Deep

On the edge
Windowsill
Ponders his maker
Ponders his will
To the street below
He just ain't nothin'
But he's got a great view...
And he sinks the needle deep

Can't touch the bottom
In too deep

On the edge
Of a know-nothin' town
Feelin' quite superior
The aged come
To the sky above
He just ain't nothin'
But he's got a great view...
And he sinks the burning knife deep

Can't touch the bottom
In too deep


On the edge of a
Christmas clean love
Young virgin from heaven
Visiting hell
To the man above her
She just ain't nothin'...
She doesn't like the view
She doesn't like the view
She doesn't like the view...
But he sinks himself deep.

Can't touch the bottom
In too deep



Below is what i wrote for the ten guided tour as my thoughts haven't really changed. I'll add my personal assesment of the song afterwards.

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Before I really dive into deep I wanted to something about its placement on the record. For the most part I think Ten is a well tracked record, but I’ve never been quite comfortable with the location of deep and garden. Deep belongs earlier, amongst the stories like Once, Even Flow, Why Go, Black, and Jeremy, where there is no way out, and no resolution beyond anger and shared outrage and grief. Like oceans and porch, garden begins to offer the promise of a way out, and the segue from Garden into Release is much stronger (thematically and musically) than Deep into Release. I’m not sure how I’d retrack the album, but I’d definitely switch garden and deep at a minimum.


Deep is one of the more violent songs on Ten, and the opening, explosive music reflects that. It has always reminded me of falling, someone caught in a free-fall, painfully crashing through barriers that fail to stop them, or even slow them down. The rise and fall of Eddie’s voice does a nice job moving the song along. Whereas the music gives each little vignette an appropriately sinister tone he starts each verse calmly, even casually, which makes the panic in each chorus hit more powerfully.

The verses themselves are quick mini-portraits (as is every song on ten) of a life falling apart. The first has a person contemplating suicide. He feels small, insignificant, and decides to put the question off, settling for the slow suicide of drug abuse instead. In the second story the subject is similarly feeling trapped not only by the fact that the larger world offers him no sources of meaning and stability, but also by the lack of understanding on behalf of the rest of society. Like the first character, he’s an outcast, although where the first person was lost in a cold, uncaring crowd the second person feels trapped in a smaller world of faked intimacy and community. In both cases the isolation is especially bitter since they both find themselves surrounded by people (a city with all its possibilities, and a small town where people are supposed to know and care about one another).

The final story is easily the most moving and chilling of the three—the story of a young, fairly innocent girl in the process of being raped—possibly by a stranger, possibly by a boyfriend pressuring her into sex. Either way, what should be the most intimate and joyous act that two people can engage in becomes violent and distant. Rather than intimacy what connects her to the man above her is her objectification. She isn’t a human being, but a means to an end, to someone else’s gratification. The violation is both physical and mental, a taking of her body and a taking of her humanity. The act of rape is essentially an act of annihilation. Eddie gives extra weight to this verse the way he snarls the “she just ain’t nothing lyric”, as most of the other verses don’t have any of the lyrics getting extra emphasis until the chorus

In all three cases the person is too far along to find a way out. The constant falling, the constant feeling of insignificance, the destruction of humanity has left them trapped and alone, and not sure where to turn to next. Like most of Ten, the catharsis in Ten comes from Eddie’s voice, sharing his outrage that we allow people to feel this alone and this violated (existentially or physically). There is no resolution. It’s a dark song, although angry enough to not be altogether hopeless. As long as there is anger the spark of resistance is still there, which means that there is always the possibility of a way out, even if we are in too deep to see it.


Deep in the end is not as good as its component parts. The riff is thunderous (and is one of those songs like insignficance and given to fly where the music really describes the sensation the song describes), the lyrics are far from his best, and probably the worst on Ten, but they aren't abysmal (some clunkers, but some nice lines too--I like repetation with the 'to the street below/to the sky above/to the man below/she just aint nothing, and the "she doesn't like the view line is chilling) and ten is a VERY well written record so the competition is pretty steep, Eddie gives a ferocious vocal performance, but in the end it doesn't all cohere together as well as I'd like. I wonder if O'Brien remxied this to make it tighter if that would help, but there is something that pushes me away from the song. there is a sense in which I think I can get inside all the songs on Ten, listen to them from within the music itself, if that makes sense. But I can't get there on Deep (or garden)

It's a 3 star song, but barely.

Nice star description on this one. I will have to rate the song later.

i have to think frank did this one

its ok. 1 of the obviously 2 weak songs on ten. its nice to revist from time to time

this is frank's favorite song on ten so I figured I'd dedicate the poll to him

I actually really like this song, both lyrically and Ed's delivery of it.
it gives me chills (not pleasant ones) it's so dark, especially the last verse (being a woman I guess it resonates more)
I don't really like the riff in the chorus though, so it's only a 4.

that's my mission for next tour, to get it played!
actually looking at teh stats for it..it's quite interesting to see it's not really been played since 95.. except in a few shows in 2003. wonder if it had something to do with Ed's mood in that period (which seemed quite dark)

the atlanta 94 version is balls out. i was pretty nuts when i heard it at msg. i don't know why i like it so much.

Great poll, Stip.

I gave it 0 stars, and not because my name is in that poll option. I absolutely detest everything about this song. I'll post later why and how, but for now I'll just say I always hated it and always will. There is no single worse song in the PJ catalog, including Sweet Lew and Don't Gimme No Lip.

I suddenly have great doubts about your sanity

not liking it, ok, to each their own...but worst song?

2 stars.

Great power, great vocals and even a groovy riff save the song from 0 starhood. I agree the placement on Ten is a little strange and it could even be a B-side. Seriously, I think it fits very closely with Alone and Brother and those songs. Those songs are even a little better in my opinion. This song and Why Go are my two least favorite Ten songs.

I especially don't like the song live these days. Ed just kinda whines through the vocals and the guitars don't give the song any of the power it needs. The 03/05 versions are pitiful...snorefest.

Lower tier PJ tune.

you know it might be two stars for me. I'm just not sure.

I think stip summed up the song better than I could, or atleast it would be a waste of time to repeat the sentiment.

I like it a little better. I just have always found the delviery on this song, when performed as well as it is on the labum, to be riveting, and jarring, but in a good way. Man, to hear Ed scream after the last verse, I don't know how one could not get goosebumps.

4 stars.

Somehow I really enjoy this song. Being one of the first PJ songs that I heard, it's kinda special too. It's not one of their best, but far from their worst, I'd say.

It's one of the songs I always listen to in my car.

For me it's 3.5 stars, but I'll round that up to 4.

3 stars. Good enough for me, but can be just a little better, as with most of the songs on Ten.

I do like this song but it is one of the weak songs from Ten. Some of the early live versions are amazing though with some great Ed screams. Overall I have to give it three stars.

4 $tars.
To me , this song speaks about how fragile life can be and how easy it is to just say Fuck it all.

this song can't touch the bottom...it's too deep

3 stars. I'd lick it's ass and get bored of it after the 5th time.

0 stars

this is one of those songs i could really do without..i don't hate it but it is never a song i choose to listen too, and i still give ten a lot of listens. nothing about the song is exciting . 2 maybe 2.5 stars