Red Hot Chili Peppers: Scar Tissue Meaning
Song Released: 1999
Scar Tissue Lyrics
Sarcastic mister know it all
Close your eyes and I'll kiss you 'cause
With the birds I'll share
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view
Push me up...
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1TOP RATED
anonymous Jun 27th 2006, 16:21 report
All people are slightly correct in thier interpretations. The girl could also be heroine, since addictions can be as consuming as love, a person could feasibly view it as either being addicted to drugs shooting up etc, or the intensity of losing someone or that f-ed up love that people have. Blood loss in a bathroom stall could be refering to either depending on the situation. along with the rest. My meaning of it is just simply something that controlls/consumes you to a point that you feel isolated without it and completely hopeless with it.
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2TOP RATED
anonymous Jul 27th 2006, 16:02 report
I think the song just uses metaphors to express the pain and suffering people go through in life and the things they try to do to make up for it. They do things to try to get people to notice that they were hurt in some way, like hurt themselves, which often does nothing and nobody notices. This is expressed in the first line of the song, "scar tissue that I wish you saw."
when the people around them don't realize or pay attention to the person's pain, they just kind of wallow in their self-pity, or "share it with the birds". -
3TOP RATED
anonymous Jan 10th 2006, 22:46 report
It is about heroin usage, in the book Scar Tissue, written by Anthony Kiedis, it describes him going to hidden spots in certain neighborhoods to satisfy his need for heroin, without revealing himself, being a celebrity. However, the beginning of the song, "sarcastic mr. know it all," is actually about former rhcp member Dave Navarro. In the book, Kiedis says that it's about Navarro saying that sarcasm was his sense of humor. "Under the bridge downtown, is where I drew some blood," is speaking mostly of his heroin use. Also, "With the birds I share this lonely view," is describing most of his life as kind of an outcast.
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anonymous Aug 15th 2012, 17:59 report
You guys may be looking too muh into it.
I see it as this: anthony kiedis wrote the book scartissue which is an autobiography. One can infer the song too is about him. He's not a very talkative person when it comes to talking about emotions and feelings. He doesnt even like revealing what his songs are about. He says they mean whatever the listener wants them to mean. -
anonymous May 16th 2012, 15:38 report
I think the line "blood loss in a bathroom stall" could relate to a miscarriage, which also relates to the overall theme of loneliness.
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anonymous Mar 6th 2012, 13:36 report
There isn't always much dtciinstion between the two things. There is no exact medical definition for a gallbladder attack, but it is generally an incident where the gallbladder becomes inflamed and irritated usually from a gallstone, but can sometimes occur without a gallstone. A gallstone is literally a tiny stone that forms from minerals that precipitate in the bile duct. Was this answer helpful?
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anonymous Feb 11th 2012, 15:40 report
I understand that for Anthony and the Chili Peppers, this song is about addictions and drug abuse and all that, but for me personally, and being a girl, I kind of relate it to my life like this:
"Scar tissue that I wish you saw
Sarcastic mister know it all
Close your eyes and I'll kiss you"
Wanting to be with someone who doesn't take you seriously, and taking it out on yourself.
"'cause with the birds I'll share
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view"
Being the outcast and feeling isolated from happiness.
"Push me up against the wall
Young Kentucky girl in a push-up bra
Fallin' all over myself
To lick your heart and taste your health"
This is the girl's view of the guy, and how he tries to fill his own emptiness with sex.
"'cause
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view..."
But inside, he's just as broken as she is.
"Blood loss in a bathroom stall
Southern girl with a scarlet drawl
Wave good-bye to ma and pa"
This is the guy leading other girls on and taking them away from their old life.
"'cause
With the birds I'll share
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view"
But he repeats his old habits and leaves them, and goes out searching for happiness in someone else.
"Soft spoken with a broken jaw
Step outside but not to brawl"
I kind of picture this as describing the guy. He's sort of shy, but tries to play it off like he's tough on the outside.
"Autumn's sweet we call it fall
I'll make it to the moon if I have to crawl"
For this, I feel like it could be a pick up line for the girl he loved but left, saying he'll do anything to make it work.
"and
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view..."
But when she won't take him back, he feels empty and he screwed up.
"Scar tissue that I wish you saw
Sarcastic mister know it all
Close your eyes and I'll kiss you 'cause
With the birds I'll share
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view..."
This is just the girl saying that she loves him and she wanted him to know that, but he hurt her so much, that she believes even being alone would be less painful than what she had with him. -
anonymous Nov 17th 2011, 16:13 report
I've got a friend suffering from Stomach Cancer and got his tumor shrunk but it started growing to where it's the size of a softball. and when it's out it left scar tissue. obvious really.
