Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside Meaning

Song Released: 2000

Otherside Lyrics

How long how long will I slide
Separate my side I don’t
I don’t believe it’s bad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever
I heard your voice through a photograph
I thought it up it brought up the past
Once you know you can never go back
I’ve got to...

1. themilkman1_9

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   Nov 7th 2008 !⃝

   the songs definately about the drug addiction to heroin. It's basically about how his arms are so infected that when he goes to the hospital he has to take shots in his ass, so they literally mean the otherside. Theres an interview of him talking about it online, just look.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
2. anonymous

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   Oct 7th 2008 !⃝

   I liked an earlier interpretation I read here.
   
   It's a song made up as an apologize for breaking the promise to not drugging himself that Anthony did to his friend, who died of an overdose.
   It's clear. He feels guilty for it and remembers his friend and the cause of his death; at the beginning of the song, he says it's not sad. But after "hearing voices of the photograph and retaking the past", he even may think of suicide...
   
   I think that's it, sure of it.

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3. anonymous

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   Sep 14th 2008 !⃝

   It's about Anthony's drug addiction.
4. anonymous

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   May 12th 2008 !⃝

   I thought it was about how he had a fuckload of problems in his life and he needs to atone for it on the "otherside"
   
   drug addiction seems to simple

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5. anonymous

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   Dec 11th 2007 !⃝

   It's about him using drugs and basically he's talking about hillels death and how its made him think about his re-using and him trying not to continue with it

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6. michael369

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   Dec 5th 2007 !⃝

   I think the song is about a drug addiction because at the beginning it says "how long how long will I slide," he's wondering about how long will he keep going to rehab then getting right back on drugs. The part "slitting my throat is all I ever " is talking about that's his only way away from drugs. Then "I don't believe it's far" is talking about he doesn't think it's fair that he can't quit drugs. "Yell and tell it that/it's not my friend i tear it down i tear it down/and then it’s born again" is talking about he tries to quit but he just can't.
7. shakeninja

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   Oct 3rd 2007 !⃝

   He wrote this song to try and let people know he was shooting up again. He references his friend that died of an overdose in it and he references a girlfriend who was also an addict. He also talks about how fragile and empty his life feels and that he is powerless over his addiction.

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8. anonymous

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   Sep 8th 2007 !⃝

   The song is actually about his "affair" with his step mother. It messed his head up big time. He "confessed" to his father.
   
   The song has nothing to do with drugs, death, etc.

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9. anonymous

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   Aug 12th 2007 !⃝

   First all of you are wrong. Its was ex junkies fighting there demons(and people too) and how it is to give whats bad for you even if you know its going to be your own destruction.its talks about how kiedis (my baby!!)believes hed be dead if not for his voice because hed have no way to express himself also when he says "heard your voice though a photograph thought it up and brought from the past once you know you can never go back I gotta take it on the otherside"hes refers to when every time he thinks about getting high again he remebers what it WOULD cost him and the death of his best friend hillel slovack who died of a overdose when he was only 25 (I believe) read anthony kiedis's book scar tissue for extra info and look up whati said on wikipedila

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10. anonymous

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    Jul 27th 2007 !⃝

    The song is about the difference between living and dead. �I heard your voice through a photograph (meaning Anthony looked at it and he has a strong feel that something important was in it) I thought it up it brought up the past. Once you know you can never go back (meaning going back to life) I got to take it on the Otherside�. It also has something to do with suicide �I don't believe it's bad. Slit my throat it�s all I ever had.� And �Push the trigger� (gun) and �pull the thread� (grenade). I might be wrong, but for a twelve year old, I think I had a good point. =]

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11. anonymous

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    Jul 7th 2007 !⃝

    It is obviously about homosexuality.... How long will I slide means how long will he lie about being a queer... Take it on the other side means to come out of the closet.. and he probably talks about suicide in it because he probably wants to kill himself for being gay.
12. anonymous

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    Jul 2nd 2007 !⃝

    I think that this song is about Anthony's drug use. while making the Californication CD, he claimed to be clean, but later admitted he wasn't throughout the duration of the CD. the 'I heard your voice through a photograph' part is about Hillel Slovak, their old guitarist who died from an overdose. 'strangest thing, it never changed my mind, I gotta take it on the otherside' means that its strange that his best friend dying wouldn't stop him from going to the "otherside" which is referring to when he's high.

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13. anonymous

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    May 18th 2007 !⃝

    For the last FUCKIN time Flea is not gay!! What the hell is wrong with you flea is happily married 2 kids and is not gay!! What the hell is wring with you seriously it's obviously about suicide or drug addiction p.s did I mention flea is not fuckin gay
14. midnitegreen

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    May 3rd 2007 !⃝

    It could be that he was in a fight.

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15. anonymous

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    May 3rd 2007 !⃝

    This song is about suicide. Slitin my throat it's all I ever!
    
    They also say pull the trigger and I'm ... So is obviously about suicide. But now I must figure out whose suicide to the chilli cave!!

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