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."
Well, I'm standing here, freezing, inside your golden garden
Uh got my ladder, leaned up against your wall
Tonight's the night we planned to run away together
Come on Dolly Mae, there's no time to stall
But now you're telling me...
I think we better wait till tomorrow
Hey, yeah, hey
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
Girl, what 'chu talkin' 'bout ?
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Got to make sure it's right, so until tomorrow, goodnight.
Oh, what a drag.
Oh, Dolly Mae, how can you hang me up this way ?
Oh, on the phone you said you wanted to run off with me today
Now I'm standing here like some turned down serenading fool
Hearing strange words stutter from the mixed mind of you
And you keep tellin' me that ah...
I think we better wait till tomorrow
What are you talkin' 'bout ?
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
No, can't wait that long
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
Oh, no
Got to make sure it's right, until tomorrow, goodnight, oh.
Let's see if I can talk to this girl a little bit here...
Ow ! Dolly Mae, girl, you must be insane
So unsure of yourself leaning from your unsure window pane
Do I see a silhouette of somebody pointing something from a tree ?
Click bang, oh what a hang, your daddy just shot poor me
And I hear you say, as I fade away...
We don't have to wait till tomorrow
Hey !
We don't have to wait till tomorrow
What you say ?
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
It must have been right, so forever, goodnight, listen at 'cha.
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Ah ! Do I have to wait ? Don't have to wait
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
It's a drag on my part
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow) Don't have to wait, uh, hmm ! Ah, no !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Don't have to wait, don't have to wait, yeah !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Don't have to wait, don't have to wait
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Oh, oh
I won't be around tomorrow, yeah !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Don't have to wait
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Goodbye, bye bye !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Oh, what a mix up
Oh, you gotta be crazy, hey, ow!
Don't have to wait till tomorrow.
Uh got my ladder, leaned up against your wall
Tonight's the night we planned to run away together
Come on Dolly Mae, there's no time to stall
But now you're telling me...
I think we better wait till tomorrow
Hey, yeah, hey
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
Girl, what 'chu talkin' 'bout ?
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Got to make sure it's right, so until tomorrow, goodnight.
Oh, what a drag.
Oh, Dolly Mae, how can you hang me up this way ?
Oh, on the phone you said you wanted to run off with me today
Now I'm standing here like some turned down serenading fool
Hearing strange words stutter from the mixed mind of you
And you keep tellin' me that ah...
I think we better wait till tomorrow
What are you talkin' 'bout ?
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
No, can't wait that long
(I think we better wait till tomorrow)
Oh, no
Got to make sure it's right, until tomorrow, goodnight, oh.
Let's see if I can talk to this girl a little bit here...
Ow ! Dolly Mae, girl, you must be insane
So unsure of yourself leaning from your unsure window pane
Do I see a silhouette of somebody pointing something from a tree ?
Click bang, oh what a hang, your daddy just shot poor me
And I hear you say, as I fade away...
We don't have to wait till tomorrow
Hey !
We don't have to wait till tomorrow
What you say ?
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
It must have been right, so forever, goodnight, listen at 'cha.
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Ah ! Do I have to wait ? Don't have to wait
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
It's a drag on my part
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow) Don't have to wait, uh, hmm ! Ah, no !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Don't have to wait, don't have to wait, yeah !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Don't have to wait, don't have to wait
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Oh, oh
I won't be around tomorrow, yeah !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Don't have to wait
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Goodbye, bye bye !
(We don't have to wait till tomorrow)
Oh, what a mix up
Oh, you gotta be crazy, hey, ow!
Don't have to wait till tomorrow.
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Ed Sheeran
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Humerous? Well I don't think I'd call it humerous. I guess there are some somewhat amusing parts, but to me, it sounds like he dies at the end...