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 ↴
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
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
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
Upside down, you'll make them cry
Topsy-turvy, you will cause tears
Death before life
End comes before beginning
Another place again
A different location once more
You and my loneliness speak now
You and my solitude converse presently
I realize
I comprehend
I don't have much further to go
I am near the end of my journey
The afterglow
The aura following a momentous event
Life running backwards, nailed up and freezing
Existence reversing, restricted and cold
Put the past before you
Place history in front of yourself
Down is my placement
My position is below
No place out there I have to be
There's no specific location I need to reach
Lost is where I am
I am in a state of being mislaid
And I've no reason to be found
I don't need to be discovered
To resound
To echo
From no sound to resound
From absence of noise to reverberation
Contributed by Anna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.