In June 2004, John Frusciante announced that he would be releasing six rec… Read Full Bio ↴In June 2004, John Frusciante announced that he would be releasing six records over six months. His aim was to produce these records quickly and inexpensively on analog tape, avoiding modern studio and computer-assisted recording processes. A Sphere In the Heart of Silence - the fifth record in the series - was released in November 2004.

Made in collaboration with his friend, guitarist and drummer Josh Klinghoffer, this album contains 7 tracks mainly of experimental nature, with heavy use of synths and keyboards.

Josh has worked with John on many of his solo albums, playing drums and synths on most occasions. He and John also played alongside Fugazi's Joe Lally on the album Automatic Writing, John's second album in the series, with the trio naming themselves Ataxia.

In 2010 Josh joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers, after John Frusciante announced he left the band.

The Afterglow
John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Undenied
Death before life

You're in my place again
Echoes deprive us enough
You're in my wailing
Decide what it means to work in fire
Decide what it means to work in fire

Shadows casting bodies
Who knows which way things will go?
All shifting images
Upside down to be upright
Upside down, you'll make them cry

Death before life

Another place again
You and my loneliness speak now
I realize
I don't have much further to go

The afterglow

Life running backwards, nailed up and freezing

Put the past before you

Down is my placement
No place out there I have to be
Lost is where I am
And I've no reason to be found

To resound
From no sound to resound

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer's "The Afterglow" seem to deal with themes of death, loss, and the inevitability of change. The first two lines, "Undenied, death before life," suggest a sort of surrender to the end of things, acknowledging that death is an inescapable part of life. The use of the word "undenied" reinforces the sense of acceptance, as if to say that it is pointless to try to deny what's coming.

The rest of the song is filled with imagery that seems to reflect this acceptance of mortality. The repeated line "You're in my place again" suggests a cyclical nature to life, where what has come before will come again. The "echoes" that "deprive us enough" could be interpreted in a few different ways, perhaps representing the memories or experiences that haunt us as we approach the end. Similarly, the reference to "shadows casting bodies" suggests a sense of transience, as if the physical body is just a temporary vessel for the soul.

The lyrics are full of shifting images and contradictions, as in the lines "Upside down to be upright / Upside down, you'll make them cry." This could represent the conflicting emotions that arise in the face of death, where the sadness of loss is mixed with the relief of release from suffering.

Overall, "The Afterglow" seems to be a meditation on the nature of life and death, and the acceptance of the inevitable end that comes for all of us.

Line by Line Meaning

Undenied
Acknowledgment of an uncontested fact

Death before life
End comes before beginning

You're in my place again
You've taken my spot once more

Echoes deprive us enough
Reverberations rob us of plenty

You're in my wailing
You're in my lamentations

Decide what it means to work in fire
Choose the significance of toiling in flames

Shadows casting bodies
Silhouettes creating figures

Who knows which way things will go?
Uncertainty lies in all possible paths

All shifting images
Every changing picture

Upside down to be upright
Inverted to become erect