I really like this song after listening to it a few more times, despite it being disjointed in more ways than one. I still feel that the verse is the weakest part of the song and feels out of place, but the lyrics, while disjointed and lacking a particularly memorable line, are particularly powerful and impactful towards the end of the song.

I think this is 100% about Chris. I like that it teeters between both sadness and anger. The “fuck you… what are friends for?” lyric is Ed’s anger towards Chris for selfishly giving up and not letting his friends help pull him out of the darkness he was in. What are friends for if not to help each other in the darkest times?

I don’t know how to imbed instagram. But I think this pretty much confirms it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwfa5LgnA9 ... hare_sheet

THEN READ THE THREAD CHRIS

I’m sorry I upset you Joe

Just don't let it happen again.

The song is jarring because that's how the emotions go when you lose someone the way that Eddie lost Chris.

He talked about it a little bit during the Stern interview, although he went into more detail with the Newtown dad he had befriended than Chris. But the idea is the same. The emotions are multiple and complex.

It's funny because it took me 3 or 4 listens to it to understand it...and when I thought about it that way the song clicked completely for me. This is easily the best of the 3 songs, and I really loved The Long Way (The Haves kinda sucks).

just realised that the end section of this song, the angry part, reminds me of the Porch "hear my name, take a good look" section

I listened again and all in all, it's not that bad, aside from the vocal ticks and (imho) the bridge being mismatched musically with the rest of the song; I like the lyrics "I have no reference for this level of pain", so I wish the music behind it reflected the pain and wasn't so... jolly? I almost wish the bridge was constructed from the same chords as that end section, so that it felt like a hint of the anger to come musically

I really like this song now. The only thing that slightly grates on me is the glossy production.

Listened to this five or six more times in the car today; it's good. The verses are the weak link for me, but the chorus and bridge are , and the outro is .

It's good enough that I'm wishing it had been set aside for Pearl Jam and Josh.

The bridge is maybe my favorite part right now. But I think the piece as a whole really works. Still digging it.

Personally, I think this could replace SBWM on Gigaton and improve the album. Not that SBWM is my least favourite song on Gigaton but both are helter skelter, jarring kind of songs. I am less concerned with production so this would work for me.

I'm agreeing with those that think this could have worked on Gigaton; it might have felt more "finished" in different circumstances, I just think it sounds a little undercooked here

Have you read the McSweeney's article? It is for Josh. It's all for Josh.

I like this

Yea, the bridge rules. Gives it the EV flavor stamp as opposed to the Long Way being a standard singer songwriter/petty knock off (I love this song, FYI) and the uh....shit that is the haves.

Brother is a fantastic song and I couldnt be happier to have it.

Brother the cloud, Flag Day, Ill Be Waiting, Long Way - So far im mostly pleased with these new EV songs.

What happens in Kauai stays in Kauai

Yup.

liking Cloud less and less the more I hear it. The outro is still solid, but everything else is pretty boring and getting worse.

Well now I'm fully into this.

If this is where Eddie Vedder is at this point, I'm here for it. I could probably quibble with the details (lyrics, production, stylistic choices), but I don't even have it in me these days.

Also, I'm totally fine if Pearl Jam play this live. This has killer live song written all over it.