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."
Can we talk just a little more like we did before
Sing it loud like it matters to you
Don't be so whoa oh oh oh, whoa
Oh no
Can this be just a little more heart and a little less consequence
So this is what you think about
But did you have to say it all out loud
And you can stay
Or give your heart to someone else
There'll always be someone here cold to lay beside me
And you can leave cut your loss and save yourself
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
Can this song get a little dark and can it leave a mark
Can I say what I need for a change
But don't be so cold
So bold
This is aimed at what you'll say when the light gets turned out
And it all feels the same
Something to sing about
Or maybe something to scream about
And you can stay
Or give your heart to someone else
There'll always be someone here cold to lay beside me
And you can leave cut your loss and save yourself
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
She's in a tight shirt with a little bit of lipstick
And I've never felt this homesick now
As now
You know it really is a shame
Where your hearts at
I guess its something of a game
And how the key fits
And every story ends the same
Can we help it
If this was any other time, any other place we would lose it all
Anything decent
With the memory of her taste
I couldn't fix it
If I was any other boy
If this were any other time, maybe any other place I could lose it all
And you can stay
Or give your heart to someone else
There'll always be someone here cold to lay beside me
And you can leave cut your loss and save yourself
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
Sing it loud like it matters to you
Don't be so whoa oh oh oh, whoa
Oh no
Can this be just a little more heart and a little less consequence
So this is what you think about
But did you have to say it all out loud
And you can stay
Or give your heart to someone else
There'll always be someone here cold to lay beside me
And you can leave cut your loss and save yourself
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
Can this song get a little dark and can it leave a mark
Can I say what I need for a change
But don't be so cold
So bold
This is aimed at what you'll say when the light gets turned out
And it all feels the same
Something to sing about
Or maybe something to scream about
And you can stay
Or give your heart to someone else
There'll always be someone here cold to lay beside me
And you can leave cut your loss and save yourself
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
She's in a tight shirt with a little bit of lipstick
And I've never felt this homesick now
As now
You know it really is a shame
Where your hearts at
I guess its something of a game
And how the key fits
And every story ends the same
Can we help it
If this was any other time, any other place we would lose it all
Anything decent
With the memory of her taste
I couldn't fix it
If I was any other boy
If this were any other time, maybe any other place I could lose it all
And you can stay
Or give your heart to someone else
There'll always be someone here cold to lay beside me
And you can leave cut your loss and save yourself
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
You can find somebody else to give your worse
But let me fall asleep first
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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When We Were Young
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
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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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Thanks for posting them up...
Hm, I'm hearing: "Sing it loud like it matters to you" instead of "Singing loud like the night is to you" "We would lose it all" instead of "We would loose it all" "I could lose it all" instead of "We could loose it all" "Cause you asked to save yourself" instead of "Cause asked to save yourself"
But yeah, I'm not really sure... Anyway, awesome song.
i hear "cut your loss and save yourself"<br /> and "you can find somebody else to give your worse"
oh and "She's in a tight shirt with a little bit of lipstick"
just posted the official lyrics. =)