"Show Me Your Soul" was recorded during the Mother's Milk sessions and was also later released as a single in 1990. "Millionaires Against Hunger" was recorded during the 1985 Freaky Styley sessions. The song was featured on the film Say Anything... starring Kiedis' girlfriend at the time, Ione Skye.
The single reached number twenty-nine in the UK—the highest position for the band up to that point.[1]
Despite being a popular single for the band they rarely performed it live and the song hasn't been performed live since the Mother's Milk tour.
Taste the Pain
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stare at the ceiling Because I can not fall
Asleep tonight
No not at all
Head lights flash Across my bedroom wall
Crying eyes open Because I can not fall
In love with you, I know not at all
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Busted in two Like a brittle stick
I can not drink
Because my throat constricts
Lovesick from you
That will never do
Open my mouth I couldn't make a sound
I could not scream and no I could not shout
It out to you
Nothing to do
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Yeah, yeah
This may come as a shocking surprise
I have to take a walk I have to kiss it goodbye
Goodbye my love
Goodbye my love
I am not alive
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Oh oh how the price gets paid
Well I got to pay, I got to pay the price
I think I'll walk away
'Cause I couldn't survey, I couldn't pay
I couldn't price
The lyrics of "Taste the Pain" by Red Hot Chili Peppers describe the pain of heartbreak and the struggles of moving on from a lost love. The singer is lying on his back, unable to sleep or forget about the person he lost. He's lovesick and unable to function normally, experiencing physical symptoms like a constricted throat and the inability to scream. The chorus is about the bitter irony of walking away from a painful situation and the eventual realization that it's necessary to move on. The singer acknowledges that the price of love is often pain, but it's a price that must be paid to find happiness in the end.
The verses are full of vivid imagery that convey the physical and emotional toll of heartbreak. The head lights flashing across the bedroom wall and the crying eyes show how the pain is all-consuming and impossible to escape. The feeling of being "busted in two like a brittle stick" and the inability to make a sound or scream out the agony make the experience feel even more tortured and isolating. However, despite the desolation of the situation, the singer eventually finds the strength to "take a walk" and "kiss it goodbye," knowing that it's for the best.
Overall, "Taste the Pain" is a powerful song about the pain of moving on from a lost love. It's a reminder that sometimes we must face the pain and let go of what was to move forward and find happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Flat on my back In a lonely sprawl
I'm lying on my back, feeling isolated and alone.
I stare at the ceiling Because I can not fall Asleep tonight No not at all
I'm staring blankly at the ceiling because I can't sleep tonight.
Head lights flash Across my bedroom wall Crying eyes open Because I can not fall In love with you, I know not at all
Car headlights flash on my bedroom wall, and I can't help but cry because I know I can't fall in love with you.
Walk away and taste the pain Come again some other day Aren't you glad you weren't afraid Funny how the price gets paid
It's better to walk away and experience the pain now than to keep going and pay an even higher price later.
Busted in two Like a brittle stick I can not drink Because my throat constricts Lovesick from you That will never do Open my mouth I couldn't make a sound
I feel broken and unable to function normally, even simple things like drinking feel difficult because I'm lovesick over you and it's almost unbearable.
I could not scream and no I could not shout It out to you Nothing to do
I'm so consumed by my emotions that I'm unable to express them, and there seems to be nothing I can do about it.
Yeah, yeah This may come as a shocking surprise I have to take a walk I have to kiss it goodbye Goodbye my love Goodbye my love I am not alive
It may be surprising, but I need to walk away and say goodbye to my love because it's causing me so much pain and making me feel emotionally dead inside.
