Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Her mother, Beverly, was a jazz singer, and father, Grant, worked at the Honeywell plant. She spent her entire childhood in Deptford, New Jersey. Raised the daughter of a Jehovah's Witness mother, she claims she had a strong religious, Bible-based education but left organized religion as a teenager because she felt it was too confining. (She later wrote the opening line of her cover version of Them's Gloria in response to this experience.) After graduating from Deptford Township High School in 1964, Smith went to work in a factory.
In 1967 she left Glassboro State Teachers College (now Rowan University) and moved to New York City. She met photographer Robert Mapplethorpe there while working at a book store with friend, poet Janet Hamill. Mapplethorpe's photographs of her became the covers for the Patti Smith Group LPs, and they remained friends until Mapplethorpe's death in 1989. In 1969 she went to Paris with her sister and started busking and doing performance art. When Smith returned to New York City, she lived in the Hotel Chelsea with Mapplethorpe. The two frequented the fashionable Max's Kansas City and CBGB nightclubs. The same year Smith appeared with Wayne County in Jackie Curtis's play "Femme Fatale". As a member of the St. Mark's Poetry Project, she spent the early '70s painting, writing, and performing. In 1971 she performed – for one night only – in Sam Shepard's "Cowboy Mouth". (The published play's notes call for "a man who looks like a coyote and a woman who looks like a crow".) She collaborated with Allen Lanier of Blue Öyster Cult, who recorded several of the songs to which Smith had contributed, including Debbie Denise (after her poem "In Remembrance of Debbie Denise"), Career of Evil, Fire of Unknown Origin, The Revenge of Vera Gemini, and Shooting Shark. During these years, Smith also wrote rock journalism, some of which was published in Creem magazine.
By 1974 Patti Smith was performing rock music herself, initially with guitarist and rock archivist Lenny Kaye, and later with a full band comprising Kaye, Ivan Kral on bass, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums and Richard Sohl, on piano. Financed by Robert Mapplethorpe, the band recorded a first single, "Hey Joe/Piss Factory", in 1974. The A-side was a version of the rock standard with the addition of a spoken word piece about fugitive heiress Patty Hearst ("Patty Hearst, you're standing there in front of the Symbionese Liberation Army flag with your legs spread, I was wondering were you gettin' it every night from a black revolutionary man and his women..."). The B-side describes the helpless anger Smith had felt while working on a factory assembly line and the salvation she discovered in the form of a shoplifted book, the 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud's Illuminations.
Patti Smith Group was signed by Clive Davis of Arista Records, and 1975 saw the release of Smith's first album, Horses, produced by John Cale amidst some tension. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison's Gloria, and Smith's opening words: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine."
As Patti Smith Group toured the United States and Europe, punk's popularity grew. The rawer sound of the group's second album, Radio Ethiopia, reflected this development. Considerably less accessible than Horses, Radio Ethiopia received poor reviews. However, several of its songs have stood the test of time, and Smith still performs them regularly in concert. On January 23, 1977, while touring in support of the record, Smith accidentally danced off a high stage in Tampa, Florida and fell 15 feet into a concrete orchestra pit, breaking several neck vertebrae. The injury required a period of rest and an intensive round of physical therapy, during which time she was able to reassess, re-energize and reorganize her life. Patti Smith Group produced two further albums before the end of the 1970s. Easter (1978) was her most commercially successful record, containing single Because the Night co-written with Bruce Springsteen. Wave (1979) was less successful, although songs Frederick and Dancing Barefoot both received commercial airplay.
Before the release of Wave, Smith, now separated from long-time partner Allen Lanier, met Fred Sonic Smith, former guitar player for Detroit rock band MC5 and his own Sonic's Rendezvous Band, who adored poetry as much as she did. ("Wave"'s "Dancing Barefoot" and "Frederick" were both dedicated to him.) The running joke at the time was that she only married Fred because she would not have to change her name. Patti and Fred had a son, Jackson, and later a daughter, Jesse. Through most of the 1980s Patti was in semi-retirement from music, living with her family north of Detroit in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. On June 1988 she released Dream Of Life, which included song People Have the Power. Fred Smith died on November 4, 1994. Shortly afterward, Patti faced the unexpected death of her brother, Todd, and original keyboard player, Richard Sohl. When her son Jackson turned 21, Smith decided to move back to New York. After the impact of these deaths, her friends Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Allen Ginsberg (whom she had known since her early years in New York) urged her to go back out on the road. She toured briefly with Bob Dylan in December 1995 (chronicled in a book of photographs by Stipe).
