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."
Get 'em out by Friday
You don't get paid 'til the last one's well on his way
Get 'em out by Friday
It's important that we keep to schedule, there must be no delay
I represent a firm of gentlemen who recently purchased this
House and all the others in the road
In the interest of humanity we've found a better place for you
To go, go-woh, go-woh
Oh no, this I can't believe
Oh Mary, they're asking us to leave
Get 'em out by Friday
I've told you before, 's good many gone if we let them stay
And if it isn't easy
You can squeeze a little grease and our troubles will soon run away
After all this time, they ask us to leave
And I told them we could pay double the rent
I don't know why it seemed so funny
Seeing as how they'd take more money
The Winkler called again, he came here this morning
With four hundred pounds and a photograph of the place he has found
A block of flats with central heating
I think we're going to find it hard
Now we've got them
I've always said that cash cash cash can do anything well
Work can be rewarding
When a flash of intuition is a gift that helps you excel-sell-sell-sell
Here we are in Harlow New Town
Did you recognize your block across the square, over there
Sadly since last time we spoke
We've found we've had to raise the rent again
Just a bit
Oh no, this I can't believe
Oh Mary, and we agreed to leave
This is an announcement from Genetic Control
It is my sad duty to inform you of a four foot restriction on
Humanoid height
I hear the directors of Genetic Control have been buying all the
Properties that have recently been sold, taking risks oh so bold
It's said now that people will be shorter in height
They can fit twice as many in the same building site
They say it's alright
Beginning with the tenants of the town of Harlow
In the interest of humanity, they've been told they must go
Told they must go-go-go-go
I think I've fixed a new deal
A dozen properties, we'll buy at five and sell at thirty four
Some are still inhabited
It's time to send the Winkler to see them
He'll have to work some more
With land in your hand, you'll be happy on earth
Then invest in the Church for your heaven
You don't get paid 'til the last one's well on his way
Get 'em out by Friday
It's important that we keep to schedule, there must be no delay
I represent a firm of gentlemen who recently purchased this
House and all the others in the road
In the interest of humanity we've found a better place for you
To go, go-woh, go-woh
Oh no, this I can't believe
Oh Mary, they're asking us to leave
Get 'em out by Friday
I've told you before, 's good many gone if we let them stay
And if it isn't easy
You can squeeze a little grease and our troubles will soon run away
After all this time, they ask us to leave
And I told them we could pay double the rent
I don't know why it seemed so funny
Seeing as how they'd take more money
The Winkler called again, he came here this morning
With four hundred pounds and a photograph of the place he has found
A block of flats with central heating
I think we're going to find it hard
Now we've got them
I've always said that cash cash cash can do anything well
Work can be rewarding
When a flash of intuition is a gift that helps you excel-sell-sell-sell
Here we are in Harlow New Town
Did you recognize your block across the square, over there
Sadly since last time we spoke
We've found we've had to raise the rent again
Just a bit
Oh no, this I can't believe
Oh Mary, and we agreed to leave
This is an announcement from Genetic Control
It is my sad duty to inform you of a four foot restriction on
Humanoid height
I hear the directors of Genetic Control have been buying all the
Properties that have recently been sold, taking risks oh so bold
It's said now that people will be shorter in height
They can fit twice as many in the same building site
They say it's alright
Beginning with the tenants of the town of Harlow
In the interest of humanity, they've been told they must go
Told they must go-go-go-go
I think I've fixed a new deal
A dozen properties, we'll buy at five and sell at thirty four
Some are still inhabited
It's time to send the Winkler to see them
He'll have to work some more
With land in your hand, you'll be happy on earth
Then invest in the Church for your heaven
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by ProfessorKnowItAll
Get 'Em Out By Friday Lyrics as written by Michael Rutherford Anthony Banks
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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A little bit of History now. In the Sixties and Seventies Britian Council tenants where moved out of slum housing wether they liked it or not. There houses were then knocked down and in inner cities new high rise flats were built, Gabriel seeing what British Society took another twenty years to realise was that this destroid any communal spirit and was a great error which are still paying for today!
@woollymoore Yes, some argue demolition of back-to-backs broke up communities, but the characters in the song (Mrs Barrow, Mary) are not council tenants. Their house is privately owned and has been purchased by a 'firm of gentlemen'. That wouldn't be possible for council housing, which is also pretty secure and has rents controlled. This isn't about social policy so much as exploitative slum landlords and business opportunists (buy-to-let would be more relevant now). In the 2007 box set DVD, Gabriel specifically mentions Rachman, who subdivided private houses to get the maximum rent and evade rent controls.<br /> <br /> Wikipedia cites Easlea's 'Without Frontiers' to say it was partly inspired by Gabriel's own landlord problems he was having with his flat' in Kensington (you could rent affordably there in the 1970s; times have ineed changed); and an NME interview of 23 Mar 73 where he mentions television documentary he had seen about housing in Islington. Design of housing can influence the community, but the song is simply about the rich and powerful using intimidation to get the last drop out of ordinary tenants.