"Daughter" by Pearl Jam

This is definately one of the best songs ever created in my book. The song “Daughter” by Pearl Jam tells an amazing story, but the lyrics are… extraordinary. Their simplicity tells the whole story itself. First of all, here’s what Eddie Vedder has said about “Daughter.” (Warning: Language)

“The child in that song obviously has a learning difficulty. And it’s only in the last few years that they’ve actually been able to diagnose these learning disabilities that before were looked at as misbehavior, as just outright rebelliousness. But no one knew what it was. And these kids, because they seemed unable or reluctant to learn, they’d end up getting the shit beaten outta them. The song ends, you know, with this idea of the shades going down—so that the neighbors can’t see what happens next. What hurts about shit like that is that it ends up defining peoples’ lives. They have to live with that abuse for the rest of their lives. Good, creative people are just fucking destroyed.”

With that being said, I have heard a couple rumors about this song. The first is that the song was actually Eddie Vedder’s own childhood. It’s possible that he changed some things, like the main character being a female and such. But according to the rumor, the song is about Eddie Vedder’s struggle as a child with undiagnosed Dyslexia, and his stepfathers frustration with Vedder’s inability to do well in school. The part about being called Daughter basically highlights the pain of his stepfathers abuse, and Vedder’s feeling of being less than a son.

The second rumor is that the song is actually about a real girl who was killed by the abuse she recieved as a result of her learning disabilities.

The song itself is, like I said before, amazing. The lyrics tell the perfect story; from the emotional guilt, depression, and frustration felt by the child, to the abuse that the child recieves, to the ending where the blinds are shut so the outside world wont see what happens. Vedder’s vocals express the emotion behind the words superbly. The drums, bass, and guitar are strong enough to bring out the emotion but also simple enough to double that effect by imitating the simplicity of innocence and childhood.

If you don’t know what song I’m talking about, please look up “Daughter” by Pearl Jam.

Stay gold Ponyboy.