twitter, and all the other socialist outlets.
It's pretty obvious what this song is about. Ed is infamous for hating Republicans, the corporate rich, and successful wealthy people. I don't care too much for Ed's liberal rantings, but politics aside, the song has a cool, eerie vibe to it. Good song, but a weaker track on Riot Act.
No matter what anyone says this is a great song. Bush is a moron, and rather than ranted about it Eddie put his feelings into lyrics. Which is more than what most do. This song is great and the lyrics are amazing. The whole Bush intelligence , haha thats an oxymoron, is ridiculous.Bush may know a little more, but if he understands it or not is another thing. I didn't vote for Bush and neither did most of America and i won't again. The man screwed us in foreign affairs and is driving us into WWIII. Eddie is a great song writer and stands by his views. Songs, poems, art and writing is all written on we feel. This is how eddie feels and that how he will right. And i gree with him on ideals, thats mainly why i listen to them.
Bush Lied People Died
@tenserock Nope! Sadam was the WMD. Wake up! You don\'t need conventional weaponry to be a threat. Look at COVID!
Sorry fleaaaaaa - I think these lyrics are great. Best played up LOUD. Somehow I get a sense that Ed is quite proud of this song, especially when I saw him in Melbourne. Hey, you 2003 guys above - what do you think now that it's soooo obvious Bush lied through his crooked teeth?
whether you're a republican or a democratic, you're an idiot if you can't see that Bush is dumb as shit. he's an idiot, plain and simple. i don't care which party our president is, i just want his IQ to be slightly over 70
@johnnyb117 Ya, he was only a fighter pilot. You don\'t have to be smart to do THAT! PFFFFT, go back to your room kid!