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."
Take good core of what you've got
My father said to me
As he puffed his pipe and Baby B.
He dandled on his knee
Don't fool with fools who'll turn away
Keep all Good Company
Oo Hoo Oo Hoo
Take care of those you call your own
And keep Good Company
Soon I grew and happy too
My very good friends and me
We'd play all day and Sally J.
The girl from number four
And very soon I begged her won't you
Keep me Company
Now marriage is an insinuation sure
My wife and I our needs and nothing more All my friends by a year
By and by disappear
But we're safe enough behind our door.
I flourished in my humble trade
My reputation grew
The work devoured my waking hours
But when my time was through
Reward of all my efforts my own
Limited Company
I hardly noticed Sall as we
Pated Company
All through the years in the end it appears
There was never really anyone but me
Now I'm old I puff my pipe
But no-one's there to see
I ponder on the lesson of
My life's insanity
Take care of those you call your own
And Keep Good Company
My father said to me
As he puffed his pipe and Baby B.
He dandled on his knee
Don't fool with fools who'll turn away
Keep all Good Company
Oo Hoo Oo Hoo
Take care of those you call your own
And keep Good Company
Soon I grew and happy too
My very good friends and me
We'd play all day and Sally J.
The girl from number four
And very soon I begged her won't you
Keep me Company
Now marriage is an insinuation sure
My wife and I our needs and nothing more All my friends by a year
By and by disappear
But we're safe enough behind our door.
I flourished in my humble trade
My reputation grew
The work devoured my waking hours
But when my time was through
Reward of all my efforts my own
Limited Company
I hardly noticed Sall as we
Pated Company
All through the years in the end it appears
There was never really anyone but me
Now I'm old I puff my pipe
But no-one's there to see
I ponder on the lesson of
My life's insanity
Take care of those you call your own
And Keep Good Company
Lyrics submitted by f_mercury
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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Ed Sheeran
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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.
Trouble Breathing
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
While the obvious connections with suicide or alcoholism could be drawn easily, more subtly this song could be about someone who views the world through a negative lens constantly and how as much as the writer tries to show the beauty in the world, this person refuses to see it. It's one or another between the rope and the bottle. There is no good option for this person. They can't see it. Skiba sings it in a kind of exasperated way like He's tired of hearing this negative view constantly and just allowing that person to continue feeling the way they feel knowing he can't do anything about it. You can hear it when he says maybe you're a vampire.
This is one of those "stop and smell the roses" songs, about appreciating the finer things in life (friends, family, children, etc) instead of focusing on personal gain. Thought-provoking.
In response to the person who commented on "Sally J" being from "Number 4." It's deliberate. Do you really think the guy wrote an entire song in rhyme and suddenly hit his head in the middle of it for a momentary lapse then never noticed it during the entire recording and mixing session? And that nobody else noticed it either when it so obviously sticks out? This is referred to as a cheating rhyme, althought there's another term for it as well which I forget. Many poets use it, such as Emily Dickinson. What it does is put emphasis on the line so that you won't get bored of hearing he same old couplets over and oer again. It also relies heavily on your anticipating the coming rhyme. It's quite clever. I believe every time a poet does it they do it with a sly look in their eyes.
Who knows about this song?
I do it's quite strange...but addictive!
This is one of Queen's greatest songs ever in my opinion. People should check out "A Night at the Opera" more ofter.
Yeah, kind of a neat song. It sort of has a tone to it like, "Oops! I messed up my life. Well, I hope you don't make the same mistakes I did." The speaker only seems to care about one thing at a time: first his wife, and then his business. Sure, those things are important, but then he ends up losing other important things by placing all importance on a few things. He loses his friends when he becomes too wrapped up in his wife, but then loses his wife when he becomes too concerned with his business. It's sort of interesting that his father says, "Don't fool with fools who'll turn away" but then the speaker ends up becoming one of the "fools who'll turn away."
Of course, the best part is the "Genuine Aloha Ukelele" (Made in Japan). Everyone loves ukeleles!
I really can't help wondering why, in the second verse, to make it rhyme, they didn't call her Sally J. from number three, instead of four.
@Random18 Maybe if he had used "three", it would sound too much like the previous verse. By "breaking that rhyme scheme (melody and harmony are the same), he keeps it "interesting". Also the "Won't" from "I begged her won't you keep me company" may have sth to do, but that's just speculation.<br />
I dunno. As Dr. Brian May, PhD. about that one.
Well, he didn't get his doctorate in rhyme schemes...
Maybe he wanted it to rhyme with "sure" and "door" in the next verse? Or maybe because "four" just sounds good!
wtf? When i first heard this song on my dad's mixed queen tape, i thought someone had borrowed it to tape the beatles. that's right, the beatles. It sounds so much like the beatles. It was only when i heard it on Night at the Opera at my friend's house did i realize it was by queen. It's all right i guess.