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."
The streets are wet
The lights have yet
To shed their tawdry lustre on the scene
My skirt's too short
My tights have run
These new heels are killing me
My second pack of cigarettes
It's a slow night but there's time yet
Here comes John from his other life
He may be driving to his wife
But he'll slow down take a look
I've learned to read them just like books
And it's already half past ten
But they'll be back again
Headlights in the rainy street
I check, make sure it's not the heat
I wink, I smile, I wave my hand
He stops and seems to understand
The small transaction we must make
I tell him that my heart will break
If he's not a generous man
I step into his van
They say the first is the hardest trick
And after that it's just a matter of logic
They have the money I have the time
Being pretty's my only crime
You ask what future do I see
I say it's really up to me
I don't need forgiving
I'm just making a living
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see
A friend of mine he wound up dead
His dress was stained the colour red
No next of kin no fixed abode
Another victim on this road
The police just carted him away
But someone took his place next day
He was home by thanksgiving
But not with the living
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And no it's just not in my plan
For someone to care who I am
I'm walking the streets for money
It's the business of love, 'hey honey'
C'mon, don't leave me lonely, don't leave me sad
It'll be the sweetest five minutes you ever had
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see
The lights have yet
To shed their tawdry lustre on the scene
My skirt's too short
My tights have run
These new heels are killing me
My second pack of cigarettes
It's a slow night but there's time yet
Here comes John from his other life
He may be driving to his wife
But he'll slow down take a look
I've learned to read them just like books
And it's already half past ten
But they'll be back again
Headlights in the rainy street
I check, make sure it's not the heat
I wink, I smile, I wave my hand
He stops and seems to understand
The small transaction we must make
I tell him that my heart will break
If he's not a generous man
I step into his van
They say the first is the hardest trick
And after that it's just a matter of logic
They have the money I have the time
Being pretty's my only crime
You ask what future do I see
I say it's really up to me
I don't need forgiving
I'm just making a living
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see
A friend of mine he wound up dead
His dress was stained the colour red
No next of kin no fixed abode
Another victim on this road
The police just carted him away
But someone took his place next day
He was home by thanksgiving
But not with the living
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And no it's just not in my plan
For someone to care who I am
I'm walking the streets for money
It's the business of love, 'hey honey'
C'mon, don't leave me lonely, don't leave me sad
It'll be the sweetest five minutes you ever had
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see
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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,
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Actually... the lyrics are correct. Its not "A smart transsezual we must be" and it is about transsexual prostitutes and how difficult life is for them. I love this song... I think it's one of his best... and definitely the best on Brand New Day
This song was written either for or about a documentary on teenage transvestite prostitutes in Brazil. The film is called "The Boys From Brazil," and was produced by Sting's wife Trudie Styler.
uge. i liked it before i knew it was about tranvestites. Nothing against them but geez...
I don't understand. How is transvestitism any more unpleasant to hear about than prostitution?
well, first off the lyrics on this page are wrong.
Headlights in the rainy street I check, make sure it's not the heat I wink, I smile, I wave my hand He stops and seems to understand The small transaction we must make I tell him that my heart will break If he's not a generous man I step into his van
"The small transaction we must make" should be "A smart transsexual we be"
Suddenly the song is not very surprising. I actually like this song. Good structure (as is typical of Sting's songs) and nice imagry.
Teenage transvestite prostitutes? I didn't even know such a cruel "job" exists! I've always wondered why he's refering to the friend that ended up dead as a "he". I mean, sure, there are male prostitutes too but it's not very common (at least in our society).
Anyway, not knowing what this song was actually about, I've always seen it as Roxanne's answer to the young man who loved her so desperately. ; ) She's trying to explain why she can't come with him: She's somehow trapped in her way of life but she's also afraid to leave this life. As horrible as it may seem to us, it's her everyday routine - she's good at her job and it's the only life she knows. She'd rather carry on "walking the streets for money" than trying to get out and maybe risking not succeeding in a new life.
I think this is a general problem of many prostitutes/criminals. They are so used to the life they are living that they are afraid to leave it behind because they think it's the only thing they are good at. And they hide their fears behind the excuse that it's only "one more night and tomorrow we'll see".
Sting uses the method of finishing the music, then going for a walk and listening to it on his iPod and letting his imagination create a story.
The story for this is about a male transexual prostitute.
youtube.com/watch
The entire explanation by the man himself is here.
er, I meant to type "A smart transsexual we must be"