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."
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win (J.R.), to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Uh, yo, yo
I wish today it will rain all day
Maybe that'd kinda make the pain go away
Tryna forgive you for abandoning me
Prayin', but I think I'm still an angel away
Angel away, yeah, strange in a way
Maybe that is why I chase strangers away
They got they guns out aiming at me
But I become Neo when they aiming at me
Me, me, me against them
Me against enemies, me against friends
Somehow they both seem to become one
A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood
They start coming and I start rising
Must be surprising, I'm just surmising
I win, thrive, soar, higher
Higher, higher, more fire
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Uh, yo, yo
Everybody wanna try to box me in
Suffocatin' every time it locks me in
Paintin' they own pictures, then they crop me in
But I will remain where the top begins
'Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that can ever be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation
I hear the criticism loud and clear
That is how I know that the time is near
See we become alive in a time of fear
And I ain't got no motherfuckin' time to spare
Cry my eyes out for days upon days
Such a heavy burden placed upon me
But when you go hard, your nays become yays
Yankee Stadium with Jay's and Kanye's
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win (J.R.), to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Uh, yo, yo
I wish today it will rain all day
Maybe that'd kinda make the pain go away
Tryna forgive you for abandoning me
Prayin', but I think I'm still an angel away
Angel away, yeah, strange in a way
Maybe that is why I chase strangers away
They got they guns out aiming at me
But I become Neo when they aiming at me
Me, me, me against them
Me against enemies, me against friends
Somehow they both seem to become one
A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood
They start coming and I start rising
Must be surprising, I'm just surmising
I win, thrive, soar, higher
Higher, higher, more fire
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Uh, yo, yo
Everybody wanna try to box me in
Suffocatin' every time it locks me in
Paintin' they own pictures, then they crop me in
But I will remain where the top begins
'Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that can ever be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation
I hear the criticism loud and clear
That is how I know that the time is near
See we become alive in a time of fear
And I ain't got no motherfuckin' time to spare
Cry my eyes out for days upon days
Such a heavy burden placed upon me
But when you go hard, your nays become yays
Yankee Stadium with Jay's and Kanye's
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Lyrics submitted by Iantuition
Fly Lyrics as written by Onika Maraj Jonathan Rotem
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
I am not fly, I am levitation... saying that her coolness/swagger/appeal is a magic trick or an illusion. everyone possesses the ability to be great, you just need the confidence (or even faking confidence when really youre nervous or insecure) that is the illusion, the magic trick. That one statement is the essence of the whole song. Its great.