Pearl Jam - Hold On Lyrics






I was drawn
Riding atop a black horse.
Whatever past there was,
I could only observe
Where the trouble starts
Where does it end?
How can I be cured,
How, before it ends?

I know... life would be different if I... held on. Held on.
I know... I could be something if I... held on.

Gave her life away,
Put it in my pocket when it shoulda been framed.
Oh, I lost its shine.
Gotta get this outta my head,
Out of my bed!
How could it end,
End like this?
How could it end?

I know... life would be different had I... held on. Held on.
I know... I could be something had I... held on. Held on.
I know... I could be something if I... held on! Held on.
I know... life would be different if I... held on! Held on!

Held on. Held on. If I...
Held on. Held on. If I...
Held on. Held on. If I...
Held on. Held on.





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Pearl Jam Hold On Comments
  1. R.... ....

    Nothing is underrated with pearl jam...Amazing song..

  2. T.... -....

    I play electric guitar and I think electric is better than acoustic in every way but the acoustic version of this song is better

  3. D.... M....

    So much feeling!!!

  4. P.... P....

    Why... is ....this...song...not...on...the punisher season 1 ost ... nor...on...the... true detective season2 ? .? ....? ...why .... Can anybody tell ... me why ? ?

  5. B.... ....

    Honestly this post grunge and alternative rock has always been the best, good guitar riffs and lyrics that hit you like slugs some would argue they are just whining. But honestly have they checked Into this generations crap? It's just god awful blah blah lost my woman take me back skinny jeans and emo thoughts not like this music about keeping your shit together or just jumping off the deep end .

  6. D.... M....

    For me this is blatantly about suicide from the perspective of, and to the one who's gone...

  7. D.... M....

    My love of PJ grows deeper every year since 1990.

  8. J.... M....

    I´m so glad that they played this one here in Brazil in the São Paulo Show of March 24 2018. It brought me to tears. Thanks Pearl Jam.

  9. J.... M....

    I came to tears yesterday when they played this song in Lollapalooza Brazil 2018. I was there. Thanks Pearl Jam

  10. E.... A....

    who the hell said vedder cant sing?

    E.... A....

    No one!

  11. d.... K....

    Nice jams

  12. k.... m....

    held on?....I thought it was hold on.

    k.... m....

    There is a version where it says hold on, but it only says it once. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDdFzuDVdN8

  13. N.... 2....

    To Chris:

  14. G.... S....

    Vedder's voice in this track is godly.

  15. R.... ....

    0:00 first notes sounds like I Am Mine for me

    R.... ....

    RouletteYT they open on an open D chord

    R.... ....

    RouletteYT Same opening chord. D.

  16. C.... D....

    dig the vocals...the vokes

  17. N.... 2....

    ...and Oceans.

  18. N.... 2....

    This song holds such significance in my life that I need it played at my funeral along with Alive and Release...

    N.... 2....

    east bound and down style

    N.... 2....

    you are too young and pretty to be thinking about death. I am glad to see you have good taste in music though

    N.... 2....

    top it off with leatherman

    N.... 2....

    I thought the same... This song is my funeral song.

    N.... 2....

    Yes!!! I want Release at mine.

  19. R.... C....

    damn great song ..I can feel pearl jam in my heart in every song made I feel somethig that im going through or been through

    R.... C....

    Same here and for millions of others. It's the power of Vedder, he's like a modern day Shaman/Medicine Man...

  20. M.... M....

    🎸🎸🎸🤘🏻

  21. A.... B....

    Pearl Jam and Eddie. <3 Another gem I found today! Can't stop listening over and again..

  22. S.... A....

    my favorite pj song. a song of a love lost, but with so much hope and resiliency

  23. t.... b....

    484,021

  24. J.... ....

    Ese bombo y bajo... la wuea bkn.

  25. j.... g....

    Prefer the acoustic version tbh

    j.... g....

    yea  the acustic vesion is amazing

  26. M.... l....

    Im so glad I found this gem in lost dogs.. such a good album such a good song! So much emotion!! But thats eddie and his amazing song writing skills!

    M.... l....

    @David Mark i didnt know that. thats awesome. i figured eddie wrote it. when u say he wrote it do you mean lyrically or musically 

    M.... l....

    Lost Dogs is incredible - songs that didn't make albums and it might be my fav PJ album!!  lol.............these guys are an incredible band that touch my soul.

    M.... l....

    +trey burke Eddie wrote the lyrics and Stone wrote the music. =)

    M.... l....

    @berniegrungezalez76 ok i thought eddie wrote the lyrics

    M.... l....

    +Madeleine lloyd I agree.

  27. t.... b....

    come one people this song should have like 4 million views.

    t.... b....

    minimum :D

    t.... b....

    trey burke, one half of a million is not so bad....

    t.... b....

    Let’s keep it to ourselves lol shhhh

  28. R.... C....

    I like ...

  29. d.... h....

    Masterpiece..thanks pj

  30. U.... M....

    the  "Lost Dogs" Album is a box full of treasures like this great song

    U.... M....

    greeenpro ahh, footsteps is another thing. Fatal and strangest tribe are also my favourites

    U.... M....

    Reyyan you know it's good when their b sides are all that good. If you like Chris Cornell, he did a cover of PJ's version of Footsteps. I recommend checking it out on YT here if you haven't heard it. But that PJ version was the basics for Temple of the Dog's 'Times of trouble' I think. Crazy how intertwined they were at certain times

    U.... M....

    greeenpro definitely! and if i like Chris Cornell? How can you not like him? I listened to his version, it was great.
    That thing you said is what i like about 90's Seattle rock music. They were very supportive to each other, touring together and stuff.. it is crazy indeed.

    U.... M....

    greeenpro By the way, i think it is probably the other way around. I mean 'times of trouble' was the basic for footsteps.

    U.... M....

    Versus Album my friend ..
    Bonus track

  31. F.... 1....

    teleporting from other world!!

  32. s.... ....

    One of my favorite PJ songs, it always surprised me how this slipped away from being on a studio album - I could pick a song from any PJ album that this is better than.

    s.... ....

    I know. "Red Dot" "Aye Davinita" "Bugs" "Stupid Mop" made an album, yet Hold On didn't

  33. J.... ....

    Amazing! But i prefer the demo version

    J.... ....

    On this song drums playing d..krussen very good jam

  34. b.... ....

    I'm pissed Matt Cameron is still with the band. Think he over drums. Miss Jack Irons.

    b.... ....

     Matt Cameron is a great drummer IMO , plays with great feel & touch...... Fell on Black Days Sound Garden is a good example.... anyway respect your opinion.. Jack Irons is a great drummer to :)

    b.... ....

    You must not be a drummer if make a comment like that. For one Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were close friends in Seattle, often playing club shows together before ever hitting it big. Two. Jack Irons had a drinking problem. 3 Matt studied at Berkley and is eons better in technique and groove than Jack as well as odd time signatures. Original is not always better.

    b.... ....

    +bmp135 For me this song is meant to be played loud.. So great thing he "over drums" as you say (even if i disagree with this, just think he's doing great)

    b.... ....

    absolutely, loud love...

    b.... ....

    the day i tried to live too

  35. B.... s....

    love my pj

  36. B.... M....

    seeing them 30th in charlotte....===== love and happiness

  37. s.... a....

    Daves drumming absolutely blows me away on this song. it's honestly surreal and yes it makes the song great.

  38. c.... n....

    Anyone setting them October 19th in Barclays :-) :-)

  39. j.... ....

    Como saco esto de mi cabeza !

  40. T.... L....

    I know I could be something if I held on <3

  41. T.... L....

    Pearl Jam are amazing!! <3

  42. g.... ....

    Well I know what song I'm listening to over and over today. And yeah Dave kicked ass but luckily after Jack Irons they got the worlds best drummer

  43. A.... P....

    One of my favorite PJ songs.

  44. A.... ....

    Dude, that was gay.

    A.... ....

    Antikythero as in happy gay right? 😀

    A.... ....

    Lol that was funny , not their greatest song but

  45. a.... e....

    so much penetration

  46. t.... ....

    How this did not make it on their landmark album is incredible to me.
    Lost Dogs was a gift*

  47. J.... T....

    THANX XD

  48. N.... L....

    You shouldn't type while you're strung out on crack.

  49. s.... ....

    MY LIFE

  50. M.... P....

    I think I like the acoustic version better. But this is great too.

  51. P.... �....

    greate song

  52. m.... ....

    That comment gave me cancer...

  53. o.... ....

    then you gotta play him goat by pearl jam, for real. baahhhh.

  54. o.... ....

    it had more to do with ed and dave not seeing eye to eye on political and business things. for example dave didn't agree with going to war with ticketmaster. dave bought several guns and i don't think ed dug on that too much either things like that. really just two different kind of people. dave a the libertarian texan and eddie v the bleeding heart californiaa liberal. still i think they had some good times i know dave a always talks fondly of the guys these days.

  55. h.... r....

    Awesome!!!!

  56. k.... m....

    u just spinn things n let go... thats what i do. alL tattoos red. ...or? ...whata bleep?! they dead! NEEEEEEEEW SHIT!! HolLor from ...i dunno

  57. k.... m....

    yeah, welL...

  58. M.... ....

    dude this is dave krusen on drums...

  59. A.... F....

    LOVE THIS SONG !!!!!!

  60. S.... C....

    I just need to hold on..

  61. B.... ....

    This song is amazing.

  62. D.... M....

    fucking amazing song, pearl jam is so great

  63. j.... d....

    Coming back to this song over and over. I am sooooo glad I didn't hold on. Sorry Eddie. Life would be different, but much worse.

  64. a.... ....

    amazing....

  65. M.... R....

    i don't know why I wrote abbruzzese comment here 'cause i got lost dogs cd and know this is pretty obvious Ten studio sound ... but as always, i love abbruzzese sound the most of all

  66. m.... ....

    While Dave Abbruzzese was one helluva drummer, this is Dave Krusen. He recorded drums on all the Ten sessions. To be honest, this doesn't even sound like Abbruzzese to me. It's totally missing that dark, dry china cymbal from Dave A's kit.

  67. S.... M....

    The first version I heard of this song is on my copy of Vs and it's acoustic. Then i heard this one on Pearl Jam radio on XM. Kinda like this one better but they are both amazing.

  68. w.... m....

    Very Nice .

  69. J.... S....

    Lost Dogs.

  70. W.... V....

    If i held on :(

  71. j.... d....

    Life would be different if I held on, but sometimes you have to let go.

  72. K.... ....

    We are are without having any clue why. We search our whole life for the answer and never find a gratyfing one, but hey let,s pray and hope Jesus Promised that everything turns ou the best.

    K.... ....

    this may not make you believe but it will make you think....

    Probability and Prophesies of Jesus
    There were over 300 prophecies fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible has many that were written thousands of years before Jesus was born! Precise, detailed prophecies such as; where He would be born (Micah 5:2), how He would be born, (Isaiah 7:14) how He would die (Psalm 34:20), etc. And history has PROVEN, without ANY doubt whatsoever, they were fulfilled EXACTLY as that Amazing Book (the Bible) had prophesied, hundreds of years earlier!
    In the book, Science Speaks, mathematician and scientist, Peter Stoner, applies the rules of probability to these prophecies. The chances of just eight of these three-hundred prophecies being fulfilled are 1 in 10 to the 17th power; that's — 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!
    Compared to:
    The odds of someone being struck by lightning are — 1 in 709,260. 1
    The odds of winning the Kentucky Lottery were — 1 in 5,245,786. 2
    Picking the 6 right numbers in 49 number Lottery — 1 in 13,983,816. 3
    In the book, Professor Stoner, illustrates:
    Let us try to visualize this chance. . . Suppose that we take 10 to the 17th power silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly. . . Blindfold a man and tell him. . . he must pick up one silver dollar . . . What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.
    Professor Stoner, then took 48 of these over 300 fulfilled prophecies (only one-sixth!). The chances of the 48 being fulfilled are 1 in 10 to the 157 power - that's 1 in 10 with 157 zeros! Or, illustrated:
    That's — 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
    000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
    000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

