Hard Sun
Eddie Vedder਀ Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I walk beside her
I am the better man
When I look to leave her
I always stagger back again
Once I built an ivory tower
So I could worship from above
And when I climbed down to be set free
She took me in again

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

When she comes to greet me
She is mercy at my feet
When I see her pin her charm
She just throws it back again
Once I dug an early grave
To find a better land
She just smiled and laughed at me
And took her blues back again

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

When I go to cross that river
She is comfort by my side
When I try to understand
She just opens up her eyes

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

Once I stood to lose her
When I saw what I had done
Bound down and flew away the hours
Of her garden and her sun
So I tried to warn her
I'll turn to see her weep
Forty days and forty nights
And it's still coming down on me

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

There's a big
A big hard sun
Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

There's a big
A big hard sun




Beaten on the big people
In the big hard world

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Eddie Vedder's song Hard Sun are about the power and significance of love in one's life. The singer acknowledges that when he is with his loved one, he feels like a better person, but when he thinks about leaving her, he always ends up returning to her. He describes how he once built himself an ivory tower so that he could feel superior to his beloved, but when he climbed down from the tower, she accepted him back into her arms. There is a sense of surrender and submission to this love that is greater than any ego or pride.


The lyrics also speak to the enormity and difficulty of the world, with the big hard sun casting down its heat and light on the people. The singer finds comfort in his loved one, who represents mercy and understanding, helping him to navigate the challenges of the big hard world. He describes how he tried, unsuccessfully, to warn his beloved of the consequences of his actions, and how he still feels the weight of his mistake despite the passage of time. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that love is the one constant in a world that is often chaotic and unforgiving, and that we need it to survive and thrive.


Line by Line Meaning

When I walk beside her
Being with her makes me feel like I'm the best version of myself


I am the better man
She brings out the best in me


When I look to leave her
Sometimes I consider leaving her


I always stagger back again
But I always end up coming back to her


Once I built an ivory tower
I tried to put myself above her


So I could worship from above
To feel superior to her


And when I climbed down to be set free
When I realized how wrong I was and tried to leave her


She took me in again
She accepted me back with open arms


When she comes to greet me
When she appears in my life again


She is mercy at my feet
She forgives me and welcomes me back without judgment


When I see her pin her charm
When I see her trying to manipulate me


She just throws it back again
But I know she's genuine and I always come back to her


Once I dug an early grave
I made a mistake that could have ruined everything


To find a better land
To find something better than what I had with her


She just smiled and laughed at me
But she remained calm and knew I would come back


And took her blues back again
She went back to her own life and let me figure things out


When I go to cross that river
When I face a difficult time in my life


She is comfort by my side
She is there for me and gives me the strength to get through it


When I try to understand
When I try to understand what's happening in my life


She just opens up her eyes
She helps me see things more clearly


Once I stood to lose her
I almost lost her because of my mistakes


When I saw what I had done
When I saw how badly I messed up


Bound down and flew away the hours
I struggled to find my way back to her


Of her garden and her sun
Of the good things we had together


So I tried to warn her
I tried to protect her from myself


I'll turn to see her weep
But I could see the pain it caused her


Forty days and forty nights
A long period of suffering and hardship


And it's still coming down on me
And I'm still dealing with the consequences of my mistakes


There's a big


A big hard sun
A metaphor for the harsh reality of life


Beaten on the big people
Everyone struggles with the challenges of life


In the big hard world
The world is a tough place to live in




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORDON PETERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions