Regret

"Guitar World Acoustic: The album in general seems to be tingled with a sense of regret. There’s even a song called Regret.

John Frusciante: You're wrong. I don’t regret anything, I’ve ever done in my life, and to me that song is funny.

Guitar World Acoustic: It's hard to know what your intent is, since the sole lyrical content is “I regret my past. Stay alone”

John Frusciante: I realize that it gives it that impression. It makes me regret putting it on the record! But really I’m very happy to be who I am and very proud of who I am. I hope that, that message comes through on the record more than any other. I really try to put a positive message across. I just like to play games with words I try to put together ideas that contradict one another. And to me the statement “ I Regret my past” is in itself a contradiction. Because all you are is what you have been up to this point."

and somewhere else, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptvgf0WYjPA) "I don’t regret anything. When I’m writing lyrics I try to find little contradictory sort of remarks that sometimes contradict my own feelings, or statements that are in themselves contradictory, and to me the statement “I regret my past” is just a contradictory statement - which was why to me, at the moment I was sitting in my friend’s kitchen singing the song I was just being goofy and started singing that song. It’s just to me to… I have a warped sense of humour… to me there seemed something funny about a song called “I regret my past” but the reason why is because your past is what you are so it… so it’s kind of a… the statement kind of negates itself because if you are what you are then how can you regret… what you… if it’s you that regrets what you are then… then how can you be regretting that? Do you know what I mean?"

same here but if you put it into your life it could mean anything

no guys you've got it all wrong... it's all sarcasm, he said that in an interview that he made the song as a response that people/fans tend to think that he does regret his past.

Yakop: I think you're completely right! Somehow it doesn't sit well with me, that John would regret his past. He usually says, that it was something that he wanted, something that he learned from and something that was him - why should he regret that? Really, I think that's the beauty of this song - you can interpret it as you want; maybe you want the literally version, sometimes you want the sarcastic version. The sarcastic version is the right version... for me. It cannot be anything more

i luv it, i think it's bout him regretting when he was doin drugs

I love this song, and the fact that it only has two lines makes it all the more powerful. I agree with i love JF - everybody could tell their own story behind this song and what it means to them and each one would be unique.

i found a special relationship w/ this song. if you listen to it over and over again for a day without listening to any other song and singing along to it you feel like you are john frusciante and see what he means by this song. by the end of the day i couldnt stop crying and was up all night w/ it but it was beautiful

Haha, right on Anti Emo Kid... :-D

Awesome song from a great album... better than everything RHCP did......if you ask me...

this is a very good song. I agree with i love JF, its a song that I have also looped and after a while, it feels weird but also kind of relazing...because it feels like if you really regret doing something...

Well, about John's point of view, he is regretting all his drug usage and life before he entered rehab. This song is very self-explanatory but that doesnt mean it has little meaning. About the "stay alone" part - it also happens to me...when you feel kind of sheepish after doing something wrong...the only way i can regret and try to analyze the problem and find a solution for it is by being alone - usually with my guitar with me.

i mean "relaxing" not "relazing" lol