10 Emotional Rock Songs That Will Make You Cry
6. Just Breathe - Pearl Jam
In terms of raw lyrical skill, Pearl Jam really did stand out amongst their grunge rock peers. At a time when Chris Cornell was a little too heady for some and you could barely understand what Kurt Cobain was even talking about, Eddie Vedder was never afraid to put in some lyrics about other people, empathizing with those tortured souls like on Jeremy or Daughter. As life goes on though, Vedder understood that you can't take any friend for granted on Just Breathe.
Reading more like a eulogy for a father figure, this slow acoustic song is mostly Vedder's baby, as he tries to come to terms with losing one of the most important people in his life. Although most fans know that he had a fractured relationship with his father, this is him peeling through the different parts of his mind trying to justify letting this person go into the afterlife.
As much as some songs like this could come off as too wholesome for their own good, Vedder doesn't have an inauthentic bone in his body on this track, being grateful for the people that he has in his life to support him and being more than happy to sit with his friend until that hour finally comes when they have to depart. It's goodbye for now, but Eddie seems comfortable that he'll meet them on the other side eventually.