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 remember when we used to sit in the government yard in brooklyn
Observing the crookedness as it mingled with the good people we meet
Good friends we had
Good friends we've lost along the way
In this great future you can't forget your past, so dry your tears
I say and to my peeps who passed away
No woman, no cry, no woman no cry, say say say
Hey little sister don't shed no tears
No woman no cry say say say
I remember when we used to rock in a project yard in jersey
And little georgie would make the firelight
As stolen cars passed through the night
And then we'd hit the corner store for roots, paper, and brew
My drink's my only remedy
For pain of losing family, but while I'm gone shorty
Everything's gonna be alright, everything's gonna be alright
Fugees come to the dance tonight, everything's gonna be alright
O everything's gonna be alright
The gun man's in the house tonight
But everything's gonna be alright
Oh ah oh ah
No woman, no cry, no woman no cry, say say say
Hey little sister don't shed no tears
No woman no cry say say say
I remember when we used to sit in a government yard in trench town
The hypocrites as they mingled with the good people we meet
Good friends we had oh good friends we've lost
Along the way hey
In this great future
You can't forget your past so dry your tears I say
And no woman no cry. no woman no cry say say say
Hey, little sister, don't shed no tears
No woman no cry and to my peeps who passed away
Oh ah oh ah
Observing the crookedness as it mingled with the good people we meet
Good friends we had
Good friends we've lost along the way
In this great future you can't forget your past, so dry your tears
I say and to my peeps who passed away
No woman, no cry, no woman no cry, say say say
Hey little sister don't shed no tears
No woman no cry say say say
I remember when we used to rock in a project yard in jersey
And little georgie would make the firelight
As stolen cars passed through the night
And then we'd hit the corner store for roots, paper, and brew
My drink's my only remedy
For pain of losing family, but while I'm gone shorty
Everything's gonna be alright, everything's gonna be alright
Fugees come to the dance tonight, everything's gonna be alright
O everything's gonna be alright
The gun man's in the house tonight
But everything's gonna be alright
Oh ah oh ah
No woman, no cry, no woman no cry, say say say
Hey little sister don't shed no tears
No woman no cry say say say
I remember when we used to sit in a government yard in trench town
The hypocrites as they mingled with the good people we meet
Good friends we had oh good friends we've lost
Along the way hey
In this great future
You can't forget your past so dry your tears I say
And no woman no cry. no woman no cry say say say
Hey, little sister, don't shed no tears
No woman no cry and to my peeps who passed away
Oh ah oh ah
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Mountain Song
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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just a quick note - on the third last "oh ah oh ah" he says "im high"
trivial i know.. just its funny when people dont notice it, then think that theyre hearing things.
this is a great song too...tha fugees are great..especially how they can expess their thoughts in music liek they do...i can listen to just one of their cd's for hours on end
I hope you guys know this is a Bob Marley song.
and then the fugees created their own play off of it
i think it's common knowledge this is a bob marley song, it's one of his most famous
First of all, it is a Bob Marley song. But the lyrics are changed slightly for the Fugees version. What is funny is how they mention both "Jersey" and "Trenchtown," inadvertently leading some to believe that Trenchtown (really the name of a ghetto in Kingston, Jamaica, where Marley was from) was the nickname for Trenton, NJ. (lol) Especially since the Fugees used to live in Newark, NJ.
Good cover song, though. I actually heard this version before I ever heard the original.