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."
Hän häpeää sitä taloa, josta kaikki sai alkunsa.
Hän ei muistele vanhempiaan eikä köyhyyttä, kun pääsi sieltä
Hän vetää suuria linjoja, herättää pelkoa monissa.
Sanotaan, että hänellä on tapa lakaista ongelmat tieltään
Kun katsoo kylmästä ruudusta, kylmiä uutistietoja,
vaikka kaiken sen järjesti vuosia aiemmin,
ei tunne mitään
Valta on kasvava humala, niin kolmen kyynärän jumala
syntyy hänessä voimasta sen, jos uskoo niin ja usko pitää
Hänen laillaan me harhailemme, eksyneinä ja tiedä emme
minne katosi toiveet ylväät, kun vain onnettomuutta kylvää
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Kadulla mellakka räjähtää, se on vain hyttysten ininää.
Hän soittaa hotellihuoneestaan puhelintytölle
ja käskee luokseen
Sen ohikiitävän sekunnin hän muistaa vaimon ja lapsetkin,
mutta vain tällä tavoin hän voi jotain tuntea
ja aika juoksee...
Hänen laillaan me harhailemme, eksyneinä ja tiedä emme
minne katosi toiveet ylväät, kun vain onnettomuutta kylvää
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Hän ei muistele vanhempiaan eikä köyhyyttä, kun pääsi sieltä
Hän vetää suuria linjoja, herättää pelkoa monissa.
Sanotaan, että hänellä on tapa lakaista ongelmat tieltään
Kun katsoo kylmästä ruudusta, kylmiä uutistietoja,
vaikka kaiken sen järjesti vuosia aiemmin,
ei tunne mitään
Valta on kasvava humala, niin kolmen kyynärän jumala
syntyy hänessä voimasta sen, jos uskoo niin ja usko pitää
Hänen laillaan me harhailemme, eksyneinä ja tiedä emme
minne katosi toiveet ylväät, kun vain onnettomuutta kylvää
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Kadulla mellakka räjähtää, se on vain hyttysten ininää.
Hän soittaa hotellihuoneestaan puhelintytölle
ja käskee luokseen
Sen ohikiitävän sekunnin hän muistaa vaimon ja lapsetkin,
mutta vain tällä tavoin hän voi jotain tuntea
ja aika juoksee...
Hänen laillaan me harhailemme, eksyneinä ja tiedä emme
minne katosi toiveet ylväät, kun vain onnettomuutta kylvää
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Suuressa armossaan luoja teki meille maan,
poltettavakseen ja tuhottavakseen sai sen hyvä ihminen
Lyrics submitted by Esgaroth
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
In English: Song name: Good human
He's ashamed of that house, where everything began. He never thinks about his parents or the poverty, when he got away from there He draws wide lines, awakens fear in among many I'ts said that he has habit of sweeping problems away from his path
Looking from the cold screen, cold news reports Even though he organized it all years ago He doesn't feel a thing Power is increasing intoxication, A three cubit* god Awakens in him, if he trusts in it, and the trust will hold
Chorus: Like him we are wandering, lost and we don't know Where disappeared great hopes, as all we grow is misfortune
In his great glory, god gave us the world To burn, and to destroy got it, the good human In his great glory, god gave us the world To burn, and to destroy got it, the good human
On the streets riot brakes out, but it's just mosquito buzzing He calls from his hotel room a call girl and orders her to come by That second flying by he remembers his wife and kids But only this way he can feel something And time runs by...
Chorus:
*Cubit is old unit of traditional measure of length used in Sweden and Finland
To me it seems like the song is about people, who have lost the ability to feel anything, and are at least somewhat self centered. and are in high position, (parlament, global business, etc) and are willing and able to use "any means necessary" to get what they want, But at the same time it's how humanity and the world overall is crumbling under different stresses, Wars, pollution etc.
People who actually have things rather well (western world as we know it) but we want to keep everything by ourlself, forgetting people who have it much worse (developing country's) and general pollution and ecological problems of the world itself.