Pearl Jam

Released: August 27, 1996

Songwriter: Eddie Vedder

Producer: Pearl Jam Brendan O’Brien

[Intro]
1, 2, 1, 2

[Verse 1]
Know a man, his face seemed pulled and tense
Like he's riding on a motorbike in the strongest winds
So I approach with tact, suggest that he should relax
But he's always moving much too fast
Said he'll see me on the flip side of this trip he's taking for a ride

[Chorus]
He's been taking too much on
There he goes with his perfectly unkempt clothes
There he goes

[Verse 2]
He's yet to come back but I've seen his picture
It doesn't look the same up on the rack
We go way back
I wonder about his insides
It's like his thoughts are too big for his size

[Chorus]
He's been taken, where? I don't know
Off he goes with his perfectly unkept hope
There he goes

[Verse 3]
And now I rub my eyes for he has returned
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned
For he still smiles, and he's still strong
Nothing's changed but the surrounding bullshit; That has grown
And now he's home and we're laughing like we always did
My same old, same old friend
Until a quarter to ten
I saw the strain creep in
He seems distracted and I know just what is gonna happen next
Before his first step, he is off again

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

Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)

From the albums

No Code (1996)
Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003) (2004)

Pearl Jam popular songs

Off He GoesPearl Jam

Pearl Jam

Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)