In 1996, Smith worked with her long-time colleagues to record the haunting Gone Again, featuring About a Boy, a tribute to Kurt Cobain. Smith was a fan of Cobain, but was more angered than saddened by his suicide. That same year she collaborated with Stipe on E-Bow the Letter, a song on R.E.M.'s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which she has also performed live with the band. After release of "Gone Again", Patti Smith has recorded two new albums: Peace and Noise in 1997 (with the single 1959, about the invasion of Tibet) and Gung Ho in 2000 (with songs about Ho Chi Minh and Smith's late father). A box set of her work up to that time, "The Patti Smith Masters", came out in 1996, and 2002 saw the release of "Land (1975–2002)", a two-CD compilation that includes a memorable cover of Prince's When Doves Cry. Smith's solo art exhibition, "Strange Messenger" was hosted at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh on September 28, 2002.
On April 27, 2004 Patti Smith released Trampin' which included several songs about motherhood, partly in tribute to Smith's mother who died two years before. Smith curated the Meltdown festival in London on June 25, 2005, the penultimate event being the first live performance of "Horses" in its entirety. Guitarist Tom Verlaine took Oliver Ray's place. This live performance was released later in the year as "Horses/Horses". In August 2005 Smith gave a literary lecture about the poems of Arthur Rimbaud and William Blake. On July 10, 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. In addition to her influence on rock music, Minister also noted Smith's appreciation of Arthur Rimbaud. On October 15, 2006, Patti Smith performed at CBGB nightclub, with a 3½-hour tour de force to close out Manhattan's music venue. She took the stage at 9:30 p.m. (EDT) and closed for the night (and forever for the venue) at a few minutes after 1:00 a.m., performing her song Elegie, and finally reading a list of punk rock musicians and advocates who had died in the previous years.
Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 12, 2007. She dedicated her award to the memory of her late husband, Fred, and gave a performance of The Rolling Stones classic, Gimme Shelter. As the closing number of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Smith's "People Have the Power" was used for the big celebrity jam that always ends the program.
From March 28 to June 22, 2008 the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain in Paris hosted a major exhibition of the visual work of Patti Smith, "Land 250", drawn from pieces created between 1967 and 2007. At the 2008 Rowan Commencement ceremony, Smith received an honorary doctorate degree for her contributions to popular culture. Smith is the subject of a 2008 documentary film, "Patti Smith: Dream of Life". http://www.dreamoflifethemovie.com/
In June 2012, Smith released her 11th studio album, "Banga." In an interview on CBS News Sunday Morning on April 1, 2012, Smith explained the album's title: "for those who are curious, you can find what Banga is if you read The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov." In The Master and Margarita, Banga is Pontius Pilate's dog who Pilate could freely complain about the hemicrania that tortured him. Other songs on the album were also inspired by literature, particularly "April Fool," inspired by Nikolai Gogol.
www.pattismith.net
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Godspeed
Patti Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rushing through my veins
Stimulate my heart
Heavy crystalline
You are the sulphur
Extinguished by the flame
You are everything to me
All this in your name
Oh, walking in your blue coat
Weeping admiral
All the twisted cellars
They had to hand your name
Ended all that's static
In a myth of sin
Mirror minor static
Pale adrenaline
Take it
Ah, take it
That day you said to me,
"It could never be"
Say the hour of sea to seep
"Have you said Godspeed?"
Love is a vampire
Energy of dead
Love is like a boomerang
Comin' back again
On a rack of red leather
On a rack of skin and sin
Tell me how to pale
In adrenaline
And you said to me,
"It could never be"
Say the hour of sea to seep
And you said to me,
"Have you said Godspeed?"
I could make it all
All the twisted sand and foam
I'll never, ever return
I could make it
Make it all
I'm walking, follow me
Down the twisted stair
Stuck inside a memory
Shot and shot again
Hand upon a railin'
Courtin' fate and fate
We're sailin', sailin', sailin' sailin'
Down a black, black river
And I plunge right in
And I plunge right in
In adrenaline
In adrenaline
I move inside my vein
Ah, you're the speed I need
Throw the pistol in
Oh, your love's a vampire
Comin' in to suck
Stop, stop, stop, stop
Oh, I fell and fell and fell
Down, down, down, down
Oh, I'm gonna duck
The lyrics of Patti Smith's song "Godspeed" are enigmatic and multi-dimensional. The title itself, which means good fortune, is ironic in this context because the song conveys despair and the impossibility of achieving the desires of the singer. From the opening lines, "You are the adrenaline/Rushing through my veins/Stimulate my heart/Heavy crystalline," the song establishes that the singer is dependent on a relationship that has become addictive and harmful to her. The image of adrenaline as something that can stimulate the heart but also be deadly if abused is a metaphor for the emotional rollercoaster of the relationship. The second line, "Stimulate my heart," suggests that the relationship provides an escape from monotony, but the phrase "heavy crystalline" hints at a sense of burden or imprisonment.
