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."
Oh, how the walls close in
and then the room starts to spin,
and the helplessness begins.
Just take my hand,
I'll make you well again.
No one will find us where we're goin'.
Oh, how the walls close in..
The lies are counting my mother that I deceive.
Found myself praying in something that I don't believe.
Chaos is chaos, but you don't have to die to commit suicide.
Pick your poison.
So let me destroy myself in silence.
And let me just lose control with violence.
I wanna' feel alive and feel free again,
I just hope I survive all these demons.
This road I've wandered down
Is just a dead end.
And one day I'll turn around,
I just don't want to yet.
To be a demon,
Lost a forever broken heathen .
Pick your poison, light up and breathe in.
A self made monster misconstrued with misfortune you tied the noose.
What are you going to lose?
Your cruelty clings to my broken wings.
You wrote this in your scarlet letter.
You're a whore for feelings.
A touch me junky scraping by the skin of someone who's better.
The pins been pulled,
Who's gonna hear the ticking time bomb baby?
You've got it wrong.
Weakness is the body leaving pain.
You like the way it hurts. The scar, The stain.
You're in the gutter,
The kind of filth that makes me shutter.
You can't change what will remain the same.
I don't think you'll ever understand.
and then the room starts to spin,
and the helplessness begins.
Just take my hand,
I'll make you well again.
No one will find us where we're goin'.
Oh, how the walls close in..
The lies are counting my mother that I deceive.
Found myself praying in something that I don't believe.
Chaos is chaos, but you don't have to die to commit suicide.
Pick your poison.
So let me destroy myself in silence.
And let me just lose control with violence.
I wanna' feel alive and feel free again,
I just hope I survive all these demons.
This road I've wandered down
Is just a dead end.
And one day I'll turn around,
I just don't want to yet.
To be a demon,
Lost a forever broken heathen .
Pick your poison, light up and breathe in.
A self made monster misconstrued with misfortune you tied the noose.
What are you going to lose?
Your cruelty clings to my broken wings.
You wrote this in your scarlet letter.
You're a whore for feelings.
A touch me junky scraping by the skin of someone who's better.
The pins been pulled,
Who's gonna hear the ticking time bomb baby?
You've got it wrong.
Weakness is the body leaving pain.
You like the way it hurts. The scar, The stain.
You're in the gutter,
The kind of filth that makes me shutter.
You can't change what will remain the same.
I don't think you'll ever understand.
Lyrics submitted by Firebertt
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.