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."
Rancid!?
Yeah!
Here's the new face of rock-n'-roll!
It's about fightin' toe to toe...
Hard times come,
Yeah the hard times go.
When I say, come on, come on.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
Scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
One man's decision,
Brings anothers opposition,
Completely unbound.
Down on the flats,
Where the seaside meets,
My lonely young town
Well all the rudies and skins,
Well they're out on the streets,
Making the way on the dole,
Between the bottles and sex,
They smash and they wreck,
For something to live.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Sometimes you know there's no place to go,
But to a long life of crime.
Yeah but its so wrong to steal,
Someone's very last meal
To profit up a dime.
Your poe poes and greys,
Sell they end up in jail,
Gonna swing the cowboys.
Well you took a bite,
Outta the apple of decision,
That got ya there boy.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Hooligans and rudeboys,
I don't want no racial hatred.
"Black and white, who are for change, without violence,
These are the people whose voice I want to be..."
I said the hooligans!
Rancid.
Rudeboys!
Rancid.
Hooligans!
Rancid.
Rudeboys!
Rancid.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
ahhh ahhhh ahhhhhh...
Yeah!
Here's the new face of rock-n'-roll!
It's about fightin' toe to toe...
Hard times come,
Yeah the hard times go.
When I say, come on, come on.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
Scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
One man's decision,
Brings anothers opposition,
Completely unbound.
Down on the flats,
Where the seaside meets,
My lonely young town
Well all the rudies and skins,
Well they're out on the streets,
Making the way on the dole,
Between the bottles and sex,
They smash and they wreck,
For something to live.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Sometimes you know there's no place to go,
But to a long life of crime.
Yeah but its so wrong to steal,
Someone's very last meal
To profit up a dime.
Your poe poes and greys,
Sell they end up in jail,
Gonna swing the cowboys.
Well you took a bite,
Outta the apple of decision,
That got ya there boy.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Hooligans and rudeboys,
I don't want no racial hatred.
"Black and white, who are for change, without violence,
These are the people whose voice I want to be..."
I said the hooligans!
Rancid.
Rudeboys!
Rancid.
Hooligans!
Rancid.
Rudeboys!
Rancid.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
Well all the hooligans and rudeboys know one thing for sure,
scars been stricken on their face.
ahhh ahhhh ahhhhhh...
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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,
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.
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.
Trouble Breathing
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
While the obvious connections with suicide or alcoholism could be drawn easily, more subtly this song could be about someone who views the world through a negative lens constantly and how as much as the writer tries to show the beauty in the world, this person refuses to see it. It's one or another between the rope and the bottle. There is no good option for this person. They can't see it. Skiba sings it in a kind of exasperated way like He's tired of hearing this negative view constantly and just allowing that person to continue feeling the way they feel knowing he can't do anything about it. You can hear it when he says maybe you're a vampire.
What a great song. Patented Rancid and delivers nothing but the best
this is such a touching song. i thought it was "ska's been stricken on their face"...and "black and white, who are for change without violence"...still...awesome song
isn't it bootboys and not rudeboys?
Ummm..excuse me.Banana is right.They say "Bootboys" not rudeboys.Bootboys as in skinheads.Rudeboys does kind of fit in with this song but trust me, it is bootboys.Plus if you listen to the song very close you'll understand it says bootboys.And that part "making the way on the dole" is actually "making the way on the rift."To me (I could be wrong)I think this song is about the tension between rudeboys(hooligans) and the skinheads(bootboys) but they all have they're own way of life.Ok I'm done.
Yes it is bootboys, i always thought i was rudeboys until now. I think skagirlie has it all figured. Although I cant believe no one has mentioned anything about "The Specials" yet. The song features vocals from Lynval and Neville and guitar from Roddy Radiation. How cool is that?
i dont thihnk so, rudeboys were what kids who were into the 2nd wave ska in coventry and then the rest England called themselvs. this song is clerly (to me) a tribute to the specials and the genre they kicked off, and yeah i think the guest appearance kind-of proves that. not only that but if you speak/hear in english then its pretty clear he says rudeboys, not bootboys. hooligans and rudeboys are supposed to be opposites. like the hooligans who turned up to 2tone gigs and caused trouble.
ar ehsur this song isnt bout hooligans^o)
actually i went and listened to it again and it sounds like tim is saying "bootboys" and lynval is saying "rudeboys" which makes sense.
this song makes me happy.
It's Rancid and The Specials right?