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."
[GPM] Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] The reel to reel to reel to reel yo
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] Copy copy copy copy copy
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] We gonna hit it down like this, y'all know the flav
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] Uhh, Alamo, is you wit me?
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Stud Doogie, is you wit me?
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] S.O.S., is you wit me?
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Yo this how we gon' bust it down, yo you know the flavor
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] You know what time is it, check it yo, this how we flow
[Grand Puba Maxwell]
Here comes the Puba and you know I won't fake it
Usually bust records on gettin butt naked
Made for the Benzi, drive a nigga skins he
pump the tape, grab your dick, get with the Puba frenzy
C'mon honey sing, don't you, try to eject
_Slow Down_'s what you say, once my joint gets erect
Some try to copy but they just can't sketch it
Some try to follow but they just can't catch it
With the boom boom tap, yeah alla dat
Huh, I'm livin fat, me fall off, there'll be none of that
See who's the one to flip it? Quick to tell a nigga to zip it
Stud drink the 40 cause we ain't got time to sip it
Grand Puba got body
Kick some of them, some of those, and some yardies
As dope as they come, suckers sing or hum
Don't try to step to this, you know your shit is slum
First batter up well here's the pitch - it's a curve
Second batter up because the first got served
The one who arouse, as I browse for a blouse
Kick styles by the piles, as I leave a trail for miles
Skins when I please, hit from here to Tel Aviv
I'm gettin G's, no more time for the line of free cheese
Here's the four one one hon, the one who gets the job done
I know you know the flavor of the Puba
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Yeah yeah yeah yeah, na-nah nah nah nah, this how we bump it yo!
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Yaknahmsayin? Big Jeff in the house, we gon' move it like this
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Ha hah, Baby Pop Baby Pop in the house, bust how we bust it down
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Y'all you know the flavor.. Sincere Allah, check check check check!
[Grand Puba Maxwell]
O-kay o-kay o-kay, what more could I say?
Alamo get the boom and.. parlay parlay
I'm far from the average, civilize the savage
When I'm low on protein I'm with the bean soup and cabbage
Skins on the diet, kick the flavor, cause a riot
Do a show and get the dough and then I'm off to the Hyatt
So tie me on the spliff, ain't no ands or if
And if you really wanna riff you just might end up playin stiff
Girbauds hangin baggy, Hilfiger on the top
Knapsack on the back, that's just my flavor Hobbes
As my man gives a zigga zigga, watchin three grow bigga bigga
To Pos K, that's my nigga
Here goes the wreck, whaddayou expect?
If you wanna see some wreck, send cash, not a check
Grand Puba, more than a public figure
Quick to kick the bone up the butt of a golddigger
Now Tic-Tac-Toe means I hit three in a row
If I do a show then you better have my dough
Low, low, well how low can you go?
Call on Grand Puba if you really need a pro
Cause my shit's more rugged than G.I. Joe
Don't front honey, act like you know
Now big up to my Brooklyn mob (Brooklyn! Brooklyn!)
Big up to my Uptown mob (Uptown! Uptown!)
Now brothers wanna diss me cause it's my turn to burn
My best advice for the brothers is to sit back and learn
I don't diss nobody to be somebody
I just like to kick the flavor to make the people party
See all I'm sayin, is respect due
Those who tried to follow, sorry I left you
Grand Puba, Stud Doogie and Alamo
So if you ever want the flavor you know where to go
Now how we go..
Yeah, ha ha ha!
The reel to reel, yeah yeah yeah, this is how we move it
You know the flavor, y'all know the flavor, you know the flavor
Here we go yo, and you don't stop (big up to all the people)
Big up! Big up!
Big Jeff hold tight! Ha hah, ha hah!
On and on y'all
Time to get gone
Word is bond
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] The reel to reel to reel to reel yo
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] Copy copy copy copy copy
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] We gonna hit it down like this, y'all know the flav
"There's just one thing I wanna say.."
[GPM] Uhh, Alamo, is you wit me?
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Stud Doogie, is you wit me?
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] S.O.S., is you wit me?
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Yo this how we gon' bust it down, yo you know the flavor
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] You know what time is it, check it yo, this how we flow
[Grand Puba Maxwell]
Here comes the Puba and you know I won't fake it
Usually bust records on gettin butt naked
Made for the Benzi, drive a nigga skins he
pump the tape, grab your dick, get with the Puba frenzy
C'mon honey sing, don't you, try to eject
_Slow Down_'s what you say, once my joint gets erect
Some try to copy but they just can't sketch it
Some try to follow but they just can't catch it
With the boom boom tap, yeah alla dat
Huh, I'm livin fat, me fall off, there'll be none of that
See who's the one to flip it? Quick to tell a nigga to zip it
Stud drink the 40 cause we ain't got time to sip it
Grand Puba got body
Kick some of them, some of those, and some yardies
As dope as they come, suckers sing or hum
Don't try to step to this, you know your shit is slum
First batter up well here's the pitch - it's a curve
Second batter up because the first got served
The one who arouse, as I browse for a blouse
Kick styles by the piles, as I leave a trail for miles
Skins when I please, hit from here to Tel Aviv
I'm gettin G's, no more time for the line of free cheese
Here's the four one one hon, the one who gets the job done
I know you know the flavor of the Puba
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Yeah yeah yeah yeah, na-nah nah nah nah, this how we bump it yo!
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Yaknahmsayin? Big Jeff in the house, we gon' move it like this
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Ha hah, Baby Pop Baby Pop in the house, bust how we bust it down
"What goes around comes back around again.."
[GPM] Y'all you know the flavor.. Sincere Allah, check check check check!
[Grand Puba Maxwell]
O-kay o-kay o-kay, what more could I say?
Alamo get the boom and.. parlay parlay
I'm far from the average, civilize the savage
When I'm low on protein I'm with the bean soup and cabbage
Skins on the diet, kick the flavor, cause a riot
Do a show and get the dough and then I'm off to the Hyatt
So tie me on the spliff, ain't no ands or if
And if you really wanna riff you just might end up playin stiff
Girbauds hangin baggy, Hilfiger on the top
Knapsack on the back, that's just my flavor Hobbes
As my man gives a zigga zigga, watchin three grow bigga bigga
To Pos K, that's my nigga
Here goes the wreck, whaddayou expect?
If you wanna see some wreck, send cash, not a check
Grand Puba, more than a public figure
Quick to kick the bone up the butt of a golddigger
Now Tic-Tac-Toe means I hit three in a row
If I do a show then you better have my dough
Low, low, well how low can you go?
Call on Grand Puba if you really need a pro
Cause my shit's more rugged than G.I. Joe
Don't front honey, act like you know
Now big up to my Brooklyn mob (Brooklyn! Brooklyn!)
Big up to my Uptown mob (Uptown! Uptown!)
Now brothers wanna diss me cause it's my turn to burn
My best advice for the brothers is to sit back and learn
I don't diss nobody to be somebody
I just like to kick the flavor to make the people party
See all I'm sayin, is respect due
Those who tried to follow, sorry I left you
Grand Puba, Stud Doogie and Alamo
So if you ever want the flavor you know where to go
Now how we go..
Yeah, ha ha ha!
The reel to reel, yeah yeah yeah, this is how we move it
You know the flavor, y'all know the flavor, you know the flavor
Here we go yo, and you don't stop (big up to all the people)
Big up! Big up!
Big Jeff hold tight! Ha hah, ha hah!
On and on y'all
Time to get gone
Word is bond
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
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Mountain Song
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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,
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