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."
Something inside the cards I know is right
Don't want to live somebody else's life
This is what I want to be and this is what I give to you
Because I get it free
She smiles while I do my time
I could die for you
Oh, this life I choose
I'm here to be your only go-between
To tell you of the sights these eyes have seen
What I really want to do is turn it into motion
Beauty that I can't abuse
You know that I use my senses, too
You can see that it's only everywhere
I'd take it all in, then I'd find a way to share
Come along and go along with me
Wander with me, yo, it's all for free
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
Come again and tell me where you want to go
What it means to me to be with you alone
Close the door and no one has to know
How we are
Come along and go along with me
Wander with me, yo, it's all for free
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose, make me wanna say
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
Don't want to live somebody else's life
This is what I want to be and this is what I give to you
Because I get it free
She smiles while I do my time
I could die for you
Oh, this life I choose
I'm here to be your only go-between
To tell you of the sights these eyes have seen
What I really want to do is turn it into motion
Beauty that I can't abuse
You know that I use my senses, too
You can see that it's only everywhere
I'd take it all in, then I'd find a way to share
Come along and go along with me
Wander with me, yo, it's all for free
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
Come again and tell me where you want to go
What it means to me to be with you alone
Close the door and no one has to know
How we are
Come along and go along with me
Wander with me, yo, it's all for free
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose, make me wanna say
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
I could die for you, what you wanna do?
Oh, this life I choose
Lyrics submitted by on_a_plain_11, edited by Mellow_Harsher
I Could Die for You Lyrics as written by John Frusciante Michael Balzary
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
i suppose this song relates to fleas daughter clara (maybe to his other children as well- if there are any others...) if you read just a little bit of "fleamail" (what you should do) you will know that his children are of very very big importance for him. i remember that he once wrote: "you owe them everything they owe you nothing" (good quote by the way). and to pay off this "debts" he "takes it all and then finds a way to share" it. he´s sharing his experiences with her ("tell you of the sights These eyes have seen"). he´s not just teling her, he tries to "put them into motion" to show her what it meant and what it really was like. this way he takes her along with him (like he often takes her on tour with him) to show her "everything", which is "for free". moreover the description of how to live a life in the first verse matches fleas attitude of not to give a shit about what other want you to be or think of you (what you also should do g). a thing that he spoke of beeing important to teach a daughter/son.
i think this song could also be understood as description of a good friendship or maybe even a love relationship, because the chorus and the last verse speak of a strong love for someone. of course the aspects of giving and/or showing the world to someone do not really match this interpretation...
anyway for me this is also a very nice song to think of a girl (or boy respectivly) that you would die for, wander with and whatever...