In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
There's such a thing as self opinion
And this far down South I have no self control
If anbody else feels like a nobody
Well then your gonna have to look out for you
I'll colour green verything believed in
But I keep screaming for my glass of lemonade
I walk around and it feels good to be movin'
The breeze that's blowin' through cannot be found
Jump on the trolley that's headed for all the hollering
And then you're gonna have to look out for you
In desperate need of a little more religion
To nurse your God like point of view
Fool on the sheetroof you gotta lay down in your ruins
The river flowin' by, is way too big to bound
If I should speak up, and say hello Mr. Uppercut
Oh, how nice to have avoided you
I'll bloody bleed on everything I'm seeing
But I keep screaming for that glass of lemonade
Too much, too much, too much lemonade
And this far down South I have no self control
If anbody else feels like a nobody
Well then your gonna have to look out for you
I'll colour green verything believed in
But I keep screaming for my glass of lemonade
I walk around and it feels good to be movin'
The breeze that's blowin' through cannot be found
Jump on the trolley that's headed for all the hollering
And then you're gonna have to look out for you
In desperate need of a little more religion
To nurse your God like point of view
Fool on the sheetroof you gotta lay down in your ruins
The river flowin' by, is way too big to bound
If I should speak up, and say hello Mr. Uppercut
Oh, how nice to have avoided you
I'll bloody bleed on everything I'm seeing
But I keep screaming for that glass of lemonade
Too much, too much, too much lemonade
Lyrics submitted by bubbrock316
Lemonade Lyrics as written by Shannon Hoon Glen Graham
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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Has anyone ever heard a rock song composed like this? there are like 3 different time changes at least. The horn section at the end is great.
I think "lemonade" is just like Curleys finger in City Slickers...it symbolizes that one thing.
Fans of Blind Melon should find the "Letters from a Porcupine" DVD and see them play this stuff live!
@Bellyfull of Swans there are SO many interesting and wonderful “time changes” (I don’t exactly speak music, but love it and wish I did), as you call them, and entirely novel constructions in Blind Melons discography as a whole. I, of course, being a gen-x 90s kid through and through, loved their self-titled album as a kid, especially “No Rain,” and it is still a fantastic song and album! But it wasn’t until the 2000s, when I was in my 20s, that I downloaded—erm, legitimately bought—-their entire discography on a whim and TRULY fell in love! The talent is just unbelievable; they were truly novel, something special, and I wish more people realized that!!
The Quote 'This Far down south, and i have no self control' is (TO ME) him saying something about his drug problem AND New Orleans. im sure he knew deep down insdie him that that place what not a great place for him to be. a town full of toxicity. that mixed with his ways already, somewhat took him down if you ask me. The culture, the beauty, the art, the electricity of that city pulled him down... .."The river flowing is way too big to bound"... This song's meaning is loud and clear to me, personally. i am a writer and i really disect lyrics to peoples song without even realizing it.. HA
I really enjoy Blind Melon and Shannon Hoon quite a bit :) Thank you :)
@mrleavesagain this is a great interpretation, and kind of what I was looking for. It’s clearly commentary on the south, and I was beginning to wonder (still do!) if it wasn’t a more scathing—albeit somewhat “hidden” in the metaphors, so not overtly scathing— kind of criticism of the south, itself. After all, we have lines in here where he seems to be calling out others, saying they’re going to need to let go (can’t rope in that river, like you quoted), and that about “needing religion to combat the ‘God-like’ point of view.” Still demanding lemonade be brought even whilst bad things are going on around them, the speaker and others… I really wonder about this one. But without more to go on, I can’t really argue for this interpretation
Damn blind melon is tight, how come they weren't more popular? It's weak how No Rain is the only song I've heard before checking them out a couple months ago. Anyways, Lemonade is so badass, I love the trumpets and lemon beverage mucho.
It's about a bar fight obviously. Shannon said that all people from indiana are only good at getting drunk and fighting each other
@mackey138 I love how you say “obviously “ when it’s totes not obvious, lol. But you’re the first person I’ve seen here who is also detecting criticism in the song—I think it’s a (negative) critique of pompous,\r\nOut-of-touch (probably racist, but that would just go with the territory) sort of ppl in the south, and knowing he made that comment about Indiana (not exactly the south, but still shows what he thought about certain sorts of ppl) supports my theory, at least loosely. I do like the idea of it being about a bar fright—maybe you’re right!
