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."
who was it you said you were? and what was it you were sent here for? to drive him out so no one knows the true sentiment of your analysis now. slave to the assassin? bulgakov to woland's crowd. your ruse of sublime benevolence tapped out. a future lived in past tense right now. who was it you said you were? and what was it you were sent here for? bad cop wants to stir it up at the scene of the accident. good cop wants to kiss and make up. ever supressing the evidence court of opinion whispers" there's no point left" who was it you said you were? and what was it you were sent here for? "only your insincerity thanks him for waiting" stop off for a pack of smokes and a length of rope at the nearest safeway. hero slapped across your face. badly in need of belief to distract from this emptiness you mistake for feeling. who was it you said you were? mistaking might for miracles. and what was it you were sent here for? mistaking might for miracles? this is not going to hit you from behind but right between the eyes. watch the whole blinding light from the comfort of your car. a future erased by the things you never were. who was it you said you were? mistaking might for miracles? and what was it you were sent here for? mistaking might for miracles? born into oblivion, swept up and back out again "you'll leave behind all we ever did" "the only things forgotten will be the things you knew to hide" mistaking might for miracles. focusing on the spectacle, the purpose in the animal. who was it you said you were. mistaking might for miracles. what was it you were sent here for? mistaking might for miracles. find a sequence of numbers, all's revealed in the codes. while you sleep keep your ear on the dulcet tones. hell no, you're not wrong if you think you're alone. hell no, you wonder why they torch your car and smash your windows? who was it you said you were? and what was it you were sent here for? mistaking might for miracles. when you were young listening to "the lung" and acting like a kid who knew you'd always stay so thick. faking is not enough. wasting is not enough for this "you're not who you say you are you have no idea what you were sent here for."
Lyrics submitted by PLANES
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,
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.
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.
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.