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."
[Intro: (RZA)]
Bob Digi, U G.O.D, Raekwon the Chef, the Inspektah Deck
M.E.T.H.O.D. (Man), the B.O.B.B., straight up, Masta Killa, the Gza, the Genius..
It's the Ol' D-d-dza-za-za Diiiirty Bastard! [music starts]
[ODB] Straight Up..turn it up, the headphones, turn it up..yo you here me?
[Cappadonna] Wutup Toney?
[Ghostface] Wsup don' don'..
[ODB] All the way up..
[Ghost]You know how we do..
[Cappa] Let's get this paper together..
[Ghost]You motherfuckin' right Pa, uh huh.
[Cappa] That's right, c'mon nigga..
[ODB]That's as far as it goes?
[Ghost] Sound about to go off on some real live Wu-shit, uh huh
[Cappa] W-T-C
[RZA] Ghost-FACE!
[Ghost] Lemme give y'all the bullshit hook for y'all niggas, check it out...
[Hook: Ghostface Killah]
The burners in the stash, we about the cash
We got females that got it like that
The golden childs that bone the crowd
See niggas in the place that bit my style
Well I'm a singer, dancer, we bulletproof brothers
Wu-Tang got the answerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....
Cuz if I had a chance, to do it again
I will still keep the heat in my pants, uh
[Ghostface Killah]
Y'all be nice to the crackheads, everybody listen up
I shot one of my bitches, the hoe ain't trick enough
Word life to big screen Don, tapping dustbones out
With starwriters like I fucked Celine Dion
Stuck everything that's the god's honest beyond
We airin' niggas out that's the type shit that we on
Official Wu-Tang headbanger
Flood your space with big waves like you didn't set an anchor
[Raekwon the Chef]
Yo, I drink heavy gallons of Crew, play the big part
niggas got squid on the grill, selling kids Clarks
Finesse notes, yo, the Guess on with the best pose
Yellow swede one matching hat with the grey gun
Niggas be rhymin' for nothing, then my team pull up
We all throw down y'all broke niggas stay frontin'
Lines come digital stupid, plus my team got
'nuff jury on, bet I'm still live and I'm coopin'
Two of my silverbacks run through a pack of your wolves
Front on react and sippin' Cog-i-nac so relax dude
Know I'm with these cracks dude
[ODB]
Yo, 1, 2...Dirt McGirt!
Solid tone smith with 5th shots, lick shots
Leave your head like a Shaolin monk with 6 dots
Brooklyn, Zoo, Zoo (Yo)
Brooooklynnnnnnn....ZOO! (Yo!)
[Cappadonna]
It's the return of Bin Laden, grab your armor
Smash pretty boy niggas, crush they karma
Eat bones with alligators, roll deep, with my entourage
My whole crew's fresh out the bars
Diggler, AKA the Cab Driver
Drop him off in the middle of fire
Dirty Island, drag bodies to the murderland
Knock niggas out hurtin' my hand
[Method Man]
I remember in the elevators when we was playin' corners
Now we play the corners and the cops is stayin' on us, (uh)
Staten's where the war is
where the court system's running out of warrants
Where TNT be jumping out the Taurus
For real I can't call it
you see I love Lucy cuz she Lawless
Exactly like that 1-0-3-0-4 is
Snitch niggas swallow your tongue
Already know the island I'm from
And y'all don't want no problems with them
[Genius / GZA]
We got a history, full of lightning victories
Conceptual breakthrough it ain't no mystery
Long vision, from giants in every way
Rap czars, magnificent flows for every day
From the East to the ville, from the West to the hills
Incredible rhymes, encouraging skill
From rat packs, the smallest crews were enormous
They hit 'em fast, with an effortless performance
MCs start fleeing in flocks
Especially those that's more sensitive to heat and shock
[Inspektah Deck]
We grindin', down to the bone
My name grounded in stone
I'm Mr. Violence we loungin' with Chrome
Mr. Violence we lounge in his home, hit the housing on Rome
Shining like a hundred thousand in stones
Move mountains with poems, got a jones for dinero
1-6-zero my songs we throwin' elbows
The hoes cling, sho thing, we know kings
Only dime dikes, with minds right, we choose Queens
[Masta Killa]
Yeah we wild like rockstars who smash guitars
Yo son split his face with the toast, he ain't Ghost
It's no joke iron coat rife him with the stroke
One toke brains float, shot to the throat
Before the smoke hit, witness the killing
On the crime scene
Body on the block
Eyes open from the shock
Of being popped in the neck
Yet he still had a lit cigarette between his fingertips
Danger when you step into the chamber with the master
Disaster, gotta blast ya, cuz I hafta
[U-God]
The rat pack is back from the island of Stat'
Leave you cursed off, cuz you worship the gat
The first one to snap drunk off the Smirnoff
Blow the bouncer's ear off, let him floss he the boss
Handcuffed, to the turntables like, Wizard Theodore
See it's pure, let iy rain curly ounces
Bang him with the thing that hang from the trousers
You don't want no drama, I'm flaming fast
That nigga jumped up and did the Damon Dash (Dash..)
