Meth is fucking hardcore. Been clean for about 6 months :) Update: been clean for a year, got huge opportunity with my music, got signed and working with one of the top record labels in the world for the music I do. So fucking blessed. God is so good. Update 2, 8 months later: still working for the record label! Working with a bunch of dope artists from around the world and getting festival shows and other bookings!! I hope any of you struggling with this horrible drug find the strength and resources to move past it. You are loved. Even when you fail. Even at your worst.
To whom ìt may concern we survived the 90s and we find ourselves crawling back to the things we escaped because they are the only thing that brings us comfort and or solace when we need it most
Blew me away, been Jamin this as a teenager, they'd played it at our high school prom and now seeing alot of the lyrics IK they didn't even listen to the list of songs we submitted 😂
When you really listen to the lyrics, they're even more haunting than they seem, even when you realize it's about meth addiction. The verse is him recalling his relationship with a girl who's clearly also addicted and not being able to distinguish the good times in his relationship from the times that he's high while slowly realizing that his entire relationship is built on this codependency on the drug. The chorus is essentially a plea to get out the situation, but he can't seem to stop himself. The upbeat nature of the music, I assume, is to try to replicate the feeling of the drug and how it seductively pulls you in, but once you're in it (as in actually listening to the lyrics), you realize how depraved the singer feels. It's honestly a really sad song.
Perfect analysis, they both start out only wanting a little motivation, then wonders why he can't be satisfied with just sex and falling asleep like he used to, well Einstein ( him, not you) how you do that, is you stop doing this s***. As much as you might hate stopping to do it, you simply stop doing it , you let yourself run out and you don't get any more. As a subject with which I have some personal experience LOL, I can say that although I can say I'm an addict I'm not an idiot addict. Of course I realize every addict says that, but really the truth is in the pudding. Either you are about what you say youre about, or you're not, and I like getting high, but I don't like dying to do it. And at the end, you are right that it is really a sad though happily presented tune, because he's actually saying goodbye more to the meth then he is to his girlfriend
I just realized also, what you were saying about the chorus? That goes into something my boyfriend always says, meth and Coke and stuff like that, you always treat like a guest who leaves every night, not somebody who stays
1 year sober from meth. Hearing this gives me chills since me and my friends always play this in the car, driving around, high as a kite. I'm the only one who survived drug addiction. My ex-boyfriend who I met in rehab died and I also think about him when I hear this. This song is hauntingly beautiful. Brings back a lot of memories. Couldn't help but cry. Weird.
Omg, me too. I've got 15 years off Meth, 7 off Narcotics and 5 no Alcohol. But this song makes me laugh and cry. I wish as well that I could get back there but my Old Man shot himself after we broke up. Fuck Meth and Morphine!
Meth aside, the part of "I want something else, to get me thru this life" can apply to anything, good, bad or anything in between. I sang it to my daughter because she helped me get through this life.
Bro - I was in in-patient rehab and they had a “fun” karaoke night. This came on and this dude fucking dominated this track and by the end of it half of us were sing/yelling the words at full volume and the other half of the ppl were like “wtf” - gnarly moment!
I absolutely hate when radio stations edit out the bridge because it's my favorite part of the whole song. This has to be the most cheerful and falsely bright song about drug addiction in the history of music. It's both fitting and ironic.
I think it means the act of Taking dangerous, unnecessary risks to FEEL SOMETHING, anything, even if it is only pain, better than numbness. Perhaps like the act of cutting...😔
Dude, it gets WAY easier Soon, you’ll be able to be around people who talk about it Instead of feeling low, you’re going to feel high listening to them make mistakes you’ve already made and corrected Just remember to say no when they offer it, and if they persist. Leave. Talk to them another time
@@Ott3r5losh Many years clean now . Old timer here , started in 1983 with some "bath tub " Benzedrine shit when you could get Med grade ether at the pharmacy. Sold that shit to get the real McCoy . It was called crank , go , or "the other" cuz when you went to your weed guy and asked if he had some of the "other" . HAd dreams about it for a long time . In my dreams it always got spilled , or i had just a little and there were people around , and I didn't want to share it . Never got high on it in my dreams. I guess that was part of the withdraw. Turns out I really like sleep! I've been up since 5am on my day off, not on that shit though . I'm a father & grandfather. I worry a lot . An all nighter for me is not having to get up an pee. Awesome song though ! Some don't understand it . That red & black was the shit back in the day .
this is the first time i have read the lyrics and honestly paid attention. it's always been just a catchy tune to me honestly. but wow. my eyes were wide opened reading and listening... i cant relate to the struggle but man.. .takes on a whole new perspective and meaning for me.
Man I was young in the 90s and I remember this song thinking it was just a happy song hearing it on radio, ten things I hate about you, school dances. Now I’m 31 and realize the meaning lol
I wasn't into this type of music when this came out originally. It's funny how years later a song can take hold of your soul because the lyrics are exerpts of your own life.
@@winter7564 It's a tongue-in-cheek joke, since the song is literally only three chords (unless you count D and Dsus4 as two different chords, but there's literally one note difference, and it's more a stylistic choice than one integral to the progression.) But dang it, they make SUCH good use of those three chords.
The sky was gold it was rose I was taking sips of it through my nose. Bro we used to sing along to this on school bus rides. The things we miss as kids 😂
Check out 'Hey ya' by Andre 3000 or 'Torn' by Natalie Imburglia, talk about up beat with f-ing dark lyrics!! Andre did it on purpose to show how people don't listen to the words they just hear the beat. KEEP 'EM NUMB N DUMB. It is Mocking bands, record labels and the ignorance of the listeners themselves. Known all your food sources for proper health, LISTEN TO WHAT IS BRING FEED INTO YOU for proper mental health, that includes TV BIG TIME. 🍄🌟😀🎵
" it's all that I wanna do, just a little now Feel myself, heading off the ground I'm scared, I'm not coming down No, no And I won't run for my life She's got her jaws now locked down in a smile But nothing is alright, " If that ain't an accurate depiction of meth addiction... It kinda hurts tbh
@@chrisresendes2125 it means that he's getting high and feeling like he may never be sober again. But he's so deep into his addiction that he won't give it up even if it kills him. The meth has happily sunk its "teeth" into him making him an addict.
Thank you for posting the correct lyric "heading off the ground", as in a euphemism for "getting high", everywhere I look online it's posted as "head made of the ground", which makes no damn sense, especially considering the following line: "I'm scared, I'm not coming down". If you actually listen to it, he clearly says "heading off the ground".
I really like the way that you move the lyrics around on the page to keep them almost as active as the song. That's not easy to do well. If you move them too quickly, you just give people an ice-cream headache. You did this perfectly.
After getting addicted and hooked to the drug, hitting rock bottom and getting clean ( going on 4 years sober now), this song describes the process of doing and being on the drug perfectly. Goosebumps..I can't believe this used to be blasted on the radio all the time, played in movies, shows, etc.. I'm just like, Wow, at the moment.
Straight from what I found on Wikipedia: "Semi-Charmed Life" was written solely by frontman Stephan Jenkins. Jenkins intended to write a song that acted as a San Francisco response to Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side", with the "doo, doo, doot" chants present throughout the song being directly inspired by Reed's song. In regards to the style of the song, Jenkins explained that it is meant to reflect changes that were occurring in the San Francisco music scene, particularly a growing interest in hip-hop. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jenkins said that the concept of the song was developed through his observations of friends using crystal meth at a Primus concert. The juxtaposition of the music and lyrical content was intentional, as Jenkins intended to illustrate the "bright, shiny feeling" one gets when using crystal meth. However, Jenkins maintains that the meaning of the song more broadly relates to changing periods in one's life. He further explained the meaning of the song: "It’s about living in the Lower Haight [in San Francisco] and all the machinations that were going on at a time where my friend group was finally out of the [educational] institutions that we’d been in our whole lives - because we’d all been in school since kindergarten and everybody now was in their early 20s and out of college. And then probably underneath that, also the weight of coming to terms with the kind of agony that your life is always about to change and never be reliable." - Stephen Jenkins. Jenkins was initially against the decision to release "Semi-Charmed Life" as the lead single from Third Eye Blind, as he did not believe that it was representative of the work as a whole. Guitarist Kevin Cadogan was concerned with the explicit lyrical content of the song, as he had fears that radio stations would refuse to play the song. Elektra Records suggested that the band release "Semi-Charmed Life" as their debut single as opposed to "Losing a Whole Year", then prompting the release of several radio edits of the song. Upon the song's success, Jenkins explained that he felt most listeners misinterpreted the song to simply be a "happy summertime jam".
Finally 3 months I've been clean as I've been smoking cigarettes for 43 yrs still have slight issues among nicotine.. still not easy at all plus 4 yrs not been drinking too
I’m learning this song on guitar and it’s a BANGER. Been a jam forever. As I’m practicing the song I’m noticing more and more how damn dark the lyrics are lol. It’s a “feel good” song about meth addiction
My best friend was in the 90s San Francisco music scene where these guys came from. It was flooded with H and Tina. She got out for a while but I lost her this year. I love you J. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.
Me, listening to this for the first time: "Oh, what a nice, upbeat pop song!" Song: "Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break" Me: *_(surprised Pikachu face)_*
Really? Compared to today's music???? this is Mellow haha. at least this is about self-abuse not about victimizing others or FAKE sitting on rented high-end vehicles with barely dressed teenage girls and guns screaming the same four lines to you over and over and over and over and over and over again. Fucking SoundCloud......
I'm packed and i'm holding, kinda gives you a bit of sm idea it,'s about drugs. Anywho, tried that crap once 30 odd years ago (yup was around then) had no idea... Awake for 3 days. Fun for first 4 hours then never again.
@@michelletodd4893 THAT is exactly the reaction and the impression 75% of people have when doing meth. It is nowhere near as addicting as people think it is, most people cannot stand the accelerated pace and not sleeping. The people who actually like this stuff are more to be pitied, because they feel that they are unable to deal with life on life's terms, otherwise they wouldn't need a high-powered stimulant.
I always love R&B music. And two it will be my favorite music of ALL!!!! TIME!!!!! And my favorite radio stations of all time such as B106.7, 104.7 WNOK, and 103.1 KISS FM, ARE! GONNA! BECOME! MY! FAVORITE! COLUMBIA! STATIONS! OF! ALL! TIME!☮💜☪
11th grade me lived in an area where meth was prominent and I knew EXACTLY what the song was about. It took 20 years, however, for me to UNDERSTAND those lyrics. Drug songs make a lot more sense after you've actually experienced that drug.
I once listened to this song on a cold night while i was high and i watched the christmas lights that were on a bush across the street as i waited for a ride and this song always brings that specific moment to my mind.
is a track about longing for something different and wanting to escape from the mundane day to day life, while also battling with feelings of yearning and regret. The protagonist is looking for a way out from their current lifestyle which is described as a "semi-charmed kind of life" - a life which is filled with drugs, partying and superficial relationships. The chorus speaks to this idea of wanting something more than the same old routine. The bridge conveys the idea of wanting to return to a happier time before the "velvet it rips in the city" and the outro expresses a desire to go back to a place before the life of excess and addiction even began. The song speaks to the common feeling of wanting to break free from the status quo with its catchy chorus and wistful lyrics.
