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."
If you open my chest, see that two hearts are beating
Falling out of sync
There's the one I accept and the one I believe in
Which one drew you in?
In the night, in the night, this is how it goes
We are all or nothing
It's alright, It's alright, listen to your bones
Can you hear it coming?
Do you see something real or just some kind of mirror
Staring back at you
It's a punch and a kiss and I'm trying to remember
Which one is the truth
In the night, in the night, where we feel at home
With the wires humming
In the night, in the night, we are not alone
Can you hear it coming?
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
From the beginning, we were in rhythm
I heard my brother, crying out
Yeah we'll build something new and we'll do it together
Wake up from our sleep
It'll kick like a mule and it won't live forever
That's alright with me
In the night, in the night, where we feel at home
With the wires humming
It's alright, it's alright, we are not alone
Can you hear it coming?
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
From the beginning, we were in rhythm
I heard my brother, crying out
From the beginning, we were in rhythm
I heard my brother crying out
If you open my chest, see that two hearts are beating
They both beat so slow
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
Falling out of sync
There's the one I accept and the one I believe in
Which one drew you in?
In the night, in the night, this is how it goes
We are all or nothing
It's alright, It's alright, listen to your bones
Can you hear it coming?
Do you see something real or just some kind of mirror
Staring back at you
It's a punch and a kiss and I'm trying to remember
Which one is the truth
In the night, in the night, where we feel at home
With the wires humming
In the night, in the night, we are not alone
Can you hear it coming?
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
From the beginning, we were in rhythm
I heard my brother, crying out
Yeah we'll build something new and we'll do it together
Wake up from our sleep
It'll kick like a mule and it won't live forever
That's alright with me
In the night, in the night, where we feel at home
With the wires humming
It's alright, it's alright, we are not alone
Can you hear it coming?
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
From the beginning, we were in rhythm
I heard my brother, crying out
From the beginning, we were in rhythm
I heard my brother crying out
If you open my chest, see that two hearts are beating
They both beat so slow
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
I heard my brother crying out
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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,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
I've read a few other people analyze these lyrics and there seems to be an emerging agreement on what these lyrics probably mean:
The 'brothers' are love and truth, or the logical mind serving as a ground in contrast to empathic love.
"If you open my chest you see that two chests are beating, falling out of sync. There's the one I accept and the one I believe in. Which one drew you in?"
This leads me to believe the singer is actually talking about two different sides of his own psyche, or his personally held beliefs. It also hints that he is harboring complex feelings of love towards someone else but he doesn't know if he can trust them. "There's a punch and a kiss and I'm trying to remember."
It's definitely a song about passion. It's a song about the contrast between two ideas that someone wants to believe in, and the pain that comes from knowing that the ideas might contrast each other.