Song of the Day (The Chain): Pearl Jam – Jeremy

Day 29. From a song about an American teenager opening fire on her school to a song about another kind of American school shooting. Jeremy is about a 15 year old boy, Jeremy Delle, who committed suicide in front of his English class by self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Interestingly, the same set of circumstances seemed to contribute to Delle’s suicide as many more famous school shootings. Chiefly that Delle, like many school shooters, was mercilessly bullied by his classmates.

Pearl Jam wrote Jeremy in a bid to increase awareness of gun violence (specifically in schools), teen suicide & the dangers of unchecked bullying. As the description to the YouTube video states, “the themes of Jeremy highlighted by Pearl Jam in 1991, have sadly only become more relevant in the intervening 30 years as gun deaths continue to increase.”

At home drawing pictures
Of mountain tops
With him on top
Lemon yellow sun
Arms raised in a V

Dead lay in pools of maroon below
Daddy didn’t give attention
Oh, to the fact that mommy didn’t care
King Jeremy the wicked
Oh, ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today
Clearly I remember
Pickin’ on the boy

Seemed a harmless little fuck
But we unleashed the lion
Gnashed his teeth and bit the recessed lady’s breast

How could I forget
And he hit me with a surprise left
My jaw left hurting

Dropped wide open
Just like the day
Oh like the day I heard
Daddy didn’t give affection

And the boy was something that mommy wouldn’t wear
King Jeremy the wicked
Ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

Try to forget this (try to forget this)
Try to erase this (try to erase this)
From the blackboard

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in
Spoke in
Jeremy spoke in
Spoke in
Jeremy spoke in class today

Uh uh uh uh (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in)
(Spoke in)
Uh uh uh uh (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in)
Whoa oh (spoke in)
(Spoke in, spoke in)
Whoa oh (spoke in)
Whoa oh (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in)
Ah ah ah yeah 
Ah ah ah ah (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in)
Yeah yeah ah ah ah (spoke in, spoke in, spoke in)
Ah ah ah ah ah

Keep up to date with the Song of the Day (The Chain) Spotify playlist.