oh tonight began with anything,
shaft of light, a warm breath and a scream,
oh tamper if you like between the doors
oh cant expect to go out, to go out with anything more
oh, reach the door, a breath and a..
oh, reach the door, hey a lalala yeah
life aint what its worth
a breath and a... oh reach the door
all these reaching hands out grabbing things, grabbing me
day in day out accumulating
who i suggest you step on your porch
run away my son, see it all, oh see the world
oh reach the door, a breath and a...
oh reach the door, hey a lalala yeah
life aint what its worth
a breath and a... oh reach the door
come, here it comes, there it goes, when it comes
where it goes, when it comes
cant see through the faith, whoh
ooh come, here it comes, there it goes
grab what you can
dont you know theres something inside your head, yeah,
if i knew whare it was, i would take you there, there's much more than this, ooh whoh much more that this, whoh see the world,
much more that... whoh much more than...
(dodododododododododoooodododooo)
shaft of light, a warm breath and a scream,
oh tamper if you like between the doors
oh cant expect to go out, to go out with anything more
oh, reach the door, hey a lalala yeah
life aint what its worth
a breath and a... oh reach the door
day in day out accumulating
who i suggest you step on your porch
run away my son, see it all, oh see the world
oh reach the door, hey a lalala yeah
life aint what its worth
a breath and a... oh reach the door
where it goes, when it comes
cant see through the faith, whoh
ooh come, here it comes, there it goes
grab what you can
dont you know theres something inside your head, yeah,
much more that... whoh much more than...
(dodododododododododoooodododooo)
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This song completely changed my life. Silly, I know, but Pearl Jam really had a huge influence on me. This song in particular gave me balls, guts, nerve - whatever - to leave a bad situation. Not a bad situation really... just not the right one. And move on - and now I'm seeing it all, seeing the world. Thanks, PJ.
@fnnkybutt I had pretty much the same experience shortly after discovering this song years ago.
@fnnkybutt I had pretty much the same experience shortly after discovering this song years ago.
I like where eddie leaves the chorus open for the listener to insert whatever it is in their life that is holding them back from really experiencing the world. life ain't worth whats its worth. a breath and a ... (dead end job, destructive relationship, bad childhood, addiction) oh reach the door and leave these things behind and see the world.
This line is also interesting.
"cant see through the faith, whoh" Almost like eddie is saying don't let faith hold you back either. Maybe faith in the religious sense or maybe faith that something good will come if you sit and wait. Instead you need to get out there and find your own happiness. Let the world see the person you really are inside your head, not the person that someone else tells you to be. Someone else being parents, the church, peers.
This line "if i knew where it was, i would take you there" is almost like eddie saying that one persons happiness can be anothers misery. So he can't show you where your happiness is, each person has to go and find it on their own.
One of the great early PJ songs for sure.
one of their top 5 ever. Was supposedly written by Stone Gossard while still w/ Mother Love Bone per Wiki. Aside from that, this is an anthem for my life and a deeply personal song. Reminds me of going through a period during college where I had a back injury and had to quit school move home for a year. All I could think about was how badly I wanted to get back to my life. This song helped keep me going and inspire me. I still get chills when Eddie screams "If I knew where it was, I would take you there" which to me means, he wants so badly to help you but only you can find your own path and take yourself there, but all he can tell you is, there is more than this i.e. "I am not sure what it is, but I know it's out there, and I know it's better than this - so never stop trying everything you can to improve your quality of life, and identify and follow your bliss." How? Good question. I say, be introspective, be honest with yourself, and most importantly, just TRY a bunch of different stuff out, and move on if it does not FIRE you up! Try woodworking, singing, surfing, working, traveling, loving, dancing, cooking, helping people, whatever - just try it all and your passion may find you.
The song is about life. I take it one of two ways:
Told from the perspective of a baby being born - "tonight began with anything, shaft of light, a warm breath and a scream." The child is coming into the world with nothing but those three things. The child will go through life and may accumulate material possessions but ultimately life will end the same way it began.
Alternatively, perhaps a warm breath and a scream are the bookends of life - a warm breath: the first breath you take when you're born. A scream: the sound you make when you die.
Either way, it's a call to make the most out of your life while you're here. As Eddie would later say in another song, "I know I was born and I know I'll die, the in between is mine." So, he's basically reminding the listener that life is what you make of it. The only things that are guaranteed are your first and last breath.
[Edit: added context]
I love the music in this song, especially the live version on the Covering Them CD. It sounds to me like its about life as a big adventure and not getting tied down to something you really dont need to enjoy live. PJ is one of the best bands in the world
hell yeah! makes me want to just up and see the world!
One of the best pearl jam songs. It's very motivational. Just get up and get it done!
If I knew where it was, I would take you there...
that is one of the best lines ever
Great song!
Agreed. Great song.
Good interpretations here. But I think it's interesting, 'step out on your porch'. Reminds me of Yellow Ledbetter 'can't you see them? out on the porch. but they don't wave.' So Breath is someone leaving their porch and YLB is them coming back in a body bag (dead). I don't think the two songs are really related, only Pearl Jam knows. ;)