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Black, Red, Yellow Lyrics

Exponentially serving. Perpetually unnerving. Vehicle swerving.
The adjectives they are all a-blurring.
Freud walking the sidelines clipboard scoring the brain.
Black magic painted traits. Makes me sain.

Hormones firing like a fifty foot Roman, yeah.
Please don't make me explain. Don't matter anyway.

Phontom pain in my brain. It's all that's left of my leg.

Black and Red and Yellow and Black and Red and Yellow.

Heard you repeat a-what ya heard. Me knowing the truth I can not concure. Na-na.

Hormones firing like a fifty foot Roman, yeah.
Please don't make me explain. Doesn't matter anyway.
Hormones firing like a fifty foot Roman, yeah.
Please don't make me explain.

Yo bro. Tell us what's happenin'. Um, I'm on the west, west side of, on the west coast.
Give me a jingle, uh, when you get in from where the fuck you're at.

Yeah, hormones firing like a fifty foot Roman, yeah.
Please don't make me explain. Doesn't fucking matter anyway.
Hormones firing like a fifty foot Roman, yeah. Please don't make me explain.
Song Info
Submitted by
trent On Dec 13, 2001
19 Meanings

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Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

according to dante, the devil has three faces, each of a different color: black, red, and yellow.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

Dennis Rodman is on the answering machine in the middle of this song when it says "Yo bro. Tell us what's happenin'. Um, I'm on the west, west side of, on the west coast. Give me a jingle, uh, when you get in from where the fuck you're at." Rodman is a huge Pearl Jam fan.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

i think eddie vedder says fifty fott RODMAN not roman and why would it stand for a roman candle? i think this song is about a basketball game

This song is most certainly about basketball. In particularly, it refers to the Chicago Bulls while Rodman was there.

"Freud walking the sidelines..." - this refers to Phil Jackson.

Oh, the black portion of black, red, and yellow has nothing to do with Rodman being a black dude. The Bulls' colors are black and red... and the yellow is in reference to Rodman running around with yellow hair.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

This is a great song. I can't stand Dennis Rodman but hey, at least he had good taste in music before he publicly announced that he liked Rascal Flatts better than PJ :/

Anywho yeah, this song is so fast but so chill. It sounds like a Hendrix song. It's got groooove!! Definetaly not your typical Pearl Jam but another great gem from Lost Dogs.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

Oh and this song actually refers to Rodman, im pretty sure it was made for him, or about him. Red - he played on the chicago bulls at the time Black- He is African American Yellow- Rodman is known for dying his hair different colors, yellow was one of them.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

They made this song for Rodman cuz Pearl Jam is like his favorite band. And maby to get back at number 10. HaHa.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

This song will make a lot more sense to you once you figure out it's sung about two things at once. There is the surface, and there is the subtext.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

Song is definitly about a basketball game...it's not "fifty foot roman", it's "fifty foot runner"..you know, like a half court shot. Cool song...sorta reminds me of the Who.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

Wow. These lyrics are way off. "Black magic painted traits" should be "Black magic viente y tres", '23' in Spanish - as in Michael Jordan's jersey number. Jordan was the yin to Rodman's flamboyant yang.

"Makes me sain" should be "makes me sane".

"Phontom pain" should be "Phantom pain".

"I can not concure" should be "concur".

Ever heard of spell-check? Geez Louise.

Cover art for Black, Red, Yellow lyrics by Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam are known for multiple layers of interpretation, as well as a significant focus on social themes. Therefore, a game of basketball, for instance, can also be seen as a metaphor for war. I believe that there are several verses that imply aspects of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as blocks in the mind, with Freud on the sidelines and what's left of the leg. The face of the devil and the color might also be about war itself. This is a recurrent sensitive theme in American culture, also portrayed in other songs, like 'Yellow Ledbetter.' Cheers."

 
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