Talk of circles, and punching out.
Looking in, drawing circles down.
Falling up, then south, marking ground.
Talking out of turn, drawing circles down.

Like Pilate I have a dog. (x2)

Walks me out of town. Still one's a crowd.
Making angels in the dirt.
Looking up, looking all around.

Like Pilate I have a dog. Obeys, listens, kisses, loves. (x2)

Stunned by my own reflection.
It's looking back, sees me too clearly, and I swore I'd never go there again.
Not unlike a friend that politely drags you down.
You down... (x3)

Like Pilate I have a dog. Obeys, listens, kisses, loves. (x3)
Like Pilate I have a dog.



Lyrics submitted by Trent

Track duration: 03:01


Pilate song meanings
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15 Comments

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  • 0
    Song Meaning:Pilate obeyed like a dog does.
    Flag DougJosephon April 06, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Here are the 3 ways how I see this song.

    *The person that the song is about has a dog like Pilate. It obeys, listens, kisses, loves, you could say its a metaphor about a needy partner.
    He/she later sees the reflection and once again realises how shit this is.

    *The awesome way to see it
    [Stunned by my own reflection
    It's looking back, sees me too clearly
    And I swore I'd never go there again
    Not unlike a friend that politely drags you down]

    Realises she/he is the dog and it's back where it didn't want to be, it swore it wouldn't be her/his bitch ever again, but oops. Assuming everything else said in the song is what the owner thinks.

    *Another one is that the person is talking about itself. What made me think this was [Walks me out of town/Still, one's a crowd] me and myself, she/he defaults to a way of being that they don't like, even when they are on their own that way of being is frustrating and annoying and the realisation is not unlike a friend that politely brings you down. Time to change stop being a dog to other people and yourself.

    Not so long ago I told a friend that to me she was like the human version of pearl jam's lyrics, neither here or there, implies alot so it is hard to figure out and understand and if you think you clocked into it a few minutes later... you go "huh? so, what? and which?" :)I like pearl jam
    Flag Groundeyeson November 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I used to not like this song because of the chorus. But the verses and bridge are fucking awesome enough to make it a great song... it's grown on me a lot.
    Flag Tig45on October 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Pilate" was inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita. When asked about the song Jeff Ament stated:

    “ I think "Pilate" was the question I was asking myself, and "Low Light " was the answer, the realization. Have you ever read The Master and Margarita [by Mikhail Bulgakov]? I just read that book, and at the end they talk about Pontius Pilate being all alone on a mountain with his dog. He couldn't sleep and he couldn't function. It really struck me hard, because at that point I was feeling very alone. I've always had this recurring dream about being old and just me and my dog sitting on the porch. It wasn't necessarily a sad dream or a premonition, but it did get me to thinking about why Pilate was so alone and freaked out. Then I realized he didn't get to finish his conversation with Jesus—that's why he can't function, because he didn't tie up the loose ends in his life. Later, I was playing the guitar, and I was hit so hard by this amazing, emotion. In that moment the words "low light" came out, and somehow those were the only words to explain what I was feeling. It was a kind of gratefulness at finding that place of calm and peace at my center and getting a glimpse of the person I could choose to be. It was the purest happiness that I've experienced in a long time, that particular emotion. God, I thought I was going to explode. I feel very lucky to have been able to put it down on tape that morning and work through it until it became a song
    Flag Steve_Bureauon March 18, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Watch the Alice in Chains Grind video to understand wut Shadowboxer the first comment is trynna say
    Flag Negrumon February 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think that the song is mainly nonsense really. The first verse is the character thinkings about work, and kind of drifting in and out of the activities of everyone else.
    The chorus (after alot of thought) ive decided that its the character day dreaming about Pontius Pilate, and associated the only thing that he had in common with Pilate, having a dog.
    The 2nd verse I think has to do with jesus getting hung, and the "Stunned by my own reflection" is the character realizing that its all a dream, and being dragged back into the real world.
    Input please
    Flag Intruderon August 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Heh, I used to think he was saying "But Pilate, what have they done?" and consequently thought it was about Christ's Crucifixion. Oh, and for the record, priests went thrrough the crowd "convincing" (probably more like coercing) them to choose Barabbas.

    Frankly, I'm kind of disappointed that it's just about some dude sitting with his dog on a cliff. Oh well.
    Flag macamaticon June 23, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I thinks its about our daily work cycle. How everything is so much about time and $ that its truly meaningless.
    "Talk of circles, and punching out.
    Looking in, drawing circles down." pictures some guy at work bored killing time by doodling and drawing circles, can't wait till its time to leave.

    The rest of the lyrics also support this. "Like Pilate I have a dog". Pilate is eerily close to "Pilot". So its like a Pilot who needs a sog to lead him walk the streets and through the regular walks of life.

    Maybe its just me. What do u guys think ?
    Flag shassounehon February 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Apparently bassist Ament wrote the song after hearing a legend about how Pilate sat on a hill with his dog after Christ died, wishing he had finished his last conversation with him. The picture in the sleeve below the lyrics is of Ament standing on top of a snow-covered mountain, hands raised, looking up to the sky with an expression of wonder. Interesting...."
    Flag kelaron September 10, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Pilate wasn't a jail guard, he was the roman ruler of the area of jerusalem during the time of christ. His name was Pontius Pilate, and he was not jewish. When the chief priests and elders of the law brough Jesus to Pilate, he found no reason to crucify him, so he sent him to Herod, the Jewish king of the day. Herod just wanted Jesus to perform some miracle, but Jesus did nothing, so Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate then appealed to the crowd, offering to either free barabbas (a serial killer, and all-around crazy guy) or Jesus, but the crowd wanted barabbas. So Pilate washed his hands of Jesus' death, and handed him over to be crucified.

    I don't know if that has anything to do with this song, but at least you now have your story straight.
    Flag adam1986on May 13, 2005   Link

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