Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge - Lyrics Meaning

The lyrics of Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers explain the difficulties of recovering from a drug addiction, namely heroin. At the end of the song, "the bridge downtown" is referred to, which is where he would go to escape his emotions and get high. After fighting his addiction and being able to kick the habit, he was having a tough time finding relations with his former friends. Because they were all still using drugs, he felt that he had to distance himself from them in order to protect his life.

Drawing back from the people he was once so close with gave him an overwhelming feeling of loneliness and solitude, as he described, "like I don't have a partner". While driving, he realized that his city of Los Angeles would never leave him alone. The city is stable, and he is able to depend on her being there to support him. He refers to the city as his "companion", and he does not have to hide from her because she already knows his deepest secrets but has yet to abandon him. The feelings of loss bring him to depression, and he does not "ever want to feel like I did that day".

31. Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call