Pearl Jam: Jeremy Meaning

Song Released: 1992

Jeremy Lyrics

At home
drawing pictures
of mountain tops
with him on top
lemon yellow sun
arms raised in a V
and the 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...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Oct 17th 2008 !⃝

   The song is about Jeremy Wade Delle a teen at Richardson High in Texas who brought a gun to school and shot himself. I remember his last words to this day" .... Miss I got what I really went for."

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   Pendragon

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   Mar 10th 2005 !⃝

   This song is based on two school shootings, one in Richardson, Texas in 1991, where a kid named Jeremy Delle shot himself in his English class, and an incident at Eddie Vedder's middle school in San Diego, where a kid named Brian brought a gun to school.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jun 2nd 2009 !⃝

   I think it's about a kid named Jeremy that lives a miserable life and is neglected by his parents. Eddie, not knowing this, picks on Jeremy along with some other kids; however, Jeremy being filled with angst, fights back furiously. Eddie then later learns of the Jeremy's pain, and begins to feel bad about picking on him.
   As for the chorus, I think that the line "Jeremy spoke in class today" is referring to Jeremy telling everyone else in class of his pain. But I think that it might mean something else instead. At the end of the video, Jeremy puts a gun to his mouth in front of the entire class, and commits suicide. Therefore, the line might be referring to his act of suicide in front of the entire class as "speaking in class today." Along with that, Eddie is also regretting picking on Jeremy to the point of suicide in the bridge section ("try to erase this" etc.). This is just my interpretation whether you accept it or not, but just think and consider about it.
4. anonymous

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   Aug 2nd 2015 !⃝

   I saw this song as a story of child abuse. Jeremy is a boy of a tough upbringing. The song tells of his father never showing affections for him, or paying attention to the fact that his mother didn't even want him there. His pictures show him at the top of a mountain, in the sun, with the dead below him, bleeding. This is why they call him "King Jeremy the Wicked." It shows how he clawed his way to the top in his substitute reality and how much it took to escape his own reality. His twisted life must have shown outside of his home when he speaks in class. He must have spoken of his world. I interpreted this song without watching the video, so all apologies if it doesn't match the it.
5. Blitztim

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   Aug 9th 2014 !⃝

   I don't get the bullying angle. The kid is disturbed. He's drawing pictures of himself on a mountain, 'V' for victory, dead bodies below him. 'King Jeremy the Wicked' is what he calls himself. Someone picks on him yes, thinking he is harmless, but he isn't. He hit someone, bites the recess lady. Not only that, I just watched the video. He's an angry young man. Not shown in a sympathetic way. He was troubled, angry and he took it out on his classmates by giving them this horrible image to forever live with.
6. Hyena

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   Jun 28th 2012 !⃝

   As sonmeone who has been bullied all my life because I was born with Cushing's, I can relate to this video. I am so tired of hearing "Well, the bullies have had such a difficult life. Oh yeah, like Jeremy did not. He had a hard enough life w/o others bullying him. The concept of the song and video is that nothing good can come out of bullying...Jeremy killed himself infront of his asshole classmates and that vision of Jeremy will have to be etched in their minds for the rest of their lives because they decided that they can bully another human being. Excellent lyrics and excellent performance not only by Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, but by Trevor Wilson. To the real Jeremy, please rest in peace. I am sure you were a great kid who did not deserve any hardships in life.
7. anonymous

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   Dec 15th 2011 !⃝

   This song I believe is about bullying someone is considered different due to income status, disease, home life, etc there is no good in bullying either for the victim or those doing the bullying it is an intense video; but at the same time, all shoould watch to know the horrors that can occur when bulling. I was bullied all my life due to two rare diseases and in my last job, which was at a roman catholic medical facility...three years and still out of work.
   
   I love eddie vedder and he deserves a medal for this song.
8. GILDA

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   Dec 15th 2011 !⃝

   This song I believe is about bullying someone is considered different due to incomestatus, disease, home life, etc there is no good in bullying either for the victim or those doing the bullying it is an intense video; but at the same time, all shoould watch to know the horrors that can occur when bulling. I was bullied all my life due to two rare diseases and in my last job, which was at a roman catholic medical facility...three years and still out of work.
   
