| ←Alive | Why Go | Black→ |
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"Why Go" is the fourth song on Pearl Jam's debut album Ten. The song was written by Eddie Vedder and music was written by Jeff Ament. Just like "Even Flow", the song addresses social critic and family neglect, themes that were often used on the first album. The song is considered to be a straight-forward heavy grunge rocker.
Analysis[]
"Why Go" is a song that formally follows the structure of Even Flow, both being life facts of a protagonist being told on a third person view. The song tells the story of a girl of undetermined age, probably teenager, who is under treatment on a psychiatric hospital for unknown reasons for two years.
Alone on that place, the protagonist refuses to receive her mother's visit, since she put her there for believing on her child's madness, which is stated to be false by the narrator. The girl also proving herself sane and seems to refuses any kind of treatment or rule, not being like the others who are in fact mental ill. It would be easier for her, but she is revolted for the kind of injustice that fell upon her and really don't wanna go home with the person who put her on the medical hell.
Music & Lyrics[]
She scratches a letter into a wall made of stone
Maybe someday another child won't feel as alone as she does
It's been two years, and counting, since they put her in thisplace
She's been diagnosed by some stupid fuck, and mommy agrees,
yeah...
Whoa...yeah...hey yeah yeah...
Why go home... (3x)
She seems to be stronger, but what they want her to be is weak
She could play pretend, she could join the game, boy
She could be another clone...ooh...whoa...ah yeah...
Ooh...
Why go home? (4x)
What you taught me...put me here...don't come visit...mother...
Sting me...
Whoa...ooh...
Why go home? (4x)
What you taught me...put me here...don't come visit...mother,mother,
yeah...
''Why go home? (7x)
Whoa...