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."
I was in love with your beauty from the day you walked my way
Oh how I wish that was enough to have made me want to stay
See I'm as true as I want to be and I must say my girl
I tried the best to give to you all of the truest in the world
But when I left your house that morning in that ragged Thunderbird
I tried so hard to fight the voices from the devil's that I heard
See there's a highway to the right of us I took it a year ago
And since a year ago can't drive past, without turning down that road
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
So give me a try at describing just how difficult it is
When you kinda love two girls to figure out which one you miss
Stumble away from your stairway with your perfume on my clothes
Well I kinda loved two girls but now I've kinda lost 'em both
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
And if I could gather up the damage that I rendered in my life
Place it on a scale and weigh against the damage done that night
Then it'd be safe to say the weight of all I did and didn't do
Would surely float against the lightest wrong I ever did to you
Oh how I wish that was enough to have made me want to stay
See I'm as true as I want to be and I must say my girl
I tried the best to give to you all of the truest in the world
But when I left your house that morning in that ragged Thunderbird
I tried so hard to fight the voices from the devil's that I heard
See there's a highway to the right of us I took it a year ago
And since a year ago can't drive past, without turning down that road
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
So give me a try at describing just how difficult it is
When you kinda love two girls to figure out which one you miss
Stumble away from your stairway with your perfume on my clothes
Well I kinda loved two girls but now I've kinda lost 'em both
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
And if I could gather up the damage that I rendered in my life
Place it on a scale and weigh against the damage done that night
Then it'd be safe to say the weight of all I did and didn't do
Would surely float against the lightest wrong I ever did to you
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Mountain Song
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Pretty straightforward. Loving someone... but loving someone else, as well. And then losing them both.
I love at the end when they alternate singing. Favorite band.
Seth yelling "WHOO! WHOO!!" in the chorus makes me laugh every time I listen to this lol.
1st comment !!! wots wrong with everyone !!!!! xD
1st comment !!! wots wrong with everyone !!!!! xD
I live right by 74 as well!
good ol' north carolina :D
Hey i live near it as well. But the vibe i get from this song is that it is about cheating. The turning the wheel is kind of straying away from his girl. Well thats what i think anyways
Well I kinda loved two girls but now I've kinda lost 'em both,Story of my life