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."
So when I’m fed up I get red up
Mary Jane messed my head up
She can be my best friend forever
At times I regret that I met her
When she eats all my cheddar
But she makes life seem better
Like whatever
Stressin’ me out she settles me down
Put it in the air bredder spread it around
But don’t abuse it
We use it to temple ball
From Nepal there’s a mental drawl
Meditated like we’re mental
Just the way God intended
When I pick up the pencil and scrawl the splendid
I used to use cigarette mix and blend it
Now I don’t tend to ping everybody offended
If they criticise weed defend it
A crystallised tide yo’ glistenin’
Blow my mind like nitro-glycerine
This is the deal
All day every day give you something to feel
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
Peripheral switch to weed with spliffs and shit
And cigs remove the twig
That’s the life of the breathing tip
With king slims and choice blends to no end
High kyer fire burnin’ sex with friends
But I burn it with a precedent
A broken men
Street soldier strutting out of with the leafy stem
High fliers with a focus loads of Bush and pain
Knock it on to the punters and they’re back again
Buy cheap sell high and subsidise what you buy
Still I walk straight through this crimson tide
Yet you all polluters don’t know what one hit could provide
Best just step aside I take a poetic glide
We’re off into the stratosphere
Eyes too glazed
I’m being slayed from the potency
Toxicated commodity my property
Meditated with E’s the weed flows through my blood stream
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to a bar
4 bars to a ki
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to a bar
4 bars to a ki
Even the driest shit, taste it
All types of hybrid
The black resin smelling unpleasant when you light it
This is for the friends I got high with, by with
The glistening eyes and the Chinese eyelids
Sky-high kids from the happy high rise
This is a rise smith
With their spliffs in the vice script
Puffin’ Northern Lights
and the smugglers who brought it over borderlines
Flying in for the cannabis club
Till I damage a lung
And my cabbage is broke
Either way I’m getting lean today and tomorrow never comes
So I’m sat in my drum strappin’ bad shit I’m done
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off the THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off the THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
Weed
Weed...
Mary Jane messed my head up
She can be my best friend forever
At times I regret that I met her
When she eats all my cheddar
But she makes life seem better
Like whatever
Stressin’ me out she settles me down
Put it in the air bredder spread it around
But don’t abuse it
We use it to temple ball
From Nepal there’s a mental drawl
Meditated like we’re mental
Just the way God intended
When I pick up the pencil and scrawl the splendid
I used to use cigarette mix and blend it
Now I don’t tend to ping everybody offended
If they criticise weed defend it
A crystallised tide yo’ glistenin’
Blow my mind like nitro-glycerine
This is the deal
All day every day give you something to feel
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
Peripheral switch to weed with spliffs and shit
And cigs remove the twig
That’s the life of the breathing tip
With king slims and choice blends to no end
High kyer fire burnin’ sex with friends
But I burn it with a precedent
A broken men
Street soldier strutting out of with the leafy stem
High fliers with a focus loads of Bush and pain
Knock it on to the punters and they’re back again
Buy cheap sell high and subsidise what you buy
Still I walk straight through this crimson tide
Yet you all polluters don’t know what one hit could provide
Best just step aside I take a poetic glide
We’re off into the stratosphere
Eyes too glazed
I’m being slayed from the potency
Toxicated commodity my property
Meditated with E’s the weed flows through my blood stream
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to a bar
4 bars to a ki
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off this THC
9 ounce to a bar
4 bars to a ki
Even the driest shit, taste it
All types of hybrid
The black resin smelling unpleasant when you light it
This is for the friends I got high with, by with
The glistening eyes and the Chinese eyelids
Sky-high kids from the happy high rise
This is a rise smith
With their spliffs in the vice script
Puffin’ Northern Lights
and the smugglers who brought it over borderlines
Flying in for the cannabis club
Till I damage a lung
And my cabbage is broke
Either way I’m getting lean today and tomorrow never comes
So I’m sat in my drum strappin’ bad shit I’m done
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off the THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
We want weed
Sticky green trees
Pick out the stalk no sticker no seed
We stay lean off the THC
9 ounce to the bar
4 bars to the ki
Weed
Weed...
Lyrics submitted by shemovesshe
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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
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“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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Even the driest shit, taste it All types of hybrid The black resin smelling unpleasant when you light it This is for the friends I got high with, by with The glistening eyes and the Chinese eyelids Sky-high kids from the happy high rise This is a rise smith With their spliffs in the vice script Puffin’ Northern Lights and the smugglers who brought it over borderlines Flying in for the cannabis club Till I damage a lung And my cabbage is broke Either way I’m getting lean today and tomorrow never comes So I’m sat in my drum strappin’ bad shit I’m done
'Sky-high kids from the happy high rise' its from 'Hackney High Risers' not happy high rise and 'Cannabis Cup' not Club.
So when I’m fed up I get red up Mary Jane messed my head up She can be my best friend forever At times I regret that I met her When she eats all my cheddar But she makes life seem better Like whatever Stressin’ me out she settles me down Put it in the air bredder spread it around But don’t abuse it We using the temple ball From Nepal as a mental tool Meditating like we're meant to Just the way God intended When I pick up the pencil and scrawl the splendid I used to use cigarette mix and blend it Now I don’t tend to peng everybody offended If they criticise weed defend it A crystallised hydro glistenin’ Blow my mind like nitro-glycerine This is the deal All day every day give you something to feel
We bark weed Sticky green trees Pick out the stalk no stick and no seed We stay lean off this THC 9 ounce to the bar 4 bars to the ki We bark weed Sticky green trees Pick out the stalk no stick and no seed We stay lean off this THC 9 ounce to the bar 4 bars to the ki
Peripheral switch to weed with spliffs and chips And cigs remove the twig That’s the life of the weed and ting With king slims and choice blends to no end High kaya fire burnin’ sess with friends Man I burn it with the best of them The broken men Street soldiers strapping out us with a leafy stem High fliers with a focus loads of Bush and peng Knock it on to the pozzers and they’re back again Buy cheap sell high and subsidise when you buy Still I walk straight through this crimson tide Yet you all polluters don’t know what one hit could provide Best just step aside I take a pole and I glide Way off into the stratosphere Astral-glazed I’m being slayed from the potency Toxicated commodity my property Meditated with ease the weed flows through my blood stream
We bark weed Sticky green trees Pick out the stalk no stick and no seed We stay lean off this THC 9 ounce to a bar 4 bars to a ki We bark weed Sticky green trees Pick out the stalk no stick and no seed We stay lean off this THC 9 ounce to a bar 4 bars to a ki
Even the dry shit, thai stick All types of hybrid The black resin smelling unpleasant when you light it This is for the friends I got high with, by with The glistening eyes and the Chinese eyelids Sky-high kids from the Hackney highrises To Ruislip With their spliffs in a vice grip Puffin’ Northern Lights and the smugglers who brought it over borderlines Flying in for the cannabis cup Till I damage a lung And my cabbage is bruk Either way I’m getting lean today and tomorrow never comes So I’m sat in my drums strappin’ fat shit I’m done
We bark weed Sticky green trees Pick out the stalk no stick and no seed We stay lean off the THC 9 ounce to the bar 4 bars to the ki We bark weed Sticky green trees Pick out the stalk no stick and no seed We stay lean off the THC 9 ounce to the bar 4 bars to the ki Weed Weed...