    Here's how Professor Stoner illustrates:


    Let us try to visualize it. . . The electron is about as small an object as we know of. It is so small that it will take 2.5 x 10 to the 15th power of them laid side by side to make a line, single file, one inch long. If we were going to count the electrons in this line one inch long, and counted 250 each minute, and if we counted day and night, it would take us 19,000,000 years to count just the one-inch line of electrons. . . With this introduction, let us go back to our chance of 1 in 10 to the157th power. . . Let us make a solid ball of electrons, extending in all directions from the earth to the distance of six billion light-years (the distance that light will travel at 186,000 miles a second in 6,000,000,000 years). Have we used up our 10 to the 157th power electrons? No, we have made such a small hole in the mass that we cannot see it. Now, one of these electrons was marked and thoroughly stirred into the whole mass; blindfold your man and ask him to find the marked electron. (The electron, in fact, is so small that it cannot be seen with a powerful microscope.) To the extent, then, that we know this blindfolded man cannot pick out the marked electron, we know that the Bible is inspired.
    And in case you think Professor Stoner's statistics are exaggerated or without scientific substance, the Foreword of the book, Science Speaks, includes an acknowledgement by the prestigious American Scientific Affiliation stating: "The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way."

  73. S.... V....

    I feel good reading all of these positive comments about Pearl Jam. (Not to sound hippie). But it's nice to see all of the energy for such a perfect band! :)

  74. s.... ....

    I love when Eddie hums of hits a high note <3...I freaking love Pearl Jam. :)

  75. b.... ....

    he's also one helluva nice guy!

  76. D.... ....

    Definitely not Abbruzzese .. Krusen for sure ..

  77. L.... M....

    nossa 392 pessoas gostam e nenhuma não gosta

  78. F.... ....

    I think it's pretty clear that EV didn't see Abbruzzese as anything more than a hired gun who came through for them when they needed someone in '91 after Chamberlain bailed. If you read the text from PJ20, Irons states that he was ''always in the mix" long before he actually got the job. It really was just a matter of when, not if he would eventually become Pearl Jam's drummer.

  79. s.... ....

    I know...life would be different if i held on
    I know...I could be something if i held on

    deep

  80. C.... J....

    I like the accoustic version better.

  81. M.... R....

    @Buenohumberto I know it - 1990 or 91 , but Abbruzzese played all those songs after him .. with better sound .. this is typical Krusen - with drum sound of Ten and with good but not so much aggressive and loud drum stuffs like Dave

  82. H.... B....

    @mileswarm Sorry, but Dave Krusen is playing this song, not Abbruzzese...

  83. b.... ....

    Great fucking song in fact my fav PJ song

  84. J.... S....

    great song.eddide vedder is the ONLY artist that i have over 25 songs on my computer of lol and then comes bruce springsteen........ and then ozzy osbourne i left out nickelback bc theyre music gets boring.

  85. T.... M....

    love this song. kind of takes you back to the older pearl jam tunes.

  86. d.... ....

    Effing superb! Words cannot express how much I adore this song!

  87. b.... ....

    @Aldtair55 You're welcome, man! ;)

  88. C.... R....

    @blackholedays Whoa.! Thx a lot i wass a little confused.! :)

  89. b.... ....

    @Aldtair55 Man, it's not even the same lyrics or the same chords progression. I understand that the first chord struck in the Tom Waits song make you think both songs are related but the truth is that Pearl Jam's Hold on was recorded 9 years before. It's an outtake from their 1991 album Ten. Tom Waits released a song called Hold On in 1999 (Mule Variations)

  90. C.... R....

    Well, this is Pearl Jam, but.! the great true is, that the song is a cover from Tom Waits...dudes.... :)

  91. s.... ....

    amazing this is Pearl Jam!

  92. M.... R....

    @MrGossardX man, Dave Abbruzzese is amazing .... most jazz/funk drummer for pearl jam! It was rockin´out with him, I don´t know how he does it but it have had sooo huge energy that no other drummer ´ve had in that band ... and I think he should be seen more at all jazz clinics beside such drummers as gary novak and dave weckl, he´s a perfect ... i can´t descript it , simply amazing