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."
Was at the end of my rope, had nowhere to go
Was at the end of my rope, I had nothing to show
Until the day I turned to You, was at the end of my
What?
You talking to me?
You talking to me?
You call me crazy
You call me crazy
You call me crazy
You call me crazy
You call me crazy, man you make my day
My state of residence was disarray
At every party and as far as anybody knew - everything was cool, but
The truth was bottled up inside of me
I was as lonely as a man could be
And my 200 friends couldn't fill the void in my soul
It was a giant hole
Nothing made any sense
I thought there would never be an end
Then love came knocking at my door
[Chorus]
Since I met You I've been alright
You turn all my darkness into light
Since I met You I've been okay, I've been alright
[Ya know I've been alright]
Since I met You I've been okay
You're rolling my winter into may
And since I met You I've been alright
I've been okay [since I met you]
I've been okay [since I met you]
You got me feeling like a million bucks
Some people write it up as Irish luck
But I know better, cause my rabbit's foot never did me a bit of good
The truth hit me like a sock in the eye
A revelation that I can't deny
Your love has overtaken every little part of me
You were what I needed
I'm carried away
Never seen the sunshine like today
You made something of my life
[Chorus]
Was at the end of my rope
I had no where to go, go
Was at the end of my rope
I had nothing to show
Until the day that I turned to you
Was at the end of my rope
I had nowhere to go, go, go
Was at the end of my rope
I had nothing to show
Until the day that I turned to you
Was at the end of my rope
Yeah, that's right, I'm talkin' to you
Sick and tired
Sick and tired
Sick and tired
Sick and tired
Sick and tired of the same ol' fluff
You took me in and You shook me up
You got me tripping on a vision of eternity
I can see it clearly
[Chorus]
Was at the end of my rope
With nowhere to go
I had nowhere to go, go
Nowhere to go
Was at the end of my rope
With nothing to show
Had nowhere to go, go, go
I had nowhere to go
Was at the end I had had nowhere to go, come on, of my rope
I had had nowhere to go, come on
Was at the end nowhere to go, come on, of my rope
I had had nowhere to go,
Was at the end,
Then I met you
Nowhere to go
Was at the end of my rope, I had nothing to show
Until the day I turned to You, was at the end of my
What?
You talking to me?
You talking to me?
You call me crazy
You call me crazy
You call me crazy
You call me crazy
You call me crazy, man you make my day
My state of residence was disarray
At every party and as far as anybody knew - everything was cool, but
The truth was bottled up inside of me
I was as lonely as a man could be
And my 200 friends couldn't fill the void in my soul
It was a giant hole
Nothing made any sense
I thought there would never be an end
Then love came knocking at my door
[Chorus]
Since I met You I've been alright
You turn all my darkness into light
Since I met You I've been okay, I've been alright
[Ya know I've been alright]
Since I met You I've been okay
You're rolling my winter into may
And since I met You I've been alright
I've been okay [since I met you]
I've been okay [since I met you]
You got me feeling like a million bucks
Some people write it up as Irish luck
But I know better, cause my rabbit's foot never did me a bit of good
The truth hit me like a sock in the eye
A revelation that I can't deny
Your love has overtaken every little part of me
You were what I needed
I'm carried away
Never seen the sunshine like today
You made something of my life
[Chorus]
Was at the end of my rope
I had no where to go, go
Was at the end of my rope
I had nothing to show
Until the day that I turned to you
Was at the end of my rope
I had nowhere to go, go, go
Was at the end of my rope
I had nothing to show
Until the day that I turned to you
Was at the end of my rope
Yeah, that's right, I'm talkin' to you
Sick and tired
Sick and tired
Sick and tired
Sick and tired
Sick and tired of the same ol' fluff
You took me in and You shook me up
You got me tripping on a vision of eternity
I can see it clearly
[Chorus]
Was at the end of my rope
With nowhere to go
I had nowhere to go, go
Nowhere to go
Was at the end of my rope
With nothing to show
Had nowhere to go, go, go
I had nowhere to go
Was at the end I had had nowhere to go, come on, of my rope
I had had nowhere to go, come on
Was at the end nowhere to go, come on, of my rope
I had had nowhere to go,
Was at the end,
Then I met you
Nowhere to go
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too soft for me...oh wait this shit is about god HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH sucks.