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."
(Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass
The President of the United States of America
Is dead)
I don't believe in the politics
Of chosen fools and hypocrites
Who walk a line that's stretched so fine
Is death or glory had in mind?
Here we go: a gas mask illusion
No one knows who'll lead this revolution
Extension grows the way to a conclusion
It's too late, there's no time
It's too late, there's no time
All for none, never one, two, three, four
March of the dogs to a beat of disillusion
Sworn under God, breeding panic and confusion
The white flag is down; send in the clowns
The carnival of sins is now going to begin
It may be I'm a pessimist
But I say we need an exorcist
The root of all evil's standing tall
Under God and above us all
Here we go: beginner desperation
All we know is confusion and frustration
Un-stitch your clothes
No vision of salvation
It's too late, there's no time
It's too late, there's no time
All for none, never one, two, three, four
March of the dogs to a beat of disillusion
Sworn under God, breeding panic and confusion
The white flag is down; send in the clowns
The carnival of sins is now going to begin
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
A-one, two, three, four
Another president's dead
Because they blew off his head
No more necks to be red
Yes, to Heaven he fled
Was it something he said
Because of who's in his bed?
By who will we be led?
From whose hand will we be fed?
All the lies by the lying liars who said
We'll be fine, it's okay
Hey, look, mom, no head
It's okay, it's all right
The President of the United States of America
Is dead)
I don't believe in the politics
Of chosen fools and hypocrites
Who walk a line that's stretched so fine
Is death or glory had in mind?
Here we go: a gas mask illusion
No one knows who'll lead this revolution
Extension grows the way to a conclusion
It's too late, there's no time
It's too late, there's no time
All for none, never one, two, three, four
March of the dogs to a beat of disillusion
Sworn under God, breeding panic and confusion
The white flag is down; send in the clowns
The carnival of sins is now going to begin
It may be I'm a pessimist
But I say we need an exorcist
The root of all evil's standing tall
Under God and above us all
Here we go: beginner desperation
All we know is confusion and frustration
Un-stitch your clothes
No vision of salvation
It's too late, there's no time
It's too late, there's no time
All for none, never one, two, three, four
March of the dogs to a beat of disillusion
Sworn under God, breeding panic and confusion
The white flag is down; send in the clowns
The carnival of sins is now going to begin
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
A-one, two, three, four
Another president's dead
Because they blew off his head
No more necks to be red
Yes, to Heaven he fled
Was it something he said
Because of who's in his bed?
By who will we be led?
From whose hand will we be fed?
All the lies by the lying liars who said
We'll be fine, it's okay
Hey, look, mom, no head
It's okay, it's all right
Lyrics submitted by The1AndOnlyMe
March of the Dogs Lyrics as written by Deryck Jason Whibley Deryck Whibley
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
From 2:45 to 3:00 its stolen from the chorus of MXPX's "Punk Rawk Show"