Raised in New York City, Carroll who attended several Catholic Grammar Schools from 1955 to 1963. In fall 1963, he entered public school, but was soon awarded a scholarship to the elite Trinity High School (a private school). He entered Trinity High School in 1964.
Apart from being interested in writing, Carroll was a passionate basketball player throughout his grade school and middle school career. He entered the "Biddy League" at age 13 and participated in the National High School All Star Game in 1966, hence the title of his most famous book.
As a teenager, Carroll was a heroin addict who sometimes prostituted himself to afford his habit. The novel The Basketball Diaries concerns his life in New York City's hard drug culture and his struggle to rid himself of his addiction.
Carroll published his first book, Organic Trains, at age 17. Several of his poems have been published in such magazines as Paris Review and Poetry. In 1970, his second collection of poems, 4 Ups and 1 Down was published. That same year, Carroll started working for Andy Warhol. At first, he was writing film dialogue and inventing character names; later on, Carroll worked as the co-manager of Warhol's Theater. Carroll's first above-ground publication, the collection Living At The Movies was published in 1973.
He formed The Jim Carroll Band, a New Wave/punk rock group, in 1980. Their biggest commercial success was the single "People Who Died," from their debut album, Catholic Boy. He has also collaborated with many influential punk and hard rock musicians, including Lou Reed, Blue Öyster Cult, Boz Scaggs and Rancid.
Carroll died on September 11, 2009 of a heart attack. He was 60.
Wicked Gravity
Jim Carroll Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like my lungs are filled with chains . . .
The sky seems so low,
It hasn't moved this slow
Since the virgins, since the virgins went dancing for the rain
You know the stars in the night
They're like the holes in the cave
But gravity blocks my screams
It's like an enemy's dreams
My guardians quit
They quit before they started their search
Refrain:
I want a world without gravity
It could be just what I need
I'd watch the stars move close
I'd watch the earth recede
I wanna drift above the borders against my will
I wanna sleep where the angels don't pass
But now my lips are blue
Gravity does it to you
It's like they're pressed against a mirrored glass
I want my will and capability to meet inside the region
Where this gravity don't mean a thing
It's where the angels break through . . .
It's where they bring it to you
It's where silence, silence can teach me to sing
Repeat Refrain 2 times
I wanna lay beneath these sheets and never turn blue
I wanna hold you, hold you tight but never touch
I want some pure, pure white; hey, we can nod all night
We can do it without thinking too much
I want the dilettantes and parvenues to choke on my wrists
They think the pearls I wear are pills
I want their gravity to shatter . . . but it really doesn't matter
I got something in my eye that kills!
Repeat Refrain
Wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked gravity . . .
Wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked gravity . . .
Wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked.
The song Wicked Gravity by Jim Carroll is a melancholic and disillusioned ode to the forces that hold one down in life, like gravity. The lyrics paint a picture of a world where everything is weighed down by a sick and vengeful force that stifles people's aspirations and dreams. The first stanza describes the feeling of suffocation that the singer experiences, as if his lungs are filled with chains, and the sky seems to be pressing down on him. The reference to virgins dancing for rain suggests a longing for a time when innocence and purity were still possible, before the forces of gravity took hold.
The second stanza brings in the image of stars as holes in a cave or the ceiling of a bombed-out church. Here, the singer is yearning for a world beyond the confines of gravity, where he can scream without being stifled by this all-encompassing force. He talks about how his guardians quit before even starting to search, suggesting a kind of defeatist attitude that has taken hold. The refrain "I want a world without gravity" is repeated multiple times, underscored by the longing for a liberation from the heaviness that pulls us down.
The final stanza offers some respite, as the singer talks about holding his loved one tight, basking in pure white light, and forgetting about the dilettantes and parvenues who weigh him down. And yet, the song ends on a bleak note, with that "something in my eye that kills" and the refrain still repeating, as if to suggest that this longing for a world beyond gravity is still far from being fulfilled.
Line by Line Meaning
The gravity here is just sick for revenge
The force of gravity in this place is so heavy and oppressive that it feels like it is purposely seeking revenge on me.
It's like my lungs are filled with chains . . .
