Brendan’s Death Song
Producer
Brendan’s Death Song Lyrics
Live and die before I get it done, will you decide?
Take my words and turn them into signs that will survive
Because a long time ago, I knew not to deprive
It's safe out there and now you're everywhere, just like the sky
And you are love, you are the love supreme, you are the rise
And when you hear this, you’ll know it’s your jam, it’s your goodbye
[Chorus]
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the drummer drums
He's going to play my song
To carry me along
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the boatman comes to ferry me away
To where we all belong
[Verse 2]
We all crossed when we were feeling lost it's just the time
Kateri cried the day her lover died she recognized
Because he gave her a life of real love it's no surprise
The nights are long but the years are short when you're alive
Way back when will never be again, it was a time
It's going to catch you so glad I met you to walk the line
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the drummer drums
He's going to play my song
To carry me along
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the boatman comes to ferry me away
To where we all belong
[Chorus]
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the drummer drums
He's going to play my song
To carry me along
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the boatman comes to ferry me away
To where we all belong
[Bridge]
Let me live so when it's time to die even the reaper cries
Let me die so when it's time to leave another sun will rise
I said yeah!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
I said yeah!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the drummer drums
He's going to play my song
To carry me along
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
And when the boatman comes to ferry me away
To where we all belong
[Outro]
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
Like I said you know I'm almost dead
You know I'm almost gone
About
Released as the fifth and final single on the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, I’m With You, the song is dedicated to Brendan Mullen. Mullen founded The Masque – a small punk rock club which was an important part of the early L.A. punk scene. Mullen was also a longtime friend of the Chili Peppers and one of the first music promoters to give the band their start. In 1983, Anthony and Flea had a demo tape and took it to the popular L.A. club, Club Lingerie, where Mullen was a booker at the time.
As the song’s title and lyrics suggest, Mullen died suddenly in 2009 after suffering a stroke during his 60th birthday celebration with longtime partner, Kateri Butler.
In a 2011 interview with Q Magazine (Q 302), Mullen passed away on the first day of rehearsals for I’m With You. Frontman Anthony Kiedis received a text message and informed the band when he arrived at rehearsal. The band began to jam and created what was to become the basis for the song. Kiedis stated:
It does have a sort of death march feel to it, but the song is more of a celebration than a bummer. My favourite part of the song came much later – which is the bridge section, where it gets quite dark there for a moment and there’s this feeling of falling into the unknown abyss, of dying.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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