Rockin\' In The Free World

[Brad]

OK, here's my attempt at Bono and Eddie's run on the Neil Young classic.  A couple of points:  sounds like Eddie changed the "thousand points of light" verse in honor of Bono, and "I wish him stay up on the boat until he kill the jocks" is possibly the greatest improvised line ever...


ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD

EDDIE:
There are colors on the street
Oh, red, white, and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
[You got endure]
A warnin' sign in the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead
I don't feel like Satan, but I am to them
So I try to forgive 'em any way I can

Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world

There's a girl in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Oh, next to a garbage can
Oh, now she put her kid away, she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life, and what she's done with it
That's one more kid that'll never be cool
Never get to fall in love, never get to be held.

BONO:
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world

Sadness in the culture, man
You know, you, don't you want to say
Got to feelin' like I'm, like I'm,
Like I'm on my way
Girls, I want you to all say what to feel
Got the manacle, man, of voice and steel
Got the flaxen locks
He got the eyes of clocks
I wish him stay up on the boat until he kill the jocks
I got the super soul
He got the man of steel
He got the higher with the feeling in the meanest feel
Keep on rockin' in the free world

EDDIE:
[It would be difficult to work harder than that man
Keepin' us in a free world
That's all I'm gonna say.]

There's a thousand points of light
For the African man
There's a kinder, gentler,
Coming-to-help-you hand
There's department stores and toilet paper
Styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer
There's a fan of the people, he's standin' on the side
He's got fuel to burn, he's got roads to drive.

BONO AND EDDIE:
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world

BONO:
There's somethin' you should understand
I'm here to see Pearl Jam
Their givin' people leaver again
I never say never again
They makin' me believer again
They rock, rock, rock
ROCK, ROCK, ROCK, ROCK
ROCK, ROCK, ROCK, ROCK
-N-ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL
ROLL, ROLL, ROLL

EDDIE:
[Thank you
Thank you, sir
Love ya]

[Edited on 2005-9-25 by Brad]

[Carl]

Wow thanks, I haven't gotten around to ordering it online... should do so in a few days.  Someone on another list transcribed the line as "I wish he'd stay up on the boat until he killed the jocks." So it isn't just you apparently.

There's another song or two with U2 content right? Or at least snippets of PJ covering music/lyrics?

[Brad]

Yep, they play part of "A Sort of Homecoming" as the lead in to "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town,"  and Eddie refers to "Bad" as the greatest song ever written about addiction, and they play a little snippet of it, as the intro to "Habit."

At one point they also thank U2 for "opening for them."

Edit: Just noticed they do a little bit of "Yahweh" and "Bad" at the end of "Daughter," also.  Who knows; I may find more.

[Edited on 2005-9-25 by Brad]

[Carl]

Ok I gave it a listen... a very good transcription. You missed a little something by Eddie ~3:15 "steve run" possibly "stay wrong" - my good earbuds died I'm on default ones now.  A few changes:

I think it is Bono and Eddie for both the second and third choruses (possibly the first?).

Styrofoam novelties for the ozone layer (it's not boxes for sure)
There's a fan of the people, he's standin' on their side

Their givin' people leaver again (leaver possibly is 'lieving, and they're?)
I never say never again
They're makin' me believer again

Yeah I think it's safe to say that verse is referring to Bono (especially after the little speech before it).  I also like the Fast Cars rhythm Bono uses.

Thanks again for all your help with this!  I'll post up the lyrics after you go over my comments here.

[Brad]

Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't disagree with more of my transcription.

Anyway, I'm on business in L.A. right now, and I'm posting from the Apple Store.  I have my PowerBook back at the hotel.  I'll relisten to these parts tonight and get back to you.

[Carl]

Yeah a lot of the Bono parts don't seem to make a lot of sense, but I can't seem to hear them any differently (even copied parts in audacity and slowed them down etc).  He isn't the most understandable improviser.

[Brad]

I think it is Bono and Eddie for both the second and third choruses (possibly the first?).
-I think you're probably right on the second and third.  Judging from the crowd reaction, I would guess Bono doesn't walk out until just before the second chorus, so I don't think so on the first.

Styrofoam novelties for the ozone layer (it's not boxes for sure)
-Agree it's not boxes.  I think I hear novelties also, but I'll keep listening.

There's a fan of the people, he's standin' on their side
-I listened to this several times, and I still hear "the."  Just not hearing that final "r" sound.

