Red Hot Chili Peppers - Tell Me Baby Meaning

Song Released: 2006

Tell Me Baby Lyrics

They come from every state to find
Some dreams were meant to be declined
Tell the man what did you have in mind
What have you come to do

No turning water into wine
No learning while you're in the line
I'll take you to the broken sign
You...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   mz.Kiedis

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   Nov 5th 2006 !⃝

   This song is about people coming to l.A to try and make it big:
   'they come from every state to find
   some dreams were meant to be declined'
   they come from all over to fulfill their dreams. Lots of lines describe how it could be good but not:
   'life could be a little sweet
   but life could be a little shitty'
   
   'come and get it
   lost it at the city limit
   say goodbye
   cause they will find a way to trim it
   everybody
   lookin' for a silly gimmick
   gotta get away
   can't take it for another minute'
   - this is the bit slightly attacking the industry, it means you may come and think you've got it in the bag, but they will mould you into what they want you to become - gotta get away!
   Also clues to this theory are in the music video, as at the begining various performers talk about themselves. One lady says "I came down thinking oh 3 months and I'm gonna be big! But, um it's been 3 years now..."
   or something like that.
   You see my point.
2. anonymous

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   Apr 17th 2018 !⃝

   This song is about Hookers. Women primarily who have come to Hollywood with a dream, only to have their dreams shattered. Eventually, the scene, drugs, ext, and with the now, combination of low self esteem from not making it, ultimately leading to prostitution. Listen to the lyrics. It's a conversation with clients of a now prostitute.
   O
3. anonymous

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   Jan 9th 2015 !⃝

   The song feels quite nostalgic in the way, but still have that attitude that you wanna ge successful in something. Maybe it can be when you are a teen and dreaming about your goals and dreams.
4. anonymous

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   Dec 17th 2013 !⃝

   It's about hookers.
5. anonymous

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   May 15th 2007 !⃝

   This is about John and Chad joining the band its talking in the first verse about coming to auditions. Tell me minus the baby means telling the band about how you have done stuff.
6. midnitegreen

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   Apr 18th 2007 !⃝

   It's about trying to make it big in hollywood.
7. anonymous

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   Feb 27th 2007 !⃝

   it is about trying to make your dreams come true but not succeeding. I saw the making of, and anthony was saying that he wanted to be a child actor... It never happened. flea said he wanted to be a vet as a child... never happened. you could never imagine either of them doing those jobs now, and I say it's great they didn't coz they now form part of a cool band with cool songs! yeah, they interviewed peolpe who were hoping to make it big in the music industry but had their dreams shattered. It's about shattered dreams in general... and yet it's such a funky song! it doesn't make you feel down, it does the opposite, it makes me want to mosh!!
   just a thought... Has anyone else noticed how gorgeous anthony's hair is? lol
8. anonymous

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   Dec 10th 2006 !⃝

   That sounds rite. You go Ms Kiedis!

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

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   Sep 8th 2006 !⃝

   This song is like so many other red hot songs, an attack on hollywood. In this song they outline the false hope that hollywood emites. Lines like "i'll take you to the broken sign" support their over-all meaning. When I first heard this song, I thought about "grapes of wrath" by John stienbeck. The song seems to be the new age version of "grapes of wrath". The people coming to california now are also hungry, desperate, one among many, leaving old america, and like so many people in "grapes of wrath", soon to be let down when they realize that they were fed a dream and not a reality.
10. anonymous

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    Aug 9th 2006 !⃝

    I'm not quite sure what this song is about. But in some parts it sounds like it's about the music industry, and trying to get a break.