By the Way
Red Chili Hot Peppers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload

Steak knife card shark
Con job boot cut

Skin that flick
She's such a little DJ
Get there quick
By street but not the freeway
Turn that trick
To make a little leeway
Beat that nic
But not the way that we play

Dog town blood bath
Rib cage soft tail

Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for

Black jack dope dick
Pawn shop quick pick
Kiss that dyke
I know you want to hold one
Not on strike
But I'm about to bowl one
Bite that mic
I know you never stole one
Girls that like
A story, so I told one
Song bird, main line
Cash back, hard top

Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani the girl is
Singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Oversold
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for

Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah

Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Of her soul
By the way I tried to say
I know you
From before

Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow




By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "By The Way" by the Red Chili Hot Peppers are a complex blend of imagery and symbolism that appear to relate to personal and emotional struggles. The song begins with the singer standing in line to see a show, waiting for Dani, a girl who is singing songs beneath the marquee. The heavy glow and light set the scene for a surreal portrayal of a night out, using descriptions of the surrounding environment to convey psychological turmoil.


The lines "steak knife card shark, con job bootcut" is likely to be a representation of the harshness of life under capitalism, where everyone is fighting for survival. This is further highlighted by the lines "turn that trick to make a little leeway" suggesting that this may not be a world of legitimate employment, but rather a world of hustling and survival.


The song's symbolism continues in the lines "dog town blood bath, rib cage soft tail," which could potentially reflect the darker side of the lifestyle being presented. The final lines of the song, "by the way, I tried to say I know you from before," suggest that the singer is trying to connect with someone, someone he has known in the past or someone he feels he should have known. The lyrics as a whole serve to create a vivid image of a dark and complex world, full of the raw emotions that give rise to it.


Line by Line Meaning

Standing in line
Waiting patiently in a queue


To see the show tonight
To attend the musical event scheduled for the evening


And there's a light on
The concert hall is illuminated


Heavy glow
Bright and intense lighting


By the way I tried to say
Incidentally, I attempted to convey a message


I'd be there, waiting for
I promised to be there and wait for someone


Dani the girl
A woman named Dani


Is singing songs to me
She is performing musical pieces for my enjoyment


Beneath the marquee, overload
She is performing under a sign that has too many lights or is too bright


Steak knife card shark
A person who cheats at card games with a knife as a weapon


Con job bootcut
Deceptive work to earn money, with a fashion sense favoring bootcut pants


Skin that flick
Peeling off the film of a small reel, likely a video cassette


She's such a little DJ
The woman is a petite disc jockey


Get there quick
Hurry to the destination


By street but not the freeway
Use a road other than the highway


Turn that trick
Use a skill or trick to achieve a goal


To make a little leeway
To make a slight progress forward


Beat that nic
Overcome an addiction to nicotine


But not the way that we play
But not in the manner consistent with our lifestyle


Dog town blood bath
A violent fight or massacre in a neighborhood named Dog Town


Rib cage soft tail
The torso and tail of a motorcycle grouped together


Black jack dope dick
A person who plays blackjack while being addicted to drugs


Pawn shop quick pick
The act of quickly choosing an item at a pawn shop


Kiss that dyke
A request to kiss a lesbian woman or someone who appears lesbian


I know you want to hold one
I know you desire to have a lesbian encounter


Not on strike
Not officially protesting or refusing to work


But I'm about to bowl one
But I am about to smoke marijuana


Bite that mic
Hold the microphone closely to produce a distorted or gritty sound


I know you never stole one
I know you never took a microphone without permission


Girls that like
Women who enjoy


A story, so I told one
A narrative was requested, so I narrated one


Song bird, main line
An excellent singer, and the primary way to take drugs


Cash back, hard top
Receiving money back, and a car with a roof made of hard material


Of her soul
The songs being performed by Dani reveal her inner self


Oversold
More tickets were sold than the actual capacity of the venue


Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Expressing disappointment and disillusionment with someone's false promises


I know you from before
I recognize you from a previous encounter




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary, John Frusciante, Chad Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@ceeessy

LETRA/LYRIC

Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload

Steak knife, card shark
Con job, boot cut
Skin that flick, she's such a little DJ
Get there quick by street, but not the freeway
Turn that trick to make a little leeway
Beat that nic, but not the way that we play
Dogtown, blood bath
Rib cage, soft tail

Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for

Black Jack, dope dick
Pawn shop, quick pick
Kiss that dyke, I know you want to hold one
Not on strike, but I'm about to bowl one
Bite that mic, I know you never stole one
Girls that like a story, so I told one
Song bird, main line
Cash back, hard top

Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, oversold
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for

Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah

Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, oversold
By the way, I tried to say
I know you from before

Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for



@burdenthrive3204

Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload
Steak knife card shark
Con job boot cut
Skin that flick
She's such a little DJ
Get there quick
By street but not the freeway
Turn that trick
To make a little leeway
Beat that nic
But not the way that we play
Dog town blood bath
Rib cage soft tail
Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Black jack dope dick
Pawn shop quick pick
Kiss that dyke
I know you want to hold one
Not on strike
But I'm about to bowl one
Bite that mic
I know you never stole one
Girls that like
A story, so I told one
Song bird, main line
Cash back, hard top
Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani the girl is
Singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Oversold
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah
Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Of her soul
By the way I tried to say
I know you
From before
Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for



All comments from YouTube:

@RedHotChiliPeppers

It has been confirmed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers will embark on a world tour in 2022! Sign up on https://redhotchilipeppers.com for more information.

@Myrrsito

It has been confirmed that i'll be there no mather what.

@albertmontero8729

yes

@tamandua9271

FINALLY

@damianrodriguez2866

Yuhhh

@JB-eg9jc

WOOO

129 More Replies...

@RedHotChiliPeppers

On this day in 2002, the music video for “By The Way” was released. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

@miriamvazquezxD

<3

@autumwilliams7949

This is one of my favorite RHCP'S songs none stop head banging!! I'm talking
major brain DAMAGE!! [?]

@Liquidmax1

again cant wacth, supouse to be my favorite band and they block my country 

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