| Red Hot Chili Peppers – Can't Stop Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I have read through the comments and don't think anyone has really nailed the song meaning yet. After reading Anthony Keidis' autobiography this song becomes clear in it's meaning. Keidis was a frequent drug user from the age of 14 and a heavy addict from sometime later in his teens, his book details countless relapses during his attempts at staying clean. I was reading page 447 of his book and he is talking about wanting to stop (his drug binges) and he just can't. This song came into focus for me and I started to look at the lyrics and picked these bits; Can't stop addicted to the shin dig (shin dig being his drug fueled escapades) Cop top he says I'm gonna win big ('he' being the voice inside his head trying to get him to use) Choose not a life of imitation ('life of imitation' life under the influence of drugs) Distant cousin to the reservation (detatched from real life) Defunkt the pistol that you pay for (when he scores drugs that aren't good enough or strong enough) This punk the feeling that you stay for (calling the Heroine high a 'punk') In time I want to be your best friend Eastside love is living on the westend (Keidis had a string of girlfriends from New York (Eastside Love) and he lives in LA (West End), relationships he ruined through his drug use) Knock out but boy you better come to Don't die you know the truth is some do (about overdosing and the people he's known who have died) Go write your message on the pavement (about writing his music) Burnin' so bright I wonder what the wave meant (being such a successful band, 'wave' being his drug binges) White heat is screaming in the jungle ('white heat' being the idea of drugs, the jungle being his mind) Complete the motion if you stumble ('the motion' being his steps to sobriety, 'stumble' meaning relapse) Go ask the dust for any answers ('dust' is drugs) Come back strong with 50 belly dancers (comin back after rehab and performing) I won't go through the whole second verse, you get the idea, just one more thing I have to point out; Sweetheart is bleeding in the snowcone So smart she's leading me to ozone These two lines are about him being 'clean', he has Hepatitus C and has a beautiful nurse administer his meds, the meds are called Ozone and help keep the Hep C in check. 'Bleeding in the snowcone' means the flushback of blood into the syringe when the Ozone is administered. I think it's pretty clear that Cant Stop is the theme of Keidis' life of drugs, sobriety and relapses. |
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