Everybody’s go something to hide Except me and my monkey.
STRAIGHT SHOOTER
(John Phillips, Mamas and the Papas)
“Baby are you holding, holding anything but me?”
(Holding is a reference to possessing drugs. Note the odd wording: If the reference is not to drugs, why say “holding anything” instead of “holding anyone”?)
(And later in the song:)
Don’t get me mad; don’t tell no lie.
Don’t get me sad; just get me high.
Baby, what your holding, half of that belongs to me.
‘Cause I’m a real straight shooter etc.
Also
SHOOTING STAR
(John Phillips)
You were a shooting star, weren’t you,
‘Till moon dust came along and burned you?
…
Your name in northern lights, glowing;
You know your mind is worth blowing.
You ought to do what you do, you ought to do.
(John Phillips, and his daughter MacKenzie (sp?) had some well known drug problems.)
Nobody’s mentioned *Light My Fire[/i} by the Doors.
I haven’t been able to find Brownsville Station lyrics online (thank God!) but I have a dim memory of hearing “The Martian Boogie” while partying many years ago. This guy was at a bar and a flying saucer landed, a Martian came out, and handed him something colorful to smoke. Then the Martian asked (in a cartoonish alien voice, probably done with helium),
“How do you feel?”
“And I said, ‘Well…’”
Then there was a guitar solo. Did I remember it right?
roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooollllllllllll another one!!!
Off to Cafe Society.
Hign On A Riverbed - Toad The Wet Sprocket
[Is this a riverbed at a hign altitude or frame of mind?]
“…but sometimes i’m standing here
high on a riverbed
and light breaks through
everything feels good for a while
high on a riverbed…”
Come Back Down - Toad The Wet Sprocket
[Come back down from what?]
“I’ve quit this a million times, can’t quite stay away
just one more time…i’ll be ok
but i’m so damn tired
when i come back down
though i’m crazy too
anything you want from me i’ll do…”
Grass - XTZ
[The song is certainly a double entente.]
“…Shocked me too the things we used to do on grass…”
The Killing Jar - Siouxsie & The Banshees
[This one doesn’t say H but I understand that this is what it is about. For the longest time I thought it was just a killer tune.]
“…A soft hoodwink of shadow
The size of make-believe
Punches through his spike of rage
A glass hand cuts through the water
Snuffing out the magic fury…”
What about Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Under the Bridge’ as a song with a heroin reference.
Mmmm what about Rodriguez’s ‘Sugar Man’.
I seem to recall them claiming that it was an
actual fire. I guess the one pictured inside the LP cover.
What about James Taylor?
From “Junkie’s Lament”
Ricky’s been kicking the gong
Lickety split didn’t take too long
A junkie’s sick
A monkey’s strong
That’s what’s wrong
(and that’s just the first verse)
From “Johnnie Comes Back”:
All last week and half of today
Johnnie has been a good little girl
Trying to keep her devils at bay
Watching her health return
But she always comes back for more
Hanging her head and banging my door
Johnnie comes back again
and
Where’d she get that tear in her eye
Whoever said she could leave me
Where’d she learn to say good-bye
She’s been watching too much T.V.
She only shows up for meals
My medicine chest and my automobiles
Johnnie comes back again
- Chorus -
Me I’m just an evil demon
I’m playing on her weakness
Counting on her sickness
To bring her home again
From “That’s Why I’m Here”
john’s gone found dead he dies high he’s brown bread
later said to have drowned in his bed
after the laughter the wave of the dread
it hits us like a ton of lead
it seems “learn not to burn” means to turn on a dime
and walk on if you’re walking even if it’s an uphill climb
and try to remember that working’s no crime
just don’t let 'em take and waste your time
that’s why i’m here
(This song refers to the death of his friend John Belushi, with whom he used to do drugs)
From “A Little More Time With You”:
I passed on the cocaine
Said bye-bye to my methadone
Put down the bottle for one more day
Backing off of my Tobacco Jones
Still I feel like a hopeless junkie
Like a man who can’t say no
I look back and there’s that monkey
Rascal won’t let go
I’m sure there are many more references to drug use - he’s been writing songs since 1967 and pretty openly used drugs most of that time. Not being too familar with the terminology I’m at a loss to say.
StG
Pusher Man, by Steppenwolf.
This part is right. The song begins with the guy going to a “greasy spoon place” to get a burger, and he comes across the Martian eating at the counter. At one point, he notices the Martian has a bunch of colored sticks on his plate: “I said ‘What you eatin’ there boy, crayons?’ and he said ‘Why no, they’re Martian cigarettes. Here, try one’.” Unless E-Z-Wider had a rainbow assortment pack of rolling papers back then, it’s hard to see this as a marijuana reference.
I couldn’t find the lyrics online either. I had the single when I was in middle school (and still have it! :)), so it’s pretty much burned into my brain. I think the album just had a longer solo, not more lyrics, but I’m not sure.
Let’s look at the line in context, and see which interpretation fits the lyrics (from memory):
“I pulled my harpoon from my dirty red bandanna.
I was playing soft while Bobby sang the blues.
Windshield wipers slurp in time,
I was holding Boby’s hand in mine,
and we sang every song that driver knew.”
I think Jinx nailed it for this one: “Just because you’re not referring to drugs, doesn’t mean WE can’t find the inference for ya!”
There were brightly colored rolling papers, some of them were also flavored.
I believe you are right about ‘Me and Bobby McGee’.
Obvious up-front references in title:
Heroin by the Velvet Underground;
King Heroin by James Brown;
Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth by the Dandy Warhols;
Sister Morphine by the Rolling Stones.
Direct references in the lyrics:
5:15 by The Who–uppers and downers;
Insane in the Brain by Cypress Hill–marijuana (what else?);
Lust for Life by Iggy Pop–drugs (I’m not sure if any are specifically named).
BTW, are we limiting ourselves to illegal drugs? Because, if not, there’s enough alcohol-related songs to keep this thread going for at least another 1000 entries.
“Longview” - Green Day …
*I got no motivation
Where is my motivation
No time for motivation
Smoking my inspiration *
No. It’s a reference to hanging on to a joint instead of passing it around. If you listen, the lyrics ask (you) to pass it.
In old Bogart movies he always has a cigarette hanging in his lips. He doesn’t really, but enough so that it seems like he does.
Peace,
mangeorge (Goddamn the Pusherman)
“It’s the story of very unfortunate colored man
Who got arrested down in old Hong Kong.
He got twenty years privilege taken away from him
When he kicked old Buddha’s gong.”
Hoagy Carmichael featured in the movie…well I have no doubt Eve knows the movie 
.
The supposed Julian Lennon drawing in Khadaji 's Snopes link seems too advanced to have been drawn by even the most talented four-year-old.
As does the remark attributed to Julian. But my own kids have sometimes surprised me with their occasional sophistication.
Let’s look at the line in context, and see which interpretation fits the lyrics (from memory):
quote:
“I pulled my harpoon from my dirty red bandanna.
I was playing soft while Bobby sang the blues.
Windshield wipers slurp in time,
I was holding Boby’s hand in mine,
and we sang every song that driver knew.”
I think Jinx nailed it for this one: “Just because you’re not referring to drugs, doesn’t mean WE can’t find the inference for ya!”
Well ya remembered Janis’s version pretty good …but SHE didn’t write the song!
Her old boyfriend Kris did…and he’s an admitted heroin junkie from back then. I even quoted verses to another song he wrote which was even more obvious than this one.
How 'bout this one…“Snortin whiskey…” next line please,