Given To FlyHe could've tuned in, tuned in
But he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
The wind rose up, set him down on his knee
A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
Delivered him wings, 'Hey, look at me now'
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor
Oh, power, oh
He's.. flying.....whole
He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands
And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly
High.. flying
Oh, oh
High.. flying
Oh, oh
He's flying
Oh, oh
Given To Fly is THE definitive pearl jam song from the post Vitalogy years, as important a part of their catalog as Alive, Even Flow, Corduroy, or Betterman. It's also one of the best songs from that period, arguably the best. It's certainly one of my all time favorites. I take Given to Fly to be one of Pearl Jam's "mission statement" songs. It is a declaration of musical principles. Given To Fly is about the power of music; its ability to help us escape, endure, transform, and transcend.
Given To Fly feels autobiographical to me, at least in part. Eddie certainly identifies with the subject of the song even if it is not actually him. He starts out lost and disaffected. There is something about the world that feels wrong, that denies him his place in it. He is alienated, and looking for something to belong to, to be a part of. But for now he is alone, written off as an outcast and outsider. I love the image of being trapped in a long empty hallway, all locked doors and isolation. So he leaves. There is no home for him here, and he has too much integrity to try and force it. He makes it to the ocean, a vast expanse of limitless possibilities. Looking out over the water he is overcome.
It is there he has something close to a religious experience, one I equate with the feeling that hearing the right song at the right time can provide. He is lifted up, weightless. The burdens that come from not fitting in or from living in a world without justice, without hope, are temporarily lifted. He is free. While he is out over the water, while the music is playing, life either makes sense or ceases to matter. There is only love and a profound connection to the rest of the world.
There is an allegory of the cave moment here (from Plato's Republic). In the allegory of the cave the philosopher, the person capable of understanding truth and achieving enlightenment, has to make the ultimate sacrifice. After freeing himself from the darkness and shadows of the cave, he has to go back down into it. He has an obligation to liberate others. The same thing is happening here. The subject is free, but freedom means little if it can't be shared with others. Isolation has never been the answer in Pearl Jam' music. So he has to go back to pass on what he's learned. There are those that won't want to hear the message, but the message isn't for them. The reward isn't found in money or prestige (the only motivation the faceless men understand), but in the shared experience of love and the hope and possibility that you can help others liberate themselves. It is obvious that the band is grateful they get the chance to give to others what was given to them--liberation through song.
This is why Pearl Jam continues to make music, and it is the basis of the underlying message of hope that runs through their catalog. The music is a way for us to connect with others, to be a part of something larger than ourselves, a source of strength that is an open secret. It's the feeling you have when you're singing along with 15,000 other people at a show. It's a private, intimate moment and a public celebration at the same time. I am not a religious person, but the most powerful live moments are a near religious experience for me. It's the closest I come to touching the divine.
That's the band's gift to us. The music is given for us to fly.
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