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."
Stay!
And help me to end the day
And if you don't mind
We'll break a bottle of wine
Stick around
And maybe we'll put one down
'Cause I wanna find
What lies behind those eyes
Midnight blue
Burning gold
A yellow moon
Is growing cold
I rise
Looking through my morning eyes
Surprised
To find you by my side
Rack my brain
And try to remember your name
To find
The words to tell you good-bye
Morning dues
Newborn day
Midnight blue
Turned to gray
Midnight blue
Burning gold
A yellow moon
Is growing cold
And help me to end the day
And if you don't mind
We'll break a bottle of wine
Stick around
And maybe we'll put one down
'Cause I wanna find
What lies behind those eyes
Midnight blue
Burning gold
A yellow moon
Is growing cold
I rise
Looking through my morning eyes
Surprised
To find you by my side
Rack my brain
And try to remember your name
To find
The words to tell you good-bye
Morning dues
Newborn day
Midnight blue
Turned to gray
Midnight blue
Burning gold
A yellow moon
Is growing cold
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
Stay Lyrics as written by Rick Wright
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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
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,
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental 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.
I know this is a shallow explaination for the song, but it is simply about wanting to be with someone, to share love with someone, most likely someone they love. It kind of reminds me of the poem, "To His Coy Mistress", because he will have to say goodbye to his lover eventually, he will never have enough time to love her. In this case he is just enjoying the presence of the one lying beside him in bed, sort of escaping the reality of finality. The end of the song is about having to start a new life, probably without the joy of the other person beside them. Another interpretation could be a sort of self-realization kind of thing. It could be the speaker of the song is turning into a new person; the former self is ending the day and the new person wakes up with "morning eyes", a metaphor for a different perspective maybe? "What lies behind those eyes" line is a quest for introspection, soul searching (I hate that phrase), if you will. This new person doesn't want to remember the former self's name other wise, he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to the part of himself he is trying to cast away. The interpretation could go either way, but I like the song as a sensual poem. It's one of the sexiest songs I have ever heard and the line "' cause I want to find what lies behind those eyes" kills me.
Wow. No comments!? I think its beautiful:D
Well, far be it from me to tell you how to imagine what the song means, arstda, but i'm afraid I am going to have to disagree with you in that. Many of the Pink Floyd songs people think refer to drugs, don't.
Pink Floyd have said on numerous occassions that they weren;'t into doing drugs or writing songs about such (Syd Barrett was the only one to go that route, and he wasn't around for this album).
"Stay" is a simple piece with not much depth, at least not as far as having mysterious lyrics. It says what it wants to say outright.
I believe its about a one night stand, if you will, but in a romantic sense, not just that wham bam thank you ma'am type style. The singer maybe just wants to share one night with a person and not worry about the world or its problems.
Great piece...
I read in an interview that the song is about waking up one morning and forgetting the girl that he just slept with's name.
Remind anybody of David Gilmour's "On And Island"?
Gorgeous song by the way!
Yeah it does Themactator, that's weird!
I'm not sure it's about a one night stand; it sounds like he wanted to get to know her better. I'm also left with the impression that she's still sleeping and he's afraid to wake her because he's not sure if she'll leave. Pretty straight forward if you look at it objectively (coughcough arstdacough).
Magical Love Song!
STAY, AND HELP ME TO END THE DAY
AND IF YOU DON"T MIND, WE"LL BREAK A BOTTLE OF WINE
MIDNIGHT BLUE, BURNING GOLD