This song is f*g amazing. Took me a while to learn all the lyrics. It is sooo f*g fun to sing when you know all the words. Especially with a friend. I've entertained family members and close friends by jamming out to this tune. The song states a lot of death verses by stating shot gun opera noose lock and load and so forth. Just a fun song to sing when your pissed or just want to have fun. Thanks chester bennington. Your a sell out but I still love you.

Well Pearl jam never released a meaning to this song and that is pretty cool in itself considering this has been my favortite song of all time since I was 15 and I am 19 now. This song is like a mystetry enshrouded in an enigma. Haha. Well I think it is simply discussing a guy who has lived a hard life. Hence the phrase, "I got memories I got shit." He or she (so I do not come across as a sexist pig) has experienced a lot of bad relationships. When I say relationships it is not limited to just spousal or boyfriend and girlfriend but friendships and parental as well. It is partially spousal and boyfriend and girlfriend relationships with the lines, " And I'll stay in bed, Oh little Ive seen there, If just once I could be loved, Oh I'd stare back at me" Well this individual has seen little in bed because of the sexual relationships. And then this person wishes he could be loved just once and that discusses relationships in general. A very neglected individual. He has been probably more emotionally abused than physical because he states, "so I'll just lie down and wait for the dream where Im not ugly and you're lookin at me." Perhaps he is physically deformed or maybe he percieves himself as ugly or the one he loves believes he is ugly. It is up to us to decide whether it is appearance ugliness or emotion. It also seems to me that this individual is contemplating suicide but something or someone is still giving this person to live. Look at the lines, "Oh I walked the line, when you held me in at night, oh i walked the line, when you held my hand and I..." Maybe the line is a symbol for life and someone is giving him confidence to walk the "line." Then in the last verse Eddie vedder also adds, "when you held me close at night." so that line is even more confidence for this person to stay alive. Nevertheless this person is at the breaking point but will be all right if this being granting him confidence is still with him. This song will always kick a* though! :)