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."
The king's taken back the throne
The useless seed was sown
When they say they're cutting off the phone
Then tell 'em you're not home
No place to hide
You'll find there's a soldier on their side
You're still a soldier in your mind
But nothing's on the line
You say it's money that we need
As if we're the only mouths to feed
I know that no matter what you say
There are some debts we never pay
Working for the church while your family dies
You take what they give you
And you keep it inside
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
I can taste the fear
Lift me up and take me out of here
Don't want to fight, don't want to die
Just want to hear you cry
Who's gonna throw the very first stone
Oh, who's gonna re set the bone
Walking with your hand in a sling
Wanna hear the soldier sing
Working for the church while my family dies
You're little baby sister's gonna lose her mind
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
I can taste your fear
It's gonna lift you up and take you out of here
If the bone shot never heals
I cannot make him yield
You can't find me now
But they're gonna get their money back somehow
And when you finally disappear
We'll just say you were never here
Been working for the church while your life falls apart
They're singing hallelujah when defeating your heart
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
The useless seed was sown
When they say they're cutting off the phone
Then tell 'em you're not home
No place to hide
You'll find there's a soldier on their side
You're still a soldier in your mind
But nothing's on the line
You say it's money that we need
As if we're the only mouths to feed
I know that no matter what you say
There are some debts we never pay
Working for the church while your family dies
You take what they give you
And you keep it inside
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
I can taste the fear
Lift me up and take me out of here
Don't want to fight, don't want to die
Just want to hear you cry
Who's gonna throw the very first stone
Oh, who's gonna re set the bone
Walking with your hand in a sling
Wanna hear the soldier sing
Working for the church while my family dies
You're little baby sister's gonna lose her mind
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
I can taste your fear
It's gonna lift you up and take you out of here
If the bone shot never heals
I cannot make him yield
You can't find me now
But they're gonna get their money back somehow
And when you finally disappear
We'll just say you were never here
Been working for the church while your life falls apart
They're singing hallelujah when defeating your heart
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
Hear the soldier groan we'll got it at alone
Lyrics submitted by newkicks, edited by nycgirlxx, 2blablabla, peregrine47, jasemuleson, MrLillico, Portishead93, Duffbeer
Intervention Lyrics as written by Regine Chassagne Jeremy Gara
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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.
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.
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.
I find it interesting that a few people are interpreting it as a song about having a relationship with God, or being a "Christian soldier" or something similar. I don't know for certain, but I always got the impression that they were a non-religious band, even anti-religious in some ways.
I think it's about the political and religious leaders taking away our basic humanity and freedom. While the political leaders are forcing us to go to war and kill each other (all the references to soldiers, although I think soldiers is used metaphorically as well) and reducing us all down to one obedient mass instead of free individuals ("you say it's money that we need, as if we were only mouths to feed"), the religious leaders are forcing us to adhere to their doctrines through fear ("sing hallelujah with fear in your heart") but never really providing you with the answers you need ("Been working for the church while your life falls apart").
I think it's about us all taking our lives back and taking control and not blindly obeying the political and religious leaders in the hope that they'll fix all the world's problems ("Hear the soldier groan, "We'll go at it alone""). Also, concentrating on what's really important i.e. friends/family and compassion for other humans, NOT fighting over whose god is the "real" one or which political ideology is "right" ("Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home")
I don't know, that's just how I would interpret it.
With the Butler brothers' Mormon background, the album being named "Neon Bible" and recorded in a church, and the "church"-references that feature in this song in particular, I wouldn't call Arcade Fire a non-religious band. Their stance towards religion seems ambivalent - sometimes they seem to praise spiritual themes, sometimes they appear to be criticising religious dogmas. <br /> <br /> I'd say this song is an example of the latter. To me, the song seems to tell the tale of a very stubborn believer who refuses to keep in tune with his environment ("Been working for the church / While your life falls apart, / Singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart") and therefore loses touch with reality - and thus, himself. He groans "we'll go at it alone"; the "we" here seems to me to be some kind of schizophrenic element. He doesn't know himself thoroughly, but keeps his problems inside and chooses to go on with his dogmatic faith in spite of the others. Perhaps "intervention" is what is needed in his case? Thoughts, thoughts.