Vampires drink blood.
Many other things about vampires, such as their aversion to garlic, their
superhuman abilities, and their prohibition on entering abodes unless
invited, are mentioned in some sources and not others, and so it unclear as
to how much of this applies to real vampires, and how much is pure myth.
Hence, all such references should be ignored unless referred to by Eddie.
Eddie's vampiric tendencies became apparent in the lyrics to Vs. Pearl Jam's first album, Ten, contains no real evidence of Vampirism, and his lyric writing style is subtly different from that in Vs and in
Vitalogy. In Ten, the lyrics are often in ballad form, generally relating tales of normal people ("Jeremy", "Deep", "Black", etc.). Obviously Eddie was not writing about himself in these songs, and was only assuming personas for the purposes of the narrative, a standard device for composers of fiction of any kind. Thus the lyrics were simply Eddie's view of the world around him, incorporating characters and situations which he could relate to. Nothing vampiric is evident.
But by Vs, Eddie's lyric writing style had changed considerably.
Although he still wrote some songs similar to those on Ten, expounding upon the specific lives of characters and the situations they encountered (eg. "Daughter"), there is also a tendency for social commentary. The general trend in Vs is for the lyrics to offer a critical view of human society, often comparing it to vampiric society. It would seem that at this stage, Eddie had become aware of the existence of Vampires, and had been
offered the chance to become one of them. This is corroborated by the
lyrics.
Several of the other songs on Vs have vampiric interpretations. "Animal" is indicative of Vedder's disgust with the human race; he'd "rather be with an animal" than with a human. "W.M.A." is also a song of general disgust with human society, focusing on the race conflict in the United States of America. By becoming a vampire, Eddie hopes to distance himself from this sort of persecution. Essentially Eddie is trying to escape from his responsibility as a human by becoming a vampire. "Indifference" shows Eddie's final considerations of vampiric society, although he remains cynical. However, it is clear that he has made his decision ("soon light will be gone" and "but I won't change my mind"). The vampiric implications are the most clear in the second verse:
"Indifference" was Eddie's last song before his conversion, a romantic
attempt to crystalize his last thoughts as a human. The reality turned out
to be much less sedate, as is evidence by "Blood". Apparently the bloodletting wasn't as clean as was imagined: "my blood... drains and spills, soaks the pages, fills their sponges". The song, musically primal and violent, is as much a homage to Eddie's last remaining drops of human blood ("It's my blood" repeated over the thrashing guitars and drums) as it is to his violent conversion. The greatest indication of Eddie's vampirism, though, is on the lyric sheet of Vs before "Blood", on which Eddie scribbles:
Three other songs on Vs would seem to have been written after Eddie's
conversion to a vampire: "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town",
"Leash", and "Rearviewmirror".
"Rearviewmirror" is the companion song of "Blood", dealing also with Eddie's
conversion. However, while "Blood " is a description of the encounter at which Eddie was changed, "Rearviewmirror" relates Eddie's feelings after he has had a chance to adjust to his new condition. Throughout the song, a car trip is used as an analogy of Eddie's transformation ("I took a drive today, time to emancipate"). Eddie remains cynical about the experience ("I'm not about to give thanks, or apologise!!), and he describes his transformation once more in retrospect.
head at your feet
"Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" is a relatively sedate
song, and relates Eddie's thoughts on seeing an old friend, someone whom he
had only known before his conversion. The vampiric link is tenuous, but
there, and relies on the fact that physically Vampires remain exactly as
they were when first converted: "lifetimes are catching up with me, all
these changes taking place..." implies that Eddie has already noticed how
others around him have changed, while he hasn't: "I changed by not changing
at all." The irony, not lost on Vedder, is that he has changed more than
anybody else.
"Leash" is also a look back at Eddie's former life, comparing humanity and
vampirism from the other side of the fence. "Troubled Souls unite, we've
got ourselves tonight" and "we got the means to make amends" would seem to
indicate that Eddie is ready to make a life without life, entering vampire
society and leaving humanity behind. However, he has trouble adjusting and
hence "I am lost". However, he is confident of eventually settling down:
"I will myself to find a home ... we will find a way, we will find a place".
at the end of the song, Eddie sings "the lights, the lights" displaying his
newfound sensitivity to sunlight, and then sings "I used" with the same
melody as he sang "I proved to be a man", leading to the obvious statement
"I used to be a man". However, this was obviously too close to the truth
for Eddie to admit to, so on the lyric sheet he writes (delight in your
youth), a suitable replacement, and not without meaning for Vedder, for
whom youth represents his lost humanity.
