“Alive” is Pearl Jam’s first single and the first song they ever played together.
It appears on the band’s debut album, Ten (1991). Written by guitarist Stone Gossard, “Alive” originated as an instrumental titled “Dollar Short” and was included on a demo tape circulated in hopes of finding a singer...
[Verse 1]
"Son," she said, "have I got a little story for you
What you thought was your daddy was nothing but a...
While you were sittin' home alone at age thirteen
Your real daddy was dyin'
Sorry you didn't see him, but I'm glad we talked"
[Chorus]
Oh, I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, oh
[Verse 2]
While she walks slowly across a young man's room
She said, "I'm ready for you"
Why, I can't remember anything to this very day
'Cept the look, the look
Oh, you know where, now I can't see, I just stare
[Chorus]
I, I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh, I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh, I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh, I'm still alive, yeah
[Break]
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, ooh
[Bridge]
"There's something wrong", she said, well of course there is
"You're still alive," she said, oh, and do I deserve to be?
Is that the question?
And if so, if so who answers? Who answers?
[Chorus]
I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh I'm still alive
Yeah, I, oh I'm still alive
Yeah, I, ooh, I'm still alive!
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!
[Guitar Solo]
Ooh yeah, ooh ooh
Ooh yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Alive was written by Stone Gossard & Eddie Vedder.
Alive was produced by Pearl Jam & Rick Parashar.
In an interview with Cameron Crowe in 1993, Eddie Vedder said,
Everybody writes about it like it’s a life-affirmation thing, I’m really glad about that. It’s a great interpretation. But ‘Alive’ is, it’s torture … The story of the song is that a mother is with a father and the father dies. It’s an i...