   I love eddie vedder and he deserves a medal for this song.
9. anonymous

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   Jul 15th 2011 !⃝

   This is a reply to King Fish's interpretation. Really if this song was about orginally about Hitler than how would,"clearly I remember picking on the boy" really, Eddie Vedder picked on Hitler as a boy. The true meaning is that there was a kid named Jeremy that commited suicide in front of his whole class because his life was messed up. The second verse is Eddie Vedder singing from one of the kids that picked on Jeremy's view. Either way this is one of my favorite songs of all time!
10. MeaninOfLife_MusicMania90

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    May 26th 2011 !⃝

    This song is about how Eddie recalls a boy he used 2 harmlessly pick on in school. Little did he know the boy had a bad life at home and his parents didn treat him right. He got so tired of bein treated shit he couldn't seem to rise above an ended up committing suicide. Ed upon hearing the news experiences regrets...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

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    Apr 18th 2011 !⃝

    A true story about a abused kid who brings a gun to school and is going to kill everyone who was mean to him.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. theduckgoesquhzk

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    Oct 26th 2010 !⃝

    i think this is all about a kid named Jeremy who went in front of the whole class and spoke in class tht day, meanig he blew hos brians out because of bullies and his parents. and when the song said "try to forget this it's sarcasem he's saying your never forget what u made me do and "try to erease this from the black board" is the gun shot that splattered blood all over the board and it will never go away never erase never be forgotten
13. joleree

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    Mar 24th 2010 !⃝

    I think the innonocence lost theme is clear from the very first verse. "lemon yellow sun, arms raised in a V, the dead lay in pools of maroon" this is a young, troubled kid who is drawing his apocolyptic fantasies in crayon.
    Lemon Yellow and maroon are classic crayola colors.
14. anonymous

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    Mar 16th 2010 !⃝

    It's about Jeramy but one key line has been forgotten him speaking In class is when he said "daddy doesn't give attenchen..." and when the song said "try to forget this it's sarcasem he's saying your never forget what u made me do and "try to erease this from the black board" is the gun shot that splattered blood all over the board and it will never go away never erase never be forgotten
15. anonymous

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    Jan 9th 2010 !⃝

    some kid was teased for years then finally killed himself in class. everyone is on the ball with this one. the 'funny' thing about it (not the kid killing himself) but that when Eddie was going to school he had a few words with a kid like 'jeremy' and the kid done a similar thing but coz of Eddies class placement on the day, he wasnt included. Lucky! coz the bloke went on to sing some exelent songs!
16. reallyelijah

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    Mar 31st 2009 !⃝

    Some of the inspiration for song may have come from boy that shot himself,but,why are there a bunch of Oldham's at the end of the song ? Jeremiah(Jeremy)the prophet...Spoken yesterday.Eddie got a hold of letters written by the prophet from Toledo(To le do's at the end of black and the inspiration for black from letter to Superintendant of Schools in TN from James Oldham that same prophet about petroleum)and the Oldham's at the end of Jeremy.There were at least 4 letters Eddie got ahold of from that prophet and his whole album 10 is about that prophet and his life and letters.I'll wait in the dark for you to speak to me...I'll open up RELEASE me... The PREACHER said all is washed in Black...You can tear up the letters and erase them from the blackboard but they still will shout the truth.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
17. CHAD

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    Oct 2nd 2008 !⃝

    Does anyone out there know if the kid really said "try to erase this from the blackboard" before he shot himself? Also,did he really do that to the recess lady? I have always been curious as to the facts behind the inspiration.
18. QuincyPatterson

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    Jun 20th 2008 !⃝

    It's about a kid who killed himself in school because of his family and the bullies at school. Eddie in the song represents on of the bullies (I remember making fun of the I was such a mindless fuck) and feels guilty now that he's freakin dead. I wanna talk to jeff. He's a retarded douchebag.

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