Under The Bridge
Red Chili Hot Peppers Lyrics
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Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry
I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
Well, I never worry, now that is a lie
I don't ever wanna feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
I don't ever wanna feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Yeah, yeah, yeah
It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
At least I have her love, the city, she loves me
Lonely as I am, together we cry
I don't ever wanna feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
I don't ever wanna feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, no, no-no, yeah, yeah
Love me, I say, yeah yeah
One time
(Under the bridge downtown)
Is where I drew some blood
(Under the bridge downtown)
I could not get enough
(Under the bridge downtown)
Forgot about my love
(Under the bridge downtown)
I gave my life away
Yeah, yeah
Oh, no, no-no-no, yeah, yeah
Oh, no, I said, oh, yeah, yeah
Where I stay
"Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers is a poignant and emotional song about feeling isolated in a bustling city. The opening lines, "Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner / Sometimes I feel like my only friend" convey a sense of loneliness and detachment from others that is so profound that even having a partner seems insufficient at times. The singer finds solace instead in the city itself, Los Angeles. The city becomes a symbol of both the singer's emotional refuge and the emotional weight he carries. This is why he says, "Lonely as I am, together we cry." It's as if the singer is saying that the city feels his pain and his loneliness, and they share a bond that no other human can possibly understand.
The second verse further explores this theme, emphasizing the bond between the singer and the city. He says, "I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion / I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am / She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy / Well, I never worry, now that is a lie." The hills and streets of LA become a familiar and comforting space where he finds his identity. The city is also symbolic of a relationship for him, where he receives love and acknowledgement. Yet, at the same time, the singer cannot completely escape his own inner pain, and he confesses that he is lying when he says, "Well, I never worry."
The chorus of the song repeats, "Take me to the place I love / Take me all the way" conveying a sense of longing for escape and freedom from his emotional burden. The final verse of the song, "Under the bridge downtown / I gave my life away" seems to refer to a particular location in Los Angeles, which became a place of refuge and contemplation for Anthony Kiedis, the band's lead singer. According to Kiedis, the lyrics were inspired by his own feelings of loneliness and addiction and his own experience of finding solace in that specific location.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
At times I feel so lonely and disconnected from the world that I feel like I have no one to share my life with.
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
When life gets tough, and people betray me, I feel like loneliness would become my best companion.
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
The place I call home, Los Angeles, is where I find solace in my loneliness.
Lonely as I am, together we cry
Though I'm lonely, the city of angels can feel my pain and cries along with me.
I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion
As I drive through the streets of the city, I feel a sense of comfort knowing that the city of angels is my companion.
I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am
As I take a stroll through the city's hills, I feel like the city truly knows and understands me.
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
The city rewards my good deeds with a kiss of wind, and it's my happy place.
Well, I never worry, now that is a lie
I pretend like I'm not worried about anything, but that's not entirely true.
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day
I never want to feel as hopeless and broken as I did that day.
Take me to the place I love, Take me all the way
Take me to my happy place, the place where I feel safe and loved.
It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
When I'm feeling disconnected, it's challenging to believe that there's no one who would understand my pain.
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
It's hard for me to accept that I'm all by myself, and there's no one who loves me or cares for me.
At least I have her love, the city, she loves me
Although I feel lonely, I know that the city of angels provides me the love and care that I seek.
Oh, no, no-no, yeah, yeah
An expression of emotion to amplify the sentiment in the lyrics.
Love me, I say, yeah yeah
I yearn for someone to love and accept me as I am, just like the city of Los Angeles.
One time
An expression indicating that the sentiment in the previous line is something he wants to experience.
Under the bridge downtown, Is where I drew some blood
Underneath the bridge in downtown, I had a cathartic experience, letting go of my emotional pain.
I could not get enough
I felt like I needed that experience even though it caused me to bleed emotionally.
Forgot about my love
The experience made me forget about my love life, emotional pain taking over.
I gave my life away
The experience allowed me to let go of everything that was holding me back and start afresh with a new perspective.
Oh, no, no-no-no, yeah, yeah
An expression of emotion to amplify the sentiment in the lyrics.
Oh, no, I said, oh, yeah, yeah
An expression of the pleasure and catharsis experienced during that day.
Where I stay
An expression of his connection to the place where he experienced emotional catharsis.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, MoeBeToBlame, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Michael Peter Balzary, John Anthony Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Gaylord Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind