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."
Count back anesthetize
Colours burn into my eyes
Life with you is shades of grey
Help me help me
Find a way
Lost Lost
And never found
Hide your secrets
Settle down
I am young and I an naïve
Tell me something I will believe
Take me take me
Far away
From this city’s soul decay
Hid away ’til I was eighteen
Only saw colours a TV screen
Skinny jeans and sunglasses
A fashion statement for the masses
What you do it makes me sick
Over hyped and generic
Shine shine
Like the sun
Spread your warmth to everyone
I asked you why people die
You said we all had a design
Slide into the sea
Landslide coming down on me
I said I was into you
You said you were into me
You never answer on the phone
With your nicotine lips and your heart of stone
I look for you by the underpass
Looks like this love wasn't meant to last
You said you reap just what you sow
So tell me where does your garden grow
You said in the time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last
Burn burn
Like a star
Burn a hole in every heart
Strung out on a trail of blood
Who knew the stars were not enough
Smile Smile
If you can
If you can’t they'll understand
See these stichtces in my eyes
Smash computers kill rockstars
Purge the past and waste my mind
Leave no scent or trace behind
One day when you bury me
When I wake up what will I see?
Down down underground
Dig for fire dig for sound
What is on the radio
'Cos I would like to say hello
Crawl crawl through the dirt
Jesus show us what your worth
Can’t you just send us a sign
Tell us all that we’re doing fine
Nights for sitting in the dark
Days for lying in the park
Wake me up from my sick dream
A requiem for this dead scene
You never answer on the phone
With your nicotine lips and your heart of stone
I looked for you by the underpass
Looks like this love wasn't meant to last
You said you reap just what you sow
Well tell me when does your garden grow
You said in the time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last
Count back anesthetize
Colours burn into my eyes
Life with you is shades of grey
Help me help me
Find a way
Mother can’t you help me now
Cos I’ve been drowning in the sound
Lying on the motorway
Writing songs and wasting away
Colours burn into my eyes
Life with you is shades of grey
Help me help me
Find a way
Lost Lost
And never found
Hide your secrets
Settle down
I am young and I an naïve
Tell me something I will believe
Take me take me
Far away
From this city’s soul decay
Hid away ’til I was eighteen
Only saw colours a TV screen
Skinny jeans and sunglasses
A fashion statement for the masses
What you do it makes me sick
Over hyped and generic
Shine shine
Like the sun
Spread your warmth to everyone
I asked you why people die
You said we all had a design
Slide into the sea
Landslide coming down on me
I said I was into you
You said you were into me
You never answer on the phone
With your nicotine lips and your heart of stone
I look for you by the underpass
Looks like this love wasn't meant to last
You said you reap just what you sow
So tell me where does your garden grow
You said in the time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last
Burn burn
Like a star
Burn a hole in every heart
Strung out on a trail of blood
Who knew the stars were not enough
Smile Smile
If you can
If you can’t they'll understand
See these stichtces in my eyes
Smash computers kill rockstars
Purge the past and waste my mind
Leave no scent or trace behind
One day when you bury me
When I wake up what will I see?
Down down underground
Dig for fire dig for sound
What is on the radio
'Cos I would like to say hello
Crawl crawl through the dirt
Jesus show us what your worth
Can’t you just send us a sign
Tell us all that we’re doing fine
Nights for sitting in the dark
Days for lying in the park
Wake me up from my sick dream
A requiem for this dead scene
You never answer on the phone
With your nicotine lips and your heart of stone
I looked for you by the underpass
Looks like this love wasn't meant to last
You said you reap just what you sow
Well tell me when does your garden grow
You said in the time the pain would pass
Looks like the end is here at last
Count back anesthetize
Colours burn into my eyes
Life with you is shades of grey
Help me help me
Find a way
Mother can’t you help me now
Cos I’ve been drowning in the sound
Lying on the motorway
Writing songs and wasting away
Lyrics submitted by hellohappy
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To me, the song sounds like he's come to realize how she sees the world, full of cynicism and disinterest - doesn't really stop to smell the roses, that sort of thing. He's into her and she SAID she's into him too, but possibly right now the feelings changed. You can feel his frustration as the song progresses, how she's slipping away, or rather, he realizes that she isn't good for him, probably not into him anymore, how she's "burying" him and no one can help. So he's just wasting away.