Their givin' people leaver again (leaver possibly is 'lieving, and they're?)
-Yeah, I meant "they're."  Just bad grammer.  I also hear leavin' or 'lievin' on relistening.

[Edited on 2005-10-3 by Brad]

[Brad]

You missed a little something by Eddie ~3:15 "steve run" possibly "stay wrong"

-Forgot about this part.  Yeah, I missed it.  I actually hear "Steven" ("Steve-un")

[Edited on 2005-10-9 by Brad]

[Carl]

Yeah I agree with Steven.

Nobody in the band named that... perhaps a techie??

I don't know too much about Pearl Jam honestly. ^^

[Ender]

Originally posted by Brad
You missed a little something by Eddie ~3:15 "steve run" possibly "stay wrong"

-Forgot about this part.  Yeah, I missed it.  I actually hear "Steven" ("Steve-un")

[Edited on 2005-10-9 by Brad]

I think Ed may be saying:

"Keep on..", or "Just keep on".

maybe prompting Bono to stay on the stage.

The other minor change in lyrics I noticed is:

"That's one more kid that'll never be cool
Never get to fall in love, never get to be him."

'Him' being Bono.

[Carl]

"Keep on..", or "Just keep on".

That makes more sense I think you nailed the meaning there - I hear it more like "Stay on."  But I'm not using the best headphones now.  If someone else wants to weigh in that'd be great. I'll update this.

Thanks for taking the time to register and help out.

"Never get to fall in love, never get to be him."

I can hear it both ways, but I think held comes out stronger, plus it is the original lyric.  Unless I can see some video of him pointing at Bono or something as he sings it I'm sticking with held.

During the Bono rap I heard "Girls, I want you to all say what you feel" but then dismissed it... I'm kind of hearing it again.

[Ender]

Originally posted by Carl
"Keep on..", or "Just keep on".

That makes more sense I think you nailed the meaning there - I hear it more like "Stay on."  But I'm not using the best headphones now.  If someone else wants to weigh in that'd be great. I'll update this.

Thanks for taking the time to register and help out.

No problem. Being a long time Pearl Jam fan and a U2 fan for about two years, this little coming together in Canada was a real highlight for me

"Never get to fall in love, never get to be him."

I can hear it both ways, but I think held comes out stronger, plus it is the original lyric.  Unless I can see some video of him pointing at Bono or something as he sings it I'm sticking with held.

Well, I admit I never checked the original Neil Youg lyrics, but each time Pearl Jam performs this song live, this particular part goes like this:

"That's one more kid that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool"

So, the "Rockin'..." from Toronto is definately not the usual one (for Pearl Jam) lyrically as far as this part is concerned. You're right that a video footage would help here, but all I can hear is "him" and not "held".

Another minor difference I noticed with the lyrics posted here:

"Styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer"

it's actually garbage instead of boxes.

[Edited on 2005-10-12 by Ender]

[Carl]

Actually we don't have boxes posted, but novelties. Wasn't too sure about that but it definately isn't boxes.  I'll take another listen later.

[Ender]

Originally posted by Carl
Actually we don't have boxes posted, but novelties. Wasn't too sure about that but it definately isn't boxes.

Yeah, I meant the message board, not the lyrics section on your site, sorry.

[U2Security]

it is most certainly "never get to fall in love, never get to be him."

i've got a million pearl jam bootlegs, seen them a dozen times, and they play RITFW very often.  every single time, that last verse is as follows...

"that's one more kid, that'll never go to school
never get to fall in love, never get to be cool"

this recording is the first of dozens of different recordings i have of pearl jam doing RITFW that changes up that verse...  they've never once said "held" as far as i can see, and this is also the exact moment that bono takes the stage... so "him" makes a hell of a lot more sense than "held"

plus, i slowed the lyric down using Nero and you can deffinetly hear eddie annunciate "him," not "held."

also the lyric is deffinetly "styroform garbage," not novelties.  i never thought novelties before you said it and then started getting confused... but again, i slowed it down, and you can deffinetly hear that eddie's saying "garbage," which is also the way pearl jam sings it every time they play the song.

also... bono is saying something along the lines of "a song that [?] to uncle sam, i'm here to see pearl jam" at the end there.  again, i slowed it down, and it's most certainly "uncle sam" and not "understand"

what he says in the [?] mark point i can't quite make out, but it sounds like "leads."  that doesn't make much sense, but neither does most of what he's said.

your analysis of bono's rant right after the 2nd verse though appears to be dead on when listening to it slowed down.