Pearl Jam – Bushleaguer

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Send "Bushleaguer" Ringtone to Cell

how does he do it? how do they do it? uncanny and immutable
this is such a happening tailpipe of a party
like sugar, the guests are so refined
a confidence man, but why so beleaguered?
he's not a leader, he's a texas leaguer
swinging for the fence, got lucky with a strike
drilling for fear makes the job simple
born on third, thinks he got a triple
blackout weaves its way through the city
blackout weaves its way through the city
blackout weaves its way...
i remember when you sang that song about today
now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
a think tank of aloof multiplication
a nicotine wish and a columbus decanter
retrenchment and hoggishness
the aristocrat choir sings, "what's the ruckus?"
the haves have not a clue
the immenseness of suffering
and the odd negotiation, a rarity
with onionskin plausibility of life
and a keyboard reaffirmation
blackout weaves its way through the city
blackout weaves its way through the city
blackout weaves its way...
i remember when you sang that song about today
now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
i remember when you sang that song about today
now it's tomorrow and everything has changed
changed, changed, chains, etc...

Send "Bushleaguer" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Stephen_Flow


Bushleaguer song meanings
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46 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think this shows Vedder's intelligence despite any formal education. It takes courage to write a song against a specific person, especially the president instead of just something vague. Agree or disagree, it's a bold statement. I once heard a concert where Ed said "If they elect Bush again people are going to storm into the streets to riot." Well, it took a while, but Occupy seems to be pretty much what he predicted.
    Flag rbach48on July 01, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Pearl Jam first played this song in 2003 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. People booed and threw coins. Dozens of fans left the show. People were screaming "F... you!" from the crowd. The entire stadium descended into chaos.

    This song is an example of the power Vedder's lyrics have to incite; and that's just what he aimed to do with this song.
    Flag Fwooperboyon January 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song could be about any bad leader... Bush, the leader of ICRWhale... it's essentially a revolution song with Eddie's very mature spin on it. Great song. I love the album version with the hard electric intro, the acoustic version they played across the Riot Act tour, and the melodic electric version they played on the 2006 tour. Always ilicits an interesting reaction from the crowd, in Uniondale NY in 2003, Eddie walked out wearing a Bush mask and stuck it on the microphone and through various parts of the song, stuck cigarettes in its mouth, poured wine down its throat, and French kissed it :P throughout the song, and afterwards, the crowd boo'ed and jeered the band, if you listen to the bootleg you can hear people going "fuck you asshole!" and "just play rock'n'roll!" and in the PJ20 movie Mike talks about how a firefighter in the pit kept showing Mike his badge. Afterwards the crowd started chanting "USA" and Eddie got into it with them, and followed it up with a cover of the Clash's "Know Your Rights" and later an impassioned version of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World".
    During the same tour they almost started a riot in Colorado, when some of the crowd thought Veddie Edder had impaled/hung the Bush mask on the mic stand.
    Flag Tig45on January 10, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:April 30th, 2003 concert at Nassau coliseum in New York:
    Eddie put his heart into Bushleaguer, and afterwards the crowd started boo'ing and chanting USA. Eddie started arguing with the crowd, defending everyone in the room's right to free speech, and then launched into Know Your Rights by The Clash.
    One of the most awkward and uncomfortable moments in live PJ history, and I think Eddie made the mistake of bitching back at the crowd and getting into a debate :P but handled pretty well. Eddie was kinda a douche during that whole tour IMO... yelling at the girl in Hershey for flashing him, this, the mic-throwing incident in Seattle, after Daughter... but I guess Ed was going through alot.

    Figured I'd throw that out there :D nice little insight into the song.
    Flag Tig45on August 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Lots of Pearl Jam's songs are good, but some of them make me sick. This is an example of one that makes me sick. Just stay out of politics if you're a celebrity, I don't care if you're liberal or conservative or whatever. Just stay out.
    Flagged christianrocker123on August 15, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:You Americans are so entertaining. Always trying to save the world. Always thinking that the way to do that is by changing everything to YOUR ideals. This song is about Bush, Vedder is American and so I understand why he is so politically 'moral' about issues in his own nation. But I wish he, and all of you would stop being so concerned with what's happening with YOUR country and understand there's ALOT worse happening elsewhere.
    Flag schmelisonon February 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Jumpy Jack, I hope in retrospect you can see how wrong you were. We people who have been around the last 30-40 years know that it is morally wrong to attack another nation for no reason. You may think we are pussies because we want peace. We still can't get out of Iraq and innocent people continue to die because of the right wing policies of George W. Bush. Shame on YOU!
    Flag abnormaon September 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:SixStringRebel you're pretty thick aren't you? The conflicts during the Clinton era weren't even close to how big Bush's are. I'll concede that Vedder sides with Democrats for better or worse, as that is the truth. I came on here expecting people to be a little more level headed, years into the Bush administration. I sure as hell am not a Democrat but some of you so called "conservatives" drive me up a fucking wall.
    Flag I Am Drugson July 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I enjoy Pearl Jam, but when I read lyrics such as these, I can only smirk and shake my head at how clueless and paronoid many of these musicians and celebrities happen to be.

    Eddie is a leftist, so it should come as no surprise that he hates Bush or anything remotely conservative.

    What raises my eyebrows is the fact that he was alive and well during Clinton's years yet the worst thing he did was don a Mohawk for a while for world peace when we were bombing Baghdad in '98. One must wonder why he didn't throw down a rubber Clinton mask and stomp on it in protest when we were also engaged in Somalia, Bosnia and the Balkins. I guess he has more of a partisan streak for democrats.

    Hialrious though, considering that Vedder did this with a Bush mask during a show as he was protesting for peace. Sure, buddy. Pretending to stomp on a person's face is a real way to convey peace, right?

    When he was booed for this from some fans, he told the dissenters to shut up all the while standing behind the 1st Amendment. Does anyone see the iriony in this?

    Eddie is a hypocrite, and when it comes to politics, he sadly doesn't come off any more educated in such matters as Neil Young, Dixie Chicks and Pink.
    Flag SixStringRebelon March 01, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Pearl Jam/Vedder are my favorite. That said, I'm republican and think, for the most part, liberals are pretty much bedwetting, weakchinned pussycats. 15 yrs from now....when my daughters 18, I'm betting I'll be relieved we were in this war. This country/world will be a safer place for our youth. Bushhaters cannot seem to grasp this notion. Working in the intelligence community, so much has been done to capture and or kill terrorists which the media reluctantly hesitates to mention.
    Flag kgvausaon February 20, 2008   Link

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