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”
The crimson tide is flowing through your fingers as you sleep
The promise of a clean regime are promises we keep
Do you like it rough I ask and are you up to task?
The catacombs of bet and bone where cultures come to clash
Several of my best friends wear,
The colors of the crown
And Mary wants to fill it up,
And Sherry wants to tear it all back down, girl
The savior of your light
The monarchy of roses
The monarchy of roses tonight
The cloth between my former queen, her legendary stare
The holy tears that I am in, the lovely cross to bear
Several of my best friends know,
The secrets of this town
And Mary wants to raise it up,
And Sherry wants to spit it all around, girl
The sailors of the night
The monarchy of roses
The monarchy of roses tonight
Several of my best friends wear,
The colors of the crown
And Mary wants to fill it up,
And Sherry wants to tear it all back down, girl
The savior of your light
The monarchy of roses
The monarchy of roses
Hey yeah
We all want the rose you know
I said, hey yeah
Show us love before you go
Say I will, and then say I'll want to
The story of love that I'll never taunt you
Hey yeah
We all want the rose you know
I said, hey yeah
Show us love before you go
Say I will, and then I'll say I want to
The story of love that I'll always want you
Hey
The promise of a clean regime are promises we keep
Do you like it rough I ask and are you up to task?
The catacombs of bet and bone where cultures come to clash
Several of my best friends wear,
The colors of the crown
And Mary wants to fill it up,
And Sherry wants to tear it all back down, girl
The savior of your light
The monarchy of roses
The monarchy of roses tonight
The cloth between my former queen, her legendary stare
The holy tears that I am in, the lovely cross to bear
Several of my best friends know,
The secrets of this town
And Mary wants to raise it up,
And Sherry wants to spit it all around, girl
The sailors of the night
The monarchy of roses
The monarchy of roses tonight
Several of my best friends wear,
The colors of the crown
And Mary wants to fill it up,
And Sherry wants to tear it all back down, girl
The savior of your light
The monarchy of roses
The monarchy of roses
Hey yeah
We all want the rose you know
I said, hey yeah
Show us love before you go
Say I will, and then say I'll want to
The story of love that I'll never taunt you
Hey yeah
We all want the rose you know
I said, hey yeah
Show us love before you go
Say I will, and then I'll say I want to
The story of love that I'll always want you
Hey
Lyrics submitted by aristuma21, edited by Kalico37, strychninetwitch
Monarchy of Roses Lyrics as written by Anthony Kiedis Michael Balzary
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Just had to make a account for this but did anyone else notice how in the first and second chorus contradict each other in some parts? like
1st Chorus: "And mary wants to fill it up, and sherry wants to tear it all back down, girl"
2nd Chorus: "And mary wants to raise it up, and sherry wants to spit it all around, girl"
"Mary wants to fill it up" from the 1st and "Sherry wants to spit it all around" from the 2nd
Then
"Mary wants to raise it up" from the 2nd and "Sherry wants to tear it all back down" from the 1st
just thought this should be looked at
Gonna throw a little different interpretation out there.
You could take this as a comment on the nation's preoccupation with College Football.
Hear me out.
The first thing that clued me to this was the opening line. "Crimson Tide" is the mascot of the University of Alabama athletics. They also have some of the most passionate fans you will ever see.
"Several of my friends wear the color of the crown." This could point to friends who support different teams, indicated by the school colors they wear.
"Mary wants to build it up... Sheri wants to tear it all back down." This could point to one fan obsessively supporting a team, while another fan wants to see the team fail.
"The Monarchy of Roses", "We all want the rose, you know." What team does not want to go on to win the Rose Bowl.
Anyway, that's one thought I had on it.
My theory is it's inspired directly from the thirty-year conflict in the mid 15th century for the throne of England: the War of Roses.
The "crimson tide" would be the blood spilled in the conflict or the blood in the seas. "The promise of a clean regime" would literally mean the hopes of a king to restore order. "The colors of the crown" would mean the two main factions of the war: the white rose House of York and the red rose House of Lancaster. Mary could be the Queen of Scotland Mary of Gueldres who was an ally of Lancaster. The song title and main line "Monarchy of Roses" would therefore be a direct reference to the above-mentioned houses and the roses they represented. The "Holy tears of Ireland" could be a reference to Richard of York's post as its Lieutenant and how the war spilled over into the nation. The "cross of the former queen" could refer to the previous queen or her symbol the fleur de lis.
I first took it for a straight-up reference to Catholicism, but the "Monarchy" stood out like a sore thumb.
@cyberpunksurvivor Lol that is what i thought, yay, now i can send to my british friend who loves rhcp!
It's a love song y'know! I like to view it as one of the highlights from Im With You.
Corrections from the lyric booklet:
"Mary wants to build it up And Sherri wants to tear it all back down girl"
"The cross between my former queen Her legendary stare The holy tears of Ireland A lovely cross to bear"
"Sherri wants to spin it all around girl"
"The story knows that I will never taunt you"
"The story knows that I will always haunt you"
No offense, moonshadowbird, but you seem awfully repetitive on these comments I'm seeing. hahaha
To me it very obviously is about the Holy Rosary of Catholicism! Every lyric in this song (including the names)supports this theory. It also isn't the first time the Peppers touch on religion...(think Shallow Be Thy Game, Wet Sand, etc.)
Excellent point of view. I guess he is playing with meanings to talk about his relationships matters. But in your vision what would mean the name Sherry? And what the connection of "The Calicos of Pettibon where cultures come to clash"? Pettibon was the bassist of Black Flag, right? Who would be the savior (Jesus?) and the sailors? I'm very ignorant about those aspects in religion. The secrets of the town may reffer to the mysteries of the rosary, right?(sorry, cause I'm not a native speaker then some simple things seems to be confusing or meaningless sometimes)
Yeah - that's Pettibon. I think the reference refers to his violent, anti-authoritarian comic work (calicoes referes to colorfulness). Religion definitely brought good to the world, but it also spawned depictions of chaos and violence. The song expresses the darker consequences of religion, and possibly the negativity going on behind the scenes. As for the name Sherry, I'm torn between it referring simply to alcohol's effect on religion or some sort of vague reference to the Spanish Inquisition. Sherry is also a name of Hebrew roots - though my guess is that wasn't the reason for choosing it. Mary could refer to pureness and goodness, whereas Sherry could refer to debauchery and wildness.
It sounds like it has something to do with England (Monarchy of Roses) and Ireland (The holy tears of Ireland). Maybe the troubles in the North. Can't quite figure it out though. Any ideas!?
@Dorfcb Also "many of my best friends wear the colors of the crown" and "monarchy of roses" often refers to the war of the roses where the house of white rose fouhgt the house of red rose in England. I think, remembering this from like 4th grade.
the song is about anthony's love for motorcycles and it is told from the perspective of driving through LA with different people. "several of my best friends wear the colors of the crown"
Another interesting point lies in the video clip. It is supposedly a narrative of AK's life, and has many points speaking of his addiction and the sorrow he has felt and caused throughout his life. Ie. "some parts of my life, i feel cannot be understood"
Good point. Pretty much what I was thinking.