Fortune Faded
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

They say in chess, you gotta kill the queen
And then you mate it
Oh I, do you?
A funny thing, the king who gets himself assassinated
Hey now, every time i lose
Altitude

You took a town by storm
The mess you made was nominated
Oh I, do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've overstayed it
Hey now, every time I lose
Altitude

[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded

The medicated state of mind you find is overrated
Oh I, do you?
You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude

[Chorus]

Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?
Ooooooooooh






[Chorus: x2]

Overall Meaning

The song "Fortune Faded" by Red Hot Chili Peppers is a song with a mixture of different themes, metaphors, and similes. The opening line, "They say in chess, you gotta kill the queen, And then you mate it" establishes the chess metaphor, where the queen is perceived as the most powerful piece, but sometimes sacrificing it may lead to winning the game. This can be interpreted as taking risks and making sacrifices to achieve success, which aligns with the idea of fortune fading.


The line "A funny thing, the king who gets himself assassinated" can be interpreted as self-sabotage. Sometimes people create their own downfall without realizing it, just like killing yourself in a game of chess. The use of "funny" could suggest the absurdity of self-destruction. The song has a recurring theme of losing altitude, which can represent losing power, momentum, or control.


The bridge of the song, "Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?" indicates the singer's vulnerability and the incapacity for invincibility. Despite the pursuit of power and success, everyone has their susceptibility and limitations.


Line by Line Meaning

They say in chess, you gotta kill the queen
In the game of chess, it's a strategy to eliminate the queen to win the game


And then you mate it
After eliminating the queen, you make strategic moves to win the game


Oh I, do you?
Asking the listener if they have the capability to follow through with such a strategy


A funny thing, the king who gets himself assassinated
Ironically, the king who sets himself up to lose is the one who ultimately loses the game


Hey now, every time i lose
Expressing frustration at losing repeatedly


Altitude
A metaphor for success or a high status


You took a town by storm
Describing a successful takeover or domination


The mess you made was nominated
The chaotic aftermath of your actions was noticed and recognized


Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've overstayed it
You were initially welcomed, but now it's time to leave before you've become a nuisance


So divine, hell of an elevator
Describing the highs and lows of life, which can be both divine and hellish


All the while my fortune faded
Throughout the ups and downs, the singer's luck or success has been slowly disappearing


Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
Ignoring the punishment or guilt associated with committing a crime


The medicated state of mind you find is overrated
Being under the influence of drugs or medication is not always the answer or solution


You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it
Observing a situation play out and now it's time to replicate it


Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?
Asking a higher power if the singer is invincible or immune to harm


Ooooooooooh
A vocalization or sound effect used for emphasis or emotional impact




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL BALZARY, JOHN FRUSCIANTE, ANTHONY KIEDIS, CHAD SMITH

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

@sergioyp3607

They say in chess you've got to kill the queen, and then you've made it
Oh, I, do you?
A funny thing, a king who gets himself assassinated
Hey now, every time I lose altitude
You took a town by storm, the mess you made was nominated
Oh, I, do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've overstayed it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded
The medicated state of mind you've found is overrated
Oh, I, do you?
You saw it all come down, and now it's time to imitate it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded
Come on, God, do I seem bulletproof?
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded



@andojugandoo

They say in chess, you gotta kill the queen
And then you mate it
Oh I, do you?
A funny thing, the king who gets himself assassinated
Hey now, every time i lose
Altitude
You took a town by storm
The mess you made was nominated
Oh I, do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've overstayed it
Hey now, every time I lose
Altitude
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded
The medicated state of mind you find is overrated
Oh I, do you?
You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded
Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?
Ooooooooooh
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded



@martialwharf7724

[Verse 1]
They say in chess you've got to
Kill the queen and then you've made it
Oh, I, do you?
A funny thing the king who
Gets himself assassinated
Hey now, every time I lose altitude

[Verse 2]
You took a town by storm
The mess you made was nominated
Oh, I, do you?
Now put away your welcome
Soon you'll find you've overstayed it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude

[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded

[Verse 3]
The medicated state of mind, you've found is overrated
Oh, I, do you?
You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude

[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded

[Bridge]
Come on, God, do I seem bulletproof?

[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded

[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Never mind the consequences of the crime
This time my fortune faded



@Neveriso

Lyrics :
They say in chess you've got to kill the queen
And then you made it
Oh, why?
Do you?
A funny thing the king who gets himself assasinated
Hey now
Every time I lose
Altitude
You took a town by storm the mess you made was nominated
Oh, why?
Do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've over stayed it
Hey now
Every time I lose
Altitude
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded
The medicated state of mind you've found is over rated
Oh, why?
Do you?
You saw it all come down and now its time to imitate it
Hey, now
Every time I lose
Altitude
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded
Come on god
Do I seem bullet proof?
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's fadedThey say in chess you've got to kill the queen
And then you made it
Oh, why?
Do you?
A funny thing the king who gets himself assasinated
Hey now
Every time I lose
Altitude
You took a town by storm the mess you made was nominated
Oh, why?
Do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've over stayed it
Hey now
Every time I lose
Altitude
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded
The medicated state of mind you've found is over rated
Oh, why?
Do you?
You saw it all come down and now its time to imitate it
Hey, now
Every time I lose
Altitude
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded
Come on god
Do I seem bullet proof?
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded
So divine
Hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind
The consequences of the crime this time
My fortune's faded



All comments from YouTube:

@RedHotChiliPeppers

On this day in 2003, the music video for “Fortune Faded” was released. Directed by Laurent Briet.

@ClaudiuFabianMilea

Great song and beautiful video. 

@NotMyEarthNotMyProblem

sick 

@percyrog

Amazing and crazy song

@ellensc331

love it

@valerieciccomusicofficial

cool vid ! lumineux !!

31 More Replies...

@lightningvolt1273

John has the best back up voice in the world. Makes every song sound even better

@herukuswara9233

Syn gates too

@minecraft_slayer887p7

Ikr

@RizalCA

Daron Malakian

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