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo I'm packed and I'm holding I'm smiling, she's living, she's golden She lives for me, says she lives for me Ovation, her own motivation She comes round and she goes down on me And I make you smile, like a drug for you Do ever what you wanna do, coming over you Keep on smiling, what we go through One stop to the rhythm that divides you And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse Chop another line like a coda with a curse Come on like a freak show takes the stage We give them the games we play, she said I want something else to get me through this Semi-charmed kinda life, baby, baby I want something else, I'm not listening when you say good-bye Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo The sky was gold, it was rose I was taking sips of it through my nose And I wish I could get back there, someplace back there Smiling in the pictures you would take Doing crystal meth, will lift you up until you break It won't stop, I won't come down I keep stock with a tick-tock rhythm, a bump for the drop And then I bumped up, I took the hit that I was given Then I bumped again, then I bumped again I said How do I get back there to the place where I fell asleep inside you How do I get myself back to the place where you said I want something else to get me through this Semi-charmed kinda life, baby, baby I want something else, I'm not listening when you say good-bye I believe in the sand beneath my toes The beach gives a feeling, an earthy feeling I believe in the faith that grows And that four right chords can make me cry When I'm with you I feel like I could die And that would be alright, alright And when the plane came in, she said she was crashing The velvet it rips in the city, we tripped on the urge to feel alive Now I'm struggling to survive Those days you were wearing that velvet dress You're the priestess, I must confess Those little red panties they pass the test Slides up around the belly, face down on the mattress One And you hold me, and we are broken Still it's all that I wanna do, just a little now Feel myself, heading off the ground I'm scared, I'm not coming down No, no And I won't run for my life She's got her jaws now locked down in a smile But nothing is alright, alright And I want something else to get me through this life Baby, I want something else Not listening when you say Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo The sky was gold, it was rose I was taking sips of it through my nose And I wish I could get back there Someplace back there, in the place we used to start Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo I want something else
I think there's another theme to this song, that goes beyond addiction. At least, addiction to crystal meth. To me, this song is about the death of youth. The cold hard truth of becoming an adult. When you're in your teens, even your early twenties, infatuation can feel like love. And that love feels like it's enough. The whole song he talks about this idyllic relationship, but it's all surface. Literally, he talks about the underwear she wears at one point. Her velvet dress. The way she was lying on a mattress. Those are his memories of her. It's all about feeling happy, having sex. Nothing about what she was like as a person, or what made them compatible. Maybe there was love as well, but that's not what he's describing. What he's saying is he was totally infatuated with her. Obsessed with the way she made him feel. "You're the priestess I must confess". A level of devotion that approaches literal worship. There's one line that really sticks out to me "when I'm with you it feels like I could die, and that would be alright". So as far as he's concerned, this relationship is enough. "How do I get back there, to the place where I fell asleep inside you?". What he's describing is a relationship which fulfilled his every desire, to the point he didn't need anything else. What happens in relationships like this is one or both of you thinks, "Okay, so we're okay now, but what about the future? Where is this going?" Are you just gonna spend your whole life being in love and having sex, doing nothing? What about kids? Where are you going with your music career huh? Are you gonna live here your whole life? No travel, no seeing the world? What are we gonna do for money? Are we going to take care of our health? Or is what you want just "being together" for what, 50-60 years? Is that not gonna get stale? People get old y'know, and sex drives decline. It's like the classic phrase goes - "Are you happy, or just comfortable?". The person in this song was so comfortable, he couldn't imagine anything else. To the point where the woman he spends the whole song talking about tries to tell him "I want something else" and he's not even listening when she says goodbye. He had the proverbial blinkers on, those ones you have when you're young and you genuinely believe the hedonistic feelings that come with being infatuated with someone, the ones that are like a drug themselves, can just be made to last forever. But they can't. Like a drug, you chase and chase but they dull with time. And you're left with each other. Your hopes and dreams, if you have any. When he says "I wish I could get back there" I think he's saying "I wish I could remember what it feels like to just enjoy being utterly obsessed with someone, totally infatuated to the point nothing else matters". Because you can only really do that once, and the next time, you already have that knowledge it won't last for ever. You realise it's not enough. And maybe that's where the drug link comes in. Because for some people, drugs like crystal meth are how they stop the sensation dulling. Waking up to the realisation that any amount of hedonistic pleasure will never, ever be enough. "The sand beneath your toes" is a great feeling. But you'll be bored of it eventually and the realisation you're actually bored of something you used to love will hurt. The four right chords can make anyone cry, the first time. But how many times have you listened to this song? Does it still hit the same, or does it dull with time? "and when the plane came in she said she was crashing". That's what happens eventually. You need something less transient to believe in. "we were tripping on the urge to feel alive, now I'm struggling to survive" - The funny thing about happiness is, chasing happiness makes you miserable. Real happiness comes from striving for things that are so valuable to you, you're willing to be unhappy. Doing things that even cause you pain, literal and metaphorical. Pushing yourself to be better than you were yesterday. Looking back on your life and feeling like you've grown as a person - that's real happiness. Because anything worth having takes a lot of effort. Relationships take work. Careers take hard work and dedication. Becoming a good musician, or artist. Seeing the world isn't all fun. You learn what companies to avoid travelling with, and you get scared of turbulence. Everyone who has travelled enough has a worst ever travel experience. To be happy, you have to keep risking rejection and pain and heartbreak. It sucks, but we do it anyway, because it's always worth it in the end, even if you don't achieve everything you set out to. You'll still have the knowledge that you tried, and the evidence to go with it. A life well lived doesn't mean a life of feeling good the whole time. It isn't a charmed life, that's impossible. All you can really end up with is a 'semi-charmed' life. That's the "something else" I think the woman in this song went off in search of. But he wasn't ready to hear it yet. This song is him seeing that road ahead, and the fear is making him wish he could just go back to being young and carefree. That line "feel myself hovering off the ground, I'm scared I'm not coming down, no no, And I won't run for my life". This is immaturity. It's him saying "I see clearly now what life is going to be like, and it's scary. so I'm going to try and find ways to avoid pain and keep having fun, so I can make this feeling last forever". Well, you'd better start running for your life, and run for it as fast as you can. You'll never be able to keep up, and you'll lose that race eventually. We all do. That should terrify you enough to make you move. Or maybe that existential terror will paralyse you, leave you trying to stay still, like the guy in this song. The thing is though, no one else can do it for you. If you don't run for your life, it'll run out quicker than you can imagine. You'll be left with nothing but empty nostalgia. There's nothing wrong with remembering what it feels like to be young. We all remember feeling like fun can last forever, and responsibilities can be avoided. You get older though, and you realise how wrong you were. We remember feeling like that so we can remind ourselves of the truth - There will always be pain, no matter how much you try and avoid it. People get sick and die. The most amazing things will all end, eventually. It will all end, eventually. That's just the nature of the universe. So if you try and live a charmed life, then sure, you'll be happy half the time maybe, and the other half it will suck and you'll be totally unprepared. A "semi-charmed life" isn't something anyone should want, or try to have. What you're giving up is any control over where your life is going. You'll watch all those other unhappy people working at making their lives mean something, and you'll hurt just the same as them. That's what a "semi-charmed" life means. That's what she wanted to escape. She realised that no drug, or relationship, or good feeling will be enough to shield you from the realisation that pain isn't just unavoidable, it's essential to any kind of spiritual growth. Not in any kind of religious sense even, just the feeling you're more than you started out as. The feeling that your soul, for lack of a better word, has grown.
