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."
She's walking alone, walking by the river
Amazing how it moves, waves, they are dancing
She used to dance, she used to dance with him
Remember the day the music box stopped playing
What would she have done if his body floated up?
She used to float, she used to float with him
She used to eat, used to sleep with him, with him
She's walking alone, walking by the river
Amazing how it moves, the gun to her forehead
She used to move, she used to move him
She used to be, she used to be
Amazing how it moves, waves, they are dancing
She used to dance, she used to dance with him
Remember the day the music box stopped playing
What would she have done if his body floated up?
She used to float, she used to float with him
She used to eat, used to sleep with him, with him
She's walking alone, walking by the river
Amazing how it moves, the gun to her forehead
She used to move, she used to move him
She used to be, she used to be
Lyrics submitted by MjauZi
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
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
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.
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.
I personally believe that it's about a woman who feels, in some way, responsible for the death of a former lover and commits suicide due to these feelings. In the end, it seems like it's not just "she used to be", but instead "she used to be ha-" Which leads me to believe she was happy before he died.
I think this song is their take on a murder or suicide. A distraught woman is walking by the river, contemplating the death of her lover, when suddenly she is shot in the head by someone (possibly herself?) and dies.