W.M.A.

Album: Vs. (1993)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • W.M.A. stands for "White Male American" In Pearl Jam - The Illustrated Story, Eddie Vedder explained: "I think I'd probably stayed at the rehearsal studio the night before and it had been a couple of days since I had a shower and I've got my old shoes on and I don't look too great, a little grunge on my teeth or whatever. And I'm sitting there with this guy who's of a darker color than me, and along come these cops, they run around with their bikes trying to look cool. So here they come, they're heading straight for us. And they just ignored me and [started] hassling him. Compared to me, this guy looks as respectable as f--k. But they started hassling him, and that just blew me the f--k away. So I started hassling them and one thing led to another... I was just really wound up by it. I had all this f--king energy rushing through me. I was mad. Really f--king angry. I got back to the studio and the guys had been working on this thing and I just went straight in and did the vocals, and that was the song."
  • The liner notes for Vs. show newspaper clips telling the story of Malice Green, a black man who died after being arrested.
  • The original title was "Police Man." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Martin - Rostock, Germany, for all above

Comments: 4

  • Jack C. from OregonToday's police usually "hassle" POC for legitimate reasons in chronic crime zones, and the rest have to live down inner city reputations. Look up their actual crime rates per the FBI, not what some zealous activist tells you.
  • Billmates from West YorkshireAlways thought this was to do wth Rodney King
  • Zero from Nowhere, NjPolice men are @$$holes - and I'm related to one!
  • Kevin from Melbourne, FlThis is too funny. One of the PJ concerts I went to was back in 94' and I bought a T-shirt and I have been wearing it 17 years, I don't wear it that often. Well the design on the shirt is a guy being held up by the police with a billy club in hand with the initials WMA and on the back it just has the word POLICE in big letters. There is nothing that says Pearl Jam and I never new the story behind it, now it really makes sense. Thanks!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."