Pearl Jam's Insignificance

This past week, I learned that Pearl Jam would be among the lineup of politically active bands touring swing states with an eye on influencing the vote in the 2004 election. Having claimed them as my favorite band on numerous occasions, I pulled up a recent live show and was again captivated by their music. When Insignificance hit, I heard a song that I had listened to numerous times, sung along with, paused at the dead-silence seconds amplified live, and yet never began to understand. What had been previously communicated as a great beat and a rocking tune came across as a lament, as a cry of the nameless victims of war. As much as I applaud Michael Moore's editing and soundtrack choices on Fahrenheit 9/11, this is the song that now comes to mind when recalling many of the images from Iraq, of civilian bombing victims, but more hauntingly of the shots where the soldiers discussed the music they hooked up to their tanks when going in, and the choice of The Roof is on Fire.

I've reprinted the lyrics below; no link to audio, but Insignificance, originally found on Binaural, made its way to almost every 2000/2003 tour show; a search of the Windows Media guide or comparable players should turn up a stream, there're plenty.

All in all, it's no one's fault,
Excuses turn to carbon walls,
Blame it all on chemical intercourse.

The swallowed seeds of arrogance,
Breeding in the thoughts of ten-
Thousand fools that fight irrelevance.
The full moon is dead skin,
The one down here's wearing thin,
So set up the ten pins,
As the human tide rolls in,
Like a ball that's spinning.

Bombs, dropping down,
Overhead, underground,
It's instilled
to want to live.
Bombs dropping down,
please forgive,
our hometown,
In our insignificance.

Turn the jukebox up, he said,
Dancing in irreverence,
Play V3, let the song protest.


The plates began to shift,
Perfect lefts come rolling in,
I was alone and far away, hey,
When I heard the band start playing,

On the lip, late take off.

Bombs, dropping down,
Overhead, underground,
It's instilled
to want to live.
Bombs dropping down,
please forgive,
our hometown,
In our insignificance.

Feel like resonance of distance,
In the blood the iron lies.
It's instilled
to want to live.
Bombs dropping down,
Please forgive our hometown,
In our insignificance,
Oh, in our insignificance, oh.