Knock Me Down
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Never too soon to be through
Being cool too much too soon
Too much for me, too much for you
You're gonna lose in time

Don't be afraid to show your friends
That you hurt inside, inside
Pain's part of life, don't hide behind your false pride
It's a lie, your lie

If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty (ooh)
If you see me getting high
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

I'm tired of being untouchable
I'm not above the love
I'm part of you and you're part of me
Why did you go away?

Finding what you're looking for
Can end up being, being such a bore
I pray for you most every day
My love's with you
Now fly away

If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty (ooh)
If you see me getting high
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty (ooh)
If you see me getting high
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty (see me)
If you see me getting high (getting mighty)
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty (see me)
If you see me getting high (getting mighty)
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life

If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life

(C'mon, yeah yeah)
(C'mon, yeah yeah)

It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Oh, so lonely)
It's so lonely (yeah)
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (oh)
It's so lonely (oh yeah)
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself




It's so lonely
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Knock Me Down" by Red Hot Chili Peppers deal with the pressures of fame and the band's own experience with addiction. The song encourages vulnerability and the importance of showing our pain to others. The line "never too soon to be through, being cool too much too soon" speaks to the band's early success and their struggle to handle the spotlight. The chorus "If you see me getting mighty, if you see me getting high, knock me down, I'm not bigger than life" is a reminder to the listener and the band themselves that fame doesn't make them invincible or above consequences.


The second verse shifts to mourning the loss of a loved one, possibly referring to the band's guitarist Hillel Slovak who died of a drug overdose in 1988. The line "finding what you're looking for can end up being, being such a bore" expresses the idea that the constant search for happiness and fulfillment can lead to a sense of emptiness. The final lines of the song, "It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself," suggest that by reaching out to others in times of struggle and showing our true selves, we can combat this feeling of loneliness and find a sense of belonging.


Line by Line Meaning

Never too soon to be through
It's never too early to quit or give up


Being cool too much too soon
Trying too hard to be cool too early can be overwhelming


Too much for me, too much for you
It's too much for both of us


You're gonna lose in time
Eventually, you're going to lose


Don't be afraid to show your friends
You shouldn't be afraid to be vulnerable with your friends


That you hurt inside, inside
It's okay to let your friends know when you're hurting


Pain's part of life, don't hide behind your false pride
Pain is a normal part of life, don't let fake pride get in the way of expressing it


It's a lie, your lie
The false pride you hold onto is a lie


If you see me getting mighty
If you see me becoming too powerful


If you see me getting high
If you see me getting too confident


Knock me down
Put me in my place


I'm not bigger than life
I'm not invincible or above anyone else


I'm tired of being untouchable
I'm tired of pretending to be untouchable or above anyone else


I'm not above the love
I'm not too good for love


I'm part of you and you're part of me
We are all interconnected and part of the same world


Why did you go away?
Why did you leave?


Finding what you're looking for
The search for what you want


Can end up being, being such a bore
The search can become boring


I pray for you most every day
I pray for you every day


My love's with you
My love is with you


Now fly away
Now leave and start anew


It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Oh, so lonely)
When you don't know yourself, it can be a very lonely experience


It's so lonely (yeah)
Loneliness is a real feeling


C'mon, yeah yeah
Let's go




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

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

@martialwharf7724

[Verse 1]
Never too soon to be through
Bein' cool too much, too soon
Too much for me, too much for you
You're gonna lose in time
Don't be afraid to show your friends that you hurt inside, inside
Pain's part of life, don't hide behind your false pride
It's a lie, your lie

[Chorus]
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Ooh)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

[Verse 2]
I'm tired of bein' untouchable
I'm not above the love
I'm part of you, and you're part of me
Why did you go away?
Findin' what you're lookin' for can end up bein', bein' such a bore
I pray for you, most every day
My love's with you, now fly away

[Chorus 2]
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Ooh)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life

[Chorus 3]
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Ooh)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Knock me, knock me, knock me)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Knock me, knock me, knock me)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life

[Break]
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, hey, aah-aah-aah-aah, yeah, yeah
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, hey, aah-aah-aah-aah, yeah, yeah

[Outro]
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Aah-aah, oh, oh, oh, hey, yeah)
It's so lonely
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Oh, oh, oh-ooh-oh, oh, yeah)
It's so lonely
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself
It's so lonely



All comments from YouTube:

@declandonohoe9612

This is the song that got me into the Peppers. Saw them live in Dublin in 1990. They played to just 800 of us. It was amazing.

@finnrobertson800

First time rhcp played in Dublin was 1992

@prismsedits2320

I will never get over the fact that John was only 18 at this time. Unbelievable.

@lostbetweenthesound2593

was he really?? hahaha!! I did know he was really young, but not that young! Good shit! 😉

@mattwhite4387

Prisms Edits thats really awesome what a fact😊 what a guitarist!

@cjbarton0055

haha, makes me wonder what im doing with my life

@Confident-Village148

He's a legend😍😍

@patrickcole8153

CjBarton 00 same bro.. my 20s are coming to an end so I have the same thought often haha

74 More Replies...

@aimeekelly9794

I'm reading Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis's memoir. Anthony wrote this after Hillel died of an overdose, and he had no melody for it. John had the melody, they found Chad after dumping DH, and the song was made. I'm loving going back to the songs I listened to decades ago and reading the history behind them.

@crestofthewave

Aimee Kelly I bawled my eyes out when he went to Hillel’s grave

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