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
hanging out of my bed
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.
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