Closing out Side One of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's sophomore album, Axis… Read Full Bio ↴Closing out Side One of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's sophomore album, Axis: Bold As Love, this counterculture anthem finds Hendrix waving his metaphorical freak flag as a symbol of his individuality. He's not interested in joining the ranks of long-haired hippies ("I ain't gonna copy you") or white-collared conservatives ("They're hoping soon my kind'll drop and die") - he just wants to live his life on his own terms.

After Hendrix introduced the phrase "freak flag" in this tune, it quickly became part of the late '60s lexicon. For hippies, their refusal to cut their hair was an act of rebellion against outdated social norms perpetuated by their conservative parents, so their flowing manes became their freak flags.

In Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 tune "Almost Cut My Hair," David Crosby opted to keep his long locks so he wouldn't betray the cause. He sang:

“I feel like letting my freak flag fly
And I feel like I owe it, to someone, yeah”

This was recorded in two parts, titled "Section A" and "Section B," and edited together to create a single track. The next day, Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell revisited the second half, now dubbed "Symphony Of Experience," and improved the rhythm track with new drum and guitar parts.

The book Ultimate Hendrix by John McDermott includes the guitarist's recollection of the recording session, including the foot stomping percussive effect created with the help of some famous guests. "I adore 'If 6 Was 9,'" Hendrix said. "That was a complete jam session, then we put the words on afterwards. That's me on the flute. Gary Leeds (also known as Gary Walker of The Walker Brothers) and Graham Nash did some foot stomping, and that's (Chas) Chandler's big feet on the fade-out. 'If 6 Was 9' is what you call a great feeling of blues."

The flute Hendrix is talking about is a beat-up recorder he bought from a London street vendor and added to the mix.

Hendrix lost the original mixes for the first half of the album when he took the masters with him to a party and left them in a taxi. The next day, all of Side One had to be remixed within 11 hours. Thankfully, bassist Noel Redding had a tape of the rough mix of this tune, but it was falling apart.

"Before we put it on the machine, I had to iron out the wrinkles," engineer Eddie Kramer recalled in Ultimate Hendrix. "It was recorded at 7 ½ i.p.s. (inches per second) and the tape was just a nightmare. That tape, though, was transferred to 15 i.p.s. and that's the version that you hear."

Although they were able to salvage it, Kramer lamented that they were never able to recapture the quality of the original.

Axis: Bold As Love was released in 1967, the same year the band issued their debut, Are You Experienced. Both albums were produced by Chas Chandler, who was the original bassist for The Animals. He was on tour with that band when he saw Hendrix perform at a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1966. Impressed by his talent, Chandler convinced him to come to London, where they put together the rest of Hendrix's band.

This was used in the movies Easy Rider (1969) and Point Break (1991). It was also featured on the TV series Mad Men in the 2014 episode "Field Trip."

If 6 Was 9
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah, sing the song, Bro

If the sun refuse to shine
I don't mind, I don't mind
If the mountains fell in the sea
let it be, it ain't me
Alright, 'cos I got my own world to look through
And I ain't gonna copy you

Now if 6 turned out to be 9
I don't mind, I don't mind
Alright, if all the hippies cut off all their hair
I don't care, I don't care
Dig, 'cos I got my own world to live through
And I ain't gonna copy you

White collared conservative flashing down the street

Pointing their plastic finger at me
They're hoping soon my kind will drop and die
But I'm gonna wave my freak flag high, high
Wave on, wave on
Fall mountains, just don't fall on me

Go ahead on Mr. Business man, you can't dress like me
Sing on Brother, play on drummer

Overall Meaning

The Jimi Hendrix Experience's song If 6 Was 9 is an anthem of individuality and nonconformity. The first stanza sets the scene for the rest of the song, as the singer declares that even if everything were to turn to chaos around them, they don't mind because they have their own world to look through. The second stanza takes this idea a step further, as the singer declares that they don't care if everyone else is conforming or not, because they are different and have their own world to live through. The chorus is the most famous part of the song, as Hendrix sings, "If 6 turned out to be 9, I don't mind, I don't mind," suggesting that he is open to seeing things in a new way and doesn't feel tied to convention or tradition. The final stanza is the most confrontational, as Hendrix sings about being targeted by conservative businessmen who want him to conform and fall in line. He responds by declaring that he is proud of who he is and will continue to be himself, waving his "freak flag" high no matter what.

The lyrics of If 6 Was 9 reflect the countercultural sentiment of the late 1960s, when the song was written and recorded. Hendrix was a leading figure in the hippie movement and encouraged people to embrace their individuality and reject conformity. The song also reflects Hendrix's personality and life story, as he was someone who never fit in with mainstream society and faced discrimination as a Black man in a predominantly white industry. Many people have interpreted the song's lyrics to be about race relations and civil rights, as Hendrix sings about being targeted by the mainstream establishment and standing up for his identity and rights.

Line by Line Meaning

If the sun refuse to shine
I don't care if things don't go my way

I don't mind, I don't mind
I'm not bothered

If the mountains fell in the sea
Even if catastrophic events were to happen

let it be, it ain't me
It won't affect me

Alright, 'cos I got my own world to look through
I have my own perspective on things

And I ain't gonna copy you
I'm not going to blindly follow others

Now if 6 turned out to be 9
If things were to drastically change or be different

Alright, if all the hippies cut off all their hair
Even if the counterculture changes or loses its identity

I don't care, I don't care
It doesn't matter to me

Dig, 'cos I got my own world to live through
I have my own life to live

And I ain't gonna copy you
I'm not going to conform to society's norms