Castles Made of Sand (song)

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Castles Made of Sand is a song from of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's second studio album, Axis: Bold As Love, released in 1967 in the UK and 1968 in the U.S. The song is a ballad, with each verse telling a story about occurrences gone wrong somehow, supporting the chorus-line, "...and so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually...". It is a metaphor for the notion that nothing is permanent and everything is eventually washed away into the sea, per se.

First verse lyrics:

"Down the street you can hear her scream 'You're a disgrace!' as she slams the door In his drunken face And now he stands outside And all the neighbors start to gossip and drool. He cries, 'Oh girl, you must be mad! What happened to the sweet love you and me had?' Against the door he leans and starts a scene And his tears fall and burn the garden green.

Chorus: And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually."

The song is known for it's bendy, heavily distorted guitar that uses a "slow attack" effect, played in Jimi Hendrix's revered "split rythm" style, and it's lack of a conventional chorus.

The song was covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a live version was featured on the 2003 Remastered Version of their album Mother's Milk.