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."
In the chatroom on the internet
I broke out in sweat from a girl I met
I asked her out she said alright mate
name a time and a place and we will arrange date
friday at eight she said great
dress to impress and don't be late
Friday at eight she came she weren’t on the bus
she weren’t on the train
I thought I had been blown out once again
all you women are are all the damn same
and then suddenly up pulled a cab with a fit little bird oi oi savaloy
you'e coming with me paki pantherz and makaveli
Chapter 3 , the 3rd bredder, from the UK Terror,
no matter whether your clever, we still be crackin' the leather,
on the whip, while your locked in the cellar,
you told me you were heavyweight, your as light as a feather,
whatever!, mate, your a shit tale teller,
if i see you i'll switch, and im not a nice fella,
your last release was anything but a seller,
and i read your Mag interview, shame its in Bella,
you smeller, your breaths not green it's yellow,
your microphone fears the word accapella,
chapter 3 keep spittin' forever, we're never ever gonna sever a letter,
thats why we're spittin' better,
im gonna run down & gun down rappers when i come down,
i aint gonna finish til the suns down,
bun down green til my lungs drown,
battle in a tongue war, win a thumb war with my thumbs down!
i got a key, im gonna lock it,
when i battle with a gun, i never drop it,
until i force you to pop it,
stop it, the lyrical miracle rap rocket,
my tongue earns cash, i dont do brock pocket,
you with the mic there, drop it,
you tried bus' a lyric but you made a real nightmare of it,
d'ya write that lyric? or did ya bite bare of it?
i'll creep into your house and ignite bare of it!!!!!
I
BE DEI BE DERE CATING A SOLJAH FLEX
BOP DOWN D BADDEST MANNORS WID MY AVEREX
ALONG WIDDA PHAT GOLD CHAIN ROUND MY NECK
A STINK METALITY COS I COULDNT CARE LESS
A MC AND DJ WID MY BASHMENT DECKS
ALL DESE NEEKS ALWAYS WANNA MESS
I DUNNO Y DAY EITHER DUMB OR DEAF
ITS A SOLJAH FLEX SAY SOLJAH FLEX
DIS AINT NUTTIN BUT A SOLJAH FLEX
BAC IN D DAY I COULDNT MOVE MY TOUNGUE
BUT NOWER DAYS I SPIT 4 FUN
BOOO LIMERICK DONE
and ir me mc MaKaVeLl who dum dis limeric not this batty man "a"
I broke out in sweat from a girl I met
I asked her out she said alright mate
name a time and a place and we will arrange date
friday at eight she said great
dress to impress and don't be late
Friday at eight she came she weren’t on the bus
she weren’t on the train
I thought I had been blown out once again
all you women are are all the damn same
and then suddenly up pulled a cab with a fit little bird oi oi savaloy
you'e coming with me paki pantherz and makaveli
Chapter 3 , the 3rd bredder, from the UK Terror,
no matter whether your clever, we still be crackin' the leather,
on the whip, while your locked in the cellar,
you told me you were heavyweight, your as light as a feather,
whatever!, mate, your a shit tale teller,
if i see you i'll switch, and im not a nice fella,
your last release was anything but a seller,
and i read your Mag interview, shame its in Bella,
you smeller, your breaths not green it's yellow,
your microphone fears the word accapella,
chapter 3 keep spittin' forever, we're never ever gonna sever a letter,
thats why we're spittin' better,
im gonna run down & gun down rappers when i come down,
i aint gonna finish til the suns down,
bun down green til my lungs drown,
battle in a tongue war, win a thumb war with my thumbs down!
i got a key, im gonna lock it,
when i battle with a gun, i never drop it,
until i force you to pop it,
stop it, the lyrical miracle rap rocket,
my tongue earns cash, i dont do brock pocket,
you with the mic there, drop it,
you tried bus' a lyric but you made a real nightmare of it,
d'ya write that lyric? or did ya bite bare of it?
i'll creep into your house and ignite bare of it!!!!!
I
BE DEI BE DERE CATING A SOLJAH FLEX
BOP DOWN D BADDEST MANNORS WID MY AVEREX
ALONG WIDDA PHAT GOLD CHAIN ROUND MY NECK
A STINK METALITY COS I COULDNT CARE LESS
A MC AND DJ WID MY BASHMENT DECKS
ALL DESE NEEKS ALWAYS WANNA MESS
I DUNNO Y DAY EITHER DUMB OR DEAF
ITS A SOLJAH FLEX SAY SOLJAH FLEX
DIS AINT NUTTIN BUT A SOLJAH FLEX
BAC IN D DAY I COULDNT MOVE MY TOUNGUE
BUT NOWER DAYS I SPIT 4 FUN
BOOO LIMERICK DONE
and ir me mc MaKaVeLl who dum dis limeric not this batty man "a"
Lyrics submitted by paki pantherz
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.