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."
You can hear me so clearly
And see how I try
You feel me, so heal me
And tear me apart
I won't tell a soul
I won't tell at all
Do they have to know
About my goodnight girl
Caught up in your wishin' well
You hopes inside it
Take your love and promises
And make them last
You keep me so near you
And see me so far
And hold me and send me
And deep in your heart
It doesn't matter how sad
I made you
Doesn't matter how hard
I try
Just remember the same
Old reason
Reflected in your eyes
You said you wanted me
Caught up in your wishin' well
Your hopes inside it
Take your love and promises
And make them last
And see how I try
You feel me, so heal me
And tear me apart
I won't tell a soul
I won't tell at all
Do they have to know
About my goodnight girl
Caught up in your wishin' well
You hopes inside it
Take your love and promises
And make them last
You keep me so near you
And see me so far
And hold me and send me
And deep in your heart
It doesn't matter how sad
I made you
Doesn't matter how hard
I try
Just remember the same
Old reason
Reflected in your eyes
You said you wanted me
Caught up in your wishin' well
Your hopes inside it
Take your love and promises
And make them last
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
To the one you never kiss and tell...
Its about a guy wo hasfallen in love with this girl, but because of something to do with her, he can't tell anyone. They always have to say 'goodnight' because they can't be together, hence the 'goodnight girl'. And he is telling her to make sure she keeps te promises of love she has mae to him, because he already loves her! He is becoming uncertain if the relationship means as much to her as it does to him, so he is reminding her of what she said, and what it means to him. <3
@LoveAtFirstSightX
OH! And, he is promising her that he will keep her sec,and wont tell anyone, because that is hw much she means to him <3
It's about forbidden love in some form or other.i agree with casadelia,i thought it was about him being in love with a prostitute or a girl with low sexual morals 'a goodnight girl'.However he can't committ to her ''I wont tell a soul/do they have to know'' because of the stigma of being seen with her.Or it could even be about adultery,he's married/in relationship but seeing this other woman on the sly yet at the end of the day it's a forbidden love that will never go beyond sex.
''I wont tell a soul/do they have to know'' because of the stigma of being seen with her." ~F You.
Yea that's what i meant,he wont committ cos of the stigma.The girl is obviously madly in love with him but he's telling her to go find some1 that will return the love ''take your love and promises/and make them last''.It's a heartbreaking song,we all being in love with some1 who pushes us aside at some time or another and thats what the song is-rejecting a forbidden love.
dude this song seriously pisses me off bc my fav music site just listed it as i was looking up my fav song about this girl named maggie exactly while reading all ur posts...why do they got to go change my f-ing music site? wtf? <br /> <br /> but im blitzed cuz i was reading ur stuf and passed over this song but saw it on my site...yeah whateva lol coinsidense
I can't believe that no-one has commented on this song?! It's great!
i have no idea and want to know actual meaning?
Could mean anything really its quite open to interpretation i think it could be about a girl who is seeing a guy but its all very secretive maybe even just sexual when they first meet thats why shes his goodnight girl cos they only really see eachother at night and nobody knows and hes not telling anyone. Then he falls for her and gets caught up in her world wanting the love he feels when they are together to be all the time he thinks/hopes she feels it too "reflected in your eyes". could be totally off the mark with this meaning though!!
I don't know if this is just me, but could this song be about prostitution? It kind of sounds to me like it's about a man who depends on a prostitute to heal him and make his life worth living, but he still keeps his relationship with her a secret. He keeps promising her that he'll love her forever, but in reality, his promises are as shallow as the wishes made into a wishing well, and however much he loves her and however much they both need each other, he can never tell anyone because she's still a prostitute and he's afraid of the stigma, so no one can ever know about his goodnight girl.
I know I will get bashed for this but I find the words to this song a little unsettling. After marti pellow did a song for child line and then wrote this . "I won't tell a soul I won't tell at all Do they have to know About my goodnight girl"
I agree that it could be an affair. The lyrics fit, '' Do they have to know, about my goodnight girl? '' It could be that they ring or text each other every night to talk and say '' Goodnight'. ' Maybe one of them is in a relationship they can' t end because there are children involved, or the partner needs them emotionally, so they grab whatever time they can get together as it is better than nothing, even though they know they will probably never be able to be together properly.