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 pull the blinds then I take my clothes off
Dance around the house like nature boy
My genitalia and pectoral muscles aren't quite what I would like them to be
But you don't see me
No one can see me
I pull my blinds
Fill out my income tax form
Pen in hand I write so legibly
I have my kitty.
His name is Allowishus, I stroke him
But you don't see me
No one should see me
I pull the blinds
For the sun glares off my tele and I find it quite so irritating
I have my videos-loads of Ren and Stimpy
Bottom-a bit of pornography
But you don't see me
No one should see me
Dance around the house like nature boy
My genitalia and pectoral muscles aren't quite what I would like them to be
But you don't see me
No one can see me
I pull my blinds
Fill out my income tax form
Pen in hand I write so legibly
I have my kitty.
His name is Allowishus, I stroke him
But you don't see me
No one should see me
I pull the blinds
For the sun glares off my tele and I find it quite so irritating
I have my videos-loads of Ren and Stimpy
Bottom-a bit of pornography
But you don't see me
No one should see me
Lyrics submitted by knate15, edited by sebastianx
Nature Boy Lyrics as written by Reid L. Iii Lalonde Les Claypool
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
To me this song is about doing what you want in your own home – be it naturism, drugs, parties, watching TV all night, weird or not it’s up to you (or should be, depending on what it is e.g. drugs). It’s no-ones business so long as it doesn’t affect anyone negatively you should be free to choose how to act and live at least in your own home where you can’t or shouldn’t be judged. Nosy neighbours aside, no one should know anyway.
It can be applied more liberally, such as crimes/other-stuff such as drug posession or masturbation that have little if any effect on anyone but the person doing it so should arguably be their responsibility and potentially legal right to do those kinds of things, so long as it doesn't negatively effect anyone else.
The songs literally about how social pressures disappear when you shut the blinds to your house...there's nothing to be afraid of when you're alone at home. I guess figuratively your blinds could mean personal inhibitions...if you shut them off, the fear of being yourself will go away. Nature boy never shows his true self to anyone.
That's all deliberate, methinks. If you listen to Mephisto And Kevin, you can see that Les can speak/sing without an accent when he wants to. Primus is all about good humour and great instrumentals.
Additional Lyrics: Well, I've been known to tell a tale in two and three and four, and I've been Persecuted since I sailed in thorugh the door, and I've been known to sing a song in three and four and five, and I've been getting my ass chewed, since the day arrived here.....
That's what he says in the middle of the bridge.
Honestly, if I wanted to pretend a song was about masturbation, I could do it easily. How does filing out his income taxes have to do with masturbation? Oh, I suppose the pen could be a metaphor for a penis, right? How is the first verse even "obvious"? Because he uses the word genitalia?
I have nothing to offer further than that when they say, "I pull the blinds, then I take my clothes off, dance around the house like Nature Boy," they mean that he's comparing himself to someone who may walk around naked, and such people tend to live in tropical jungles or other places where walking around naked might be a good idea.
Other than that, I'm still thinking about what he says in the bridge. He wouldn't say it if it had nothing to do with the rest of the lyrics, and, clearly, what he says during the bridge has nothing to do with masturbation. So all you masturbation-crazy kids have failed to convince me that this song has anything to do with jerking it.
@nephos Additional Lyrics:<br /> Well, I've been known to tell a tale<br /> in two and three and four, and I've been<br /> Persecuted since I sailed in thorugh the door,<br /> and I've been known to sing a song in three<br /> and four and five, and I've been getting my<br /> ass chewed, since the day arrived here.....
@nephos Additional Lyrics:<br /> Well, I've been known to tell a tale<br /> in two and three and four, and I've been<br /> Persecuted since I sailed in thorugh the door,<br /> and I've been known to sing a song in three<br /> and four and five, and I've been getting my<br /> ass chewed, since the day arrived here.....
@nephos well it has a super obvious allusion to nudity and shame, but it's hella reductive for someone to just blurt out masturbation if that was supposed to be an explanation of Nature Boy lol
I think Les often uses innuendo just as a joke for such misineterpretation, like in Wynona (something they rarely play as the joke got old).
The actual meaning is either (or both) about doing what you want in your own home, and/or about spending time alone (arguably even mysogyny) and how bad lonliness is.
No, it's about a person who knows for a fact they're not like everyone else but no one will except them. They notice the weird things, and they do them, and no know acknowledges them because they're different. The person also isn't even happy with who they are, but they can't help it. And he says;
Well, I've been known to tell a tale in two and three and four, and I've been Persecuted since I sailed in thorugh the door, and I've been known to sing a song in three and four and five, and I've been getting my ass chewed, since the day arrived here.....
meaning he's been taking shit his entire life for not being like his peers.
Yea I gotta say as much as I love Southbound Pachyderm, this song is better. This is personally one of my favorites of Primus'. I think it's basically what most people have already said about this song but put together. Claypool's analogies and perspective is fuckin' awesome, pretty stonered out too in a lot of ways.
Great song, my favorate Primus song, by far. I love their style, its almost hickish.
almost toooo hickish