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."
You could share your skeletons with casual observers
and you could be best friends
with the vagrants and the searchers,
your tender heart was heavy, it was weighing on your soul,
the two battled out inside you: neither one could have control.
I remember when your rabbit died you put it in the freezer,
made an ornamental coffin
with the shoebox from your sneakers,
went down to help the people of the flood in New Orleans,
you was living, you were giving,
you were the first one on the scene.
Lone Rose, used to call me the High Plains Drifter,
Lone Rose, I'll take a lonely ride,
Lone Rose, couldn't help but crying, heard about you dying,
least I know it wasn't suicide,
'cause I know you didn't want to die.
Although you fell out of a window just about a year ago,
some say it was intentional but no one really knows,
I'm waiting on the subway, a rat runs across my shoe,
there's a woman on the platform over, looks almost like you.
Lone Rose, used to call me the Rollin' Rambler,
Lone Rose, I'll take the lonely ride,
Lone Rose, couldn't help but crying, heard about you dying,
least I know it wasn't suicide:
I know you kinda didn't want to die.
You left behind a couple letters you never sent to me:
I kept switching my address so you just let it be.
Don't need to ask the coroner to find out what had happened,
was the stupid deadly mixture of cocaine and heroin.
Lone Rose, used to call me the High Plains Drifter,
Lone Rose, I'll take the lonely ride,
Lone Rose, couldn't help the crying, heard about you dying,
least I know it wasn't suicide,
'cause I know you didn't want to die.
Saw you passing by the Edwardian hotel,
in a soaking wet pink parka, you still looked hot as hell,
didn't care about the rain, you said:
"Let it soak me to my bones!"
As it started once again you went to splash it off alone
and you could be best friends
with the vagrants and the searchers,
your tender heart was heavy, it was weighing on your soul,
the two battled out inside you: neither one could have control.
I remember when your rabbit died you put it in the freezer,
made an ornamental coffin
with the shoebox from your sneakers,
went down to help the people of the flood in New Orleans,
you was living, you were giving,
you were the first one on the scene.
Lone Rose, used to call me the High Plains Drifter,
Lone Rose, I'll take a lonely ride,
Lone Rose, couldn't help but crying, heard about you dying,
least I know it wasn't suicide,
'cause I know you didn't want to die.
Although you fell out of a window just about a year ago,
some say it was intentional but no one really knows,
I'm waiting on the subway, a rat runs across my shoe,
there's a woman on the platform over, looks almost like you.
Lone Rose, used to call me the Rollin' Rambler,
Lone Rose, I'll take the lonely ride,
Lone Rose, couldn't help but crying, heard about you dying,
least I know it wasn't suicide:
I know you kinda didn't want to die.
You left behind a couple letters you never sent to me:
I kept switching my address so you just let it be.
Don't need to ask the coroner to find out what had happened,
was the stupid deadly mixture of cocaine and heroin.
Lone Rose, used to call me the High Plains Drifter,
Lone Rose, I'll take the lonely ride,
Lone Rose, couldn't help the crying, heard about you dying,
least I know it wasn't suicide,
'cause I know you didn't want to die.
Saw you passing by the Edwardian hotel,
in a soaking wet pink parka, you still looked hot as hell,
didn't care about the rain, you said:
"Let it soak me to my bones!"
As it started once again you went to splash it off alone
Lyrics submitted by plasticflowers
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this is sort of a tribute song to a girl who died. the title is "lone rose." and i guess the one thought that persists with me is that dondero has an important relationship with conor oberst. and on the bright eyes austin city limits conor dedicated a song to a girl named rose who died. and i'm just wondering if dondero is singing about the same rose that conor acknowledged on that show. if anyone has insight please post. i love this song. "i know you kinda didn't wanna die." that really moves me. the kinda. it really simplifies life and death and bridges the two extremes nicely.
What an amazing song. The end kills me every time. I love you David.