Didnt realize you delivered your college thesis on Third Eye Blind. It's very compelling rhetoric, and I agree with you, it's good stuff. But your average RUclipsr doesnt have the patience to read a novel as a comment. Furthermore, a lot of the dumbasses will reach for their bag of meth to stay awake to read it, before inevitably getting sidetracked.
This song is demons so good but so many memories good and bad some even darker than the darkest nights Song for the ages makes me appreciate what I have now and look back at my past as a hard but well learned lesson
Meth is fucking hardcore. Been clean for about 6 months :)
Update: been clean for a year, got huge opportunity with my music, got signed and working with one of the top record labels in the world for the music I do. So fucking blessed. God is so good.
Update 2, 8 months later: still working for the record label! Working with a bunch of dope artists from around the world and getting festival shows and other bookings!! I hope any of you struggling with this horrible drug find the strength and resources to move past it. You are loved. Even when you fail. Even at your worst.
Update!? Hope all is well
Rock on. If you're ever in Tampa?🫡
To whom ìt may concern we survived the 90s and we find ourselves crawling back to the things we escaped because they are the only thing that brings us comfort and or solace when we need it most
This couldn't be worded MORE PERFECTLY ❤❤❤ Life goes by so fast, it seems like just yesterday I was hearing this for the first time. 😢
This song is so much deeper than it seems just by that catchy, radio-friendly hook.
Blew me away, been Jamin this as a teenager, they'd played it at our high school prom and now seeing alot of the lyrics IK they didn't even listen to the list of songs we submitted 😂
Still amazed at how this has ended up in countless kids movies. Never ceases to amaze me.
fr though. I've heard this song countless times before and never noticed the lyrics.
People don’t pay attention to the meaning and always put it in things meant for kids 😵💫
That is really messed up!
One of the great “you clearly haven’t listened to a goddamned thing he said” songs.
Countless? And it’s like making most kids movies these days they put in some shit kids shouldn’t see or hear lol but to make the adults laugh
When you really listen to the lyrics, they're even more haunting than they seem, even when you realize it's about meth addiction. The verse is him recalling his relationship with a girl who's clearly also addicted and not being able to distinguish the good times in his relationship from the times that he's high while slowly realizing that his entire relationship is built on this codependency on the drug. The chorus is essentially a plea to get out the situation, but he can't seem to stop himself. The upbeat nature of the music, I assume, is to try to replicate the feeling of the drug and how it seductively pulls you in, but once you're in it (as in actually listening to the lyrics), you realize how depraved the singer feels. It's honestly a really sad song.
@Walter The Terrible hehe, true tho xx
Perfect analysis, they both start out only wanting a little motivation, then wonders why he can't be satisfied with just sex and falling asleep like he used to, well Einstein ( him, not you) how you do that, is you stop doing this s***. As much as you might hate stopping to do it, you simply stop doing it , you let yourself run out and you don't get any more. As a subject with which I have some personal experience LOL, I can say that although I can say I'm an addict I'm not an idiot addict. Of course I realize every addict says that, but really the truth is in the pudding. Either you are about what you say youre about, or you're not, and I like getting high, but I don't like dying to do it. And at the end, you are right that it is really a sad though happily presented tune, because he's actually saying goodbye more to the meth then he is to his girlfriend
I just realized also, what you were saying about the chorus? That goes into something my boyfriend always says, meth and Coke and stuff like that, you always treat like a guest who leaves every night, not somebody who stays
so it is a happy song
you said it better than any one i've heard
1 year sober from meth. Hearing this gives me chills since me and my friends always play this in the car, driving around, high as a kite. I'm the only one who survived drug addiction. My ex-boyfriend who I met in rehab died and I also think about him when I hear this. This song is hauntingly beautiful. Brings back a lot of memories. Couldn't help but cry. Weird.
R.I.P BILL MURRAY
Omg, me too. I've got 15 years off Meth, 7 off Narcotics and 5 no Alcohol. But this song makes me laugh and cry. I wish as well that I could get back there but my Old Man shot himself after we broke up. Fuck Meth and Morphine!
Meth aside, the part of "I want something else, to get me thru this life" can apply to anything, good, bad or anything in between. I sang it to my daughter because she helped me get through this life.
Bro - I was in in-patient rehab and they had a “fun” karaoke night. This came on and this dude fucking dominated this track and by the end of it half of us were sing/yelling the words at full volume and the other half of the ppl were like “wtf” - gnarly moment!
Gawd that's awful. :(
It’s crazy how catchy a song about meth addiction can be. This played all over the radio in the 90s and still today.
Hear it all the time on the radio! An I can’t help myself but come to RUclips after to listen again an read comments 🤘🏼🤣
Around here they always blank out the part he specifically says crystal meth.
