Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey

Look at the sky turn a hell fire red
Somebody's house is burnin' down down, down down
Down, down, down.

Well I asked my friend where is that black smoke comin' from ?
He just coughed and changed the subject and said oh wa I think it might
snow some
So I left him sippin' his tea an' I jumped in my chariot
And rode off to see just why and who could it be this time.

Sisters and brothers daddys mothers standin' 'round cryin'
When I reached the scene the flames were makin' a ghostly whine
So I stood on my horse's back an' I screamed without a crack
I say oh baby why'd you burn your brother's house down ?

Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! Hey !

Look out the sky turn a hell fire red Lord
Somebody's house is burnin' down down, down down
Look out the sky turn a hell fire red Lord
Somebody's house is burnin' down down, down down down.

Well someone stepped from the crowd he was nineteen miles high
He shouts retired and disgusted so we paint red through the sky
I said the truth is straight ahead so don't burn yourself instead
Try to learn instead of burn, hear what I say, yeah, yeah.

So I fin'ly rode away but I'll never forget that day
'Cause when I reached the valley I looked way down cross the way
A giant boat from space landed with eerie grace
And came and taken all the dead away.

Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! Hey !

What'd I say.
Look at the sky turn a hell fire red Lord
Somebody's house is burning down down, down down
Look at the sky turn a hell fire red Lord
Somebody's house is burning down down, down down
Look at the sky, look at the sky.

Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Oh baby


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House Burning Down song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    Hendrix's civil rights song. He was influenced by Martin Luther King a lot. He didn't understand why the black community would burn down their own neighborhoods and riot. You can't change anything through violence. Only through education and learning will anything change.

    "He shouts retired and disgusted so we paint red through the sky I said the truth is straight ahead so don't burn yourself instead Try to learn instead of burn, hear what I say, yeah, yeah."

    As typical with Jimi, he throws in some science fiction at the end to describe the dead souls departing earth.

    Incidently, what a great crying guitar sound on this song!!!

    jersey73on October 01, 2004   Link

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