Castles Made Of Sand
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Down the street you can hear her scream
"You're a disgrace"
As she slams the door in his drunken face
And now he stands outside
And all the neighbors start to gossip and drool
He cries "Oh girl, you must be mad
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?"
Against the door he leans and starts a scene
But his tears fall and burn the garden green

And so castles made of sand
Fall in the sea eventually

An Indian brave, who before he was ten
Played war games in the woods with his Indian friends
And he built a dream that when he grew up
He would be a fearless warrior Indian chief
Many moons passed and the dream grew strong until tomorrow
He would sing his first war song
And fight his first battle but something went wrong
Surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night

And some castles made of sand
Fall in the sea eventually
Take it Johnny

There was a young girl whose heart was a frown
Because she was crippled for life and couldn't speak a sound
And she wished and prayed she could stop living
So she decided to die
She drew her wheel chair to the edge of the shore
And to her legs she smiled
"You won't hurt me no more"
But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say
"Look a golden winged ship is passing my way"
But it really didn't have to stop
It just kept on going





And some castles made of sand
Slips into the sea eventually

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “Castles Made of Sand” tell the stories of three different individuals whose hopes and dreams have crumbled down like castles made of sand. The first verse narrates the story of a couple arguing, where the woman is furious with her partner, probably due to his incessant drinking. The man pleads her to remember their good times but to no avail. The second verse tells the tale of a Native American man who fantasized about becoming a warrior chief but was killed in his sleep before achieving his dream. The third verse portrays the life of a young girl who was physically disabled and mute. She wanted to end her pain by ending her life but was distracted by the sight of a beautiful ship in the ocean.


The chorus of the song, “And so castles made of sand, fall in the sea, eventually,” reflects the idea that all our aspirations in life are short-lived and will ultimately disintegrate into nothingness.


Line by Line Meaning

Down the street you can hear her scream "You're a disgrace" As she slams the door in his drunken face
A woman screams at her partner for being drunk and slams the door in his face, humiliating him in front of the neighbors.


And now he stands outside And all the neighbors start to gossip and drool He cries "Oh girl, you must be mad What happened to the sweet love you and me had?" Against the door he leans and starts a scene But his tears fall and burn the garden green
The man tries to reason with his partner, but she won't let him in. He cries and makes a scene, causing the neighbors to gossip. He's upset that their love has turned sour, and his tears remind him of the pain he's feeling.


And so castles made of sand Fall in the sea eventually
Everything is temporary, and even the strongest structures will eventually fall apart.


An Indian brave, who before he was ten Played war games in the woods with his Indian friends And he built a dream that when he grew up He would be a fearless warrior Indian chief Many moons passed and the dream grew strong until tomorrow He would sing his first war song And fight his first battle but something went wrong Surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night
A young Native American boy dreams of being a warrior chief, but he is killed in a surprise attack before he can realize that dream. His childhood innocence is shattered by this tragedy.


And some castles made of sand Fall in the sea eventually Take it Johnny
Johnny is encouraged to keep playing, as the theme of impermanence is further explored.


There was a young girl whose heart was a frown Because she was crippled for life and couldn't speak a sound And she wished and prayed she could stop living So she decided to die She drew her wheel chair to the edge of the shore And to her legs she smiled "You won't hurt me no more" But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say "Look a golden winged ship is passing my way" But it really didn't have to stop It just kept on going
A disabled girl contemplates ending her life but is interrupted when she sees a beautiful ship pass by. Though it doesn't stop for her, the sight gives her a new appreciation for life.


And some castles made of sand Slips into the sea eventually
As before, the song returns to the theme of impermanence and how everything will eventually come to an end.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimi Hendrix

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@andyyoman9548

An Indian brave, who before he was ten
Played war games in the woods with his Indian friends
And he built a dream that when he grew up
He would be a fearless warrior Indian chief
Many moons passed and the dream grew strong until tomorrow
He would sing his first war song
And fight his first battle but something went wrong
Surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night

Love that part... <3



@smokinjz

Down the street you can hear her scream "you're a disgrace"
As she slams the door in his drunken face
And now he stands outside
And all the neighbors start to gossip and drool, yes they do
He cries "Oh, girl you must be mad
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?"
Against the door he leans and starts a scene
And his tears fall and burn the garden green, yes they do
And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually
A little Indian brave who before he was ten
Played war games in the woods with his Indian friends
And he built up a dream that when he grew up
He would be a mighty warrior Indian chief
Many moons past and more the dream grew strong until
Tomorrow he would sing his first war song and fight his first battle
But something went wrong, a surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night, damn
And so castles made of sand melts into the sea, eventually
There was a young girl, whose heart was a frown
'Cause she was crippled for life
She couldn't speak a sound
And she wished and prayed she could stop living
So she decided to die
She drew her wheelchair to the edge of the shore
And to her legs she smiled "you won't hurt me no more"
But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say
"Look a golden winged ship is passing my way"
And it really didn't have to stop, it just kept on going...
And so castles made of sand slips into the sea, eventually
Castles made of
Castles made of



All comments from YouTube:

@CarsonKevin

One of the best Hendrix covers ever. As good as Vaughan's of "Little Wing."

@kameliyapetrova1774

Jeff Beck - Little Wing <3

@megadave1197

Still not a touch on the original though. They never are. They all seem to take Jimis songs and then normalise them they become grounded. They lose the stratospheric atmosphere that Hendrix was able to create.

@franciscoocampo3044

Esta es mucho mejor q la de Vaughan

@benjamindavis2888

Amazing. Never heard this cut, and it's glorious

@jeffblydenburgh5938

Cover of Hendrix.

@yywanimations.nostalji.732

Anakin's least favorite song.

@ey6944

Higher Ground?

@olitaylor2917

E Y OMG YESSSSS

@melissafruder8115

@@ey6944 It hurts man

More Comments

More Versions