Force of Nature

I was recently in a relationship with a girl I liked, and still liked very much. The problem is, she has a hard time committing to anything or anyone, and in the end she broke up with me because she wanted to remain single. When I first heard this song, it made me very sad, but I loved it instantly, because it relates to perfectly. I mean, she's not "a force of nature [with] contraband hidden deep inside her soul", and I'm not literally "alone, awaiting her to come home", but it connects as far as she's out there just having fun and enjoying her life and all I can find myself doing is sitting here waiting, praying she'll come back to me. Here's how I interpret it:

Understand she's a force of nature Contraband hiding deep inside her soul Exercising the will to lose control She lets go

She's free and just wants to be free and not be held down by anything or anyone. She's perfectly happy single and alone, because she has so many friends.

Common man he don't stand a chance no One to love gonna allow this in the hole No way to save someone who won't take the rope And just lets go

I don't really have anything special about me. I don't really stand out from the crowd, and I feel this man's pain. He's digging himself into this hole because he likes her and refuses to just release himself from it. Some people are even trying to help him out, to tell him to forget her, tossing him rope, but he refuses to take it. He doesn't want to stop loving her.

One man stands the end of the ocean A beacon on dry land Eyes above the horizon In the dark before the dawn

He's sitting there alone, staring out at the good times and adventures that lie ahead, because his love for her is holding him back, but still he hopes (staring above the horizon is a common metaphor for keeping hope and courage), because he believes it's the "dark before the dawn". The meaning of this phrase is sort of double-ended. There's the old saying, "it's always darkest just before dawn", or "it's always darkest just before it gets light." So, it's saying that this is the darkest, the worst time for him, but that it's right on that turning point before the dawn, before it gets better.

Hurricane hears the trade winds blowing Gale force shakin windows in the storm Shipwrecked on the rock that he calls home With one light on

I see the "hurricane" as being this horrible event, the start of all his troubles. Naturally, I connect it to when she broke up with me. It was this storm, came over so quickly, did so much damage, and left me in the state he's describing, shipwrecked alone, stuck in the place I've always been, without her.

Somewhere there's a siren singing A song only he hears All the strength, you might think Would disappear, resolving

This is sort of a double-edged sword here, too. It could mean a siren in terms of an alarm, in that there's some sort of warning going on, but that would make more sense if the lyric was "A song that he won't hear" or some such. So, instead, it means the sirens of Greek mythology, who were beautiful women singing irresistible songs so that they could lure sailors to their doom. So it's that there are these sirens, singing their songs, trying to lure this guy away from his goal. Other women and such that attract him. And you'd think that he'd have all this strength to ignore them, but if he weren't so focused on her all the time, all his strength would just disappear, thereby "resolving" the tale by giving him someone to love and removing the complication from her life.

One man stands alone awaiting For her to come home Eyes above the horizon In the dark before the darkness meets the dawn

He's still sitting there, waiting for her to come back to him, waiting on her love, and he's still staring at the sky, hoping for a change, knowing that it's the worst point in his life and still praying that it get better.

Makes me ache Makes me shake Is it so wrong to think that Love can keep us safe?

This is sort of a commentary on the story, a summary point dissociated from the actual narration. It's exactly as it sounds, he's wondering how it is that love, the thing most people consider a saviour and beneficial, can cause us so much pain.

Last I saw he was out there waiting Silhouette in the black light full moon glow In the sand there he stands upon the shore Forever more

This catches up to the present. I am/he is still here/there, waiting, hoping she arrives. He's barely moved "in the sand [...] upon the shore", and can't let go of her. And at this rate he'll always be there.

Somewhere there's a siren singing A song only he hears All the strength, you might think Would disappear resolving

Same as above, he's still having to resist the attraction and lure of other things, because he wants to be solely devoted to her.

One man stands alone awaiting For her to come home Eyes are closed, he cannot know But his heart don't seem to roam Go...home

He's still there waiting, but now he can't even look at the horizon. He doesn't want to know how it ends, he doesn't want to know that she's never coming home, he just wants to shut it all out. And he's not willing to look inside himself to see that it just wouldn't fit, because he's not as free-spirited as her, and could never be, and he needs to just go home and forget about it because he doesn't belong with her, unless he changes.

My take on this song (which I love) is about a beautiful woman going wild (she is a "Force of Nature") and partying all night while her lover/husband is at home hoping she will come home. The "Betterman" of the new album, just with gender reversal. I believe the last line is "But his heart don't seem to roam." He is being faithful to her despite her wild ways.

I think it's about the woman changing(in a bad way) and growing apart, and the man has hope that things will eventually be like they used to be, so he waits for that time to come and doesn't realise it's never coming.

One of the best on Backspacer for sure.

I'm amazed there aren't more comments on this, I think it's an amazing song and one very dear to me. I think so far you're right. I see it as a man waiting for a woman to come back to him, probably because she cheated on him (gale force shaking windows in the storm). I also think the guy is genuinely trying to get her back (no way to save someone who won't take the rope) but obviously she isn't coming back. Finally, I think Vedder tries to portray the guy as a normal person with normal guy temptations (Somewhere there's a siren singing a song only he hears), the Siren is a Greek mythological creature that temps men. Overall a great song and an outstanding album as a whole.

Understand she's a force of nature Contraband hiding deep inside her soul Exercisin' her will to lose control She lets go

Common man, he don't stand a chance, no Wonderland pullin' Alice in the hole No way to save someone who won't take the rope And just lets go

One man stands the edge of the ocean A beacon on dry land Eyes upon the horizon In the dark before the dawn

Hurricane has the trade winds blowing Gale force shakin' windows in the storm Shipwrecked on the rock that he calls home With one light on

Somewhere there's a siren singing A song only he hears All the strength, you might think Would disappear, resolving

One man stands alone awaiting For her to come home Eyes upon the horizon In the dark before the darkness meets the dawn

Makes me ache Makes me shake Is it so wrong to think that Love can keep us safe?

Last I saw he was out there waiting Silhouette in the black light, full moon glow In the sand there, he stands upon the shore Forever more

Somewhere there's a siren singing A song only he hears All the strength, you might think Would disappear resolving

One man stands alone awaiting For her to come home Eyes are closed, you cannot know But his heart don't seem to roam Roam, oh

Understand she's a force of nature Contraband hiding deep inside her soul Exercise in the will to lose control She lets go

Common man he don't stand a chance no One to love gonna allow this in the hole No way to save someone who won't take the rope And just lets go

One man stands the end of the ocean A beacon on dry land Eyes above the horizon In the dark before the dawn

Hurricane has the trade winds blowing Gale force shakin windows in the storm Shipwrecked on the rock that he calls home With one light on

Somewhere there's a siren singing A song only he hears All the strength, you might think Would disappear resolving

One man stands alone awaiting For her to come home Eyes above the horizon In the dark before the darkness meets the dawn

Makes me ache Makes me shake Is it so wrong to think that Love can keep us safe?

Last I saw he was out there waiting Silhouette in the black light full moon glow In the sand there he stands upon the shore Forever more

Somewhere there's a siren singing A song only he hears All the strength, you might think Would disappear resolving

One man stands alone awaiting For her to come home Eyes are closed, you cannot know But his heart don't seem to know

This song IS about a relationship. But not about a relationship where the girl is out partying all the time! (not that relationship at all) If you want a PJ song about that listen to MANKIND. This song is simply about a fella that is truly, madly, deeply head over heels for a gal that only he gets (read- understands/sees/hears). His friends don't understand the allure/attraction/devotion. Metaphorically, she is "the siren". She is STRONG WILLED. (a force of nature) Common man don't stand a chance? Means she wont have a relationship with just anyone. He has to be "different", the type people say "thinks outside the box". Not your everyday man. The fella in the song is going to wait for this gal b/c he believes in his heart, she's the one. His hope is liely to bring her back, too. She's the type that needs to believe someone will hang in for the long haul so even if they go separate ways, he remains devoted to her. IS IT SO WRONG TO THINK THAT LOVE CAN KEEP US SAFE?

Absolutely not!!!

Exercising the will to lose control?

That line would be akin to the guy making this gal incredibly upset/frustrated by the relationship. (because he's been hurt by her coming

Contraband hiding deep inside her soul Exercising her will to lose control She lets go

A gal that hiding the fact she loves the guy There's something she wont release deep inside (her heart) The lose control part likel stems from holding in her emotions so much/too often that when she finally does she's like a hurricane

The guy in the song is holding fast that she will return. He knows that she truly loves him. She just has fears/demons/something she has to resolve within herself to believe in the love.