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."
Naked in the bathtub
Sittin' on the porcelain
Waiting for that little hurricane to pull your torso in
The water don't run, just drips like rain
Still drips like a painkiller drips to the veins
Fill it up
With a bag of that happy stuff
'Cause the way she runs out, you can tell she ain't had enough
Good times goddess
My goodness
Got finger nail polish autopilot foot prints
With a smile that's stitched to the fabric of bedtime tales and
Keep them tits out of the attic
The mouth of madness
Loud and manic
The motive of the bird going south on the Atlas
Picture a hole
Put your hero in
Envision the gold
Now zero in
Been watching your night train track for the last few stops
With no desire to hop it
How did we end up in your apartment
Pocket full of gossip says this ain't smart
When it's all said and done, can't get restart
But I'll be damned if I don't wanna kiss you
Hard
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
I've got a restraining order
Against Satan's daughter
And I keep it at the bottom of this Jamison and water
And when we get there
You can sit there and stare
From behind your mascara and your thick hair
I'm aware of that pain you harbor
The same negative game to the names you martyr
Apart from the details and substance and whatnot
I fucks with that hunger of love pistol and gut rot
Bloodshot
Give me one shot, my shot
Propped up on enough talk to make time stop
The lines of chalk that Benjamin might cop
Killed the illustrations on the neighborhood sidewalks
Then all of a sudden she got silent
Pupils like marbles, hide behind the eyelids
Get away sticks go limping hole place
That fucked up smile sucked up most of her face
Truly beauty, the scene so surreal
And each criticism becomes redeemed
Swallow my words
No more judgment it's true
'Cause you look like what I feel like when I'm with you
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
Sittin' on the porcelain
Waiting for that little hurricane to pull your torso in
The water don't run, just drips like rain
Still drips like a painkiller drips to the veins
Fill it up
With a bag of that happy stuff
'Cause the way she runs out, you can tell she ain't had enough
Good times goddess
My goodness
Got finger nail polish autopilot foot prints
With a smile that's stitched to the fabric of bedtime tales and
Keep them tits out of the attic
The mouth of madness
Loud and manic
The motive of the bird going south on the Atlas
Picture a hole
Put your hero in
Envision the gold
Now zero in
Been watching your night train track for the last few stops
With no desire to hop it
How did we end up in your apartment
Pocket full of gossip says this ain't smart
When it's all said and done, can't get restart
But I'll be damned if I don't wanna kiss you
Hard
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
I've got a restraining order
Against Satan's daughter
And I keep it at the bottom of this Jamison and water
And when we get there
You can sit there and stare
From behind your mascara and your thick hair
I'm aware of that pain you harbor
The same negative game to the names you martyr
Apart from the details and substance and whatnot
I fucks with that hunger of love pistol and gut rot
Bloodshot
Give me one shot, my shot
Propped up on enough talk to make time stop
The lines of chalk that Benjamin might cop
Killed the illustrations on the neighborhood sidewalks
Then all of a sudden she got silent
Pupils like marbles, hide behind the eyelids
Get away sticks go limping hole place
That fucked up smile sucked up most of her face
Truly beauty, the scene so surreal
And each criticism becomes redeemed
Swallow my words
No more judgment it's true
'Cause you look like what I feel like when I'm with you
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
Shoulda known better not to fuck wit' you
Ain't got nothin' but too much to lose
Lost in the rush don't know what to do
That drug got you like I want you
Lyrics submitted by KingPum, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Shoulda Known Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © UPSIDEDOWN HEART MUSIC, ANT TURN THAT SNARE DOWN
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Yo La Tengo
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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,
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great but these lyrics are fucked...