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."
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
Then we'll talk about leaving town
Yeah we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
We rode across that bridge all night
We talked our way through city lights
Traced all the lines, were killing time
Under those buzzing signs
From downtown to anywhere but here
Tonight yeah I swear to these rooftops
And just hoped that car would never stop
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
We drove around this place all night
Past closed signs and familiar sights
We're moving by, passing time
Counting those center lines
With twenty thousand lines left to go
That lead to somewhere I don't know
It might be the time that we leave this all behind
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And there's been a few times
That we, we thought it felt right
To take the westbound signs
And just leave town tonight
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving town
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
Then we'll talk about leaving town
Yeah we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
We rode across that bridge all night
We talked our way through city lights
Traced all the lines, were killing time
Under those buzzing signs
From downtown to anywhere but here
Tonight yeah I swear to these rooftops
And just hoped that car would never stop
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
We drove around this place all night
Past closed signs and familiar sights
We're moving by, passing time
Counting those center lines
With twenty thousand lines left to go
That lead to somewhere I don't know
It might be the time that we leave this all behind
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And there's been a few times
That we, we thought it felt right
To take the westbound signs
And just leave town tonight
And I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll walk in circles around this whole block
Walk on the cracks of the same old sidewalks
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving
I swear it's the last time
And I swear it's my last try
And I swear it's my last try
And we'll talk about leaving town
And we'll talk about leaving town
Lyrics submitted by globefish23
Look What Happened Lyrics as written by Louis James Schaub Christopher Demakes
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It's about making up and break ups. It's about the tender and awkward moments in a relationship. It uses the metaphor of leaving town but it's about relationships. Of course, I guess you could make any song sound like it was about relationships. But I think all songs really are.