Post subject: Song of the moment---to myself I surrender.....
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:53 pm
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
All Or None
It's a hopeless situation And i'm starting to believe That this hopeless situation Is what i'm trying to achieve But i try to run on It's all or none All or none...
Here's the selfless confession Leading me back to war Can we help that our destinations Are the ones we've been before? I still try to run on But it's all or none All or none...
To myself, I surrender To the one i'll never please But I still try to run on No, I still try to run on But it's all or none All or none...
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
I have a mixed reaction to this song. It is definitely really good. Excellent atmosphere, some really nice guitar work, and strong lyrics. Eddie's vocals feel a little drained but they definitely fit the mood of the song. Plus it makes the delicate, pleading "to myself I surrender..." all the more moving.
All of that speaks to a really moving song, but like Thumbing My Way, the atmosphere is so grim it is a little hard to listen to. All or None is easier than TMW because the guitar solo at the end, while sinister, offers some kind of release. But the song is oppressive. That is its intention, and it succeds quite well, but All Or None isn't fun. It is also hurt a bit by being one the closing tracks. Except for All Those Yesterdays and Around the Bend the album closers are always a bit heavy, but Parting Ways, Indifference, Release, and even Immortality (although much less so) let up a bit, let the listener find some kind of emotional escape. There isn't quite enough of that here. Again I think it works well for the song, but it takes away some of the enjoyment.
Lyrically there are some real nice moments of brutal introspection. In a lot of ways All or None is Present Tense's pessimistic little brother.
It's a hopeless situation
And i'm starting to believe
That this hopeless situation
Is what i'm trying to achieve
Here's the selfless confession
Leading me back to war
Can we help that our destinations
Are the ones we've been before?
To myself, I surrender
To the one i'll never please
There is even the nod (like in present tense) that things may be better. The singer is still trying to run. But in this song, unlike most of the others, you doubt whether or not he'll make it. It is missing the optimism that you find in a song like Present Tense, or even indifference, and for me that keeps it out of their top tier.
This has been a home run every time they've played it live. And it is way the hell better than god's dice.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
the SOTM links all work again.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:20 am Posts: 5198 Location: Connecticut Gender: Male
stip wrote:
Lyrically there are some real nice moments of brutal introspection. In a lot of ways All or None is Present Tense's pessimistic little brother.
I'd agree with this. These lyrics are really depressing, but I think most people can identify with them. Most people have probably felt this way at some point. I think they're great lyrics.
Musically though, I find this song kind of boring. I love the last verse and guitar solo at the end. I usually find myself waiting for that part tho, and not really enjoying the rest. Just seems to me that this song is crawling at too slow a pace.
i think this song has alot of great moments in it- the song really builds from start to finsih espesially, - live- "and i try to run on ya know i still try to move on but it's all or none" -- that is best part live
eddie really gets the best out of this song a great closer to riot act, just and great guitar work throughout.
_________________ GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO
GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO
GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO
GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO
GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO GO LEAFS GO
I think the album closers are uniformly excellent and All Or None is among the elite of the bunch.
Simple but clever lyrics, guitar work that's just busy enough to keep the song going, a beautiful outro, all these combine to make a thrilling song. It's not so much an easy listen as, say, I Am Mine, but it's the only song I could really imagine closing Riot Act. I'm very sure that if another song polished off that album I wouldn't appreciate it anywhere near as much.
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Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
Yet another great contribution from Stone. The song is a perfect end to Riot Act; it always seems like a companion piece to Indifference for me because the lyrics appear to be negative, but as Stip suggested, have a hint of positive energy and hope to them. And nothing I could put into words can do justice to Mike's guitar solo at the end. When RA came out I remember reading a review and it described Mike's solo as "wounded." That's about as good a description as you can get.
Part of what makes the track work so well on the album, IMO, is that it follows Arc. The feeling of the 1-2 punch is such a great way to close the album; even when I want to skip to All or None, I always start with Arc. In emotion they almost seem to work in tandem. Simply beautiful.
"To myself I surrender, to the one I'll never please" is a great lyrical couplet. Because I think we all have people in our lives who we feel we can never totally satisfy, anyone can relate to it. Whether it be a significant other, a parent or even yourself -- the idea of not living up to expectations, whether self-imposed or not -- is a very difficult aspect of the human condition.
Great pick, Stip.
_________________ It's always the fallen ones who think they're always gonna save me.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:05 am Posts: 8045 Location: Arlington Heights, IL Gender: Male
Sandler wrote:
stip wrote:
And it is way the hell better than god's dice.
No way
Yes way
For me this is a song that i want to be one of my favorites, because i am a big fan of the acoustic songs, but this one never really completly did it for me.
Still a good song though
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
dirtyfrank0705 wrote:
Great pick, Stip.
thank you but this one came at the request of songwithout words
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:10 pm Posts: 128 Location: London, UK
F*cking amazing this one. Along with I Am Mine, the best PJ song since Yield. Love the jazzy rhythm. Vedder's voice in the final verse/chrous is spine-tingley good. Shows he's still got 'that voice', he didn't show that in any other part of Riot Act. Finally Mike's solo at the end is possibly his very best on a studio record.
Not so keen on this live. Mike never nails the solo, and it seems they kind of half ass their way through it, can't be easy though..It's a slippery song.
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
dirtyfrank0705 wrote:
Grandma_Pearl wrote:
Along with I Am Mine, the best PJ song since Yield.
Are you serious? There's a CD called Binaural, and the last track (number 13) is called Parting Ways. You should check it out.
i'll agree with grandma that I am Mine is the best song since Binaural. I think I'd take parting ways over all or none
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:00 pm Posts: 19826 Location: Alone in a corridor
Bammer wrote:
I find myself listening to this song more than any other studio album song since Vitalogy....maybe even since Vs.
Love it.
I absolutely love this song. Perfect ending to a really great album. Lyrics are great, music is great, solo is absolutely magnificent. And I don't think I have anything more to add. And that "To myself I surrender, to the one I'll never please", well yeah, that line
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