Pearl Jam

Released: February 27, 2001

Songwriter: Mike McCready Stone Gossard Jeff Ament Tchad Blake Eddie Vedder

Producer: John Burton Brett Eliason

[Verse 1]
Have a drink they're buying
Bottom of, bottle of denial

[Chorus 1]
Big guy, big eye, watching me
Have to wonder what it sees
Progress laced with ramifications
Freedom's big plunge

[Chorus 2]
Pull the innocent from a crowd
Raise the sticks then bring them down
If they fail to obey, oh, if they fail to obey

[Verse 2]
For every tool they lend us
A loss of independence

[Chorus 3]
I pledge my grievance to the flag
Because you don't give blood... to take it back again
Oh we're all deserving something more

[Chorus 1]
Progress, taste it, invest-it-all
Champagne breakfast for everyone

[Chorus 2]
Break the innocent when they're proud
Raise the stakes, then bring em down
If they fail to obey, oh, if they fail to obey

[Chorus 3]
Pledge your grievance to the flag
Because you don't give blood, then take it back again
Oh we're all deserving something more

[Outro]
I want to breathe
Follow the scene
I want to taste
Everyone I see
I want to run when I'm up high
I want to run into the sea
I only want life to be
I just want to be
I will feel alive, as long as I am free

Founded in 1990 in Seattle, Pearl Jam is one of the most successful bands out of the grunge movement, if not of the whole alternative rock scene from the early 90s. The group started with Stone Gossard (guitar) and Jeff Ament (bass), veterans of the proto-grunge scene, recording a demo along with local guitarist Mike McCready. Once the tape passed along, it attracted a San Diego-based singer, Eddie Vedder. Along with drummer Dave Krusen, they signed with Epic Records and released Ten in 1991, which by the following year was becoming one of the most successful debut albums ever.

Growing uncomfortable with success, the following albums went for a more anguished and experimental sound, and the band’s notorious activism had its most prominent case once they boycotted Ticketmaster, accusing them of price-gouging fans. In the meantime, various drummers passed through the band, with percussion only settling once Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron joined them in the tour for 1998’s Yield.

With 10 studio albums and various live recordings (including “Official Bootlegs” of basically every concert the band performed since 2000), Pearl Jam has sold nearly 32 million records in the U.S. and an estimated 60 million worldwide.

more tracks from the album

Atlanta, GA 07-August-2000 (Live)

From the album

Atlanta, GA 07-August-2000 (Live) (2001)

Pearl Jam popular songs

Grievance - Live in Atlanta, Georgia, 07-August-2000Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam

Atlanta, GA 07-August-2000 (Live)