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anonymous Nov 8th 2011, 22:08 report
well as you will find in alot of RHCP songs is that its about getting over and using herion. yes it sounds like he is singing about a girl but it also seems like that in otherside and snow. but this band suffered the loss of their formal lead singer from a herion OD and another one of the band members have a herion problem and he was really close to the ex lead singer so alot of their songs have to do with herion
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anonymous Jul 18th 2011, 20:44 report
It's almost all about addiction, y'all. The one part that's not is the line "sarcastic Mr. Know it all." That's about Dave Navarro (who annoyed Kiedis, and has had his own drug problemT). the scar tissue that he is referring to represents not only the pain from his childhood, but also the literal scar tissue from mainlining H. The southern ladies which he references both refer to heroin (when you're a junkie, you will literally lick or eat tar heroin--which tastes disgusting--to avoid withdrawal. When you're going through withdrawal, it's called "being sick,"--like you have a terrible flu. And you will do anything to get some H to "get well." So yes, you will literally "fall all over yourself" to get well. And the "scarlet drawl" is referencing when you hit a vein to shoot up...blood turns the H in the syringe red, that's how you know you've got a vein and aren't just skin-popping H or injecting it intra-muscularly (not as quick of a rush). "Say goodbye to ma and pa..." that's easy: when you are a junkie (i.e., H addict), you might as well just say goodbye to everyone and everything you love. "With the birds..." yeah, it's one hell of a lonely view, but when you're on H, you literally feel like you are flying as high as you could ever imagine. "Soft spoken with a broken jaw, step outside but not to brawl": you totally speak softly and slurred when on smack...and it's pretty easy to get any of your bones broken...people on H fall a lot. And he's stepping outside to score and shoot (up), not to brawl. "Autumn's sweet, we call it Fall": ever hear of "the winter of your life?" It's a century-old idiom referring to your time nearing death. The Fall of your life comes just before intractable decline and inevitable death. Do H long enough and, yes, you absolutely will die.
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anonymous Jun 26th 2011, 14:08 report
your all dumb and over thinking this song.
this song just represents how after all these years and after all the people they lost that they cared about, and all the things they've been though they are still are together making music. how so youa ask?
well let me break it down, sarcastic mr. know it all is dave narrivo, bloodloss in a bathroom stall is river phenoix. these are two people that were dear to the band that they lost. two other people dear to the band that were lost was hillel and kurt cobain. since anthony lost some of the people deariest to him he feels like an enternil outsider. thats why with the birds he shares that lonley view. but later in the long john and fle sing background vocals in the choris, saying how they share that lonley view with him. and how they are all still together after everything they've been though
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anonymous Jun 2nd 2011, 10:11 report
it's clearly about dying. either it be from drugs or a scarred ego. the sarcastic mr know it all in my point of view is pointed at the guitarist. and close your eyes and i'll kiss you is directed at the girl he's talking about. he wants one last kiss before he dies and with the birds i'll share this lonely view means he'll be in heaven watching like a bird and with them he'll share a view of the girl he's singing about. makes sense. and blood loss in a bathroom stall means he slashed his wrist in the bathroom.
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anonymous May 25th 2011, 16:54 report
The song is about heartbreak and baggage "scar tissue that I wish you saw" being that he wished his ex-girlfriend saw how much she hurt him.
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anonymous Apr 15th 2011, 11:25 report
when referring to the phrase "Scar Tissue", i find it hard to find another reasonable explanation, other than Heroin and drug use, come from the lyrical genius Anthony Kiedis himself. "With the birds i'll share this lonely view", can be interpreted differently amongst us all. And that is what Kiedis believes MUSIC is all about. He loves to tell a story with no intended ending, or use unclear metaphors and analogies, so that we the listeners, can use his words as initiation to a very imaginative and deep intellectual thought process. I comprehend that line as Kiedis being that "bird" and having fame and fortune at his disposal but still lacking happiness and comfort due to a recent breakup and the distance growing between the band members at the time. Kiedis being my number one inspiration, you will not be surprised to find the quote, "i'll make it to the moon if i have to crawl", located perfectly in my right arm sleeve.
DR. Dash Moore
6 Year Psychologist and devoted Chili Pepper Enthusiast. -
anonymous Mar 24th 2011, 22:27 report
ok i have studdied this for the last few weeks and the song is not about drug use but about heart break and life being hard. and how he needs to deal with the pain giving it the name scar tissue.
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anonymous Jan 19th 2011, 09:56 report
i think it's about a guy who starts sharing his dope with a girl he met who had never done heroin and how they now spiral out of control together. deep inside he feels bad about turning her on to such a wicked drug. but he doesnt want to be alone in his misery.