Remember this was used for kid movies in the early 2000s
Truly a masterpiece. I rank this song as one of the best ever written.
100th like 👍
Naa
2 and a half years sober from meth and I still love this song. It reminds me why I'm sober ❤️
Semi charmed kind of life?
chop another line
Stephen said in an Interview that this is about a drug fueled bender. Congrats on being sober
I absolutely hate when radio stations edit out the bridge because it's my favorite part of the whole song. This has to be the most cheerful and falsely bright song about drug addiction in the history of music. It's both fitting and ironic.
"The sky was gold, it was rose, I was taking sips of it through my nose" is possibly the greatest lyric ever.
hahaha, cool and crazy sh!t huh!?
Idk, there are about a dozen separate lines in this song for which I could make that argument. Yours is up there though, I’ll give you that. 💙
sady4091 is only the best lyric, for meth addicts. Quit that crap already. Life is hard, face it, don't do drugs.
@@santiagoferrari1973 ahahah
@@clintonburtchett9003 / Paolo
The second you really hear the lyrics, the brilliance of this song comes out. Reminds me of friends I had years ago who were addicts. Packs a punch.
"We trip on the urge to feel alive"
one of the most poetic line ever.
Can you explain this line pls
I think it means the act of Taking dangerous, unnecessary risks to FEEL SOMETHING, anything, even if it is only pain, better than numbness. Perhaps like the act of cutting...😔
@@DiVa-ks2jg when you are unhappy and don't have a positive outlook on life getting high can make you feel happy and alive for a short time.
@@DiVa-ks2jg tripping means being high. "We trip on the urge to feel alive"
They get high to feel something besides pain / numbness.
@@JOJO-gl6tx Thanks
4 months clean and sober tomorrow and this whole song hits so differently now
Dude, it gets WAY easier
Soon, you’ll be able to be around people who talk about it
Instead of feeling low, you’re going to feel high listening to them make mistakes you’ve already made and corrected
Just remember to say no when they offer it, and if they persist. Leave.
Talk to them another time
3:58 @@Ott3r5losh
@@Ott3r5losh Many years clean now . Old timer here , started in 1983 with some "bath tub " Benzedrine shit when you could get Med grade ether at the pharmacy. Sold that shit to get the real McCoy . It was called crank , go , or "the other" cuz when you went to your weed guy and asked if he had some of the "other" . HAd dreams about it for a long time . In my dreams it always got spilled , or i had just a little and there were people around , and I didn't want to share it . Never got high on it in my dreams. I guess that was part of the withdraw. Turns out I really like sleep! I've been up since 5am on my day off, not on that shit though . I'm a father & grandfather. I worry a lot . An all nighter for me is not having to get up an pee. Awesome song though ! Some don't understand it . That red & black was the shit back in the day .
this is the first time i have read the lyrics and honestly paid attention. it's always been just a catchy tune to me honestly. but wow. my eyes were wide opened reading and listening... i cant relate to the struggle but man.. .takes on a whole new perspective and meaning for me.
we can change who we are.......
but we cannot change what we love.
a friend told me that you must learn to hate it to end it permanently.
Wow this makes my husband's sobriety make more sense. He uses anger and I don't and he's having a much easier time. Ty✌
It's just so much...hating it enough is an understatement for what it really takes..
"We tripped on the urge to feel alive, now I'm struggling to surive."
saddest upbeat song ever
Trixies Mama until Ed Sheehan came along with A-Team
@@donrob7779 The A Team isn't upbeat tho
Except for anything by the smiths
Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O`Sullivan
Happiest trainwreck song ever.
Truly a masterpiece. I rank this song as one of the best ever written.
saddest upbeat song ever
Idk alot of good ones lol
Have you heard hard times by paramore?
😂😂😂
Loved all these 90s songs man, brings back so many memories! Big Shiny TUNES!!
Man I was young in the 90s and I remember this song thinking it was just a happy song hearing it on radio, ten things I hate about you, school dances. Now I’m 31 and realize the meaning lol
I wasn't into this type of music when this came out originally. It's funny how years later a song can take hold of your soul because the lyrics are exerpts of your own life.
Even without the deep but beautiful lyrics, the song is so catchy
15 years ago since i heard this song and i still like it.
man i miss this song so much
I love happy meth songs
Stephanie Marie check meth lab zoso sticker, 7horse
Tina Feller thank you!!!!!
Tina Feller I'm so obsessed now! Thanks for the new song! I'm on replay 6 and had to say thanks again lol
Get off the meth.
Lmao
Anyone listening in 2019? Love this song! They don't make music clean like this anymore.
This is still one of my all time favorites.
the 4 right chords cld make me cry..
Nigel Fernandes 4* it's literally spelled out for you in the video. Don't troll a good meth song lol
@@winter7564 It's a tongue-in-cheek joke, since the song is literally only three chords (unless you count D and Dsus4 as two different chords, but there's literally one note difference, and it's more a stylistic choice than one integral to the progression.)
But dang it, they make SUCH good use of those three chords.
One of the best lines in one of the best songs ever written, for sure.
"The four-eyed goats could make me cry."
Fixed that for you.
This is my all-time favorite song. I love this song and message. Yeah, my favorite. Semi, yes I see yah.
The sky was gold it was rose I was taking sips of it through my nose.
Bro we used to sing along to this on school bus rides.
The things we miss as kids 😂
These are very talented lyrics. Very under appreciated in its time and now for sure.
Damn Stephen Jenkins is a lyrical genius!
underrated goat
2020 who's still listening?
2021
Yo mama
I still love this song
Song is kinda savage when you go deep into it! Sounds so absently happy at first listen.
