Cabron

I was checking out the lyrics because my young kids love this song, and we didn't want to have them running around singing something really awful (er...I just couldn't let them get hooked on "I Like Dirt"...just one example). Factoring in some things others have said, I'm pretty confident the narrative is from the perspective of a gang member who wishes the fighting would stop, but can't bring himself to take the actual first step.

Everyone is focused WAY too much on the title/chorus. The key meaning of "cabron" is that it's a nasty insult -- the exact nature isn't relevant. And Kiedis came out and said the connotation he's using is "mean mutha@#$%$." Why use such a nasty word as title and chorus? Because it creates an awesome juxtaposition with the beautiful guitar riff and the ballady feel of the song. I bet John had the riff worked out, and the Spanish feel inspired or shaped Anthony's lyrics.

So the dodger blue and mad-doggin' -- clearly references to a rival gang member wearing blue. I doubt he's specifically calling out the LA Crips, but that's a gang reference most people would recognize, and it's a fluid lyric. So the singer is "speaking" to a rival gang member who is eyeing him and calling him out. But the next lines are skipped frequently: I'll get it on...if you want me to -- so, I WILL fight you. "What else can I do" -- but this is the key -- the rival gang fighting is not optional, and the narrator isn't willing to be the one to stand up and say no. Maybe "I'm small" earlier means this is a young gang member who isn't completely jaded and still knows this life sucks, and wishes it would end. But as a young member, he's not going to have nearly enough influence to make a difference -- so he's HOPING the other guy will.

And the next line is another key: everyone will take a cue from you -- so the narrator is saying "if YOU refuse to keep the fighting going, others will listen to you." Or more generally -- if more of us stop the fighting, others will follow. So the song then might be more about sending a message to the gang LEADERS. Because the next line is "what else can THEY do" -- so if the leaders are the ones to stop the fighting, their subordinates will have to follow (or will be compelled to follow).

And the verse ends with more language that clearly separates this from any of the sexual theories: the narrator doesn't want to fight, he wants to party, and is saying pretty simply, we could all just party all night instead of killing each other.

The second verse is essentially repeating the theme with a couple of changes. I'm not quite sure what to make of "I come around and make peace " -- but the broader theme of the second verse is identifying with each other, so the idea could be "see, I barbecue and party, you do too." But the later lines are much clearer. Whereas the first verse was all about "I do, they do, you do" the second is all about "just like you" and "if you only knew." So, where the first verse was selling the idea by showing a better way, this verse is trying to make the rival identify with the narrator -- by getting him to understand they're all really the same at their cores, he might be less inclined to want to fight every rival he meets, or order fights with every rival, etc.

The lines get repeated in the outro, but what's slick is that they are twisted to hammer home a poignant sense of hopelessness. "If you want me too / What else can I do? / Cause I'm just like you / If you only knew" Here the singer is saying "yup, if you want to fight, I WILL fight you because you and I are the same" So saying "we're the same" here isn't an appeal to give him a reason not to fight, it's a reminder that they ARE the same deep down, and that's the sad part of this all. Despite the singers desire for the fighting to end, he knows that he can't be the one to stop it (maybe he's too young, or maybe he's too entrenched) because deep down he's no different from the rival across the way. And for the final irony -- he's calling that rival cabron at the same time that he's admitting he (the singer) is no different. So "cabron" is every bit self-accusatory as it is an insult.

N.B. there is a PDF copy of the Kiedis autobiography on the web, and I searched it for a reference to anyone named "Cabron" questioning Kiedis about drugs, so I'm not sure that theory is valid.

And NOW I get to figure out if I'm ok with my 3 and 7 year olds running around the house innocently singing "cabron" at the top of their lungs...