[GUNSHOT]
Bob Digi, U G.O.D, Raekwon the Chef, the Inspektah Deck
M.E.T.H.O.D. (Man), the B.O.B.B., straight up, Masta Killa, the Gza, the Genius..
It's the Ol' D-d-dza-za-za Diiiirty Bastard! [music starts]
[ODB] Straight Up..turn it up, the headphones, turn it up..yo you here me?
[Cappadonna] Wutup Toney?
[Ghostface] Wsup don' don'..
[ODB] All the way up..
[Ghost]You know how we do..
[Cappa] Let's get this paper together..
[Ghost]You motherfuckin' right Pa, uh huh.
[Cappa] That's right, c'mon nigga..
[ODB]That's as far as it goes?
[Ghost] Sound about to go off on some real live Wu-shit, uh huh
[Cappa] W-T-C
[RZA] Ghost-FACE!
[Ghost] Lemme give y'all the bullshit hook for y'all niggas, check it out...
[Hook: Ghostface Killah]
The burners in the stash, we about the cash
We got females that got it like that
The golden childs that bone the crowd
See niggas in the place that bit my style
Well I'm a singer, dancer, we bulletproof brothers
Wu-Tang got the answerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....
Cuz if I had a chance, to do it again
I will still keep the heat in my pants, uh
[Ghostface Killah]
Y'all be nice to the crackheads, everybody listen up
I shot one of my bitches, the hoe ain't trick enough
Word life to big screen Don, tapping dustbones out
With starwriters like I fucked Celine Dion
Stuck everything that's the god's honest beyond
We airin' niggas out that's the type shit that we on
Official Wu-Tang headbanger
Flood your space with big waves like you didn't set an anchor
[Raekwon the Chef]
Yo, I drink heavy gallons of Crew, play the big part
niggas got squid on the grill, selling kids Clarks
Finesse notes, yo, the Guess on with the best pose
Yellow swede one matching hat with the grey gun
Niggas be rhymin' for nothing, then my team pull up
We all throw down y'all broke niggas stay frontin'
Lines come digital stupid, plus my team got
'nuff jury on, bet I'm still live and I'm coopin'
Two of my silverbacks run through a pack of your wolves
Front on react and sippin' Cog-i-nac so relax dude
Know I'm with these cracks dude
[ODB]
Yo, 1, 2...Dirt McGirt!
Solid tone smith with 5th shots, lick shots
Leave your head like a Shaolin monk with 6 dots
Brooklyn, Zoo, Zoo (Yo)
Brooooklynnnnnnn....ZOO! (Yo!)
[Cappadonna]
It's the return of Bin Laden, grab your armor
Smash pretty boy niggas, crush they karma
Eat bones with alligators, roll deep, with my entourage
My whole crew's fresh out the bars
Diggler, AKA the Cab Driver
Drop him off in the middle of fire
Dirty Island, drag bodies to the murderland
Knock niggas out hurtin' my hand
[Method Man]
I remember in the elevators when we was playin' corners
Now we play the corners and the cops is stayin' on us, (uh)
Staten's where the war is
where the court system's running out of warrants
Where TNT be jumping out the Taurus
For real I can't call it
you see I love Lucy cuz she Lawless
Exactly like that 1-0-3-0-4 is
Snitch niggas swallow your tongue
Already know the island I'm from
And y'all don't want no problems with them
[Genius / GZA]
We got a history, full of lightning victories
Conceptual breakthrough it ain't no mystery
Long vision, from giants in every way
Rap czars, magnificent flows for every day
From the East to the ville, from the West to the hills
Incredible rhymes, encouraging skill
From rat packs, the smallest crews were enormous
They hit 'em fast, with an effortless performance
MCs start fleeing in flocks
Especially those that's more sensitive to heat and shock
[Inspektah Deck]
We grindin', down to the bone
My name grounded in stone
I'm Mr. Violence we loungin' with Chrome
Mr. Violence we lounge in his home, hit the housing on Rome
Shining like a hundred thousand in stones
Move mountains with poems, got a jones for dinero
1-6-zero my songs we throwin' elbows
The hoes cling, sho thing, we know kings
Only dime dikes, with minds right, we choose Queens
[Masta Killa]
Yeah we wild like rockstars who smash guitars
Yo son split his face with the toast, he ain't Ghost
It's no joke iron coat rife him with the stroke
One toke brains float, shot to the throat
Before the smoke hit, witness the killing
On the crime scene
Body on the block
Eyes open from the shock
Of being popped in the neck
Yet he still had a lit cigarette between his fingertips
Danger when you step into the chamber with the master
Disaster, gotta blast ya, cuz I hafta
[U-God]
The rat pack is back from the island of Stat'
Leave you cursed off, cuz you worship the gat
The first one to snap drunk off the Smirnoff
Blow the bouncer's ear off, let him floss he the boss
Handcuffed, to the turntables like, Wizard Theodore
See it's pure, let iy rain curly ounces
Bang him with the thing that hang from the trousers
You don't want no drama, I'm flaming fast
That nigga jumped up and did the Damon Dash (Dash..)
[GUNSHOT]
Lyrics submitted by mdub87
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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,
Magical
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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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
the Wu is back! great song