Man, I know for an absolute fact that I had a blast in the 90's, just wish I could remember them, DAMNIT MAN!!!😅🙃🙃🙃🤣
2019 my dudes 🤘☮️
2020!!! 🍄
upbeat music with dark lyrics sums up drugs entirely
Check out 'Hey ya' by Andre 3000 or 'Torn' by Natalie Imburglia, talk about up beat with f-ing dark lyrics!! Andre did it on purpose to show how people don't listen to the words they just hear the beat. KEEP 'EM NUMB N DUMB. It is Mocking bands, record labels and the ignorance of the listeners themselves. Known all your food sources for proper health, LISTEN TO WHAT IS BRING FEED INTO YOU for proper mental health, that includes TV BIG TIME. 🍄🌟😀🎵
Great Song! This is one of many that you could swear they pulled those lyrics right off your bones!
" it's all that I wanna do, just a little now
Feel myself, heading off the ground
I'm scared, I'm not coming down
No, no
And I won't run for my life
She's got her jaws now locked down in a smile
But nothing is alright, "
If that ain't an accurate depiction of meth addiction... It kinda hurts tbh
What does that even mean though?
Heading off the ground works much better. Also i notice " we give into games we play" the post here uses lyrics i do not feel are correct
@@chrisresendes2125 it means that he's getting high and feeling like he may never be sober again. But he's so deep into his addiction that he won't give it up even if it kills him. The meth has happily sunk its "teeth" into him making him an addict.
Thank you for posting the correct lyric "heading off the ground", as in a euphemism for "getting high", everywhere I look online it's posted as "head made of the ground", which makes no damn sense, especially considering the following line: "I'm scared, I'm not coming down". If you actually listen to it, he clearly says "heading off the ground".
Did they cut this verse for radio? The version I have is 4 min flat
the best alternative rock that ever made..
Speaking of "What's My Age Again?", that song comes on next, on my watch list!
I really like the way that you move the lyrics around on the page to keep them almost as active as the song. That's not easy to do well. If you move them too quickly, you just give people an ice-cream headache. You did this perfectly.
2019 still listening
After getting addicted and hooked to the drug, hitting rock bottom and getting clean ( going on 4 years sober now), this song describes the process of doing and being on the drug perfectly. Goosebumps..I can't believe this used to be blasted on the radio all the time, played in movies, shows, etc.. I'm just like, Wow, at the moment.
Straight from what I found on Wikipedia:
"Semi-Charmed Life" was written solely by frontman Stephan Jenkins. Jenkins intended to write a song that acted as a San Francisco response to Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side", with the "doo, doo, doot" chants present throughout the song being directly inspired by Reed's song. In regards to the style of the song, Jenkins explained that it is meant to reflect changes that were occurring in the San Francisco music scene, particularly a growing interest in hip-hop. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jenkins said that the concept of the song was developed through his observations of friends using crystal meth at a Primus concert. The juxtaposition of the music and lyrical content was intentional, as Jenkins intended to illustrate the "bright, shiny feeling" one gets when using crystal meth. However, Jenkins maintains that the meaning of the song more broadly relates to changing periods in one's life. He further explained the meaning of the song:
"It’s about living in the Lower Haight [in San Francisco] and all the machinations that were going on at a time where my friend group was finally out of the [educational] institutions that we’d been in our whole lives - because we’d all been in school since kindergarten and everybody now was in their early 20s and out of college. And then probably underneath that, also the weight of coming to terms with the kind of agony that your life is always about to change and never be reliable." - Stephen Jenkins.
Jenkins was initially against the decision to release "Semi-Charmed Life" as the lead single from Third Eye Blind, as he did not believe that it was representative of the work as a whole. Guitarist Kevin Cadogan was concerned with the explicit lyrical content of the song, as he had fears that radio stations would refuse to play the song. Elektra Records suggested that the band release "Semi-Charmed Life" as their debut single as opposed to "Losing a Whole Year", then prompting the release of several radio edits of the song. Upon the song's success, Jenkins explained that he felt most listeners misinterpreted the song to simply be a "happy summertime jam".
Why are the most uplifting sounding songs really about something dark like addiction depression or grief
Here in 2019!!!!! 😎🤗 who else !!? 🎶
Melina Cruz 2020
2024 now!!! 😀
This should've been the intro for Breaking Bad
Hahah facts
"The same four chords can make ne cry" -Brilliant
2021 still with Third eye blind👌🏾
Been a long time since I last heard this song
Old but gold... 💕
Finally 3 months I've been clean as I've been smoking cigarettes for 43 yrs still have slight issues among nicotine.. still not easy at all plus 4 yrs not been drinking too
Who's listening to this classic May 2020!!!! Yea!!!
I still love this song omg it's been forever since I heard this
Who'se here june 2020 - Quarantine Life 👍👍😀
Rip Mike Davis I always think about you when I hear this 💔 💔
Powerful lyrics!-
emotional, extreme, climactic, sexy, gut wrenching, tragic-
Personally, I find it amazing. Exactly what I wanted to hear.
I was pictured dantdm's voice when he said "goodbyeeee!"
Terrific song! Brings back memories of high school.
I’m learning this song on guitar and it’s a BANGER. Been a jam forever. As I’m practicing the song I’m noticing more and more how damn dark the lyrics are lol. It’s a “feel good” song about meth addiction
The "Goodbye" sells the song imo.
My best friend was in the 90s San Francisco music scene where these guys came from. It was flooded with H and Tina. She got out for a while but I lost her this year. I love you J. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.
Awe man 💔 I'm so sorry
Just in case someone's wondering: Outro song is What's My Age Again by Blink182 :)
Thanks
Me, listening to this for the first time: "Oh, what a nice, upbeat pop song!"
Song: "Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break"
Me: *_(surprised Pikachu face)_*
Do you ever feel the need to scream?
Really? Compared to today's music???? this is Mellow haha. at least this is about self-abuse not about victimizing others or FAKE sitting on rented high-end vehicles with barely dressed teenage girls and guns screaming the same four lines to you over and over and over and over and over and over again. Fucking SoundCloud......
Although I do like Mac Miller and guys like him.....rip. my God where is Eminem when you need him hahaha
I'm packed and i'm holding, kinda gives you a bit of sm idea it,'s about drugs. Anywho, tried that crap once 30 odd years ago (yup was around then) had no idea...
Awake for 3 days. Fun for first 4 hours then never again.
@@michelletodd4893 THAT is exactly the reaction and the impression 75% of people have when doing meth. It is nowhere near as addicting as people think it is, most people cannot stand the accelerated pace and not sleeping. The people who actually like this stuff are more to be pitied, because they feel that they are unable to deal with life on life's terms, otherwise they wouldn't need a high-powered stimulant.
One of the best songs on earth ever‼️‼️😲😀🙌🙋🙆💃👌
I always love R&B music. And two it will be my favorite music of ALL!!!! TIME!!!!! And my favorite radio stations of all time such as B106.7, 104.7 WNOK, and 103.1 KISS FM, ARE! GONNA! BECOME! MY! FAVORITE! COLUMBIA! STATIONS! OF! ALL! TIME!☮💜☪
Ok it USED to be my favorite. When I was young.
The velvet it rips
In the city we tripped
On the urge to feel alive
But now I'm struggling to survive .
Such a powerful fucking lyric.
8th grade me had no idea what this song was about
7th grade for me didn't know either but it still reminds me hooking up with 2 hot chicks was a great year with more that came.
Ninth grade me just found out.
11th grade me lived in an area where meth was prominent and I knew EXACTLY what the song was about. It took 20 years, however, for me to UNDERSTAND those lyrics. Drug songs make a lot more sense after you've actually experienced that drug.
So good. The 90’s were the good old days and we never knew it
Man I love this dam song
I once listened to this song on a cold night while i was high and i watched the christmas lights that were on a bush across the street as i waited for a ride and this song always brings that specific moment to my mind.
Finally! this song has eluded me for years
!
Such a happy sounding song but such dark lyrics.
is a track about longing for something different and wanting to escape from the mundane day to day life, while also battling with feelings of yearning and regret. The protagonist is looking for a way out from their current lifestyle which is described as a "semi-charmed kind of life" - a life which is filled with drugs, partying and superficial relationships. The chorus speaks to this idea of wanting something more than the same old routine. The bridge conveys the idea of wanting to return to a happier time before the "velvet it rips in the city" and the outro expresses a desire to go back to a place before the life of excess and addiction even began. The song speaks to the common feeling of wanting to break free from the status quo with its catchy chorus and wistful lyrics.
I'm a recovering meth addict and did not ever realize the lyrics of this song, hits different now for sure🙌
Thanks for sharing. I've always tried to sing along this trak but didn't know the words .Thank you.
For such a happy, upbeat song the subject matter is just horrific (Speaking from experience).
Excellent song writing,
I like to think the upbeat is how it feels to take the drug
2021
my fave song since 1997
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo
I'm packed and I'm holding
I'm smiling, she's living, she's golden
She lives for me, says she lives for me
Ovation, her own motivation
She comes round and she goes down on me
And I make you smile, like a drug for you
Do ever what you wanna do, coming over you
Keep on smiling, what we go through
One stop to the rhythm that divides you
And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse
Chop another line like a coda with a curse
Come on like a freak show takes the stage
We give them the games we play, she said
I want something else to get me through this
Semi-charmed kinda life, baby, baby
I want something else, I'm not listening when you say good-bye
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo
The sky was gold, it was rose
I was taking sips of it through my nose
And I wish I could get back there, someplace back there
Smiling in the pictures you would take
Doing crystal meth, will lift you up until you break
It won't stop, I won't come down
I keep stock with a tick-tock rhythm, a bump for the drop
And then I bumped up, I took the hit that I was given
Then I bumped again, then I bumped again
I said
How do I get back there to the place where I fell asleep inside you
How do I get myself back to the place where you said
I want something else to get me through this
Semi-charmed kinda life, baby, baby
I want something else, I'm not listening when you say good-bye
I believe in the sand beneath my toes
The beach gives a feeling, an earthy feeling
I believe in the faith that grows
And that four right chords can make me cry
When I'm with you I feel like I could die
And that would be alright, alright
And when the plane came in, she said she was crashing
The velvet it rips in the city, we tripped on the urge to feel alive
Now I'm struggling to survive
Those days you were wearing that velvet dress
You're the priestess, I must confess
Those little red panties they pass the test
Slides up around the belly, face down on the mattress
One
And you hold me, and we are broken
Still it's all that I wanna do, just a little now
Feel myself, heading off the ground
I'm scared, I'm not coming down
No, no
And I won't run for my life
She's got her jaws now locked down in a smile
But nothing is alright, alright
And I want something else to get me through this life
Baby, I want something else
Not listening when you say
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
The sky was gold, it was rose
I was taking sips of it through my nose
And I wish I could get back there
Someplace back there, in the place we used to start
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo
I want something else
I love this kind of music
Nice music.
Who's listening in 2022?