@mackey138 it's crazy that I'm replying to over a decade comment. You was partially right Shannon and a off police officer. But the song is talking about he has no control over his addiction. Shannon was in rehab 2 1/2 months prior and convinced everyone he was ready to tour, the rehab clinic told the the label he just wasn't ready. The sent his drug counselor on the road with them. He was following Shannon around for over 2 months making sure he was doing good, Shannon again convinced everyone he was okay he didn't need the babysitter anymore. So they sent the drug counselor back home to LA. 3 days later they found Shannon on the bus.. Sad my favorite vocalist of all time I seen them twice first time Ozzy No More Tears your Alice N Chains then Blind Melon. What an awesome voice and such a free spirit.. R.I.P. Shannon ????
haha this is an odd song. it reminds me of some guy in a mental hospital, whos always asking for lemonad. and he ran away adn still asks for his lemonade. im sure theres deeper meaning but thats what i thought it sounded like at the moment.
I always interpreted this song as Shannon's battle with drugs (Lemonade). So, I think he's talking about how he's got no self-control to stop using drugs when he really wants to. And he's also saying that you are the only one that can look after yourself when you are an addict. The third verse, "Fool on the sheetroof..." talks about how his life has been turned to ruins, but there is nothing to do to fix what has already been destroyed. Etc... you can figure out the rest.
I always interpreted this song as Shannon's battle with drugs (Lemonade). So, I think he's talking about how he's got no self-control to stop using drugs when he really wants to. And he's also saying that you are the only one that can look after yourself when you are an addict. The third verse, "Fool on the sheetroof..." talks about how his life has been turned to ruins, but there is nothing to do to fix what has already been destroyed. Etc... you can figure out the rest.
Well, I'm pretty sure it's about his heroin problem. Lemonade is a slag-term for heroin.
I just found that out the other day.
anybody else every think of "this far down south I have no self control" as a reference to sex drive? it does seem a little far fetched 'cause i can't tie it into anything else in the song, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once.
and Bellyful of swans, while this song is impressive in more ways than one, and is a wonderful arrangement, there are pleanty of other rock songs i can think of that have multiple time changes.
quite a few with more than 3.
i hope no one thinks i'm knockin' the brilliance of this song at all. but it's not unique in the area of time changes.
I'm probably wrong, but....
There's such a thing as self opinion (and this is Shannon's of himself) And this far down South I have no self control (no control over the drug, but he knows it) If anbody else feels like a nobody Well then your gonna have to look out for you (People with low self-esteem and self-worth may be more susceptible to falling into addiction) I'll colour green verything believed in But I keep screaming for my glass of lemonade (I'm not sure about the color green. It could be money or weed, but doesn't make perfect sense either way. Regardless, he going to keep yelling for the lemonade, aka heroin)
I walk around and it feels good to be movin' The breeze that's blowin' through cannot be found (affects of the heroin, either on or a brief respite off - I'm not sure which he's conveying here) Jump on the trolley that's headed for all the hollering And then you're gonna have to look out for you (if you jump into the rock 'n' roll scene, good luck keeping off the heavy drugs, It'll be all around and nobody will tell you no.)
In desperate need of a little more religion To nurse your God like point of view (as a rock star, you feel like a god. The religion is most likely another reference to the drugs - people on powerful narcs can "find religion" in the drugs, not literally, but it feels like it)
Fool on the sheetroof you gotta lay down in your ruins (I think he coined a new term for sheetrock on a ceiling and is commenting on how if you stand on sheetrock, you're going to crash down eventually) The river flowin' by, is way too big to bound (you're going to get swept up in the current of the drug scene, you can't keep it away) If I should speak up, and say hello Mr. Uppercut Oh, how nice to have avoided you (hasn't fallen yet)
I'll bloody bleed on everything I'm seeing But I keep screaming for that glass of lemonade (he's dying, he's falling, he spinning out of control and he knows it, but he's going to keep on asking for and getting the heroin)
Too much, too much, too much lemonade