Eddie Vedder said about the song in an interview with the LA Times:
We start off with the music and it kinds of propels the lyrics. It made me feel like I was in a car, leaving something, a bad situation. There’s an emotion there. I remembered all the times I wanted to leave…"
[Verse 1]
I took a drive today
Time to emancipate
I guess it was the beatings made me wise
But I'm not about to give thanks or apologize
[Chorus 1]
I couldn't breathe, holding me down
Hand on my face, pushed to the ground
Enmity gaged, united by fear
Forced to endure what I could not forgive
[Verse 2]
I seem to look away
The wounds in the mirror waved
It wasn't my surface
Most defiled
[Chorus 2]
Head at your feet, fool to your crown
Fist on my plate, swallowed it down
Enmity gaged, united by fear
Tried to endure what I could not forgive, yeah
[Bridge]
Saw things, saw things
Saw things, saw things clearer, clearer
Once you were in my rear-view mirror
I gathered speed from you fucking with me
Once and for all, I'm far away
Hard to believe, finally the shades are raised
Hey, yeah
[Outro]
Saw things so much clearer
(Once you, once you) Rear-view mirror
Saw things so much clearer
(Once you, once you) Rear-view mirror
Saw things so much clearer
(Once you, once you) Rear-view mirror
Saw things so much clearer
(Once you) Oh yeah
Rearviewmirror was written by Eddie Vedder.
Rearviewmirror was produced by Pearl Jam & Brendan O’Brien.
Pearl Jam released Rearviewmirror on Tue Oct 19 1993.