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anonymous Jan 2nd 2011, 00:49 report
My interpritation is that its about herion usage. (With the birds I share this lonley view) a birds eye view is from up high. Hes saying he's high. The woman parts of the song =Heroin. Heroin is often referred to as a woman. Each time he brings up a woman "heroin" its when hes shooting up. pushed against the wall meaning its really strong, in a bathroom stall refering to "where hes shooting up" (waive goodbye to ma and pa) hes choosing heroin over his family. (Blood loss in a bathroom stall) when u shoot up u draw blood. Hes shooting up in the bathroom.(scar tissue that I wish u saw) when someone shoots up it leaves a scare each time also called "tracks" but he is (Sarcastic mr know it all) could be reference to himself, he thinks hes ok doesnt have a problem he cant see his own problem but wishes he could? the
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anonymous May 11th 2010, 21:48 report
umm have any of u read the book. the song is probably not only about drugs, if i recall
"Young Kentucky girl in a push-up bra"
"Southern girl with a scarlet drawl"
he did kind of fall in love with a girl from kentucky! in fact ik this song is not only about heroine cause of this. -
anonymous Oct 12th 2009, 12:29 report
"Sarcastic Mr Know It All" is a reference to someone who is judging you and your bahaviour without walking in your shoes, without compassion or understanding. If the "Know It All" could see your scar tissue, then he would be less judgemental and more helpful, for instance. It is easier to pass judgement than show compassion, help another heal, display love or help someone overcome their pain.
Essentially, I think this song is about being misunderstood, feeling lonely as well as hurt and not having a place of belonging - so "with birds" there is a lonely view you share and it's not a view share with the people walking around on Earth (who are the majority).
"Soft spoken with a broken jaw" is indicative of problems communicating because of past wounds that are still leaving their mark on your personality. Again, it is easy to pass judgement but sarcasm does not help someone open up and can make their issues with communication even worse.
I remember reading Scar Tissue and Anthony commented that sarcasm was an extremely hurtful form of expression when dealing with sensitive issues - it is highly immature and this song always reminds me of the pain that a friends' sarcasm can cause.
A beautiful song. -
anonymous May 13th 2009, 20:09 report
Excuse me if this is slightly verbose...or extremely verbose. I may have gotten carried away. Anyways, I believe the heroin interpretation is very feasible, and it is nice to know an artist's initial reason for writing a song, but how you induct a song--apply it to yourself--is what's truly important. The following is not an assertion of truth, merely my interpretation of the song as I enjoy it.
Personally, I take "Scar Tissue" as someone with an emotionally painful past, attempting to reenter love from an already established lust.
Scar tissue (in the lyrics) to me is evidence of his pain, something that if others could see they would go easy on him (emotionally), yet his playful (sarcastic, know-it-all) nature hides any signs of his emotional turbulence. "With the birds I'll share this lonely view" connotes that despite my countenance, be it happy or sad, I remain lonely inside. Only the "birds" understand--essentially unimportant observers, if any at al--or more directly, nobody understands.
The young Kentucky girl is lust he's found, yet he is aching for more: love. He's "fallin' all over" himself to pursue a deeper passion with his lust, yet cannot. "Blood loss in a bathroom stall" is the misery of his predicament that he hides from everyone else because of his deeper desires, and "wave[s] goodbye" to his former life in pursuit of his desires, knowing they will lead him in a new direction.
"Soft spoken with a broken jaw" refers to his inability to express his desires, and he needs to "step outside", away from the clamor of other things just to try to summon the courage pursue a greater development of his relationship. "Autumn's sweet, we call it fall" is a metaphor saying that what he and his lust share is great, yet they speak of it so humbly. Autumn is a more appreciative word than Fall, as is love than lust. In other words, the singer sees their relationship as "Autumn", his partner sees it simply as "Fall". He says "I'll make it to the moon if I have to crawl" as an admission to his foolishness, meaning I know my goals are unrealistic, but I'll keep trying. -
charlesbdb Dec 6th 2008, 13:32 report
read the book, anthony explains it in it. "with the birds ill share this lonely view" is when he was looking out the window of his rehab center
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anonymous Nov 2nd 2008, 20:37 report
i think this is all about being alone. "scar tissue that i wish you saw" he is saying he was alone, he wanted someone to see that he is hurting and he is loseing his fight with heroine addiction he needed help but he got none. "With the birds Ill share This lonely view" thats just saying once again he is alone "Push me up against the wall Young kentucky girl in a push-up bra" i think he i saying that his addiction is as he said pushing him up against the wall and young kentucky girl in a push up bra i think is a metaphor for how addicting heroine and how tempting it is. its like a young kentucky girl that push you up against the wall who wouldnt want that. i mite be over thinking this especially the kentuky girl part but this is what i think
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