Venice Queen Lyrics
Does it go from a-east to west, y'all
Body free and a body less, y'all
Come again just to start afresh and
Once again to find a home
In the moment of the meantime
Dropping in, coming through the mesh, y'all
Checking in just to get it blessed, y'all
Hard to leave when it's picturesque and
Find a form that's free to roam
[Chorus]
Where you come from, where you going?
Where you come from, where you going?
[Verse 2]
Do it all then it all again, y'all
Make it up and you make a friend, y'all
Paddle on just around the bend and
Find a place where you can see
All the mamas and the papas
Take a chance on a recommend, y'all
Hard as hell just to comprehend, y'all
Disbelief that I do suspend and
Easy now to find a breeze
Where you come from, where you going?
Where you come from, where you going?
[Bridge]
We all want to tell her, tell her that we love her
Venice gets a queen, best I've ever seen
We all want to kiss her, tell her that we miss her
Venice gets a queen, best I've ever...
[Outro 1]
I know you said you don't believe
In God, do you still disagree?
Now that it's time for you to leave
G-L-O-R-I-A is love, my friend
My friend, my friend
[Outro 2]
Your stylish mess of silver hair
A woman of your kind is rare
Your uniform returns to air
G-L-O-R-I-A is love, my friend
My friend, my friend
[Outro 3]
And now it's time for you to go
You taught me most of all I know
Where would I be without you, Glo?
G-L-O-R-I-A is love, my friend
My friend, my friend
I see you standing by the sea
The waves you made will always be
Your kiss goodbye before you leave
G-L-O-R-I-A is love, my friend
My friend, my friend
About
The subject matter addressed on By the Way marks a divergence from previous Red Hot Chili Peppers albums, with Anthony Kiedis taking a more candid and reflective approach to his lyrics. Many of the tracks digressed into the many sides of love, including “Venice Queen” which was composed as an ode to Kiedis' drug rehabilitation therapist, Gloria Scott.
The song is an ode to Gloria, and mourns a woman who played a large part in Kiedis' drug recovery. Over time, the pair were able to became close friends, and thus her subsequent death was a painful loss. Unfortunately, Gloria died shortly after Kiedis gifted her a home in California’s Venice Beach, making her his “Venice Queen.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Anthony talked about the song “Venice Queen” and how the song got its name in his autobiography Scar Tissue he wrote:
We got Gloria a little apartment on the water in Venice Beach, because she was always about the ocean, but she’d lived inland in Venice for thirty years. We hired a nurse and paid for her treatments, but the doctors had caught the cancer too late I go to the hospital in time to say the painful ‘I know you’re dying, so you have to know that I love you.’ She didn’t want to die in the hospital, so they brought her back home to the beach, and she faded away.
- 1.By the Way
- 4.Dosed
- 7.Can’t Stop
- 9.Midnight
- 11.Cabron
- 12.Tear
- 13.On Mercury
- 14.Minor Thing
- 15.Warm Tape
- 16.Venice Queen
