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 cult leader, the war-monger, armed with four high-powered
firearm barometers, I visited Andromeda
The human cloner, the donate to my fam organ donor
The morbid odor of corpses lowered, the coroner
The cult leader, result needer, the skull and bones bleeder
The chrome heater, the soul eater, the tome reader
The cloak and dagger magnum packer
convert star systems to active vacuum
The illest shit since Manson had goons
The great communicator alien tomb raider
Consume data cut from the same cloth that produced Vader
The cult leader, the ultimate fighting champion
The benificient, the lamb, the messiah, the religion
There's a thousand faces, more than the cross and the Star of David
I'm the combination of God and Satan
The humble shepherd, the son of lepers, the stuff of legends
The cult leader, I've indulged in the most disgusting of pleasures
Likeable and charismatic my smilin face has been
enough to make a mother leave her children in a violent place
I turn knees to noodles I make my female followers
want me until they pussy's drippin like fruit juice
The pervert, the pathological, the prophet
I'm the second coming, the Anti-Christ, the final conflict
Who got nuclear weapons and a suicidal doctrine?
The cult leader, and I'll never stop until I got you locked in
Cult leader! "And everywhere, his words are greated with enthusiasm."
Cult leader! "His listeners have found a personal revelation in what he has to say."
Cult leader! "You will obey your instincts, and try to dominate others."
I'm the motherfuckin cult leader! "Such power transforms, elevates even purifies."
The life taker, followers fly planes into skyscrapers
Send you a disease through the mail wrapped inside paper
The gospel preacher, the hostile teacher
The face of God with an impostor's features
This is the prophecy the cult leader
The people's temple, the holy ground, the war compound
Four-pound to rifles, disciples, the holy idles
Supreme truth, the cult leader with the green tooth
The multi-millionaire with a stare that can freeze troops
I program people to kill
The motiviational speaker, my words cause people to feel
It's mind control, let the cult leader guide your soul
Open up your eyes to the lies he told
The general, the chief, I be the political pioneer
The cult leader, you can believe in me, I am here
Bless the children, take you under my wing, shelter
Helter Skelter, this is it, you can't kill me I'll exist forever
Cult leader! "The leader a champion of the underdog."
Cult leader! "He tried to show the path of truth, to amaze all mankind."
Cult leader! "Scorned ridiculed and condemned"
I'm the motherfuckin cult leader! "Words are inadequate
To convey the majesty, of the" Cult leader!
I'm the cult leader!
Cult leader!
I'm the motherfuckin cult leader!
firearm barometers, I visited Andromeda
The human cloner, the donate to my fam organ donor
The morbid odor of corpses lowered, the coroner
The cult leader, result needer, the skull and bones bleeder
The chrome heater, the soul eater, the tome reader
The cloak and dagger magnum packer
convert star systems to active vacuum
The illest shit since Manson had goons
The great communicator alien tomb raider
Consume data cut from the same cloth that produced Vader
The cult leader, the ultimate fighting champion
The benificient, the lamb, the messiah, the religion
There's a thousand faces, more than the cross and the Star of David
I'm the combination of God and Satan
The humble shepherd, the son of lepers, the stuff of legends
The cult leader, I've indulged in the most disgusting of pleasures
Likeable and charismatic my smilin face has been
enough to make a mother leave her children in a violent place
I turn knees to noodles I make my female followers
want me until they pussy's drippin like fruit juice
The pervert, the pathological, the prophet
I'm the second coming, the Anti-Christ, the final conflict
Who got nuclear weapons and a suicidal doctrine?
The cult leader, and I'll never stop until I got you locked in
Cult leader! "And everywhere, his words are greated with enthusiasm."
Cult leader! "His listeners have found a personal revelation in what he has to say."
Cult leader! "You will obey your instincts, and try to dominate others."
I'm the motherfuckin cult leader! "Such power transforms, elevates even purifies."
The life taker, followers fly planes into skyscrapers
Send you a disease through the mail wrapped inside paper
The gospel preacher, the hostile teacher
The face of God with an impostor's features
This is the prophecy the cult leader
The people's temple, the holy ground, the war compound
Four-pound to rifles, disciples, the holy idles
Supreme truth, the cult leader with the green tooth
The multi-millionaire with a stare that can freeze troops
I program people to kill
The motiviational speaker, my words cause people to feel
It's mind control, let the cult leader guide your soul
Open up your eyes to the lies he told
The general, the chief, I be the political pioneer
The cult leader, you can believe in me, I am here
Bless the children, take you under my wing, shelter
Helter Skelter, this is it, you can't kill me I'll exist forever
Cult leader! "The leader a champion of the underdog."
Cult leader! "He tried to show the path of truth, to amaze all mankind."
Cult leader! "Scorned ridiculed and condemned"
I'm the motherfuckin cult leader! "Words are inadequate
To convey the majesty, of the" Cult leader!
I'm the cult leader!
Cult leader!
I'm the motherfuckin cult leader!
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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Page
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If you thought Kanye West had a Jesus complex...
"I'm the combination of God and Satan" Wow...this song is twisted and I love it for that. Damn damn damn damn it's good. While some rhymes seem forced, and the second verse pales in comparison, this song is shocking and is full of quotables. The perspective taken in this song is cool, wouldn't it be nice to use mind control? We all think that, you know, entertain our desires, but (I hope) wouldn't dare.