Pearl Jam – Indifference

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I will light the match this mornin' so I won't be alone
Watch as she lies silent for soon light will be gone
Oh I will stand arms outstretched pretend I'm free to roam
Oh I will make my way through one more day in, hell
How much difference does it make
How much difference does it make yeah

I will hold the candle till it burns up my arm
Oh I'll keep takin' punches until their will grows tired
Oh I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind
Hey, I won't change direction, and I won't change my mind
How much difference does it make
How much difference does it make, how much difference

I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune
I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room
How much difference
How much difference does it make

Send "Indifference" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Holden666

Track duration: 05:03

"Indifference" as written by Dave Abbruzzese, Michael David Mccready, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Indifference song meanings
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68 Comments

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  • +2
    My Interpretation:I think this song talks about how humans can delight in their sadness.
    "Oh i will make my way thought, one day more in hell"
    I can destroy myself, whatever, how much difference it makes. I don't care at all, life is a hell for me.
    This is how i understand this very sad song.
    Flag Stouvieon February 03, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about the death of someone close but not knowing how to deal with it
    Flag seannyjohnson2011on January 08, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:What a beautiful song. I will light a match this morning: it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. It is about making a stand no matter the cost. This song can be an anthem for a purposeful, determined, and strong revolution. Could it be about a revolutionary that's fighting for change. I will light a candle instead of laying in a comfortable bed, warm next to my girl. But no, I will make a difference.

    will hold the candle till it burns up my arm.
    Oh, I'll keep takin' punches until their will grows tired.
    Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind.
    Hey, I won't change direction, and I won't change my mind.

    How much difference does it make.

    I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune.
    I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room



    I love this song. I don't see the suicide line of thinking here. "I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune. I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room". I LOVE this song.
    Flag billfusionon January 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:What a beautiful song. I will light a match this morning: it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. It is about making a stand no matter the cost. This song can be an anthem for a purposeful, determined, and strong revolution. Could it be about a revolutionary that's fighting for change. I will light a candle instead of laying in a comfortable bed, warm next to my girl. But no, I will make a difference.

    will hold the candle till it burns up my arm.
    Oh, I'll keep takin' punches until their will grows tired.
    Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind.
    Hey, I won't change direction, and I won't change my mind.

    How much difference does it make.

    I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune.
    I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room



    I love this song. I don't see the suicide line of thinking here. "I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune. I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room". I LOVE this song.
    Flag billfusionon January 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about being so beaten down that you've become numb and don't care anymore. Even starting to like it... kinda like Nirvana's Rape Me... like keep it coming, get it all out, it doesn't bother me, I don't care.
    And then realizing that you either have to choose life... steel yourself, grit your teeth and walk through hell until you reach the light at the end of the tunnel, and that wills you on, or choose death and end it all... and choosing life.
    The live version on the PJ20 soundtrack is fucking great.
    Flag Tig45on October 27, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Eddie Vedder on “Indifference”, taken from Allan Jones’ Pearl Jam biography:

    "The way I look at it is this. On average, we have maybe 50 to 60 years on the planet. And we probably have 20 years when we're a vital presence, when you can actually do something with your life. So what are you going to do with that time? Are you gonna enjoy it, not get involved? Or are you gonna try and do something to make some other peoples' lives better than they are, even if it means going through hell? Even if those people don't even appreciate what you're trying to do. Even if you're not sure yourself that what you're doing is going to make any bit of difference.

    I go through cycles thinking about this. I mean, what do you have to do to remind people that one of the best things you could hear in this life is the laughter of a child? I'm always trying to understand what's happening in the world . . . When it comes down to it, you can't turn your back on what's happening. You have to do something. Jesus knows, it's tough, because you never really know if what you're doing is going to have any effect. But what's the alternative? You walk away, pretend it's not happening? Can't be done."
    Flag emosissyon August 20, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I feel this song is about futility. It doesn't matter what he does. It won't make a difference. He could scream all he wants, suffer all the pain in the world, and nothing would change the circumstances.
    Flag CBCoulon June 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:After experiencing death of someone you either didn't expect to die or wanted desperately to live, it puts a dampening view of your own life. ( It is my interpretation from the first verse that a female close to him is dead ). It's as if the powers-that-be do not care what you wanted for yourself, so obviously no one matters. No matter how angry or stubborn you can be about any situation, the ugly truth is that we are born, we live for an uncertain amount of time, and we die. You can pretend that this fact is liberating, but it hurts to know that people die alone.
    Flag megznbaconon October 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:It means what it says, how much difference does it make. In a way he is trying to say that he is truly insignificant and this in itself is freeing him. I think it is about the relief that is in realizing the limitations of one man.
    Flag goodhamishon October 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Sounds like it's about someone who's in prison and begins to question his existence... how much difference does his life make?
    Flag baabaabiscuitson September 16, 2009   Link

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