You Probably Didn’t Know This
Eddie Vedder wrote this way before he joined Pearl Jam. He was still in high school back then and he even performed it with his previous band called the Bad Radio. The song is basically about a woman trapped in an awful relationship because she feels like she can’t do any better so she ‘settles’ for him.
So is there a particular person who inspired Vedder to write it? After all, he was still a teen so obviously he didn’t have a lot of experience in the relationship department. So yes, he never shied away from telling who the track is about. Often in concerts, he would say this about the track:
“It’s dedicated to the bastard that married my Momma.”
Yep, this was about his mom and stepfather whom she married after Vedder’s biological father died. And he believed the reason for the marriage was so she could find somebody to help support their family.