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."
A dream of another existance
You wish to die
A dream of another world
You pray for death to release the soul
One must die to find peace inside
You must get eternal
I am a mortal, but am I human?
How beautiful life is now when my time has come
A human destiny, but nothing human inside
What will be left of me when I'm dead?
There was nothing when I lived
What you found was eternal death
No one will ever miss you
You wish to die
A dream of another world
You pray for death to release the soul
One must die to find peace inside
You must get eternal
I am a mortal, but am I human?
How beautiful life is now when my time has come
A human destiny, but nothing human inside
What will be left of me when I'm dead?
There was nothing when I lived
What you found was eternal death
No one will ever miss you
Lyrics submitted by TheUnholyMaster
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
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.
Another Love
Tom Odell
Tom Odell
I think the meaning is pretty clear. This person got really burned in a previous relationship, and because of this is unable to love and show care in his present one, even though he so badly wants to. It's lovely song, and very sad. You can really feel how defeated and frustrated he is with himself.
Zombie
Cranberries, The
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
I'm a big fan of all metal music but out of Black Metal, this is my favorite song. I love Dead. I read that he had some form of Cotard Delusion (the belief that you are dead) and a couple of lines I found very interesting were, "What will be left for me when I'm dead?" (Future tense) "There was nothing when I lived" (Passed Tense). The way I have found most suicide songs by people who were not really suicidal had something to do with how sad life is while suicide songs by real suicidal people like this song talk a lot about how pointless and never-ending life is. That's why I love this song. It's much more realistic.
Hmm, weird no-one has commented on this song, it was Deads last lyrics, which were with his suicide not which Euronymous found. Probebly the last thoughts that went through his mind before he blew his brains out, which make them so freaky, yet very true and sencire.
I dont think that his suicide makes this song too special. Dead was a great singer. And he will stay in all mayhem fans memories. Suicide is everyones own choice and i dont see anything too special about it. If you bored of life and nothing comes in your way so why not to die. But il miss his performences and his vocals. Damn what a man he was. well whatever. Songs true and sad. I loved it.
One of the few songs meant to be sad that actually makes me feel depressed.... amazing song... I love it
Oh and by the way, why in the crap is "You pray for death" and "to release the soul" always right next to each other on a lyrics page? theres like a minute long gap between those lyrics...
I adore these lyrics.
.
Probably the meaning is related with the contemptuous judgement Pehr Ohlin did about a failed searching of aim or sense in life he knew... If the life is nothing... death would be the same...
It reveals a deep nihilist view very inside his mind.
Nor you.
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