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Dec 27th 2011!⃝I think that that number 1 answer here is way overrated. i don't think it is another persons word. plus i wouldnt say hillel slovak killed himself on purpose as in suicide. he was deep into drug use and shit happens. he was in a new band to the popular music scene and things where starting to go good with record deals, the drugs just got the better of him. u cant subject the body to that physical abuse for long before it doesnt work for you.
this song seems more about AKs struggle with heroine and coke, etc. reading other comments I did get some good insights though.
you can't take it too litterally cuz RHCP lyrics, especially earlier, where kinda out there, but this song does have a drug theme. so i will do my best to translate, haha.
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
This song is about AKs relapses. He was caught up in hard drugs for so long. He actually was sober for over 5 years and relapsed. As an addict, after you kick it once u do it once again you just "cant" help but keep going again. You feel bad about it, but when you are on a high, u cant help but feel that its OK or good, and there is always another time to get better. so i think he is writing that he wonders how much time will he keep slipping up on sobriety, but growing up in the circumstances that he did and the people he hung out with drug addiction was normal. he got clean but then relapsed and then in that state reasoned that its not bad. its normal. but he also had been sober and knew that there was help and the addiction just takes over.
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 take it on the otherside
this section goes back to the top rated. the voice through the photo could be hillel, but more likely a girl/ junkie gf he had that used to do drugs with him. but these could have been written when he was using and saw hillels pic and that makes more sense about the "once you know.." lyric and he is depressed that he feels he needs drugs to ease the pain.
Centuries are what it meant to me
A cemetery where I marry the sea
Stranger things could never change my mind
I’ve got to take it on the otherside
Take it on the otherside
Take it on
Take it on
This is interesting as well. He is obviously talking about someone he was close to. either hillel or an ex. "centuries..." lyrics. but take it on the otherside means doing drugs so i think that he is reminiscing about someone he loved alot and the time with them meant the world. as far as the cemetary and sea. could be poetic of the west coast. maybe the cemetary would be skid row where he used to by drugs which is near the ocean. and then the next line, basically says that its a weird situation but he has to get some drugs.
Pour my life into a paper cup
The ashtray’s full and I’m spillin’ my guts
She wants to know am I still a slut
I’ve got to take it on the otherside
first line of this, could be a reference to alcohol, but i also liked the other comments about his life was so unmeaningful to him it could be in a small paper cup.
second line, ashtrays full- apparently he used to hide coke or heroine under the ashtray in his car and then the last part makes sense. in withdrawls from opiates you get really sick.
im taking this one from the top 3 comments too, i think that this song is more about a girl rather than hillel, and he was a womanizer, but its a pretty convincing metaphor that she being drugs wonders if he still would give up anything to her. which furthers my take that this is about relapse.
Scarlet starlet and she’s in my bed
A candidate for my soul mate bled
Push the trigger and pull the thread
I’ve got to take it on the otherside
Take it on the otherside
Take it on
Take it on
sounds like he is talking about a girl. as far as i know scarlet doesnt have any drug reference but this person or thing he shared his bed with, so he was very comfortable and close with it.
next line kinda leaves me hanging a little bit. if its a ex or female refernce it could be in the literal context one could say he was thinking about this girl as his fulltime girlfriend but she "bled" which id interpret as injecting drugs. or it could be a battle of having drugs in his house/bed and he was on the verge of using.
then he goes ahead and injects. pulls the trigger- pretty obvious needle ref. and pulls the thread ill agree with one of the top 3 comments about the strap on the arm for injecting.
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
Turn me on take me for a hard ride
Burn me out leave me on the otherside
I yell and tell it that
It’s not my friend
I tear it down I tear it down
And then it’s born again
basically he does the drugs, its good, but when it wears off he is strung out, and pissed about the experience. he "tears it down" trys to kick, but then relapses.
great song!
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
How long I don’t believe it’s sad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever
