The lyrical meaning behind "Give It Away '' is centered on the philosophy of selflessness and altruistic behavior. The song is titled after its most prevalent lyrical phrase "give it away '', which is taken from an experience Kiedis had with his former girlfriend -- punk rock singer Nina Hagen -- in the early 1980s. Hagen was several years Kiedis ' senior and became a role - model during his drug addiction to heroin: "she realized how young and inexperienced I was then, so she was always passing on gems to me, not in a preachy way, just by seizing on opportunities. '' When Kiedis was looking through her closet he came across a jacket he liked, and commented to Hagen that it was "really cool ''. Upon expressing this, Hagen immediately told him to keep it. Her reasoning behind this selflessness was due to an attempt to constantly make her life more enjoyable, and explained to Kiedis that "if you have a closet full of clothes and you try to keep them all, your life will get very small. But if you have a full closet and someone sees something they like, if you give it to them, the world is a better place. ''
give it away red hot chili peppers meaning
centered on the philosophy of selflessness and altruistic behavior