And they're thought to be lies
But we saw them, saw them
We looked right in their eyes
Right at them, at them

Pinning space to the world
We slaughtered, slaughtered
Not a sound to be heard
We're awful, awful

And have you seen
How they run
Out of gas
They beat the pain
They sing in the rain
Endless and formless
They fly to the end
And back to the
Beginning again

Have you put them aside
Your crazy thoughts and dreams
No they're a part of me
And they all mean one thing

The will to death is what keeps me alive
It's one step away, step away
Limitations are set
Only then can we go all the way, all the way

And have you seen how the cars when they pass
They come your way
Then they're speeding away
Coming to you and then going away
But for them nothing's changed, for them nothings changed

Oooooooo, ooooooooo



Lyrics submitted by dosedxbyyou

Track duration: 03:49


The Will to Death song meanings
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25 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think the meaning of this song is....
    Everyone looks at death as something bad, and doing things that are "wrong to society are bad" but doing what you love is more important that what "the majority" thinks is right. Then he goes on about no matter what you do, it still leads to death, so do what you love. You might meet new people but all people have the same view (which society wants you to believe). Stick to what believe and believe in yourself. Don't let other people tell you different.
    Flag sanctumson May 20, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think this song is all about Spirits (Ghosts etc). "And they're thought to be lies, but we saw them", talking about how people don't believe in ghosts.

    From what I have interpreted from John's recent blog post about it (although I don't quite understand it) and from my own thinking is that: the fear of death is actually a fear of underachievement, and by creating something you are then achieving something and the fear of death ebbs away but is replaced by a will to die, or at least a state of not minding it.

    "The will to death is what keeps me alive/It's one step away, step away" is saying how John's creativity is bringing him "one step" closer to the will to death.

    "Endless and formless
    They fly to the end
    And back to the
    Beginning again"

    This is talking about the plight of the spirits that John interacts with. It shows that a spirit's life is just a loop. This is supported by the last lyric "But for them nothing's changed, for them nothings changed"
    Flag felixmaynon April 24, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:John Frusciante on the phrase The Will To Death:
    johnfrusciante.com/2013/01/16/the-creative-act/
    Flag Samsara31on January 26, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is beautiful even though it seems to be about death. I never really knew much about John Frusciante, but after i learned about his drug addictions and prblems that hes about it this song makes more sense.The Will To Death, thats how most people who are addicted to drugs feel, like theyve reached the lowest that they could, theyve watched opportunities pass them by

    "And have you seen how the cars when they pass
    They come your way
    Then they're speeding away
    Coming to you and then going away..."

    also getting over the addiction and not blaming anyone for it looking at thw addiction and what you have gone through as a learning experience, those experiences is what keep him alive now, what keeps him from wanting to do that again and aprreciate how things are going for him now.

    "The will to death is what keeps me alive
    It's one step away, step away
    Limitations are set
    Only then can we go all the way, all the way"

    thats what i think along with the help of some friends that heleped looking into the songs deeper meaning.

    Flag ReflectionInYourEyes08on November 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Pretty obvious to me what it means: The point of the song comes into full focus at the lines "The will to death is what keeps me alive. Limitations are set; only then can we go all the way." It means that knowing that we are bound to die makes us want to do so much more with the little time we have.
    Flagged crissunshineon August 30, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:OK, this song, as far as just the title goes, is about, of course, 'the will to death'. TWTD is what John came to call the spirits in his head that made him do all the drugs he did and quite the chili peppers from '92-'97. As for the song itself, it's kinda tricky and very subjective as John is notoriously esoteric. 'they're thought to be lies', is, presumably the spirits and whta they told him to do. 'We looked right in their eyes/ right at them' is, again most likely, the time when John came to his senses and cleaned himself up, seeing the error of how he had been living the past 5/6 years of his life. 'they run out of gas'- possibly how they ceased to be negative and became positive, as John says he still has these spirits in his head, about 250/400 of them depending on which interview you hear with him. 'Have you put them aside/ your crazy thoughts and dreams. No they're a part of me'. Put aside his crazy thoughts and dreams of being in the peppers and getting laid all the time and hetting high etc etc. John consistantly states that he doesn't regret his past as such as it brought him to where he is today but he does not like it and is not proud of some of the things he has done. His mindset in the late 80's/ early 90's will always be part of him, yes, but they all mean one thing- they culminated in 'the will to death' as all of the drugs and women and fame lead to his quitting the band and all that bad stuff. There is a definite theme of coming and going and instabillity in the lyrics as death is 'one step away'. This theme is not one made explicit through words but it is present,hopefully you can sense it.
    Flag Johnfrusciante2112on July 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:what is the will to death? what does it mean? is it like the will to live, but instead he has the will to death?
    Flag dcison June 01, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I love Frusciante's work. i love to take his songs and interpret them in my own way and how they aply to my life. good feeling =D especialy love this one. respect to all Fru fans
    Flag Eamo420on November 24, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I like the contrast between this song and the first one on the album where he says: "You never set a limit" and "Don't ever set a limit" A change has certainly taken place between those two songs as he now says "Limitations are set / only then can we go all the way."
    Flag paranoid schizoidon February 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Where I normaly only have my left headphone plugged in I only get the music, no vocals at all, and sometimes its gear to just put this song on repeat and hear the melody again and again and again...."

    Try the right headphone, Ataxiarn. You get the vocal, bass, and solo. You can even hear John turning the pages of his lyrics and asking the engineer to adjust tracks for him.
    Flag magomraon July 17, 2007   Link

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