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."
Got it hit down
Spot knock inside a spider
Says: "That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Says: "That's love, all know it
TV, teeth, feet, peace, feel it
"That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Like the fall that brings me to
I like the fall that brings me to
I like the cord around sinew
I make a cord around sinew
Duck, the way to least is less
Tea craving of the metal west
'ell tomorrow's rain and test
'ell tomorrow's rain and test
Love an empty son and guess
Love an empty son and guess
Pimples dangerous and blessed
Heaving, arriving, tinkling
Mingling jets and statuettes
Seething wet we meeting fleck
Seething wet we meeting fleck
Lines and winds and crib and half
Each fair day I give you half
Of each fair day I give you half
I look into your eyes and you,
Flathe in the sun for you
Bam, spastic, tactile engine
Heaving, crackle, slinky, dormy, roofy, wham
I'll have them, fried bloke
Broken jardy, cardy, smoocho, moocho, paki, pufftle
Sploshette moxy, very smelly,
Cable, gable, splintra, channel
Top the seam he's taken off
Rats, rats lay down flat
We don't need you, we act like that
And if you think you're un-loved
Then we know about that
Rats, rats, lay down flat!
Yes, yes, yes, yes, lay down flat!
Spot knock inside a spider
Says: "That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Says: "That's love, all know it
TV, teeth, feet, peace, feel it
"That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"That's love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Like the fall that brings me to
I like the fall that brings me to
I like the cord around sinew
I make a cord around sinew
Duck, the way to least is less
Tea craving of the metal west
'ell tomorrow's rain and test
'ell tomorrow's rain and test
Love an empty son and guess
Love an empty son and guess
Pimples dangerous and blessed
Heaving, arriving, tinkling
Mingling jets and statuettes
Seething wet we meeting fleck
Seething wet we meeting fleck
Lines and winds and crib and half
Each fair day I give you half
Of each fair day I give you half
I look into your eyes and you,
Flathe in the sun for you
Bam, spastic, tactile engine
Heaving, crackle, slinky, dormy, roofy, wham
I'll have them, fried bloke
Broken jardy, cardy, smoocho, moocho, paki, pufftle
Sploshette moxy, very smelly,
Cable, gable, splintra, channel
Top the seam he's taken off
Rats, rats lay down flat
We don't need you, we act like that
And if you think you're un-loved
Then we know about that
Rats, rats, lay down flat!
Yes, yes, yes, yes, lay down flat!
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
when my brother and were about 16 and 14 respectively, we used to play a game which we called trading nonsequiturs. when it's your turn, you begin speaking: and everything you say has to be completely meaningless.
the rather loose rules: you can't say anything which makes sense, or which is clearly something you thought of by looking at nearby objects (or reading off of words printed on them), and you can't use a phrase or sentence conceptually related to the previous one.
break one of these rules, and the other would call out "non sequitur!" (or we'd both realize it simultaneously & collapse into giggles.) then you switch places; it becomes the other person's turn to speak nonsensically.
if we'd been ten years younger, it would have been easy. but we were sufficiently "mature" (ha!) that it was extremely difficult to keep it up for more than 2 or 3 utterances. we played this many times (especially if the family was traveling & we shared a room), and I don't think either of us ever kept a turn going for more than about 15 to 20 seconds.
if this sounds easy, try it. you may be surprised to discover how unintentionally rational you are.
internal monologue is not at all the same. you need at least 2 people, and you must speak.
when I hear the part of this song immediately preceding "rats, rats, lay down flat" I think of the non sequitur game. we'd have been no match whatsoever for syd.