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 she's walking through the clouds
With a circus mind
That's running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairly tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding the wind
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles
She gives to me free
It's alright, she says
It's alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on, little wing
With a circus mind
That's running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairly tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding the wind
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles
She gives to me free
It's alright, she says
It's alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on, little wing
Lyrics submitted by , edited by albertoespn
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.

Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.

Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.

Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.
hmmm, I think it's about his mom. Since she died when he was so young
I believe it is about all the women (or perhaps just one) that come into your life that you love with all your heart and soul but for whatever reason you have to set free. Perhaps because you are a wanderer and they are not... Perhaps her dreams do not coincide with your own... or a myriad of reasons... So you set her free... She will go on her way without you, but she will always be a part of you. She is your Little Wing. Her memory alone lifts you. I have a girl in my life just like this. I love her with all my being, but i know we can't be together. And i want nothing but her to be happy.
@Its2BeXped This is exactly what I feel listening to this song. Time goes by and you're fine however you're not really fine but you just have to live with it and accept reality. <br /> Maybe the song is just about that memory - "Her memory alone lifts you." <br /> It makes me sad and happy at the same time.
This song is really cool, kinda ballady. The lyrics look as if she's in his head, like a guardian angel. Hendrix was often slightly out of it wen he wrote songs tho so mayb thats where the ideas come from ;-)
Love and psychedelia, that's what this song is about. :D
This song is really cool, kinda ballady. The lyrics look as if she's in his head, like a guardian angel. Hendrix was often slightly out of it wen he wrote songs tho so mayb thats where the ideas come from ;-)
my post is backed by an interview with jimi yall. this song is about how he had relationships with dozens of the most coveted women on earth of his time(lucky bastard)...anyway, about these girls he said "they're all one girl to me" and this is the concept of little wing. she has to fly on cause they both want to have sex with other people but what they experienced is implied to have been great nonetheless. so it wasn't like they were prostitutes...just free love bandaids or groupies..hehe. FUCK 50 cent, jimi is the eternal black pimp, and the pimp of all nationalities as well.
@Atemporal ummmm black pimp??? Jimi was alive during the "Love generation" many people if not most of these people growing up during this time had sex with many... Jimi Hendrix was a staple in what could be done with the guitar he was like the albert Einstein of physics to the physics of the guitar ....BB King without a doubt had sex with just as many if not more women then Hendrix all the same <br /> It has nothing to do with the color of the mans skin but the time and period they experienced ...<br /> are you experienced ?
@steve10357 i think you are 13 years to late
is it about his guitar maybe...
@lisfub could be ...
We all have mind and body, but both are not more real than our spirit. We often think that our inspiration comes from the mind, of reason, which in most true, but the more successful is our creation, we realize that it comes from the soul, where the spirit is housed.
For this reason I will interpret the meaning of this song from a different perspective, from a biblical perspective, known to every spirit.
The first paragraph corresponds to a metaphorical description of an innocent woman in a place something like the garden of paradise. This is Eve in the Garden of Eden, before sin.
The second and last paragraph represents a repentant Adam, after having tasted the tree of knowledge, being comforted by an Eve who recognizes her guilt.
As we know Adam and Eve represent respectively the spirit of every man and woman today. The actions described in the Bible committed by both we still keep making them even today.
This song teaches us that we must recognize that we are born children of God, Who is our Father, that we were made in His image and likeness, but even if we fall into the temptation of the enemy, we must be aware that it is our sin that leads to spiritual death, which is why we must repent, to achieve forgiveness and eternal life.
With that said, with reason could be his mother or any casual girl in his life, but from spiritually view, is really a REMINDER of our own status before judgement.
LSD
Does anyone else think this is about marijuana or some type of drug? I mean C'mon, It does make sense! "Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and fairly tails" (Probably the effect of the drug, or a methephor for how it feels like) ... "When I'm sad, she comes to me" (He used drugs when he was sad) "With a thoushand smiles she gives to me free" (how the drug makes you feel like) "Take anything you want from me"... I don't really think I have to explain much if you're in this context alredy...