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."
Good evening
We want to just quickly send a nice friendly message
To uh, Fraternal Order of Police in Philadelphia
Here's something nice and friendly
Here's something nice and friendly
Here's something nice and friendly
And it goes something like this
Fuck tha police
Comin' straight from the underground
Young nigga got it bad 'cause I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority
Fuck that shit, 'cause I ain't tha one
For a punk mutha fucka with a badge and a gun
To be beatin' on, and throwin' in jail
We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell
Fuckin' with me 'cause I'm a teenager
With a little bit of gold and a pager
Searchin' my car, lookin' for the product
Thinkin' every nigga is sellin' narcotics
You'd rather see me in the pen
Then me and Lorenzo chilling in the Benzo
Beat tha police outta shape
And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape
To mark off the scene of the slaughter
No controller, bread and water
A young nigga on a warpath
And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath
Of cops, dyin' in L. A
Yo, I got somethin to say
Fuck the police
Comon! Off, What?
Fuck the police
Yeah!
Comon!
Fuck tha police
Yeah
Fuck The police
Comin' straight from the underground
Young nigga got it bad 'cause I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority
Fuck that shit, 'cause I ain't tha one
For a punk mutha fucka with a badge and a gun
To be beatin' on, and throwin' in jail
We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell
Fuckin' with me 'cause I'm a teenager
With a little bit of gold and a pager
Searchin' my car, lookin' for the product
Thinkin' every nigga is sellin' narcotics
You'd rather see me in the pen
Then me and Lorenzo chilling in the Benzo
Beat tha police outta shape
And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape
To mark off the scene of the slaughter
No controller, bread and water
I don't know if they fags or what
Search a nigga down and grabbin' in the nuts
And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none
But don't let it be a black and a white one
'Cause they slam ya down to the street top
Black police showin out for the white cop
Yeah, my brothas will swarm
On any mutha fucka in a blue uniform
Just 'cause we in Washington D.C, punk police are afraid of me
Hey!
Punk on a warpath
And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath
Of cops, dyin' in L.A.
Hey yo, We got somethin' to say
Fuck the police
Comon, sing that shit
Right now
Comon!
Comon!
One more time
Here we go, here we go
Comon!
One More, We gotta do it, right now
Yeah
Check it out
We want to just quickly send a nice friendly message
To uh, Fraternal Order of Police in Philadelphia
Here's something nice and friendly
Here's something nice and friendly
Here's something nice and friendly
And it goes something like this
Fuck tha police
Comin' straight from the underground
Young nigga got it bad 'cause I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority
Fuck that shit, 'cause I ain't tha one
For a punk mutha fucka with a badge and a gun
To be beatin' on, and throwin' in jail
We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell
Fuckin' with me 'cause I'm a teenager
With a little bit of gold and a pager
Searchin' my car, lookin' for the product
Thinkin' every nigga is sellin' narcotics
You'd rather see me in the pen
Then me and Lorenzo chilling in the Benzo
Beat tha police outta shape
And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape
To mark off the scene of the slaughter
No controller, bread and water
A young nigga on a warpath
And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath
Of cops, dyin' in L. A
Yo, I got somethin to say
Fuck the police
Comon! Off, What?
Fuck the police
Yeah!
Comon!
Fuck tha police
Yeah
Fuck The police
Comin' straight from the underground
Young nigga got it bad 'cause I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority
Fuck that shit, 'cause I ain't tha one
For a punk mutha fucka with a badge and a gun
To be beatin' on, and throwin' in jail
We could go toe to toe in the middle of a cell
Fuckin' with me 'cause I'm a teenager
With a little bit of gold and a pager
Searchin' my car, lookin' for the product
Thinkin' every nigga is sellin' narcotics
You'd rather see me in the pen
Then me and Lorenzo chilling in the Benzo
Beat tha police outta shape
And when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape
To mark off the scene of the slaughter
No controller, bread and water
I don't know if they fags or what
Search a nigga down and grabbin' in the nuts
And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none
But don't let it be a black and a white one
'Cause they slam ya down to the street top
Black police showin out for the white cop
Yeah, my brothas will swarm
On any mutha fucka in a blue uniform
Just 'cause we in Washington D.C, punk police are afraid of me
Hey!
Punk on a warpath
And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath
Of cops, dyin' in L.A.
Hey yo, We got somethin' to say
Fuck the police
Comon, sing that shit
Right now
Comon!
Comon!
One more time
Here we go, here we go
Comon!
One More, We gotta do it, right now
Yeah
Check it out
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