Red Hot Chili Peppers – Universally Speaking

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  General Comment:By the Way is their greatest album to date! Lyric-wise is phenomenal and the depth of these songs musically is over the top. The song are played with such passion that I haven't been able to find on another rhcp album. I know a lot would argue that Stadium Arcadium is the best one, but I beg to differ. Yes Stadium Arcadium is obviously a masterpiece but it has something missing which is the great lyrics that were featured on By the Way. Now, I'm With You, I believe that is grand on the scale that is so much bigger than anything they ever done. Musically, the album takes you over a wide range of different musical stylings and the way it is composed and arranged would make anyone's heart melt. But call me old fashion, (not really, I'm only 18), By the Way is still one of the greatest piece of music I ever heard.

  Flag kheartson September 01, 2012   Link

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  Memory:i think ophelia got it right. There's one night in my life which I call the most profound experience of my life. I was at work, retail, and was a borderline heartbroken man from the unrequieted love whom I worked with for over a year. That night, in a perfect storm of events, I was just ready to surrender to my brain and move on, which was hard to think over, but I wanted my love (who was working with me that night) to kill my misery. All of a sudden, a customer who I saw came in and was going through something like me, something I could recognize only because it was universal, she was hopelessly heartbroken too. Her face was "elegant" and "tired." Still beautiful, with her "wild" eyes.
  I beieved I saw her "crime" so easily cuz I was guilty of it too. We were two of a kind, universally speaking. That was 7 years ago.
  It's funny what I guy remembers. I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since then when I haven't thought of that young girl.

  Flag Universallychallengedon May 20, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:its about shooting up with one of his girlfriends. They would head down into rough places in LA to buy heroin. Love stream is theyre blood that leaks after you shoot up.

  Flag timc0rcon November 06, 2011   Link

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  My Interpretation:I think the key to the meaning of this song has been provided by Coran who realised (or discovered) that the latin noun Lupa means both She-wolf and prostitute. Once the subject has been identified, the meaning of the lyrics becomes clearer: "I saw your face elegant and tired, cut up from the chase,..." This is obviously referring to the contrast between the fine clothes/jewellery/make-up and the worn-out mind/body/spirit of a drug-addicted prostitute chasing clients to get the money to chase the drugs to feed her addiction. "...still I so admired bloodshot your smile,..." This is self explanatory though I guess that describing her smile as bloodshot refers both to the blood-red lipstick of a working girl and the quality of a smile influenced by a shot of drugs into the bloodstream. "...delicate and wild..." This is obviously referring on the one hand to her feminine vulnerability and on the other to her wayward nature and/or lifestyle. "but give me she-wolf style. Rip right through me." In other words "...but come on baby, apply your professional skills to the max. "Silveretta the jets of a lifetime..." Perhaps this girl has bleached-white hair and is called Loretta; I don't know, but Anthony is obviously referring to her in terms of the amazing ejactulations which predominently she but probably also he has when they do their thing. "Go and get her; the feeling is so fine." I think "Go and get her" is directed at the employee/s responsible for bringing her to him. "Simply put, I saw your love stream flow." Again reference to Silveretta's voluminous ejactulations. "Come on baby cos their's no name for... (...what I want to do to you/you to do to me). Give it up and I got what I came for." in other words "Acceed to my request." "Universally speaking I take it back and you make me nervous." Anthony backs down. "Nothing better than love and service." referring to the fact that he considers her skills as a professional to be unbeatable. "Universally speaking I win in the long run." He gets what he wants in the end. "I saw your crime dying to get high." I think he is referring to the crime of prostitution which she comitted with him while in need of a fix. "Two of a kind beats all hands tonight" Referring to Anthony's own history of heroin/cocaine addiction and I think "all hands" refers to the show of hands presented nightly by the myriad of groupies in response to the question "Who wants to sleep with Anthony tonight?"

  Flag figshodon July 26, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:i think its about two wreckless people, the type not likely to hold a relationship, who find each other in life.

  Flag senoritanachoon June 14, 2011   Link

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  My Interpretation:i think this song is about drugs :S but ak said in a interview that he was so proud of this song and it means exactly what its says

  Flag assilem90on September 13, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I think this song is about sex and a relationships with some kind of respect toward that woman. He 'admires' her and thinks she is so cool, but ends up having sex with her..not that it is bad or any.. Assuming 'saw your love streams flow' means woman's body fluids secreted during sex. I think he is kind of mixed up love and sex..but that is nothing rare, especially for a musician in this generation.

  Flag currygirlon August 07, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:universally speaking?
  Love is a universal language...everyone can give/recieve it and understand and connect to it...
  RHCP always leave a missing line out in some of their songs. Sometimes you can leave it up to the listener to fill it in to raise thought or you could guess (Universally Speaking -I love you-)
  And whoever putting these lyrcis up is on crack or has dyslexia...whoever put these up should look on the artit's official website or CD and get it right god damn it...

  Flag jmk92on April 19, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:Silveretta the chance of a life time...
  
  i think that's what it is.

  Flag modestmousenirvanaon May 02, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:or just 'speak to very very many people and creatures of the universe' meaning?

  Flag kdstoryon April 12, 2009   Link

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