Red Hot Chili Peppers

Released: August 16, 1989

Songwriter: John Frusciante Chad Smith Anthony Kiedis Flea

Producer: Michael Beinhorn

[Intro: Flea with Anthony Kiedis & John Frusciante]
…Does that star-spangled banner yet wave?
Ha-ha-ha

[Verse 1: Anthony Kiedis, with John Frusciante & Flea]
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I-I, I, I cry, I cry
I was born in a land, I don't think you understand
Goddamn what I am
I'm a native of this place, please don't kick me in my face
My race has been disgraced

[Pre-Chorus 1: Anthony Kiedis]
Cop on
Sick a dig on
Right back

[Chorus: Anthony Kiedis with John Frusciante, Kristen Vigard, Vicki Calhoun, & Aklia Chinn]
Won't somebody testify? Kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify, kick a hole right in the sky)
Slap a liar in his eye, kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify kick a hole right in the sky)
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny

[Refrain 1: Anthony Kiedis, with John Frusciante & Flea]
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I-I, I
What do I… why?

[Verse 2: Anthony Kiedis]
Puts us in your pumpkin shell, where you keep us very well
It's Hell, where I dwell
When history books are full of shit, I become the anarchist
I'm pissed at this
What this country claims to be
It's a lie, no place for me
I bleed

[Pre-Chorus 2: Anthony Kiedis]
Bo-bo
Get your dig on
Bo-bo

[Chorus: Anthony Kiedis with John Frusciante, Kristen Vigard, Vicki Calhoun, & Aklia Chinn]
Won't somebody testify? Kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify, kick a hole right in the sky)
Slap a liar in his eye, kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify kick a hole right in the sky)
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny

[Refrain 2: Anthony Kiedis, with John Frusciante & Flea]
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I-I, I decide to defy

[Verse 3: Anthony Kiedis]
Kill my trust if you must, but in my blood, there is the lust for life
That's right
Apache blood is in my heart, thrashing though me a-like a shark
Crashing though the dark

[Pre-Chorus 3: Anthony Kiedis]
Bo-bo
Sick a dig on
Step back

[Chorus: Anthony Kiedis with John Frusciante, Kristen Vigard, Vicki Calhoun, & Aklia Chinn]
Won't somebody testify? Kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify, kick a hole right in the sky)
Slap a liar in his eye, kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify kick a hole right in the sky)
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny

[Refrain 3: Anthony Kiedis, with John Frusciante & Flea]
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I-I, I can fight, confide

[Verse 4: Anthony Kiedis]
What am I supposed to do?
I feel like I'm cut in two, confused by rules
Do these two cultures clash, or am I living in the past?
I ask, please tell me fast

[Pre-Chorus 4: Anthony Kiedis]
Bo-bo
Sick a dig on
Right back

[Chorus: Anthony Kiedis with John Frusciante, Kristen Vigard, Vicki Calhoun, & Aklia Chinn]
Won't somebody testify? Kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify, kick a hole right in the sky)
Slap a liar in his eye, kick a hole right in the sky
(Testify, testify kick a hole right in the sky)
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny

[Refrain 4: Anthony Kiedis, with John Frusciante & Flea]
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I, I
I, that's right

[Verse 5: Anthony Kiedis]
To what do I belong, and if I change, will I be wrong?
Be wrong, that's wrong
I took my foot and kicked a hole in the sky
I proceeded to plead. Will fathers help me decide?
A jagged flash of light struck me in the eye
I turned around and found that I was still alive
Snakes rise high from the purple-black sky
The red cloud rains, and the black horse rides
Then it dawned on me like the mornin' sun
I'm a part of two worlds, and the mornin' comes
Glowing embers tend to remember when
The power that is peace was treated as a friend
I'm a master of a destin' and I got to take action
I'm a man, the animal man

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rock band based in Los Angeles, CA that incorporates elements of rap, funk, punk, and rock into their work, mainly classified as an alternative rock band. They made it mainstream off the success of their 1991’s fifth studio album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, led by singles “Give it Away” and “Under the Bridge.” After losing guitarist John Frusciante and losing popularity following the release of the less successful One Hot Minute, the band reunited for 1999’s Californication. The title track and hit singles “Around the World,” “Scar Tissue” and “Otherside” propelled them back to the fame. After 2002’s solid release By the Way and 2006’s double-disc Stadium Arcadium, Frusciante once again left the band to further pursue his solo career. The band added Josh Klinghoffer to help fill his void, and released I’m With You in 2011.

In December 2019, the band announced via Instagram that Klinghoffer had left after 10 years, and Frusciante would be rejoining.

Their lyrical content was mostly centered around sex, drugs, and the Los Angeles lifestyle, and lead singer Anthony Kiedis mostly rapped them as he wasn’t confident as vocalist. Most members of the band also suffered from drug addiction, as Kiedis and Frusciante had to check themselves into rehab for heroin addiction at various points in their lives. But Californication marked a change in the band’s content matter and lifestyle. The band was sober for the most part, and the lyrics had shifted to songs about love and the pains of addiction, the title even criticized the city they loved so much. In addition, Kiedis had started to sing his lyrics much more often as he finally felt comfortable with his voice. That change has allowed the band to stick around for over 20 years despite multiple changes to their lineup and is part of why they remain relevant.

more tracks from the album

Mother’s Milk

From the albums

Mother’s Milk (1989)
What Hits?! (1992)

Red Hot Chili Peppers popular songs

Johnny, Kick a Hole in the SkyRed Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Mother’s Milk