The song's imagery shifts constantly, from a weeping admiral to twisted cellars, black rivers, and racks of red leather. The lyrics constantly conflate love with death and decay, using blood and open wounds as central symbols. The line "Love is a vampire/Energy of the dead" suggests that love is a parasitic force that drains the singer's life force. However, the singer paradoxically clings to this destructive love, singing, "I could make it all/All the twisted sand and foam/I'll never, ever return/I could make it/Make it all." This desire to maintain the status quo even though it causes distress and pain is the paradox of the addict.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the adrenaline
You are something that gives me a rush of energy and excitement.
Rushing through my veins
A metaphorical image for how intense the experience of having you in my life is.
Stimulate my heart
You make me feel alive and invigorated.
Heavy crystalline
You are like a weighty, beautiful crystal, but also intense and powerful.
You are the sulphur
You are like a volatile element that can ignite and create a lot of heat and energy.
Extinguished by the flame
A metaphor for how explosive and intense our connection is, how easily ignited it can be, but how it can also quickly burn out.
You are everything to me
You are the most important person or thing in my life, the source of all my joy and passion.
All this in your name
All of the experiences and emotions that come from knowing you or being around you.
Oh, walking in your blue coat
This is a literal image of walking with you, dressed in blue clothing.
Weeping admiral
A poetic image of someone who is a powerful leader, brought to tears in a moment of vulnerability or strength.
All the twisted cellars
This is a metaphorical image for places that are dark or hidden, maybe full of secrets or memories.
They had to hand your name
Your name being known or connected to these dark or secret places in some way.
Ended all that's static
Being with you brings an end to anything that is dull or unchanging.
In a myth of sin
This is a biblical reference and suggests that there is something forbidden or taboo about being with you.
Mirror minor static
A somewhat cryptic phrase that could refer to seeing oneself reflected in the static or noise of the relationship or interaction with you.
Pale adrenaline
The description of adrenaline as pale could suggest a sense of being drained or less intense, maybe after an initial high.
Take it
A command to accept or embrace something, perhaps related to the feeling of intense energy or passion connected to you.
Ah, take it
The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the strength of the command or the desire to fully immerse oneself in the experience.
That day you said to me,
This is a reference to a specific moment or conversation with you.
"It could never be"
Something that you said that implies that there are limitations or obstacles to a particular kind of relationship or experience with you.
Say the hour of sea to seep
This is a bit more cryptic, but could refer to some kind of mystical communication or exchange with you, or maybe even a prediction.
"Have you said Godspeed?"
A question that could refer to a particular kind of blessing or farewell, or perhaps a signal of deep trust and faith.
Love is a vampire
A metaphor suggesting that love is something that feeds on or drains energy, but can also be powerful and all-consuming.
Energy of dead
Another cryptic and somewhat eerie phrase, could suggest the idea of love being something that is both very charged but also a kind of death.
Love is like a boomerang
A metaphor for love being something that comes back to you, with both positive and negative effects.
Comin' back again
A repetition of the boomerang metaphor, perhaps emphasizing the cyclical or destructive quality of relationships or emotions.
On a rack of red leather
A vivid image of something that is both sensual and violent, connected to the idea of intense love.
On a rack of skin and sin
More violent imagery, perhaps representing the idea of love as a kind of punishment or torture that one willingly submits to.
Tell me how to pale
A plea to understand how to deal with or control intense emotions, whether that means toning them down or learning to live with them.
And you said to me,
A reference to something that you said before or after an intense moment with you.
"It could never be"
A repeated line, perhaps suggesting that the idea of being with you is something that is always out of reach or already over.
I could make it all
The idea of being able to control or create one's own destiny, even in the face of unpredictable or unstable emotions.
All the twisted sand and foam
A poetic image that could refer to the chaos and unpredictability of life, or perhaps more specifically, of love and relationships.
I'll never, ever return
A declaration that suggests a sense of finality or foreboding, perhaps in relation to the intensity of being with you.
I'm walking, follow me
A command or invitation to follow, suggesting the idea of a shared experience or a journey together.
