In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Only time can show you
Thru an invisible door
In the bottom of the ocean
I threw a bird at the sky
Someone told me that
You'd better close your eyes
And I said
Don't you wonder sometimes
Why I paddle thru the clouds
In my oversized
Canoe but I'm always on your side?
Can you feel it?
My love's flowing out my sides
You've been asked so fly
I thrust to some lie, yeah
It's you see my fish needs to thrive
As long as I'm alive
Aside from the leaves that fall you know
It's been justified
You've gotta take it in your stride
Besides the nightmares that lie before you
You've always found
A reason to stay happy to be alive
If you look closely you'll always find
Signals that make your mind grind
But those are just a mind fucker tag lie
You'll always
Have control of your life
Go with the feeling that's right
You know, man, all the media may try, yeah
But my beautiful spirit
Is glued to my eye, ah
Thru an invisible door
In the bottom of the ocean
I threw a bird at the sky
Someone told me that
You'd better close your eyes
And I said
Don't you wonder sometimes
Why I paddle thru the clouds
In my oversized
Canoe but I'm always on your side?
Can you feel it?
My love's flowing out my sides
You've been asked so fly
I thrust to some lie, yeah
It's you see my fish needs to thrive
As long as I'm alive
Aside from the leaves that fall you know
It's been justified
You've gotta take it in your stride
Besides the nightmares that lie before you
You've always found
A reason to stay happy to be alive
If you look closely you'll always find
Signals that make your mind grind
But those are just a mind fucker tag lie
You'll always
Have control of your life
Go with the feeling that's right
You know, man, all the media may try, yeah
But my beautiful spirit
Is glued to my eye, ah
Lyrics submitted by UseYourIllusion
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For me, this song helped me alot with finding a way to live in the life im living right now. Heres my interpretation:
Only time can show you
Thru an invisible door In the bottom of the ocean
(everyone needs time to find out who they are, what they wanna do and where they wanna live for. It just needs some time and some thinking but everyone will find it)
I threw a bird at the sky Someone told me that You'd better close your eyes And I said
( I think this is about being in the clouds all the time with your mind, just thinking about life. Some people telling u that u shouldn't think so much about difficult things like life. So "close your eyes" means just live and dont think about why do you live and stuff like that)
Don't you wonder sometimes Why I paddle thru the clouds In my oversized Canoe but I'm always on your side?
( This is almost the same, he's just always in the clouds thinking about the things. "oversized canoe" is i think too much thoughts for the heads and just can't find the solution for some things. 'im always on your side' means that he will still be in this life while he is still thinking about everything and with his thoughts high in the sky he still has to live and do everything)
Can you feel it? My love's flowing out my sides You've been asked so fly I thrust to some lie, yeah It's you see my fish needs to thrive As long as I'm alive
(I dont know what this really means, i think the last part about the fish means that he just has to live and doing everything he loves, let his creativity set free and do what he want to day, his whole life long.)
Aside from the leaves that fall you know It's been justified. You've gotta take it in your stride Besides the nightmares that lie before you You've always found A reason to stay happy to be alive
( When time is passing really fast, the hard things will still be in your head, and you will always think about it. Some people manage it to be always happy beside the nightmares (hard things of life) and they dont seem to think much about life)
If you look closely you'll always find Signals that make your mind grind But those are just a mind fucker tag lie
(when you leave your thoughts for a second, there will be MANY other things to think about and you will never find solutions, so it will grind your mind. That is why that thoughts are just a mind fucker tag lie)
You'll always Have control of your life Go with the feeling that's right You know, man, all the media may try, yeah But my beautiful spirit Is glued to my eye, ah
( well yea, this part means just everything for me. This helped me so much with difficult things in life. Everyone is just doing what people ask from them, they go to school, earn money, have a wife, getting old and die. Much people never do what they want to do, all the media may try to show you that everyone just lives the way you dont live, but you know what you want to do and you will always see that)
John frusciante, i love you. You're my hero and you are the reason why i live.