Present Tense

There's a simple but very profound message in this song: It makes much more sense to live in the present tense. Seems easy enough, but us humans are forward-thinking creatures honed for survival. We're not likely to note the bend of a tree when we really need to prep for that meeting. This soothing but challenging song asks us to take a different approach, living for the present instead of the future, which requires us to process the past so it won't interfere. More than most rock stars, Pearl Jam always had a sense of perspective that kept them from falling into unhealthy patterns common to the industry. Instead of obsessing over sales figures and follower counts, they focus on artistry and humanity.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready wrote the music to this track; Eddie Vedder wrote the lyric.

This is a track from Pearl Jam's fourth album, No Code, which went to #1 in America and sold a million copies, but was far less successful commercially than their previous three albums, none of which sold less than a million. The band wasn't concerned, and this song helps explain why. It showed that Pearl Jam was going to hew to their fans and to their own interests, a strategy that served them well.