Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Waves roll out
Out to sea
Tasting the saltwater
Tears upon her cheek
Morning breaks
She's not there
Who could ever find her?
Who would even care?
No one heard
No one came
No angel of mercy
Appears to know her name
Where is hope
When words fail
All the colours running
Inside when life turns pale
In the dock the boats are harboured
Where the water's cold and still
Oh life, she cries, I've lost the will
From the bridge she sees a lifetime
Being washed upon the shore
Oh life, she cries
There must be more...
Tides roll in
Waters rise
Any chance of reason
Only clouds her eyes
Arms of grace
She won't feel
All the wounds inside her
That time can never heal
The city lights shine seaward
Swirling in a trance
Her eyes upon the water
Alone in her last dance
From the docks the boats are leaving
As she cries into the dawn
"Oh life, I'm barely holding on"
And she sees her future falling
Til it finds the ocean floor
Oh life, she cries
There must be more
There must be more
And with the early light
She'll sail into the clear
The winds are all behind her
The hour's almost here
From the bridge she hears the voices
Turn into a roar
Oh life she cries
There must be more
On the dock her soul is sinking
But her spirit longs to soar
Oh life, she cries
There must be more
There must be more
There must be more
Oh life I'm barely holding on
There must be more
There must be more
Oh life there must be something more
Out to sea
Tasting the saltwater
Tears upon her cheek
Morning breaks
She's not there
Who could ever find her?
Who would even care?
No one heard
No one came
No angel of mercy
Appears to know her name
Where is hope
When words fail
All the colours running
Inside when life turns pale
In the dock the boats are harboured
Where the water's cold and still
Oh life, she cries, I've lost the will
From the bridge she sees a lifetime
Being washed upon the shore
Oh life, she cries
There must be more...
Tides roll in
Waters rise
Any chance of reason
Only clouds her eyes
Arms of grace
She won't feel
All the wounds inside her
That time can never heal
The city lights shine seaward
Swirling in a trance
Her eyes upon the water
Alone in her last dance
From the docks the boats are leaving
As she cries into the dawn
"Oh life, I'm barely holding on"
And she sees her future falling
Til it finds the ocean floor
Oh life, she cries
There must be more
There must be more
And with the early light
She'll sail into the clear
The winds are all behind her
The hour's almost here
From the bridge she hears the voices
Turn into a roar
Oh life she cries
There must be more
On the dock her soul is sinking
But her spirit longs to soar
Oh life, she cries
There must be more
There must be more
There must be more
Oh life I'm barely holding on
There must be more
There must be more
Oh life there must be something more
Lyrics submitted by Ice
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This should come with a warning. Do not listen to this if you're feeling a bit down and vulnerable. It is guaranteed to tip you over the edge. However, the delivery is so powerful and emotive that it is difficult to resist. Shame they did not play it live at the last concert in London. Particularly pertinent in my area where 7 people have committed suicide in the past 7 weeks. As always it made no sense to those left behind but when does it? We will never understand our own actions and motives so why try and understand others? We all make our choice and live or die with them. All we can ask for is the freedom to make those choices.
This song is more or less totally pessimistic about life, with the bit of hope that shines through with "there must be more". I think the last three verses is about a girl who commits suicide by drowning herself or jumping from a bridge:
On the dock her soul is sinking But her spirit longs to soar Oh life, she cries There must be more
A really creepy song to listen to if you are feeling a bit down, like bremner said. On my list of songs not to listen when down, this ranks a split first, together with Goodbye Cruel World (Pink Floyd) and Take the Long Way Home (Supertramp).
While I certainly agree completely with the above comments, I often have felt that perhaps this song was in a way, a sort of plea to everyone to be more aware of those they love. Sometimes those in distress are giving off signs hoping someone they love will notice.
No one heard No one came No angel of mercy Appears to know her name
Did she truly have no friends or relatives? Unlikely. More likely she was sending subtle signs of her dispair and no one noticed. I may be way off, but it does give the song a bit of a positive reason to exist.
WOW you people have a lot of sadness in your lives. The song is actually about a ship. Old and worn from years of servitude to humanity. Stripped of everything that is worth anything, even her bell. Towed out to deep water and scuttled. In her final hour, She quietly calls out to the heart of a man who now stands upon the deck of another ship. A man who has served her every need for most of his life. A man who caries the memory of nearly every other man who was ever broken upon her deck or built up and made strong. And the powerful memories of men who died or were lost to the sea in servitude to her. A man who has come to love her every timber, bow to stern, port to starboard. And in their final hour together, he is powerless to do anything else but watch her slip beneath the waves to her final resting place, her soul heavy on his heart. Bow his head.
And sail away.
@JohnathanGregoryStone Agreed!!
@JohnathanGregoryStone<br /> Not true. It is a song about despair.<br /> From the songwriter David Pack, of Ambrosia fame:<br /> <br /> “People often tell me that "Oh Life" is one of their favorite songs. I performed it live once with my dear friend & co-writer Alan Parsons at The Greek Theatre benefit for "Children of Bosnia," and someday I intend to release that powerful version (Simon Phillips on drums!). <br /> <br /> The lyrics were based on a true story and didn't come to me until<br /> I was in England in the '90s to work on Alan's final Arista L.P. Try Anything Once. <br /> <br /> I was riding on an English train when in a flash, I remembered a story in the local South Bay of L.A. papers. It was about an woman who was so heartbroken after her husband had died that she decided to drive herself and her two children off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro —one of the saddest stories I'd ever heard. <br /> <br /> So I began imagining and feeling her total despondence when I wrote the Chorus: <br /> <br /> "In the docks the boats are harboured<br /> Where the water's cold and still<br /> "Oh life, "she cries, "I've lost the will…<br /> From the bridge she sees a lifetime, being washed upon the shore, oh life she cries<br /> there must be more" <br /> <br /> And this progresses to the next chorus: <br /> <br /> "From the docks the boats are leaving<br /> As she cries into the dawn<br /> "Oh life, I'm barely holding on"<br /> And she sees her future falling<br /> 'Til it finds the ocean floor<br /> "Oh life," she cries, "There must be more"<br /> <br /> Alan told me at the press release party in N.Y. that Clive Davis, music's most legendary impresario, had decided to read my entire lyrics of the song to the press and attendees; Alan said it was just an extraordinary reaction, with several in tears. <br /> <br /> Little did anyone but me know that only ten years prior, Clive pushed back on bringing me to his label because he said my lyrics needed "more depth" (really Clive?). In his 20 years with Arista, Alan said he'd never seen Clive personally read the entire lyrics to press & media as he did with "Oh Life." <br /> <br /> God has a way of evening things up! <br /> <br /> One day I hope to record an unplugged version of this. I thought you might like to know a little of the back-story, as it may help someone who needs to hear this song & lyric today. <br /> <br /> The important thing is…in this song, the woman never jumps! But you get the impression she has.”
I love all the General Comments, which point to the ability of the song writers to create lyrics that make you wonder--one of the reasons I still listen to the APProject. I stopped watching the music videos because they solidify a meaning in my head and I enjoy using my imagination.