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."
There's a tall, a mulatto. boy I know
And he comes to every party - he stands alone
Viewing them the rest, from the corner of his glance
It gets so clear, he's not judging anyone
The way his arms float around his cage, he's caged
Canary sings, silently brings, his voice to rage
The way they stop and stare, the way they turn their heads
It's enough to make him want to run away
But he stays, he stands his ground
And I'm so lame
The way I condescend without ever knowing his name
He keeps it in a box, hangs it from his ear
Looks at everyone without the slightest fear
It's making me so ashamed
Slender body, slip through his glance
I don't give him a single chance
The way he's rocking back and forth
Makes a buzzing in my ear
Constantly reminding me that I never stop to hear
Him say hello, hello
And I am so lame
Like a moth bumping off his godless flame
I cannot condescend or even apprehend, what comes over me
When I see his shameless face
So rage, please rage against me
Beat me down, beat me down, forgive me
For what I've done, I'm so lame, I'm so lame, I'm so lame
So lame, so lame, so lame
And he comes to every party - he stands alone
Viewing them the rest, from the corner of his glance
It gets so clear, he's not judging anyone
The way his arms float around his cage, he's caged
Canary sings, silently brings, his voice to rage
The way they stop and stare, the way they turn their heads
It's enough to make him want to run away
But he stays, he stands his ground
And I'm so lame
The way I condescend without ever knowing his name
He keeps it in a box, hangs it from his ear
Looks at everyone without the slightest fear
It's making me so ashamed
Slender body, slip through his glance
I don't give him a single chance
The way he's rocking back and forth
Makes a buzzing in my ear
Constantly reminding me that I never stop to hear
Him say hello, hello
And I am so lame
Like a moth bumping off his godless flame
I cannot condescend or even apprehend, what comes over me
When I see his shameless face
So rage, please rage against me
Beat me down, beat me down, forgive me
For what I've done, I'm so lame, I'm so lame, I'm so lame
So lame, so lame, so lame
Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death
Lame Lyrics as written by Robert Brewer Scott Russo
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Plastic Bag
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I am actually very familar with this song. Seven Mary Three is from The College of William and Mary, my alma mater. I know the "tall, mulatto boy." He was a very smart austistic young man. He was a weird one...but extremely nice. The point of the song is not that he is "lame" but we are lame for making fun of him...which, incidently, a lot of people did, including me. When I hear this song, it constantly reminds me of how cruel we can be to other people. Fantastic song from a fantasic band!
I know this is a very old comment but I admire your honesty man, well said bro. I agree bty, great great band!
this is a beautiful song.. means so much to me, i can relate to the guy in the song, and ive also felt the guilt of the guy singing too, im sure most ppl have
this song caught my attention with "there's a tall, a mulatto, boy i know. he comes to every party and he stands alone." i think it's describing how those who are mulatto, like myself, feel about their ethnicity. almost caught between two worlds, never really being accepted by either race. sometimes you feel as if people stare while trying to figure you out. he sings about the mulatto boy being caged, and i think it's relating to that feeling. as well as the realization from a different perspective. but songs mean different things to different people.
i think its about the person's guilt when he judges and mistreats someone he doesnt even know. he feels bad because he knows how it makes him feel when people do it to him, and its obvious that he has hurt the boy.
Yeah, I think this song is about someone being embarrassed and ashamed of the way he judged and/or treated a boy without even knowing him. He's feeling guilty for his actions and he's begging for forgiveness.
It's about a 'loner' in high school who didn't quite fit in. The narrator is a person reflecting on his high school years (he wasn't popular, or unpopular. He was just average), and he remembers this kid who was different and how nobody paid attention to him. Until the day he did something that none of them will ever forget. Regret is powerful and I believe that is what this song is essentially about.<br /> Great song and great voice.
This song is weird because it sounds like a females view point. It sounds like a female wrote this song or its based on the songwriters female friend who had feelings for a black guy in some school which seems college based on a comment here. I think she regrets having ignored him since he mentions she was lame and that she ignored him because she wanted to fit into the crowd yet she had feelings for him . The black guy seems to have been a minority in the school. Only a female into a guy would notice him and later admit that she had regrets that she didn't get to know him.
Sorry for multiple comments had typos in it.
Nice interpretation. Mulatto means mixed (black/white), though. And decades ago it was shameful to be mulatto since society REALLY looked down upon the offspring of mixed couples. The word "mulatto" was used on legal documents in my state as late as 1987 (possibly later).
I love this song, so emotianal.
Very awsome song, realy emotional.. I think its about some one who's an outcast, and the person who notices feels wierd talking to him.. I just love this song, and I'm glad other poeple have commented on it!