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."
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
They say I'll understand it all in good time
But age ain't nothin' but a number in my mind
Goin' crazy with this push me pull me
Caught between wrong and right
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I started writing down my deepest secrets
Seven days a week of truth and fantasy
Got the feelin' that the way my life is
Got to be prepared for changes
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see?
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
Don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
They can try to make me write a thousand lies
But that won't ever change the way I feel inside
They've got their opinions but I just don't care
Cause that's not what I wanna hear
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I must, I must, I must not.. .chase.. the boys
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
the moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase... the boys
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
They say I'll understand it all in good time
But age ain't nothin' but a number in my mind
Goin' crazy with this push me pull me
Caught between wrong and right
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I started writing down my deepest secrets
Seven days a week of truth and fantasy
Got the feelin' that the way my life is
Got to be prepared for changes
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see?
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
Don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
They can try to make me write a thousand lies
But that won't ever change the way I feel inside
They've got their opinions but I just don't care
Cause that's not what I wanna hear
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I must, I must, I must not.. .chase.. the boys
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
the moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase... the boys
Lyrics submitted by ruben
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The line "They can try to make me write 1,ooo lies" should be "They can try to make me write 1,ooo lines" as in sentences on the chalk board kind of lines.
clippy.hanger- I never thought of that. I always thought it was "1000 lies" because what they were making her write was in her mind a lie. but I guess the line idea makes a little more sense. Good point(I've heard the song a lot but never caught onto that"