Under the Bridge

[DISCLAIMER]

In childhood, I enjoyed the Norwegian fairytale “Three Billy Goats Gruff.” It was about three goat brothers who outsmarted and ultimately defeated a troll that resided underneath a bridge, as the monstrous being was said to have eaten anyone who dared to cross the structure.

When traveling around my hometown and seeing bridges, I imaginatively thought about whether or not there was a hideous being lurking in the shadows while waiting for an unsuspecting individual who would be eaten. Could I perhaps have been as wise and victorious as the goats?

Even though I didn’t actually believe in monsters, I understood the value in overcoming obstacles. Then, when I was in junior high school, the band Red Hot Chili Peppers released their album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991).

There was one song in particular that stood out to me, as the meaning of “Under the Bridge” was widely debated by students at the school I attended in an era prior to mass dissemination of information on the Internet. Regarding the actual significance of the song, one source states:

At its core, the poem Rubin found talked about Kiedis’ drug use and the loneliness he was experiencing. The song’s most famous line is likely, Sometimes I feel like my only friend / Is the city I live in / The City of Angels / Lonely as I am / Together we cry.

That sense of disconnection from all people, yet remaining still in tune with the larger space around you is a very poignant thought. Mix that with the heightened isolation that comes from drug use and you have a song with great drama.

Writing in Scar Tissues, Kiedis talks about what he lost during that time, particularly his relationship with his former girlfriend, actress Ione Skye. He wrote, “I’d had this beautiful angel of a girl who was willing to give me all of her love, and instead of embracing that, I was downtown with fucking gangsters shooting speedballs under a bridge.”

When learning about the actual connotation of “Under the Bridge,” I thought about how monstrous drug addiction likely was. After all, I’d witnessed addiction behavior in my family and thought it was as frightful as a troll that resided underneath a bridge.

Many years since my youth, through the lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I don’t see people or addition as trollish at all. Rather, I recognize that each and every one of us is simply a fallible human being and that life is merely imperfect, not monstrous.

Under the proverbial bridge regarding each of our lives are irrational beliefs over which our wiser and potentially victorious selves may ascend, similar to the goats in “Three Billy Goats Gruff.” REBT serves as a method of rational living that affords us such an opportunity.

Meaningfully, one line from “Under the Bridge” states “I don’t ever wanna feel like I did that day,” which I presume relates to undesirable emotions and uncomfortable sensations. Understandably, many people want to feel better than they currently do or previously have.

However, feeling better is akin to a goat crossing a bridge under which a troll resides while the four-legged animal merely deludes itself into a false sense of safety. One may be eaten up with unaccommodating beliefs through use of this unhelpful approach to life.

Alternatively, REBT aims to help people actually get better. Using this method of living is something like a larger goat defeating the troll in a fairytale from my childhood. Only, REBT isn’t fantasy and people can genuinely get better by moving across, rather than under, the bridge.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

Dr. DontDoIt. (2014, January 25). Speedball. Urban Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Speedball

Hollings, D. (2024, January 7). Delusion. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/delusion

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2024, May 11). Fallible human being. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fallible-human-being

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2023, May 18). Irrational beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/irrational-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2025, February 27). Life must be safe. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-must-be-safe

Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2024, May 15). Rational living. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-living

Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Sensation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/sensation

Hollings, D. (2024, March 18). Unhealthy vs. healthy negative emotions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unhealthy-vs-healthy-negative-emotions

Hollings, D. (2025, February 9). Value. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/value

Red Hot Chili Peppers. (2015, August 22). Under the Bridge [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/4UnU3r0M3zg?si=g6hIWgM9TbGKxunn

Uitti, J. (2023, May 4). The meaning behind the addictive song “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. American Songwriter. Retrieved from https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-the-addictive-song-under-the-bridge-by-red-hot-chili-peppers/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Anthony Kiedis. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Kiedis

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Sugar_Sex_Magik

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Ione Skye. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ione_Skye

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Red Hot Chili Peppers. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Rick Ruben. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_ruben

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Three Billy Goats Gruff. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Billy_Goats_Gruff