The gravity is so intense that it feels like heavy chains are weighing down inside of me, making it difficult to breathe.
The sky seems so low,
The heavy gravity makes it feel like the sky is much closer than it should be.
It hasn't moved this slow
The time seems to be passing at a much slower pace than usual, due to the gravity's impact.
Since the virgins, since the virgins went dancing for the rain
This is the slowest time anyone can remember, even slower than when the virgins performed a rain dance.
You know the stars in the night
The singer is directing the listener's attention to the stars in the sky at night.
They're like the holes in the cave
The stars resemble the holes that can be found in the walls of caves.
Like the ceiling of a bombed-out church
The starry sky is reminiscent of the ruined ceiling of a church damaged in a bombing.
But gravity blocks my screams
The intense gravity makes it difficult to even scream, let alone move about freely.
It's like an enemy's dreams
The artist feels like the gravity is working against them in a way that can only be compared to the actions of a vicious foe.
My guardians quit
The singer's protectors have given up before they even started to search for a way to overcome the oppressive gravity.
They quit before they started their search
The protectors threw in the towel immediately upon realizing how difficult the search for a solution would be.
Refrain:
I want a world without gravity
The singer longs to be in a place where they do not have to deal with the oppressive force of gravity.
It could be just what I need
Being in a gravity-free world could be the solution to the singer's problems.
I'd watch the stars move close
In a gravity-free world, the stars would move closer and appear more clearly visible.
I'd watch the earth recede
The artist would be able to watch the Earth slowly shrink into the distance as they floated away.
I wanna drift above the borders against my will
The singer wants to be free to float about without restriction, even if it is potentially dangerous.
I wanna sleep where the angels don't pass
The singer wants to sleep without being disturbed by the presence of angels.
But now my lips are blue
The gravity has had a noticeable physical impact on the artist's body, causing their lips to turn blue.
Gravity does it to you
The force of gravity is responsible for the artist's physical symptoms.
It's like they're pressed against a mirrored glass
The artist feels as if they are being held up against an invisible barrier, like that of a mirrored surface.
I want my will and capability to meet inside the region
The singer wants their desires and abilities to align in a place where there is no gravity.
Where this gravity don't mean a thing
In this place, the negative impact of gravity would be completely absent.
It's where the angels break through . . .
In this place of freedom, even angels can break free from their chains and fly unencumbered.
It's where they bring it to you
This place is one where heavenly beings can provide enlightenment to those who seek it.
It's where silence, silence can teach me to sing
The absence of gravity and its related negative effects would lend itself to a learning experience, allowing the singer to find their voice in a new way.
Repeat Refrain 2 times
I wanna lay beneath these sheets and never turn blue
The artist wants to be able to lie down in comfort without being affected by the gravity in their current environment.
I wanna hold you, hold you tight but never touch
Physical touch causes pain or discomfort under the weight of the gravity for the singer.
I want some pure, pure white; hey, we can nod all night
The singer desires the purity and clarity of a substance that allows for hallucination without gravity's physical impact.
We can do it without thinking too much
The artist wants to experience this substance-induced high without worrying about the effects of the gravity around them.
I want the dilettantes and parvenues to choke on my wrists
The artist wants to express their status and influence by demonstrating their ability to remove themselves from the negative effects of gravity.
They think the pearls I wear are pills
Others may mistakenly view the artist's luxury and possessions as the cause of their lack of a gravity-inducted ailment.
I want their gravity to shatter . . .
The singer wants to be free of the negative impact of gravity and hopes others will take notice of their success.
But it really doesn't matter
Even if no one else understands the artist's desire to overcome gravity, they still find it important.
I got something in my eye that kills!
The negative impact of gravity is causing the singer's eye to suffer.
Wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked gravity . . .
The repeated use of the word 'wicked' emphasizes the gravity's malevolent impact on the singer and those around them.
Wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked gravity . . .
By repeating the word 'wicked,' the singer is driving home the gravity's impact as something truly wrong and wicked.
Wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked.
The song finishes on a repetition of the word 'wicked,' hammering home the strength of feeling evoked by the gravity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jim Dennis Carroll
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind