I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 29

Epic grunge bands have come and gone with the era: Soundgarden, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Alice in Chains. But only one has stood the test of time and even experienced a resurgence in recent years: Pearl Jam. If I can think of one characteristic for the band, it’s resilience. They’ve persevered and stayed relevant and active all these years. The album Ten was huge back in my college days. Just as played as Nevermind, Ten was full of bangers of different paces and sensibilities: “Even Flow”, “Alive” and “Jeremy”. “Black” is a personal favorite, but one of my less expected loves is the album closer “Release”, a fully cathartic experience and a nearly ten minute emotional drone that wraps up one of the great records of the grunge era.

“Oh dear dad. Can you see me now? I am myself. Like you somehow. I'll ride the wave where it takes me. I'll hold the pain. Release it.”