pg. 2 Freedom by Jimi Hendrix

You got my pride
hanging out of my bed

You're messin' around with my life                                           
So I bought my ...
You even mess with my children
And you're screamin' at my wife, baby
Get off my back,
if you wanna get outta here alive

Freedom, give it to me                                                        
That's what I want now
Freedom, that's what I need now
Freedom to live
Freedom, so I can give

You got my heart
speak electric water
You got my soul
screamin' and howlin'
You know you hook my girlfriend
You know the drugstore man
But I don't need it now
I was trying to slap it out of her head

Freedom, so I can give
Freedom, yeah
Freedom, that's what I need                                                    

You don't have to say that you love
if you don't mean it
You'd better believe
If you need me
or you just wanna bleed me
you'd better stickin' your dagger in someone else
So I can leave
Set me free

(Yeah)

Right on, straight ahead
Stay up and straight ahead
Freedom 

 

Source: AZLyrics.com

 

 

Analysis

“Freedom” by Jimi Hendrix is a powerful song in which Hendrix repeatedly cries out for something or someone to give him his freedom. As the song goes on it becomes clear that Hendrix is singing about gaining freedom from his drug addiction, which notoriously led to his premature death. Hendrix uses repetition of the word freedom to emphasize how strongly he desires a drug free life. He also gives a form of personification to the drug addiction when he seemingly talks to the addiction by saying “You got my pride/hanging out of my bed/You’re messing around with my life.” The drug addiction obviously does not physically possess anything, but it does create a human like restraint on Hendrix’s life. Hendrix continues to speak to the addiction throughout the song as he lists the things the addiction controls. Because of this the word “you” is very important in the song. The word “you” refers to the various drugs that control Hendrix’s life and oppress him in various different ways. It is important to note however, that Hendrix does not speak about wanting to fight his addiction. Throughout the song it is presented as if the addiction has complete control over Hendrix, like a master would control a slave, “If you need me/or you just wanna bleed me/you’d better stick your dagger in someone else/so I can leave/ set me free.” This request for the addiction to “set him free” indicates an obvious belief that the drug is in complete control and that Hendrix is merely a servant of the addiction. Because of all of this it is clear to me that Hendrix truly felt consumed by his addiction and essentially defenseless against it.