In this album track, Pearl Jam is comparing the human race with rodents. In an interview with the Melody Maker, frontman Eddie Vedder concludes that "rats are probably a hell of a lot more admirable."
The closing lyric, "Ben, the two of us need look no more," is actually the opening lyric from Michael Jackson's "Ben," which is the title song to the 1972 movie of the same name. The film, a sequel to 1971's Willard, is about a colony of rats taking over the human world. Ben is the lead rat who befriends and protects a sick young boy with heart trouble.
During a 2016 performance at Madison Square Garden, Vedder dedicated the tune to Enrico Salvatore Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman's character who was nicknamed "Ratso" in the 1969 movie Midnight Cowboy.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.