Vs represents the early stages of Eddie's vampirism, from his initial
consideration of the idea, to his conversion and subsequent
disillusionment, and his beginning to come to terms with what has happened
to him. However, several other songs not related to vampirism are also
featured on the album, either written before Eddie began brooding over the
matter, or as a form of artistic respite from his transformation physically, mentally, and emotionally. Also, the order of the songs on the
album isn't chronological, something which may have something to do with
the Masquerade, but probably has more to do with the arrangement of songs
into a musical whole, rather than a chronological narrative.
Eddie's vampirism didn't stop with Versus, however; he was afflicted (or
blessed, depending on your point of view) with it forever. It was an
over-riding influence on Pearl Jam's next album, Vitalogy, after Eddie had settled into his life as a vampire, and had a more mature, though still
angst-ridden, perspective.An analytical interpretation of the vampirical implications of Eddie
Vedder's lyrics
Although at first he may seem to be just your average angst-ridden lead man
for a popular rock and roll band, Eddie Vedder, the vocalist and lyricist
for Pearl Jam, may very well be a vampire. Although it is impossible to tell, everything points to his being a blood-sucking immortal. An in depth
analysis of his lyrics shows that Pearl Jam's second and third albums, Vs and Vitalogy, have both been used by Vedder as sounding boards for the complex emotions and change of perspective that come with one's transition to Vampirism. Other lyricists have used vampiric images before - for instance Sting, in Moon Over Bourbon Street, which was written in the first person - but Vedder is unique in that his lyrics evolve over time as being indicative of his vampiric state. Either he has become a vampire, he believes himself to be a vampire, or he is leading a fictional double life, from which he draws continuing inspiration for his lyrics.
But what exactly is a vampire? Numerous myths, folktales, and works of
fiction exist on the matter of what makes up a vampire, but as, if they do
exist, vampires have been incredibly careful to conceal their presence from
most people (supposedly following a law known as the Masquerade), very
little is known about them definitively. However, some basic facts are
common to most sources. These are:
Vampires live forever if not killed.
Vampires undergo grievous bodily harm if exposed to sunlight; this
normally kills them.
Eddie views Vampires as a different species to humans, with a different
society, customs, and moral code. Many of the lyrics on Vs are attempts by Eddie to compare the two "species", humans and Vampires. A general disgust with the human race and its customs is evident, and Eddie is
considering Vampirism as an alternative to all that he dislikes about human
existence. Take "Rats", for instance. At first it would seem to be a
comparison of humans with rats, but even a brief glance at the lyrics would
indicate that several qualities are mentioned common to neither rats nor
humans: "they don't eat, don't sleep". The correct interpration becomes
clear when one considers Eddie's comparison of humanity with Vampirism. In
the song, the humans are represented by rats, and vampires by "they". It is
essentially a list of all things bad about the human race, which Eddie
hopes be rid of through the change to vampirism:
they don't push
don't crowd
congregate until they're much too loud
fuck to procreate til they are dead
drink the blood of their so called best friend
'til it burns up my arm
oh I'll keep taking punches
'til their arms grow tired
oh I will stare the sun down
until my eyes go blind
hey, I won't change direction
and I won't change my mind
This verse deals with one's conversion to vampirism, the exact process of
which isn't known for sure, but Eddie's version seems to confirm the most
popular rumors, which hold that a vampire (the sire) must first drain the prospective vampire's blood , killing the victim, who then must drink of the
sire's blood, or remain dead forever. Thus, the conversion from human to
vampire involves dying, but remaining animate after death. This is what
Eddie is describing in the second verse, although he has varied the cause
of death for the sake of poetry, and in keeping with the Masquerade. The
chorus, however, shows an increasing cynicism with vampirism: "how much
difference does it make?".
I will never trust anyone again
... [unintelligible) ... in a different light ... Biting the bullet
SWALLOW
You've blocked out the sun
You're killing my only flower
I've studied this question... now I study this answer
holding me down
hand on my face
emnity gauged
knotted by fear
forced to endure
what I could not forgive
fool to your crown
fist on my plate
swallowed it down
from you fucking with me
once and for all
I'm far away
hardly believe
finally the shades are raised
