Could you turn up the track a little bit, please

My mouth fell open
Hoping that the truth would not be true
Refuse the news

I'm feeling sick now
What the fuck am I supposed to do
Just lose and lose

First time I saw you
You were sitting backstage in a dress
A perfect mess

You never knew this
But I wanted badly for you to
Requite my love

Left on the floor
Leaving your body
When highs are the lows
And lows are the way
So hard to stay
Guess now you know
I love you so

I liked your whiskers
And I liked the dimple in your chin
Your pale blue eyes

You painted pictures
'Cause the one who hurts can give so much
You gave me such

Left on the floor
Leaving your body
When highs are the lows
And lows are the way
So hard to stay
Guess now you know
I love you so


Lyrics submitted by PrismPuck, edited by aurora4847, Rami Abu Shakra

Tearjerker Lyrics as written by Anthony Kiedis Michael Balzary

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Tearjerker song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

142 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +6
    General Comment

    This song is definitely about Kurt Cobain, just read Anthony's book 'Scar Tissue'. And although John Frusciante is my all time favourite guitarits and Hillel was amazing too (R.I.P) Navarro IS a great guitarist, whether you like his playing style or not, I'm not a huge fan, but I know he is very talented. He also kept the band afloat after Frusciante left, so without Navarro and One Hot Minute there probably wouldn't be Californication, By The Way or Stadium Arcadium.

    RedBloodHotSugaron May 09, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    John Frusciante DOES NOT SUCK. He's amazing, even if he doesn't play metal or whatever shit you like. His parts are some of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard come from a guitar. And have you ever heard him sing? Dave Navarro wasn't bad, just different. I think many RHCP fans are too critical of OHM and Navarro. But don't diss Frusciante.

    Also, this is a great song musically and lyrically.

    suckmykisson March 04, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This song is about Kurt Cobain, Anthony wrote about it in his book, Scar Tissue.

    lizeton July 13, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I'd say Kurt Cobain. Hillel Slovak didn't have pale blue eyes or whiskers. He also says that the first time he saw him was backstage, so it couldn't be hillel since he and hillel were highschool buddies and such.

    Grunger83on May 30, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Someone once told me that this song was about Kurt Cobain. I have no idea if this is true but the lyrics do go along with this.

    Yodion May 25, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Dave Navarro if a fucking good guitarist, heehee! Don't say somebody sucks just because you're pissed that the band didn't churn out another Give It Away. And yes Anthony did love Kurt Cobain, in an interview he said that he loved him and thought he was a beautiful person.

    Grunger83on August 18, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    so u don#t even greet friends anymore? hah? What do u have to say for urself? hehehe, LOL

    well, it all makes sense. The way he describes him (kurt) is the way i felt too.

    "I liked your whiskers And I liked the Dimple in your chin Your pale blue eyes

    You painted pictures Cause the one Who hurts Can give so much You gave my such "

    WOW! It so describes Kurt. And i must say, that it is very true that the ones that hurt (depressed) have a lot of deepness, and that makes them write the cleverest and saddest lyrics that are so deep it#s amazing. And kurt painted pictures with his words..... (and with paint as well.....)

    hmmmmm. these lyrics are so nice. and sad.

    annion August 30, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    sad, but none the less awsome lyrics. rip kurt .. peace! -aodx

    AngelOfDeathxon September 02, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song, I'm pretty positivie IS about Kurt Cobain. In Scar Tissue, Anthony recalls meeting Kurt for the first time when they were about to go on tour together...

    "That night was the first time I met Kurt Cobain. Before the show, I went back to Kurt's dressing room to say hello, and he was back there with Courtney. He looked torn up, like he had just come off a hard bender. He was wearing a ripped dress, and his skin was bad, and he looked like he hadn't slept for a few days.."

    I mean, come on... "First time I saw you, you were sitting backstage in a dress, a perfect mess." "I liked your whiskers, and I liked the dimple in your chin, your pale blue eyes..." If it's not about Cobain, then it must be one hell of a coincidence...

    soft_but_estrangedon February 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'd imagine it was about Hillel Slovak

    MardyAsson May 27, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.