anonymous March 12th, 2008 09:24AM  

I'm not a native speaker of English and I just can't figure out what the lullaby thing is with the 5%. Could anyone help to clarify the first two lines. (The rest of the song is quite clear and it's one of my favs, so I just would like to understand it completely.)

anonymous June 30th, 2008 12:15AM  

"Lost in the valley without my horses"
"...she looks to me she looks to me alright"
she calerly looks up to him and looks to him for support and without him she is a mess.

"Dont fade away like an ocean liner now.."
he doesn't want her to dissappear or die or anything

"she shows the world up with her smile then she throws the fight"
"down on the bathroom floor she's searching for another life"
she commits suicide

dnauge01 March 31st, 2009 10:13AM  

This song is a song based on his struggles with women, and the multiple relationships he was in with women who seemed to depend on him. (Claire Essex, Carmen Hawk, Jaime Rishar) Anthony Kiedis falls for women so easily but is good at catching the co-dependent ladies. I'll break it down.

"She looks to me like heaven sent
No lullaby kid no 5%"

She looks like an angel. She isn't the typical kid listening to lullabies and drinking 5% juice.

"Any way you want to cut that cake
She's dyin' from the likes of abandonment"

Any way you look at it, it's bad. Referring to his estranged lovers who more often than not were previous victim of abuse or neglect growing up.


"Lost in the valley without my horses
She need somebody to hold"

In the middle of no where. Without my horses means no way out. He's in a sticky situation and only a long journey will get him out of it. She needs to hold means she needs somebody to depend on.

"It looks to me like heaven
Sent this for your roughest night
She looks to me
She looks to me all right"

In this piece of the chorus, AK is saying a higher power is testing her. Giving her a rough night testing both her mentality and emotional endurance. And she is depending on him for help.

"Who's going to take you home
And hold you when things aren't so bright
She looks to me
She looks to me all right"

He's saying she can leave but he'll be the one she can always depend on.

"It's a long walk down those tracks
It's a dirty walk in
It's a dirty walk back
Gonna learn awe way too much
Shootin' dope in the back
Of a cadillac jack"

She can run back to drugs, but it's going to be terrible both going in and out of them. She'll find herself unable to quit.

"Slow down the road to my back 40
She needs somebody to hold"

She needs somebody to help her get out of the drug mess.

"Down in the south seas
Give me your mouth please
Resuscitation
Is the way I find these
I give you major
You give me minor
Don't fade away
Like an ocean liner
Now"

This is a reference to his Mexico retreats to clean up before touring or recording. He wants to take her there and help her clean up as well. Resuscitation, he's referring to reviving her by protecting her in that Mexican retreat. Otherwise she'll remain trapped in drugs and drift herself away.

"Lost in the valley
Without my horses
No one can tell me
What my remorse is"

Once again referring to being trapped in that problem without an easy way out. No one can tell him what he should feel sorry for, he's trying to help.

"God made this lady
That stands before me
She need somebody to hold"

A higher power created this beautiful woman standing before me who is strung out, she needs help. A powerful line.

"She shows the world up with a smile
And then she throws the fight
She looks to me she looks to me
All right"

The song is progressing and she's finding help. The world (people she knew, strangers who saw her) thought she could never clean up. But she shows them up by smiling. She threw the fight with drugs and continues to look to Anthony Kiedis for help.

"Down on the bathroom floor
She's searching for another light
She looks to me she looks to me
All right"

Even in relapse, searching for another lighter to cook her heroin, she looks to Anthony Kiedis for assistance.

This a progressive song that is very compassionate and it takes some time to really see the true meaning behind the songs. It's terrible that the vast majority of Red Hot Chili Pepper songs are usually interpreted as drug related but in a lot of cases that is the truth. The fact is they were a large part of life, but aside from the drugs there is a lot more within these songs. Dig deep.
David Auge

lebron4 March 31st, 2009 03:49PM  

I think this song is about drug addiction and reliance. The song is written from the perspective of a drug.

"She looks to me
Looks to me like heaven sent
No lullaby kid no five percent"

This drug is the real deal and is powerful

As far as the heart of the song goes (the chorus and bridge) it speaks to the heart of drug addiction and reliance.

"Lost in the valley without my horses
She needs somebody to hold
It looks like me like heaven
Sent this for your roughest night
She looks to me
She looks to me alright

Who's going to take you home
And hold you when things aren't so bright
She looks to me
She looks to me alright"

When she is all alone, she looks for these drugs for comfort. When she has nothing left, she looks to the drugs for relief because they will always be there for her no matter what.

At some points, the girl actually is doing drugs. Shes looking for relief.

"Gonna learn awe way too much
Shootin' dope in the back
Of a Cadillac Jack"

"Down on the bathroom floor
She's searching for another light
She looks to me she looks to me
All right"

"Down in the South seas
Give me your mouth please
Resuscitation
Is the way I find these"

"Resuscitation" sticks out. I believe it's about gaining new life from the drugs. "Give me your mouth please" also is about inhaling/ingesting a drug, and then the resuscitation occurs.