Annie Kerns English 102 Song Analysis. Can t Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Annie Kerns English 102 Song Analysis Can’t Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers Can't stop addicted to the shin dig Cop top he says I'm gonna win big Yo...
Author: Susanna Martin
4 downloads 2 Views 1MB Size
Annie Kerns English 102 Song Analysis Can’t Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers Can't stop addicted to the shin dig Cop top he says I'm gonna win big You Choose not a life of limitation Distant cousin to the reservation Defunkt the pistol that you pay for This punk the feeling that stay for In time I want to be your best friend Eastside love is living on the westend Knock out but boy you better come to Don't die you know the truth is some do Go write your message on the pavement Burnin' so bright I wonder what the wave meant White heat is screaming in the jungle Complete the motion if you stumble Go ask the dust for any answers Come back strong with 50 belly dancers Chorus: The world I love The tears I drop To be part of The wave can't stop Ever wonder if it's all for you The world I love The trains I hop To be part of The wave can't stop Come and tell me when it's time to Sweetheart is bleeding in the snowcone So smart she's leading me to ozone Music the great communicator Use two sticks to make it in the nature I'll get you into penetration The gender of a generation The birth of every other nation Worth your weight the gold of meditation This chapter's going to be a close one Smoke rings I know your going to blow one All on a spaceship persevering

Use my hands for everything but steering Can't stop the spirits when they need you Mop tops are happy when they feed you J. Butterfly is in the treetop Birds that blow the meaning into bebop (Repeat Chorus) Wait a minute I'm passing out Win or lose just like you Far more shocking Than anything i ever knew How about you 10 more reasons Why i need somebody new just like you Far more shocking than anything I ever knew Right on cue Can't stop addicted to the shin dig Cop top he says I'm gonna win big Choose not a life of imitation Distant cousin to the reservation Defunkt the pistol that you pay for This punk the feeling that you stay for In time I want to be your best friend Eastside love is living on the westend Knock out but boy you better come to Don't die you know the truth is some do Go write your message on the pavement Burnin' so bright I wonder what the wave meant Kick start the golden generator Sweet talk but don't intimidate her Can't stop the gods from engineering Feel no need for any interfering Your image in the dictionary This life is more than ordinary Can I get 2 maybe even 3 of these Come from space To teach you of the Pleiades Can't stop the spirits when they need you This life is more than just a read thru

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have fused several genres of music with meaningful lyrics. The words of Can’t Stop encompass a variety of life topics. Like most of their other songs the meaning isn’t straightforward and doesn’t have one theme throughout. . Some could argue that the lines are random but lyrically this allows listeners to come to their own conclusions as to the context of the song. The lines are about many different topics of life but are strung together through the main chorus.

Anthony Kiedis, the main vocalist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers incorporates several parts of his life into the song. He has written in a way that describes his life and allows others to input their own interpretation of the lyrics. This allows him to get out what he wants to say without telling the whole world directly about it. Without being given a specific meaning, he allows his listeners to turn his songs into anthems for their own lives. These two lines are a good example of Anthony addressing several issues in his life. “Distant cousin to the reservation.” / “ So smart she's leading me to ozone.” The first line above, when taken literally, implies his Native American ancestry. When he says calls himself a “distant cousin” it means that he is in fact a distant relative to Native American Indians. To listeners, this may mean that they shouldn’t take reservations. They should be free and live their lives as they dream without thinking twice about doing something they want. The second line above can also have a special

separate meaning for both Kiedes and his audience. While it is impossible to tell exactly what was running through this lyricist’s mind, this line is most likely about his experience with a Hepatitis C infection. Ozone is injected to try and treat this disease. For listener they might get that this line means that the person is finally able to breathe. Perhaps someone allowed them to get something off their chest that they had been holding in a long time. Maybe they just made it through the hard times and are finally able to surface and breathe. From the first line of the song, some listeners may see that there are deeper meanings than what the lyrics read. “Can't stop addicted to the shin dig.” To some listeners this means that life is like a big “shin dig” or party that the writer doesn’t want to end. The individual is making the realization that this is “the world I love.” He has just come out on top of life after going through several rough stages. “Complete the motion if you stumble.” Basically, I understand this to mean if a person falls on the way that they shouldn’t give up. They should keep going until they accomplish what they set out to do. Kiedis also hints that you can’t limit yourself in life. “You choose not a life of limitation.” It is important not to be bound by what others think but be free to make your own intimate decisions in life. He also expresses that it is important not to hide your thoughts from others in fear that they won’t see eye to eye. “Go write your message on the pavement.” People should feel comfortable to show the world who they are as individuals. The writer uses several words and ideas that the average listener might not obtain. Each section of the song has words that may elicit certain thoughts in the listener. One of these parts uses words including treetop and birds that reminds listeners of nature. “J.

Butterfly is in the treetop / Birds that blow the meaning into bebop.” It’s hard to tell exactly why Kiedis decided to cover this in the song. J. Butterfly stands for Julia Butterfly Hill. This woman spent over two years in a giant redwood in California. She did this to prevent loggers from cutting it down. Perhaps he is trying to show his support for her environmental beliefs. In the last section of the song, the words give a heavenly concept. “Can't stop the gods from engineering.” The writer is hinting that maybe there is someone greater that has a plan for us.

Kiedis then shows that he believes life is

something special not just “ordinary.” In later lines he brushes on other scientific or mythological ideas. “To teach you of the Pleiades.” The Pleiades are a group of seven stars in the Taurus constellation. Many different civilizations have tales based on the Pleiades. The ancient Greeks refer to this cluster as the Seven Sisters. Some people in the 21st century think that a group of human like aliens comes from the Pleiades.

The meaning of this song can be different for every listener. The writer, Anthony Kiedis, talks about so many concepts in this song. The main theme throughout is life. The listener picks which “waves” he rides during life. The last verse of the song sums up

the general concept. “This life is more than just a read thru.” The meaning is that we must not coast through life. We have to make it exciting. We have to reach for our dreams. Most importantly we have to make it ours.

Suggest Documents