Black Summer

Black Summer is pretty much a "state of things" song: it\'s about climate change, about the California fires (I like a lot the line \'the night is dressed like noon\'), about media, about COVID & about the state of the world. But most importantly, as the chorus states, Black Summer is not optimistic, and it\'s about this never-ending chaos that the world is in, with one thing happening after another, and one not capable of withstanding these times.

Although the theme of the lyrics seems to reference climate change, covid, and personal depression, by chance the song was released just before the war started in Ukraine.\n\nThe sadness of a f*ked up world, and us facing a new reality, a new cold or hot war, fits perfectly with the melancholy music, and every time I hear it I am reminded of the mess we are all in.

Maybe there is some reference to the summer of 2020 with Covid ripping across the planet. Global warming slowly killing the environment, the horrible blight of Trumpism showing us that racism and bigotry was not dead, the killing of G Floyd and countless other Black people by the police led to world wide protests It was definitely a black summer in good and bad ways and we all waited anxiously for it to end.

The key lines of this song are 1 - Cremation takes its piece of your supply; and 2 - It's been a long time since I made a new friend.

In this song, "black summer" is a bad thing, a season where there is no light to be found.

He is lamenting the loss of friends to drugs. Note the clever use of "supply" that refers to one's drugs as well as to one's stable of friends. The song also includes the words crack and trip. And the reference to riding a headless horse an obvious reference to the mythological headless horseman, whose presence foretold death.

Many of the more bizarre lines reflect his having a bad trip - again, representing both a literal bad drug trip as well as his symbolic struggle against the loss all around him.

(I confess to have no idea where the 2nd verse's references to animals associated with Australia fit in.)

The song also has a recurring subplot attacking the corruption of Western Leftists. *His Greta (the media-created environmentalist) weighs a ton - the hysteria weighing him down (but Kiedis also has a great sense of humor and loves his now-healthy body so he has probably noted that she has put on the usual Freshman 15 pounds since starting college and traveling by yacht to protect the planet).

• China being propped up and made rich by the West's leaders, bankers, and Big Tech, all of it being done with little scrutiny, as if it were happening on the dark side of the moon.

• Sailing on a censorship - the Western Media's working with Big Tech to block any dissident ideas by calling them disinformation or racist or a threat to the planet.

Someone told me the new friend/long wait stuff is really about the return of John Frusciante but I'm not convinced - though the great guitar in this song lends it some credence?

pretty sure he's saying 'Groo' not roo in the lyrics there..

also pretty sure it's 'my Cradle weighs a ton' even tho he is pronouncing the 'd' in Cradle a lil sharp...

• Groo was a sort of obscure comic book series however in description of the main character Groo "Groo is a large-nosed buffoon of unsurpassed stupidity who constantly misunderstands his surroundings. Possessed of superlative skills in swordsmanship (the only task at which he is remotely competent), he delights in combat but otherwise is a peaceable and honest fellow..." which would lend creed to the physical characteristics and partly the lifestyle/habits of the duckbill Platypus..

just some insight, may or may not be correct.

also 'Cradle' would further add to the whole astrology / zodiac thing they got goin' on in that verse and one or two other parts of the tune...

\m/

-- abba bdon widdit

pretty sure he's saying 'Groo' not roo in the lyrics there..

also pretty sure it's 'my Cradle weighs a ton' even tho he is pronouncing the 'd' in Cradle a lil sharp...

• Groo was a sort of obscure comic book series however in description of the main character Groo "Groo is a large-nosed buffoon of unsurpassed stupidity who constantly misunderstands his surroundings. Possessed of superlative skills in swordsmanship (the only task at which he is remotely competent), he delights in combat but otherwise is a peaceable and honest fellow..." which would lend creed to the physical characteristics and partly the lifestyle/habits of the duckbill Platypus..

just some insight, may or may not be correct.

also 'Cradle' would further add to the whole astrology / zodiac thing they got goin' on in that verse and one or two other parts of the tune...

\m/

-- abba bdon widdit

Since the old albums of red hot or maybe since the depart of John I didn't liked any song from them but man this song and album have that great old vibes of this great band and about this song is how a bloody and sad world we live in and how the human being waiting for redemption. Just waiting for this black Summer to end .

Since the old albums of red hot or maybe since the depart of John I didn't liked any song from them but man this song and album have that great old vibes of this great band and about this song is how a bloody and sad world we live in and how the human being waiting for redemption. Just waiting for this black Summer to end .