Me
I think there's another theme to this song, that goes beyond addiction. At least, addiction to crystal meth. To me, this song is about the death of youth. The cold hard truth of becoming an adult. When you're in your teens, even your early twenties, infatuation can feel like love. And that love feels like it's enough. The whole song he talks about this idyllic relationship, but it's all surface. Literally, he talks about the underwear she wears at one point. Her velvet dress. The way she was lying on a mattress. Those are his memories of her. It's all about feeling happy, having sex. Nothing about what she was like as a person, or what made them compatible. Maybe there was love as well, but that's not what he's describing. What he's saying is he was totally infatuated with her. Obsessed with the way she made him feel. "You're the priestess I must confess". A level of devotion that approaches literal worship. There's one line that really sticks out to me "when I'm with you it feels like I could die, and that would be alright". So as far as he's concerned, this relationship is enough. "How do I get back there, to the place where I fell asleep inside you?". What he's describing is a relationship which fulfilled his every desire, to the point he didn't need anything else. What happens in relationships like this is one or both of you thinks, "Okay, so we're okay now, but what about the future? Where is this going?" Are you just gonna spend your whole life being in love and having sex, doing nothing? What about kids? Where are you going with your music career huh? Are you gonna live here your whole life? No travel, no seeing the world? What are we gonna do for money? Are we going to take care of our health? Or is what you want just "being together" for what, 50-60 years? Is that not gonna get stale? People get old y'know, and sex drives decline. It's like the classic phrase goes - "Are you happy, or just comfortable?". The person in this song was so comfortable, he couldn't imagine anything else. To the point where the woman he spends the whole song talking about tries to tell him "I want something else" and he's not even listening when she says goodbye. He had the proverbial blinkers on, those ones you have when you're young and you genuinely believe the hedonistic feelings that come with being infatuated with someone, the ones that are like a drug themselves, can just be made to last forever. But they can't. Like a drug, you chase and chase but they dull with time. And you're left with each other. Your hopes and dreams, if you have any. When he says "I wish I could get back there" I think he's saying "I wish I could remember what it feels like to just enjoy being utterly obsessed with someone, totally infatuated to the point nothing else matters". Because you can only really do that once, and the next time, you already have that knowledge it won't last for ever. You realise it's not enough. And maybe that's where the drug link comes in. Because for some people, drugs like crystal meth are how they stop the sensation dulling. Waking up to the realisation that any amount of hedonistic pleasure will never, ever be enough. "The sand beneath your toes" is a great feeling. But you'll be bored of it eventually and the realisation you're actually bored of something you used to love will hurt. The four right chords can make anyone cry, the first time. But how many times have you listened to this song? Does it still hit the same, or does it dull with time? "and when the plane came in she said she was crashing". That's what happens eventually. You need something less transient to believe in. "we were tripping on the urge to feel alive, now I'm struggling to survive" - The funny thing about happiness is, chasing happiness makes you miserable. Real happiness comes from striving for things that are so valuable to you, you're willing to be unhappy. Doing things that even cause you pain, literal and metaphorical. Pushing yourself to be better than you were yesterday. Looking back on your life and feeling like you've grown as a person - that's real happiness. Because anything worth having takes a lot of effort. Relationships take work. Careers take hard work and dedication. Becoming a good musician, or artist. Seeing the world isn't all fun. You learn what companies to avoid travelling with, and you get scared of turbulence. Everyone who has travelled enough has a worst ever travel experience. To be happy, you have to keep risking rejection and pain and heartbreak. It sucks, but we do it anyway, because it's always worth it in the end, even if you don't achieve everything you set out to. You'll still have the knowledge that you tried, and the evidence to go with it. A life well lived doesn't mean a life of feeling good the whole time. It isn't a charmed life, that's impossible. All you can really end up with is a 'semi-charmed' life. That's the "something else" I think the woman in this song went off in search of. But he wasn't ready to hear it yet. This song is him seeing that road ahead, and the fear is making him wish he could just go back to being young and carefree. That line "feel myself hovering off the ground, I'm scared I'm not coming down, no no, And I won't run for my life". This is immaturity. It's him saying "I see clearly now what life is going to be like, and it's scary. so I'm going to try and find ways to avoid pain and keep having fun, so I can make this feeling last forever". Well, you'd better start running for your life, and run for it as fast as you can. You'll never be able to keep up, and you'll lose that race eventually. We all do. That should terrify you enough to make you move. Or maybe that existential terror will paralyse you, leave you trying to stay still, like the guy in this song. The thing is though, no one else can do it for you. If you don't run for your life, it'll run out quicker than you can imagine. You'll be left with nothing but empty nostalgia. There's nothing wrong with remembering what it feels like to be young. We all remember feeling like fun can last forever, and responsibilities can be avoided. You get older though, and you realise how wrong you were. We remember feeling like that so we can remind ourselves of the truth - There will always be pain, no matter how much you try and avoid it. People get sick and die. The most amazing things will all end, eventually. It will all end, eventually. That's just the nature of the universe. So if you try and live a charmed life, then sure, you'll be happy half the time maybe, and the other half it will suck and you'll be totally unprepared. A "semi-charmed life" isn't something anyone should want, or try to have. What you're giving up is any control over where your life is going. You'll watch all those other unhappy people working at making their lives mean something, and you'll hurt just the same as them. That's what a "semi-charmed" life means. That's what she wanted to escape. She realised that no drug, or relationship, or good feeling will be enough to shield you from the realisation that pain isn't just unavoidable, it's essential to any kind of spiritual growth. Not in any kind of religious sense even, just the feeling you're more than you started out as. The feeling that your soul, for lack of a better word, has grown.
Didnt realize you delivered your college thesis on Third Eye Blind. It's very compelling rhetoric, and I agree with you, it's good stuff. But your average RUclipsr doesnt have the patience to read a novel as a comment. Furthermore, a lot of the dumbasses will reach for their bag of meth to stay awake to read it, before inevitably getting sidetracked.
Wow that was amazing and deep, thanks for taking your time on wrtiting it.
*I've been grinding my teeth to this for years. They're sharp af.*
Even I want something else to get me through this semi charmed life
This song was very popular in middle school
OH MY GOD I FINALLY FOUND BACK THIS SONGGG AAA
Truly a song for the current pandemic!
How so?
this song is so deep.
This song is demons so good but so many memories good and bad some even darker than the darkest nights
Song for the ages makes me appreciate what I have now and look back at my past as a hard but well learned lesson
If I hadn't killed this song at karaoke this weekend, my wife never would've known it's about drugs.
Dude i can't believe this had radio play while i was a kid i never knew he talked about bumps off meth 😂 crazy!
They censored it. I ___ again, and I ____ again.
Ditto here
My local station didn't censor it. MTV did, though.
That’s because he sang it so fast because he was speeding balls and no one even heard him say it
i think i live a pretty charmed life
Love this song
Hi
Good job with the video. And thanks for the lyrics. Nice work.