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."
Floating in the lower nine
Waiting for a boat to throw me a line
See my Stella smile
Sitting on the roof eating alligator pie
First day the water rise
Second day the sun is high
Third day Stella cried cause night times dark as a dead man's eye's
Tell me when is help gonna come
Stella said daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
Morning ride on by thank lord everybody's alright
Don't mean to throw us a second line
The devil left us here to die
Stella said daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
All the things we know and
Everything we hoped for
All the things we wanted
Everything that was sure
Now there is a scar
Where the old men used to be
The corner store and market
Where Stella used to sing to me
Grace is all i'm asking
When will grace return
Remember how I feel in those days of the summertime
Then Stella smiled
Stella said daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
Tell me lord when help is gonna come
Daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
Waiting for a boat to throw me a line
See my Stella smile
Sitting on the roof eating alligator pie
First day the water rise
Second day the sun is high
Third day Stella cried cause night times dark as a dead man's eye's
Tell me when is help gonna come
Stella said daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
Morning ride on by thank lord everybody's alright
Don't mean to throw us a second line
The devil left us here to die
Stella said daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
All the things we know and
Everything we hoped for
All the things we wanted
Everything that was sure
Now there is a scar
Where the old men used to be
The corner store and market
Where Stella used to sing to me
Grace is all i'm asking
When will grace return
Remember how I feel in those days of the summertime
Then Stella smiled
Stella said daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
Tell me lord when help is gonna come
Daddy when you gonna put me in a song?
Lyrics submitted by MidwestDrummer
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“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.
Really Diggin' this song!
Stella is one of his twin daughters
this song could possibly be about those who where trapped and whatnot during hurricane katrina. the first line would be a reference to new orleans' ninth ward
It's about Katrina.
Lower nine = Lower ninth ward, the most devastated area in New Orleans.
It is about Dave Matthews' opinion that George Bush screwed up Katrina: "The devil left us here to die," in other Bush left us hear to die. It is also about how the entire area was generally destroyed; he talks very specifically about a store being destroyed.
Yeah its about Katrina specifically the lower ninth. But dave explains in live at beacon theater that his daughter asked him to write a song about her since he usually writes songs about his daughter grace (who he also makes reference to in the song) so he put her in a song in the setting of the days right after Katrina. This is my interpretation of the story: Its days after Katrina and this guy and his daughter are sitting on top of there roof waiting for help and its not coming and the guy realizes it but his daughter has a childish view on things and she just keeps asking her dad to write her a song. Also this song is amazing
Very insightful seeing it from perspectives of both the father and daughter. But why does he mention grace? Is it meant to be the abstract quality of grace that's now lost? Or is it a direct mention of his other little girl.
When Dave mentions Grace in his song, hes not always talking about his daughter. While it is unknown if Grace was a former gf, or if she is just a general concept for innocence lost and the horrors of Dave's past. I don't think Stella understood that however, which led to a unfounded jealousy that sparked the song.
It's so sweet that he finally wrote a song with Stella in it. Now he just needs to write one about August...
Also where did the Cockadile thing come from? It's not in the album anywhere as far as I can tell...
Stella is the main female lead in "Street Car Named Desire" which took place in New Orleans..
Stella is the name of his daughter.
very good point piercwc!!
That kind of sucks for Stella, Grace does get written about more. Why wouldn't he write more about her?
Anyways, everyone says this album is lacking in depth. And sure, just listening it sort of does sound like that. But you read the lyrics and it's like "WHAT?!" I love this band. I can't pick a favorite.
Isn't Grace also the name of his sister that passed away? I'm pretty sure that most of the songs referencing Grace, refer to his sister.
Nooo, Grace and Stella are the names of his two daughters.<br /> and the line "Stella said daddy when ya gunna put me in a song?" is what Stella actually asked him, I read it in an interview with Dave.<br /> <br /> But Anne was the name of his sister who was killed, and I think that's more reflected in the song Time Bomb. "no one would believe it, he was such a normal guy" says he can't believe he did it, and "I want to believe in Jesus" is maybe saying that he wants to believe in something, but it's hard for him to because of all the terrible things that happen to people.
why does he always say grace is gone? was that his sisters name?
yes it was. but in an interview he also refers to the term "grace". A word that he picked up from Carlos Santana.
are we thinking of his sister Jane?
it is literally painful to read posts like this. his daughter is named grace. he has a sister named jane who is alive ("song that jane likes" anyone?). like previously posted, his sister anne was killed. grace by definition is "noun: simple elegance or refinement of movement", thus when he says "grace is gone" he is referring to this.