Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
When I try I force it out
Never looking in only out
Now is the time for millions to lose
Never the same since I lost you
Running me out of town
Wishing the best around
Would only get off my back
Heaven receives you and throws you back
Sending a dummy to my God
Driving to eat a Carvel cake
Somewhere you know isn't where you think
Have you gone away already
All the good times are on their way
Up and down thats how energy stays alive
And I wouldn't have it any other way
Never looking in only out
Now is the time for millions to lose
Never the same since I lost you
Running me out of town
Wishing the best around
Would only get off my back
Heaven receives you and throws you back
Sending a dummy to my God
Driving to eat a Carvel cake
Somewhere you know isn't where you think
Have you gone away already
All the good times are on their way
Up and down thats how energy stays alive
And I wouldn't have it any other way
Lyrics submitted by dan fitz, edited by SupaScoopa
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I read an interview with the 'Froosh' and he described the feelings that enveloped him when he was detoxing off of heroin and cocaine, he no longer wanted to use either drug at all, but he totally wanted to escape the rehabilitation center, just to have a piece of "Carvel Cake". Whenever I listen to "Carvel" this scenario pops into mind, a man so determined to have a piece of cake that he wants to leave the rehab, not to seek illicit substances, but a wonderful concotion called "Carvel Cake". Thats my interpretation anyways. :)
i love love love the emotion felt when he screams "have you gone away?". this man is one of a kind.
to me this song is about getting better. being in rehab. wanting to leave at some point as all addicts in recovery do. i've heard some people say the drive to get a carvel cake is a literal one. but, i don't take it as that. i feel like this carvel cake was perhaps some dope. addicts often come up with crazy stories, lies, scenarios to fool people. i picture him wanting to get high so bad one night in rehab that he's like i'm guna tell these mofos i'm in the mood for some carvel.
never looking in, only out - never seeing himself from someone else's point of view during his addiction.. only seeing it from where he was standing.. which is where everything's fine. this life is normal. the whole i don't have a problem mindset.
now is the time for millions to lose - now, which is a point in time that is always present. which stresses the availability of the moment for addicts to chose to give up their addictions.
never the same since i lost you - he found himself in recovery. he will never be the same person. in a beautiful, refreshing way.
running me out of town - perhaps this means his addiction sent him away from his life as he knew it. no rhcp. no family. no true friends.
wishing the best around would only get off my back - the people trying to help him get better, telling him he needs help again and again and having his best interest at heart are the people he wanted nothing to do with.
heaven receives you and throws you back - he found god and fixed himself. then god threw him back into the world to live his life again
sending a dummy to my god - the person he was in his addicted state was "worthless" for lack of a better word. or maybe this is referring to an overdose
driving to eat a carvel cake - drug run
somewhere you know isn't where you think - i take this as he just lied to the people in charge at rehab and he's like "ha you think you know where i'm going.. i just fooled you."
have you gone away already? - he's talking to himself.. pleading with himself.. like you haven't even given getting better a try.. it hasn't even been long enough for you to make a sound decision to leave. this is something all addicts struggle with in recovery.
all the good times are on their way - life is going to be so awesome once you get through this. stick it out! stick it out! it's going to be worth it.
up and down and that's how energy stays alive - life is awesome. life is shitty. life is amazing. life sucks. that's the way it is. it's the way life works.
and i wouldn't have it any other way. - this man doesn't regret a damn thing. this all happened for a reason. i'm a stronger person from it. bring it on. life. i. love. you.
f***, do i love this song.
There was just one part at around 2:10 where his voice just did something extremely wierd, not exactly bad, but wierd. Great song though.
First line: ”When I try I force it out Never looking in only out” basically means not dealing with the nature of the mental state that is causing the bad habits or self harm, in this case a really heavy drug addiction. Anyone who has gone through rehab or any form of self improvement knows that it is a mental and emotional game, the healing works inside out, not the other way around. He has made som big improvements there, but when he became famous in RHCP he was very young and couldn’t handle the pressure from the external world, being an introvert and shy person. He openly admits this and it’s the reason he quit in the first place. It can also mean hiding in that inner safe place, never seing himself with others’ eyes and using drugs to numb the emotions lurking in there, that are actually causing his insecurities in the first place. Being a drug addict is a “highly” (see what i did there? :D) contradicting state to be in, sometimes feeling like a god and sometimes feeling like a piece of shit wanting to die. He refers to this in the line “Heaven recieves you and throws you back” Also talking about the ups and downs in the end: “Up and down that’s how energy stays alive And I wouldn't have it any other way” This can be interpreted either by not wanting to change the habit, or in a more positive light with the law of polarity; that everything has an opposite side, you can’t have a bad without a good or an up without a down etc.. Either way this is an awesome song and like most of J-Fru’s songs they can be analyzed for hours! I will end by clarifying that this is just my interpretation, so chill out:)
this song is so good, but noones posted anything. im not sure what its about. but carvel is some icecream and cake place. they first opened in new york (i think) where john was born. so that may mean something to the song.
frusciante is a god. the gutteral screech leading into the 'up and down...' bit is amazing, and his trademark backing vocals are fantastic & integeral as usual.
John Frusciante is a legend. His songs can be so powerful and this one especially, it is so cool
zephyr47 if the icecream and cake place is where john was born i think this song might have something to do with his childhood and espically his dad as he wa not the best dad to john and this may bring back memories to john and he wrote a song partly about it mabey it was something in his mind when he came back from somewhere something like that
there's adverts for carvel icecream on the side of this page
mmmmmm??i fucking love this song and the acoustic version kills me, john frusciantes so deep and he finds the most beautiful metaphors. this isnt red and hot by the way, its someone else, charlotte. hear hear johnnyrob