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."
Bitch, you'd better buck-buck-buckle up, prepare for this impact
Car crash, whiplash, bam, snap your neck back in half
Why can't I just be realistic?
Give 'em what they want and make the biddies go ballistic
Sadistic motherfuckers playing complicated
Well never underestimate the underestimated
Opinionated, elevated, sticking to my guns
And I think you're gonna get just what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
Yo, can I ask you something?
What the fuck is up man?
You got nothing, it's just a fairy tale you're stuck in
I'm sucking from that 7 on 7
Pumping and roughing up all of these fakes that be bluffing
Nothing you can say could ever take this away now
Stay down
Stay the fuck away from this playground
Lyrical hijack, put my madness to my method
Check it, mic in my hand, nah, more like a lethal weapon
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
What you got, what you got, what you got
what you, what you, what you
Go blind, bring the drums
Better yet, here we come
You take back what you done or you can tuck tail and run
Ready or not, find yourself
And if you dare stop running
I think you're gonna get just what you got coming, bring it
You're gonna get just what you got, what you got?
You're gonna get just what you got, what you got?
You're gonna get just what you got, what you got?
You're gonna get just what you got coming
So what the fuck you got?
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
Car crash, whiplash, bam, snap your neck back in half
Why can't I just be realistic?
Give 'em what they want and make the biddies go ballistic
Sadistic motherfuckers playing complicated
Well never underestimate the underestimated
Opinionated, elevated, sticking to my guns
And I think you're gonna get just what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
Yo, can I ask you something?
What the fuck is up man?
You got nothing, it's just a fairy tale you're stuck in
I'm sucking from that 7 on 7
Pumping and roughing up all of these fakes that be bluffing
Nothing you can say could ever take this away now
Stay down
Stay the fuck away from this playground
Lyrical hijack, put my madness to my method
Check it, mic in my hand, nah, more like a lethal weapon
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
What you got, what you got, what you got
what you, what you, what you
Go blind, bring the drums
Better yet, here we come
You take back what you done or you can tuck tail and run
Ready or not, find yourself
And if you dare stop running
I think you're gonna get just what you got coming, bring it
You're gonna get just what you got, what you got?
You're gonna get just what you got, what you got?
You're gonna get just what you got, what you got?
You're gonna get just what you got coming
So what the fuck you got?
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
Payback's a bitch so you best keep running
That's the penalty
That's the penalty
It's what you got, what you got, what you got coming
Lyrics submitted by missderelict
What You Got Lyrics as written by Steve Miloszewski Drew Simollardes
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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,
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
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Head > Heels
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“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
same here , fell in love with the band since