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."
Crudely arranged in a spot not even Christ can claim
It's been that way for too long to save our hairs from grey
I loved you since you were a child before we both grew our dirty mouths
"So what?" you say. It's not okay - still wearing a blood soaked filthy blouse
"For every God we claimed was good, did you think we'd be left rotting in the woods?"
"You can blame us for the youth we had but god you loved me so goddamn bad"
To my dismay you speak the truth but only when you want me for yourself
It's a bitter fruit, a sympathetic pill, writhing through the salt soaked rings of hell
There are depths that can't be seen: the holy mess when you can't forgive yourself
Egyptian flowers, some ancient war, an angel in your teeth on the ballroom floor
You run out crying towards my car as a gesture for your fear of old age
I follow your indulgent pain, I ask you do you feel so safe?
You say "Fuck your face and fuck your blame! The only thing I claim is your last name!"
I know my fear, I know my place my bank account and my Welsh last name
We are hollow
We are vacant
We are happy with death in mind
We are pregnant
We are shallow
We are fixed on a cruel dark plight
We are fixed on a broken down, some jumbled, unfortunate lie
It's been that way for too long to save our hairs from grey
I loved you since you were a child before we both grew our dirty mouths
"So what?" you say. It's not okay - still wearing a blood soaked filthy blouse
"For every God we claimed was good, did you think we'd be left rotting in the woods?"
"You can blame us for the youth we had but god you loved me so goddamn bad"
To my dismay you speak the truth but only when you want me for yourself
It's a bitter fruit, a sympathetic pill, writhing through the salt soaked rings of hell
There are depths that can't be seen: the holy mess when you can't forgive yourself
Egyptian flowers, some ancient war, an angel in your teeth on the ballroom floor
You run out crying towards my car as a gesture for your fear of old age
I follow your indulgent pain, I ask you do you feel so safe?
You say "Fuck your face and fuck your blame! The only thing I claim is your last name!"
I know my fear, I know my place my bank account and my Welsh last name
We are hollow
We are vacant
We are happy with death in mind
We are pregnant
We are shallow
We are fixed on a cruel dark plight
We are fixed on a broken down, some jumbled, unfortunate lie
Lyrics submitted by BurningMirror
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it sucks swallowing the truth. I thought the ending of this song was more directed as a strike from one to the other, but I suppose it relates to both parties.