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 hear you're leaving town
'Cause you're tired of hanging around
The same city limit signs
You've been waiting around your whole life
Just like a baby bird
Nervous when it first learns
To spread its wings
And fly into the air
Now I've got to tell you something
These words might hurt, but please hold them
Long enough to feel
Their weight as they plead
Slow down, slow down
Grab a coffee here with me
And take a second to breathe
Slow down, slow down
Let's be quiet for a while
And I will try to make you smile
Slow down
You love it when it rains
'Cause it always washes away
The dirt between the cracks
Of everything that we think we see
Now all your bags are packed
Your father's head tips back
Into the chair that he sits
While he watches you slip away
He cries, "Will you please forgive me, darling
I can't keep living brokenhearted
First it was your mother
Now it's bound to be you"
Slow down, slow down
What about all our memories
When you would dance and sing for me
Slow down, slow down
What happened to my baby girl
Who used to sit on top the world
Slow down
You can travel the world
Just as fast as your feet'll go
Graze the Atlantic shorelines
Sleep in hotels of Tokyo
Lose everything in Vegas
Then go fall in love in Spain
But like Arizona's canyons
A hole in you remains
I just want you to believe
That the invisible frame's what we see
And it's as beautiful as a baby's eyes
And as incredible as the first time they breathe
Slow down, slow down
Grab a coffee here with me
And take a second to breathe
Slow down, slow down
Let's be quiet for a while
And I will try to make you smile
Slow down
'Cause you're tired of hanging around
The same city limit signs
You've been waiting around your whole life
Just like a baby bird
Nervous when it first learns
To spread its wings
And fly into the air
Now I've got to tell you something
These words might hurt, but please hold them
Long enough to feel
Their weight as they plead
Slow down, slow down
Grab a coffee here with me
And take a second to breathe
Slow down, slow down
Let's be quiet for a while
And I will try to make you smile
Slow down
You love it when it rains
'Cause it always washes away
The dirt between the cracks
Of everything that we think we see
Now all your bags are packed
Your father's head tips back
Into the chair that he sits
While he watches you slip away
He cries, "Will you please forgive me, darling
I can't keep living brokenhearted
First it was your mother
Now it's bound to be you"
Slow down, slow down
What about all our memories
When you would dance and sing for me
Slow down, slow down
What happened to my baby girl
Who used to sit on top the world
Slow down
You can travel the world
Just as fast as your feet'll go
Graze the Atlantic shorelines
Sleep in hotels of Tokyo
Lose everything in Vegas
Then go fall in love in Spain
But like Arizona's canyons
A hole in you remains
I just want you to believe
That the invisible frame's what we see
And it's as beautiful as a baby's eyes
And as incredible as the first time they breathe
Slow down, slow down
Grab a coffee here with me
And take a second to breathe
Slow down, slow down
Let's be quiet for a while
And I will try to make you smile
Slow down
Lyrics submitted by StephenShutters
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