The Master and Margarita

Pearl Jam - Pilate

English > Adaptations > Music > Rock & Roll > Pearl Jam

The CD Yield of the Seattle rock band Pearl Jam was released in 1998 and is inspired by the novel Ishmael of the American writer Daniel Quinn, but the track Pilate is based on the confrontation between Pontius Pilate and Yeshua Ha-Nozri as it was described by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Bassist Jeff Ament wrote the song after he heard the story of how Pilate sat on a hill with his dog when Yeshua died on the cross, wishing he could have completed his last conversation with him. Pilate in the novel has a dog, Banga, which «obeys, listens, kisses and loves». Just as in the chorus of the song: «Like Pilate, I have a dog - obeys, listens, kisses, loves».