Chris Cornell talks about this song in 'Pearl Jam Twenty'. Essentially, the song condemns those who take too much from people who couldn't afford to give it away (energy, money, love or anything like that).
Like, be grateful for whatever you can get from everyone who gives naturally, and don't be greedy with it by pushing them to give more than what they already have given so far, or making them give you something they don't have in the first place.
I think this is a pretty straightforward interpretation of the song. However, there's a twist in the lyrics that I wonder if Cornell even realized himself. He's talking about avoiding greed and exploitation, but uses the phrase "I'm goin' hungry." This implies that he has the desire to exploit and feed off the less fortunate, but he refrains. He wouldn't be going hungry if he didn't have the hunger to begin with. See what I mean? Maybe he's saying this hunger to feed off of others is innate within all of us? And...
I think this is a pretty straightforward interpretation of the song. However, there's a twist in the lyrics that I wonder if Cornell even realized himself. He's talking about avoiding greed and exploitation, but uses the phrase "I'm goin' hungry." This implies that he has the desire to exploit and feed off the less fortunate, but he refrains. He wouldn't be going hungry if he didn't have the hunger to begin with. See what I mean? Maybe he's saying this hunger to feed off of others is innate within all of us? And the best we can do is starve ourselves of this desire?
Taken this way, the lyrics transform from a kind of virtue signaling into a very harsh look in the mirror. And this makes the song even more powerful and beautiful IMO.
Chris Cornell talks about this song in 'Pearl Jam Twenty'. Essentially, the song condemns those who take too much from people who couldn't afford to give it away (energy, money, love or anything like that).
Like, be grateful for whatever you can get from everyone who gives naturally, and don't be greedy with it by pushing them to give more than what they already have given so far, or making them give you something they don't have in the first place.
@dajirok
@dajirok
I think this is a pretty straightforward interpretation of the song. However, there's a twist in the lyrics that I wonder if Cornell even realized himself. He's talking about avoiding greed and exploitation, but uses the phrase "I'm goin' hungry." This implies that he has the desire to exploit and feed off the less fortunate, but he refrains. He wouldn't be going hungry if he didn't have the hunger to begin with. See what I mean? Maybe he's saying this hunger to feed off of others is innate within all of us? And...
I think this is a pretty straightforward interpretation of the song. However, there's a twist in the lyrics that I wonder if Cornell even realized himself. He's talking about avoiding greed and exploitation, but uses the phrase "I'm goin' hungry." This implies that he has the desire to exploit and feed off the less fortunate, but he refrains. He wouldn't be going hungry if he didn't have the hunger to begin with. See what I mean? Maybe he's saying this hunger to feed off of others is innate within all of us? And the best we can do is starve ourselves of this desire?
Taken this way, the lyrics transform from a kind of virtue signaling into a very harsh look in the mirror. And this makes the song even more powerful and beautiful IMO.