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Hand over my face
I am related to my enemy
Our house on fire and big brother, brother tried to put the blame on me
Oh, little sister, You and me can rise above
Oh, ain't no brother - Back to back to back
Oh better back on
You use the flag as a bandage
Oh my big brother's a pocket hypocrisy
In the closet, my pleasures 'cause big brother,
brother don't wanna just let me be
Oh, little sister, You and me can rise above
Oh, ain't no brother - Back to back to back
Oh better back on
Oh, little sister
you and me can walk alone
Oh, ain't no brother - Back to back to back
Oh better back on
Hey, now (brother)
Hey, now
Hey, now
Hey, now
In my mind there's a clearing
Rose gardens open grey skies
Oh no one's hurtin'
and I'm joyin'
I'm flying ... I'm flyin'
Oh, back to back to back, oh better back on -
back to back to back, back c'mon -
back to back to back to back to back, back
Hey, now (brother)
Big (hey now) brother, brother, brother
Hey, now
Brother (hey now)
I am related to my enemy
Our house on fire and big brother, brother tried to put the blame on me
Oh, little sister, You and me can rise above
Oh, ain't no brother - Back to back to back
Oh better back on
You use the flag as a bandage
Oh my big brother's a pocket hypocrisy
In the closet, my pleasures 'cause big brother,
brother don't wanna just let me be
Oh, little sister, You and me can rise above
Oh, ain't no brother - Back to back to back
Oh better back on
Oh, little sister
you and me can walk alone
Oh, ain't no brother - Back to back to back
Oh better back on
Hey, now (brother)
Hey, now
Hey, now
Hey, now
In my mind there's a clearing
Rose gardens open grey skies
Oh no one's hurtin'
and I'm joyin'
I'm flying ... I'm flyin'
Oh, back to back to back, oh better back on -
back to back to back, back c'mon -
back to back to back to back to back, back
Hey, now (brother)
Big (hey now) brother, brother, brother
Hey, now
Brother (hey now)
Lyrics submitted by Nelly
Track duration: 03:46
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"Oh and I'm pushin" in the chorus..
In 2009, Pearl Jam re-released their Ten album, with a new version of Brother..
This new version had the lyrics posted here... "oh little sister, you and me can rise above"..
Thats the deal..
~DR00P5~
Anyway, using the correct lyrics from the comments page here: pearljam.com/song/…
Hand over my face. I am related to my enemy.
(He is being repressed by the government.)
My house on fire, and my big brother come put the blame on me.
(His house was burned down by the government, and to make matters worse, he was framed for it.)
He's a-pushin'...I'm being pushed from above.
(The government is crushing him - since they are in a position of power, they're pushing "from above".)
Oh, and a brother, back to back to back,
Better back off of him.
You should not question at all his authority...
(People defending the gov't warn dissidents to "back off" from fighting it.)
Use a flag as a bandage.
(Using patriotism/nationalism to cover up & distract from the problems in the nation.)
Stick 'em up, show us your pocket hypocrisy.
("Stick 'em up" probably refers to a gun, and "pocket hypocrisy", well, guns are kept in pockets, and could be viewed as hypocritical by Vedder.)
In the closet, my pleasures
'Cause my big brother don't want to just let me be.
(The things made illegal by the government, i.e. dissident literature, drugs, etc. have to be hidden)
Oh, and I'm pushin'...oh if I could get above...
(He's pushing the gov't as well, but he's pushing from below because he's just a lone civilian vs. a corrupt dictatorship.)
Oh, and a brother back to back back,
Keep your back off.
Oh, and I'm pushin'...I'm being pushed from above.
Oh, and a brother, back to back to back,
Better back off of him...
Face down...brother...
Face down... [3X]
("Face down" means either being made helpless by the system, or literally face down before being summarily executed.)
In my mind there's a clearing.
Black clouds flow through grey still skies.
And the birds don't even whisper.
I'm flying out...I'm flying...
(I don't know how this relates to the song. I guess it sounds nice because it's nice soft visuals for the quieter bridge.)
Back to back back, better back off... brother...
Face down...brother
Face down...almost fired
Face down...I got a gun
(He's holding a gov't agent face down, and about to kill him.)
Aah, fuck it, I'm just gonna go home, turn on the fuckin' TV...
Watch the nightly news and drink a beer...
Like I could even change the world, yeah right...
(He stops his revolution and becomes a sheep, just like everyone else, thinking, like everyone else, that nothing he can do could change it.)
"In the closet, my pleasures, cause my big brother just don't want to let me be."