Down the twisted stair
A poetic image that could suggest a descent into the unknown or into darkness, perhaps in relation to the idea of being with you.
Stuck inside a memory
The idea of being unable to escape a particularly intense or traumatic experience, often used in relation to past relationships.
Shot and shot again
A metaphor suggesting that the trauma or intensity of an experience continues to resurface or come back over time.
Hand upon a railin'
A physical image that could relate to being steadied or held up in a time of crisis or vulnerability.
Courtin' fate and fate
A repetition of the word 'fate' suggests a sense of being unable to escape or control one's destiny, perhaps in relation to deep feelings or connections.
We're sailin', sailin', sailin' sailin'
A repetition of the word 'sailing' suggests the idea of being adrift or unmoored, perhaps in relation to an intense emotional experience or relationship.
Down a black, black river
A powerful image of something that is both beautiful and dangerous, perhaps representing the idea of deep emotion or connection with you.
And I plunge right in
A declaration of willingness to fully immerse oneself in a powerful or dangerous emotion, often used in relation to love or passion.
I move inside my vein
A poetic image of something that is internal or personal, perhaps connected to the idea of deep feelings or emotions that cannot be easily expressed or understood.
Ah, you're the speed I need
A declaration of how essential and powerful the experience of being with you is, often described as a kind of drug or addiction.
Throw the pistol in
A metaphor for letting go of fear, uncertainty, or danger in order to fully embrace the intense emotion or connection that comes with being with you.
Oh, your love's a vampire
A repetition of the earlier metaphor, perhaps emphasizing the idea of love as both all-consuming and dangerous, like a predator or something that saps energy.
Comin' in to suck
An extension of the vampire metaphor, suggesting that the experience of love or connection can also be draining or harmful.
Stop, stop, stop, stop
An urgent command to halt or slow down, perhaps in relation to the intensity of the emotion or interaction being described.
Oh, I fell and fell and fell
A repetition of the action of falling suggests the idea of being out of control or overwhelmed by powerful emotions, often used in relation to romantic love.
Down, down, down, down
Another repetition of the idea of falling, emphasizing the feeling of being completely consumed or overwhelmed by intense emotion.
Oh, I'm gonna duck
A sudden shift in tone, suggesting a desire to avoid or escape the powerful emotions or connection being described.
Contributed by Lucas J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Broatch6
♥️ P a t t i S m i t h ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
♥️ Seventh Heaven. ♥️ Horses
♥️ Witt ♥️ Radio Ethiopia
♥️ Babel ♥️ Dream of Life
♥️ Woolgathering ♥️ Gone Again
♥️ Just Kids ♥️ Peace and Noise
♥️ The Coral Sea ♥️ Gung Ho
♥️ M Train ♥️ Trampin'
♥️ Devotion ♥️ Because The Night
♥️ Auguries of Innocence ♥️ Wave
♥️ Year Of The Monkey ♥️ Depravity
♥️ Gloria ♥️ Redondo Beach
♥️ Kimberly ♥️ Ask the Angels
@rduquet
Oh Patti,,, I have Loved you from the start,,,, 74,,,75 ??
Out of ALL THE COCERTS I HAVE BEEN TO IN MY LIFE I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVOURITES of All Time !!!
😎 Bob from Michigan
@glortw
Did anyone else used to play this over and over when they were young and stupid and thought life was so awful? I remember like crying my eyes out playing this over some crush I thought I couldn't live without. Now it means a lot more to me since I've experienced actual pain. Patti is incredible.
@frankieeldorado3798
After being one of the engineers on "Horses" Jimmy Iovine called me In to the "Recordplant" to record this for the B side of the 45 "Because The Night",This was a little bit of what "Patti" was known for.Right before she exploded on to the top 40 billboard charts with "Easter"Great post!!!
@jaypee6061
Congrats on a great job.............
@rduquet
Frank, Thank you for the work you did with PSG !!! Horses has always been one of my favorite records !!!
😎 Bob
@bradleyrogers2384
In college in Fresno CA I worked at a pizza parlor - when it was late and we wanted everyone to leave we would play this song. It would clear the parlor and we could clean up and go home. Thank you Patti you have helped me in many ways.
@RockYeahh
Thank you and everyone involved in this track. It's my favourite Patti Smith song.
@rafael55
Wow!, in my humble opinion, this is one of her best ever songs. Thanks to the uploader.
@gaelhillyardcreative
The best song of all. God her voice on this.
@rduquet
GREAT PICTURES!!!
😎 Bob