Oh, oh

What I got, you got to give it to your mama
What I got, you've got to give it to your papa
What I got, you got to give it to your daughter
You do a little dance and then you drink a little water
What I got, you gotta get it put it in you
What I got, you gotta get it put it in you
What I got, you gotta get it put it in you
Reeling with the feeling, don't stop, continue
I realize I don't wanna be a miser
Confide with sly you'll be the wiser
Young blood is the lovin' upriser
How come everybody wanna keep it like the Kaiser?

Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper

Greedy little people in a sea of distress
Keep your more to receive your less
Unimpressed by material excess
Love is free, love me, say, "Hell yes"
Low brow but I rock a little know how
No time for the piggies or the hoosegow
Get smart, get down with the pow wow
Never been a better time than right now
Bob Marley, poet and a prophet
Bob Marley, taught me how to off it
Bob Marley walkin' like he talk it
Goodness me, can't you see I'm gonna cough it?

Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Oh, oh yeah
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper

Lucky me swimmin' in my ability
Dancin' down on life with agility
Come and drink it up from my fertility
Blessed with a bucket of lucky mobility
My mom, I love her 'cause she love me
Long gone are the times when she scrub me
Feelin' good, my brother gonna hug me
Drinkin' my juice, young love chug-a-lug me
Ah, there's a river born to be a giver
Keep you warm won't let you shiver
His heart is never gonna wither
Come on, everybody, time to deliver

Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper

What I got, you got to give it to your mama
What I got, you've got to give it to your papa
What I got, you got to give it to your daughter
You do a little dance and then you drink a little water
What I got, you gotta get it put it in you
What I got, you gotta get it put it in you
What I got, you gotta get it put it in you
Reeling with the feeling, don't stop, continue
I realize I don't wanna be a miser
Confide with sly you'll be the wiser
Young blood is the lovin' upriser
How come everybody wanna keep it like the Kaiser?

Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now

Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now


Lyrics submitted by shut

Give It Away [Album Version] Lyrics as written by Chad Smith Anthony Kiedis

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Give It Away song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

124 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +5
    General Comment

    In his book Anthony Kiedis said himself that its about giving things away to make yourself feel good. His girlfriend gives him this jacket that he really likes and she basically says take it I have a closet full of clothes and you like it I would like if you took it. So he took it and came up with this song because giving things away makes you feel happy. So contrary to the popular belief its not about sex.

    RHCP4lifezon June 30, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    awsome song incredible bass line

    skateron June 06, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    In my opinion this is the Chili's best song, the video kicks ass!!!! Some of the lyrics are worrying, "Feeling good my brother gonna hug me, Drink my juice young love chug-a-lug me", but this is my fave song, from my fave Chili album...... COME ON, WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE COMMENTS??????

    DJ_Meaton July 21, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    At its base, this song is about a friend of AK's who gave him an expensive leather jacket when he was a young junkie. He protested that it was a very expensive item for her to give to him, but she replied that nothing is worth anything unless you "give it away". He remembered this some years later when writing this song.

    meghanfruon March 24, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the guitar drives me wild!! john frusciante is a genius i also love the verse Lucky me swimmin' in my ability Dancin' down on life with agility Come and drink it up from my fertility Blessed with a bucket of lucky mobility just sounds so cool

    smitchlovesfunkon August 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song but it's still one of my less favourite songs ob Blood, Sugar... Guess that just shows how much i love the Peppers

    JJskaman3on September 15, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    something's wrong with society... Sk8er Boi by that evil commy bitch Avril Lavigne had 963 POSTS!!! AND GIVE IT AWAY ONLY HAS 8, WELL 9 NOW?! How did things get like this?!

    Darktosson March 19, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Bob Marley poet and a prophet Bob Marley taught me how to off it Bob Marley walkin' like he talk it Goodness me can't you see I'm gonna cough it

    This part maybe about weed?

    Muzzyon March 19, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    no, im with "thepython" i think thats about love...bob marley always was about love and bla bla bla. maybe it has a drug inuendo but u never know, most chilli songs can be interperated as drug influences (acid trips etc.).

    FreeofInsanityon March 25, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    im wondering why darktoss called avril lavigne a 'commy'? Never knew she was communist, or has that become a serious insult now? Anyway yeah, about loving your family, and on a wider scale, everyone! The family thing could be about people. Dont be selfish, love your brother type thing. And while it isnt their best song if you ask me, its the one they do best live by far and away, and they think that too. You can tell by the way they always end on it, and drag it out. It lets them be funk and rock n roll and jump around and take their clothes off and have fun. Wicked bad

    Cinnamon__Spideron April 17, 2003   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.