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"Nothingman" is the fifth song from Pearl Jam's Vitalogy. During the album, all songs were credited to all members of the band, but it is known that "Nothingman" had its lyrics written by bassist Jeff Ament and its song by guitarist Stone Gossard.
Analysis[]
Following the tradition of "Black", this tune is a sad and short story of a long forgotten love, sung by a protagonist who seems to explain how a relationship usually ends. At first, it seems the end of a relation after a discussion, since the words said cannot be forgotten. Divided, the protagonist is compared to something that has nothing else to lose, a man of nothing. Even though he is alone, he thinks about the future, but unfortunately is attached to his past, cursed by his memory.
He remembers the time his woman liked all of his stories, but now she has gone and both, even apart, are in a bad situation. By the way, this bad situation (the prision) put one in one corner and the other into another, a place that only one will escape while the other will be cursed by the memories of good days. Willing to disappear, he just realizes he was left and he is nothing, even he could be something, but the event left him incapacitated.
Music & Lyrics[]
Once divided
Nothing left to subtract
Some words when spoken
Can't be taken back
Walks on his own
With thoughts he can't help thinking
Future's above
But in the past he's slow and sinking
Caught a bolt of lightning
Cursed the day he let it go
Nothingman
Nothingman
Isn't it something?
''Nothingman
She, once, believed
In every story he had to tell
One day she stiffened
Took the other side
Empty stares
From each corner of a shared prison cell
One just escapes
One's left inside the well
And he who forgets
Will be destined to remember
Nothingman
Nothingman
Isn't it something?
Nothingman
Oh, she don't want him (she don't want him)
Oh, she won't feed him
After he's flown away
Oh, into the sun
Yeah, into the sun
Burn (burn), burn, burn
Nothingman
Nothingman
Isn't it something?
Nothingman
Nothingman
Nothingman
Coulda been something
Nothingman