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."
Lights out, shoot up the station
Tv's dead where's there to run?
Watch everybody come undone (lights out)
Won't make it easy, won't make it fun
Won't let them see now, how they have one
Still I'll go another round
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Wiped out, no concentration
They got us basking in a storm
I watch it as it loses form, I doubt
They even see me, guess what I want
A casualty but I am up front
And I know what it's about
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
I'm still here shaking my head
The one you can't account for
I keep just one step ahead
There's no place to run
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Tv's dead where's there to run?
Watch everybody come undone (lights out)
Won't make it easy, won't make it fun
Won't let them see now, how they have one
Still I'll go another round
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Wiped out, no concentration
They got us basking in a storm
I watch it as it loses form, I doubt
They even see me, guess what I want
A casualty but I am up front
And I know what it's about
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
I'm still here shaking my head
The one you can't account for
I keep just one step ahead
There's no place to run
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Darlin'
Don't got to worry you're locked in tight
Darlin' (must be worth it 'cause the more)
(I try the more it gets uneven)
Now don't you worry turn out the lights (I can shake it I keep thinking)
(But it's with me for a reason)
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
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Here are the corrected lyrics from the Santigold MySpace page. Any other way for us to submit corrections in a way that they'll get seen?
Lights Out Shoot up the station TV's dead, where's there to run? Watch everybody come undone Lights Out Won't make it easy, wont make it fun Wont let them see now, how they have won Still I'll go another round
Chorus: Darlin' Don't got to worry you're locked in tight Darlin' Now don't you worry turn out the lights
(must be worth it 'cause the more I try the more it gets uneven, I can shake it I keep thinking but it's with me for a reason)
Wiped Out No concentration They got us basking in a storm I watch it as it loses form I doubt They even see me Guess what I want A casualty but I am up front And I know what it's about
Chorus
I'm still here shaking my head The one you can't account for I keep just one step ahead There's no place to run
Chorus
To be fair, the lyrics written by the author above sound more correct than the "official" lyrics, but just thought I'd post them as "corrections" because they serve to provide some insight.
lyrics correction. Thank you for this one.