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."
If I lose you
If I lose you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, mmm
If I, if I, if I, if I, if I
B-b-b-b-baby g g g, so g g g, you you you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street at night
If I lose you in the street
If I lose, don't be sad
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street, hey
If I lose you in the street
G g come here come here come
Feel for you
Kiss me, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, the sight of you falling out
The sight of you
If I lose you in the street, six
If I lose you in the street
I say, I say, I say, I say, I say, I say
Wassup, wassup with you?
Wassup with your friends?
High hills, high hills
Oh I, m b v m b v m b v m b v m b v more m b v hi fi
I wanna see you
Stand up, stand up, stand up
In the high hills
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
May I, may I walk with you?
May I walk with you? uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes, recorded at the automat
San francisco mixed with uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes shhhhh
Emotional chi, emotional chi
Come on baby, don't fuss
In the time takes to slide it back
Say a what say a what eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
In the time takes to slide it back
Questions say what
I like you mostly late at night
Hold tight, hold tight, hold tight with a tight
Budokan warp, budokan warp, we warp
B b b b b freestyle
I like you mostly late at night
Break my mind, break my mind
In the time takes to slide it back
Raining in my room, sweet and sleepy
Wassup wassup
I can remember I can remember four
We can we can we can we can three
Keep us together keep us together keep us together
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Forever
You can be me, swim
The face of you,
Ok the face, we can take it back
I can take you the hills
Days like television
Days like television
D-d-d-d-d-days like television
Face of you, the face of you
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time takes to slide it back
The face of you, for, that's all
Should I wait for you s f l
Should I wait for you?
Should I wait for you?
Come on, should I?
Never forget who you are
There's no reason
D-d-d-d-d-d-d girls
There's no reason wassup
Responsibility, free
In the time takes sliding back
In the time
Responsibility, girls
D-d-d-d-d-d-d break
Wassup
I don't trade
Wassup
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
I don't trade
Wassup
Contact, contact, just sweet remember contact
Boom, contact, contact
That's the way, your first, your last, your only contact
Uh-oh, uh-oh, contact
The first, the last, the only
Bounce, twirl
I don't trade
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Je danse, je suis
In the time takes sliding back
Contact
Je suis, je danse
D-d-d-d with a bit of freestyle
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Should I?
Time takes sliding back
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
In the time takes sliding back
Twelve o'clock
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact, swallow
Twelve o'clock, one o'clock, no pretending
Virginia, looking at it last night
Virginia plain
Recorded at the power plant, yeah
Vacant together, vacant together, eyes vacant
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
No pretending, contact, you and me
Contact, you and me
Wassup, contact
He's the shaker
Watch him, I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
I don't like twelve o'clock either
Contact
Shake it, don't go vacant on me
Don't go vacant on me
Waiting, contact, shaking, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Watch him, contact, shake it, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Don't go vacant, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the rain, I don't like it at all
If I lose you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, mmm
If I, if I, if I, if I, if I
B-b-b-b-baby g g g, so g g g, you you you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street at night
If I lose you in the street
If I lose, don't be sad
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street, hey
If I lose you in the street
G g come here come here come
Feel for you
Kiss me, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, the sight of you falling out
The sight of you
If I lose you in the street, six
If I lose you in the street
I say, I say, I say, I say, I say, I say
Wassup, wassup with you?
Wassup with your friends?
High hills, high hills
Oh I, m b v m b v m b v m b v m b v more m b v hi fi
I wanna see you
Stand up, stand up, stand up
In the high hills
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
May I, may I walk with you?
May I walk with you? uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes, recorded at the automat
San francisco mixed with uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes shhhhh
Emotional chi, emotional chi
Come on baby, don't fuss
In the time takes to slide it back
Say a what say a what eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
In the time takes to slide it back
Questions say what
I like you mostly late at night
Hold tight, hold tight, hold tight with a tight
Budokan warp, budokan warp, we warp
B b b b b freestyle
I like you mostly late at night
Break my mind, break my mind
In the time takes to slide it back
Raining in my room, sweet and sleepy
Wassup wassup
I can remember I can remember four
We can we can we can we can three
Keep us together keep us together keep us together
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Forever
You can be me, swim
The face of you,
Ok the face, we can take it back
I can take you the hills
Days like television
Days like television
D-d-d-d-d-days like television
Face of you, the face of you
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time takes to slide it back
The face of you, for, that's all
Should I wait for you s f l
Should I wait for you?
Should I wait for you?
Come on, should I?
Never forget who you are
There's no reason
D-d-d-d-d-d-d girls
There's no reason wassup
Responsibility, free
In the time takes sliding back
In the time
Responsibility, girls
D-d-d-d-d-d-d break
Wassup
I don't trade
Wassup
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
I don't trade
Wassup
Contact, contact, just sweet remember contact
Boom, contact, contact
That's the way, your first, your last, your only contact
Uh-oh, uh-oh, contact
The first, the last, the only
Bounce, twirl
I don't trade
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Je danse, je suis
In the time takes sliding back
Contact
Je suis, je danse
D-d-d-d with a bit of freestyle
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Should I?
Time takes sliding back
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
In the time takes sliding back
Twelve o'clock
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact, swallow
Twelve o'clock, one o'clock, no pretending
Virginia, looking at it last night
Virginia plain
Recorded at the power plant, yeah
Vacant together, vacant together, eyes vacant
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
No pretending, contact, you and me
Contact, you and me
Wassup, contact
He's the shaker
Watch him, I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
I don't like twelve o'clock either
Contact
Shake it, don't go vacant on me
Don't go vacant on me
Waiting, contact, shaking, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Watch him, contact, shake it, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Don't go vacant, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the rain, I don't like it at all
Lyrics submitted by rhythmsuicide
The Leanover Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I like the fellatio allegory. It can be boring for the woman, but then what does the phrase "I don't trade" mean? In my experience, a trade is the only way to get it done properly. Great song!