Oh oh how the price gets paid Well I got to pay, I got to pay the price I think I'll walk away 'Cause I couldn't survey, I couldn't pay I couldn't price
The cost of staying in this relationship is too high, so I have to pay the price now by walking away, even though I don't know how to measure or evaluate what I'm leaving behind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Anthony Kiedis, Darren Henley, Michael 'Flea' Balzary, John Frusciante
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jorgito
LETRAS
Flat on my back In a lonely sprawl
I stare at the ceiling Because I can not fall
Asleep tonight
No not at all
Head lights flash Across my bedroom wall
Crying eyes open Because I can not fall
In love with you, I know not at all
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Busted in two Like a brittle stick
I can not drink
Because my throat constricts
Lovesick from you
That will never do
Open my mouth I couldn't make a sound
I could not scream and no I could not shout
It out to you
Nothing to do
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Yeah, yeah
This may come as a shocking surprise
I have to take a walk I have to kiss it goodbye
Goodbye my love
Goodbye my love
I am not alive
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren't you glad you weren't afraid
Funny how the price gets paid
Oh oh how the price gets paid
Well I got to pay, I got to pay the price
I think I'll walk away
'Cause I couldn't survey, I couldn't pay
I couldn't price
Patrick Stocks
Flat on my back In a lonely ☹️ sprawl
I stare at the ceiling
Because I can not fall
Asleep 💤 tonight
No not at all
Headlights flash
Across my bedroom wall
Crying 😢 eyes 👀 open
Because I can not fall
In love 😍 with you, I know not at all
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren’t you glad you weren’t afraid 😧
Funny 😂 how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren’t you glad you weren’t afraid 😦
Funny 😂 how the price gets paid
Busted in 2
Like a brittle stick
Because my throat constricts
Lovesick 🥰 from you
That will never do
Open my mouth 👄 I couldn’t make a sound
I could not scream 😱 and no I could not shout
It out to you
Nothing to do
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren’t you glad you weren’t afraid 😧
Funny 😂 how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren’t you glad you weren’t afraid 😧
Funny 😂 how the price gets paid
Yeah, yeah
This may come as a shocking surprise
I have to take a walk
I have to kiss 💋 it goodbye 👋
Goodbye 👋 my love 😍
Goodbye 👋 my love 😍
I am not alive
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren’t you glad you weren’t afraid 😟
Funny 😂 how the price gets paid
Walk away and taste the pain
Come again some other day
Aren’t you glad you weren’t afraid 😧
Funny 😂 how the price gets paid
Oh oh how the price gets paid
Well I got to pay 💰 I got to pay 💰 the price
I think 💭 I’ll walk away
‘Cause I couldn’t survey, I couldn’t pay 💰
I couldn’t price
Nathan Meyer
This is such an underrated track and clip. I think it is one of the true formative moments for the band moving forward. The lyrics, the themes, the genre blending. No wasted time in this song. A mature piece that captures the period perfectly. Love it!
Right Chord Leadership
Completely agree with your assessment.
MusicalMichello
I agree as well. I feel like this was a very pivotal piece in the bands progression. It captures their essence in this song. I think that's why it's one of my favorites.
Ðe þorough eþereal wiðerer
idk, ðe whole album is so weird
Michael Anthony
I think it’s aged so well. I’d LOVE them to bring it back to their set list especially with John back in the band
Mackey Dirk
This album will always be special to me....reminds me of being young. We partied our arses off to it back then. So much fun and so many great memories.
Adam Mark
You can’t spell funk without fun and these guys always bought that to their sound and performance will always be one of my biggest inspirations in music
ALPHA
This is good for the algorithms😎
Dave Vargas
It seems like a lifetime ago this dropped. It was a simpler time we were all young wild and free. Big shout outs to the homies Slick K2S and Hex TGO in this epic piece providing the graffiti art in the background. I remember seeing the RHCP the first time at an American Legion Hall in East LA back in 85 86 and they're still standing the test of time! Rock on fellas!!
Nomad1974
Takes me back to my freshman year. I've loved RHCP for 30 years, and now my 8 yr old son has the same love for them, and we're going together to see them in concert in January!!!! First RHCP concert for both of us. I've waited three decades for this moment and I'm so thankful to be sharing it with him.