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."
Uh uh huh, lets go, yeah!
Uh, ghetto children singing "singing"
See they eager to learn "uh hum"
How to become the next world leaders "Bravehearts"!
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Book one, strategy, tactics, techniques
Look dumb, but massively notice the weakness, in all them
Gotta shoot only if necessary
Homey vest is very real if enemies carrying heavy steal
Beware the thugs who ain't scared of blood or jail time
Where Arian nations ain't having integration, we so blind
The beauty of life, was when my mom said nigga you could be Christ
I wasn't old enough to hold my dick and pee right, "Jesus"!
What is he like? I picture him standing with diamonds on him
Little different from the way my mommy saw him
Practice your aiming, physical training in, difficult terrain and
Test your endurance, try to keep your stamina banging
Splitting dutches up, strap up, the armies is school
Teaching smart ways to kill, I'm thinking Gandhi was a fool
But chronic's a fool; got me thinking out loud, fuck it
Sleep on my drunkenness I'll blow your brains out
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
My revolution is as real as Bobby Seale's, I build
With dudes and cribs worth a quarter mill, in dix hills
For fish scale, to cop guns, the time come
I'll mask up and get my comrade off the bus
Fuck the beef I'll snatch your seed, from chuckie cheese
And feed him to the rats in the back of the P's
Black fatigues and ? On the sofa
50 inch flat screen Louie Vitton holdsters
My motions don't appeal to repel at divisions
I did it strong for 7 long years in prison, fuck the system
I'm like a modern day Hitler, black gorilla, crip and blood in one nigga
Only killas know my face
I beat a case for shooting at the police, nigga, the name Lake
Though simultaneously the street revolution
21 gun salute the new Huey Newton
Teach y'all women how to hold the family down in case something happens to his fathers
Protect the children, grab revolvers
The women plays important part of our life force
So what we fight for, my heart goes to you beautiful wife in war
Uh, And listen more talk less
Watch all and trust none, demand your respect
And be ready to die for what you believe in
And ride all the time not just when convenient
Justice and freedom, wisdom and understanding
We the lost children of Israel in this western world region
You ain't a man you a coward if you can't support the girl you put a seed in
Strong rule the weak, but the wise rule the strong
It's more to a war than just getting it on
Conceal your form, cover your tracks
Stay prepared I don't care if no one's spared
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Uh, ghetto children singing "singing"
See they eager to learn "uh hum"
How to become the next world leaders "Bravehearts"!
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Book one, strategy, tactics, techniques
Look dumb, but massively notice the weakness, in all them
Gotta shoot only if necessary
Homey vest is very real if enemies carrying heavy steal
Beware the thugs who ain't scared of blood or jail time
Where Arian nations ain't having integration, we so blind
The beauty of life, was when my mom said nigga you could be Christ
I wasn't old enough to hold my dick and pee right, "Jesus"!
What is he like? I picture him standing with diamonds on him
Little different from the way my mommy saw him
Practice your aiming, physical training in, difficult terrain and
Test your endurance, try to keep your stamina banging
Splitting dutches up, strap up, the armies is school
Teaching smart ways to kill, I'm thinking Gandhi was a fool
But chronic's a fool; got me thinking out loud, fuck it
Sleep on my drunkenness I'll blow your brains out
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
My revolution is as real as Bobby Seale's, I build
With dudes and cribs worth a quarter mill, in dix hills
For fish scale, to cop guns, the time come
I'll mask up and get my comrade off the bus
Fuck the beef I'll snatch your seed, from chuckie cheese
And feed him to the rats in the back of the P's
Black fatigues and ? On the sofa
50 inch flat screen Louie Vitton holdsters
My motions don't appeal to repel at divisions
I did it strong for 7 long years in prison, fuck the system
I'm like a modern day Hitler, black gorilla, crip and blood in one nigga
Only killas know my face
I beat a case for shooting at the police, nigga, the name Lake
Though simultaneously the street revolution
21 gun salute the new Huey Newton
Teach y'all women how to hold the family down in case something happens to his fathers
Protect the children, grab revolvers
The women plays important part of our life force
So what we fight for, my heart goes to you beautiful wife in war
Uh, And listen more talk less
Watch all and trust none, demand your respect
And be ready to die for what you believe in
And ride all the time not just when convenient
Justice and freedom, wisdom and understanding
We the lost children of Israel in this western world region
You ain't a man you a coward if you can't support the girl you put a seed in
Strong rule the weak, but the wise rule the strong
It's more to a war than just getting it on
Conceal your form, cover your tracks
Stay prepared I don't care if no one's spared
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
Revolutionary warfare is all fair loving war for the cause
I gotta take you off here
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More Featured Meanings
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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
"You ain't a man you a coward if you cant support the girl you put a seed in" thats my favorite line of the song. very good song.