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."
Do you mean it?
Do you mean it?
Do you mean it?
Why don't you mean it?
Why do I follow you and where do you go?
You've never seen nothing like it
No, never in your life
Like going up to heaven
And then coming back alive
Let me tell you all about it
And the world will so allow it
Ooh, give me a little time to choose
Water babies singing in a lily-pool delight
Blue powder monkeys praying in the dead of night
Here comes the black queen, poking in the pile
Fie-fo the black queen, marching single file
Take this, take that
Bring them down to size
(March to the black queen)
Put them in the cellar with the naughty boys
A little nigger sugar then a rub-a dub-a baby oil
Black on, black on every finger nail and toe
We've only begun, begun
Make this, make that
Keep making all that noise
(March to the black queen)
Now I've got a belly full
You can be my sugar baby
You can be my honey chile, yes
A voice from behind me reminds me
Spread out your wings, you are an angel
Remember to deliver with the speed of light
A little bit of love and joy
Everything you do bears a will and a why and a wherefore
A little bit of love and joy
In each and every soul lies a man
Very soon he'll deceive and discover
But even 'til the end of his life
He'll bring a little love
I reign with my left hand
I rule with my right
I'm Lord of all darkness
I'm queen of the night
But I've got the power
Now do the march of the black queen
My life is in your hands
I'll fo and I'll fie
I'll be what you make me
I'll do what you like
I'll be your bad boy
I'll be your bad boy
I'll do the march of the black queen
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Walking to the style
She's vulgar, 'buse and vile
Fie-fo the black queen tattoos all her pies
She boils, and she bakes, and she never dots her "I's"
She's our leader
Forget your sing-alongs and your lullabies
Surrender to the city of the fireflies
Dance with the devil, beat with the band
To hell with all of you hand-in-hand
But now it's time to be gone
La, la, la, la, forever, forever
Do you mean it?
Do you mean it?
Why don't you mean it?
Why do I follow you and where do you go?
You've never seen nothing like it
No, never in your life
Like going up to heaven
And then coming back alive
Let me tell you all about it
And the world will so allow it
Ooh, give me a little time to choose
Water babies singing in a lily-pool delight
Blue powder monkeys praying in the dead of night
Here comes the black queen, poking in the pile
Fie-fo the black queen, marching single file
Take this, take that
Bring them down to size
(March to the black queen)
Put them in the cellar with the naughty boys
A little nigger sugar then a rub-a dub-a baby oil
Black on, black on every finger nail and toe
We've only begun, begun
Make this, make that
Keep making all that noise
(March to the black queen)
Now I've got a belly full
You can be my sugar baby
You can be my honey chile, yes
A voice from behind me reminds me
Spread out your wings, you are an angel
Remember to deliver with the speed of light
A little bit of love and joy
Everything you do bears a will and a why and a wherefore
A little bit of love and joy
In each and every soul lies a man
Very soon he'll deceive and discover
But even 'til the end of his life
He'll bring a little love
I reign with my left hand
I rule with my right
I'm Lord of all darkness
I'm queen of the night
But I've got the power
Now do the march of the black queen
My life is in your hands
I'll fo and I'll fie
I'll be what you make me
I'll do what you like
I'll be your bad boy
I'll be your bad boy
I'll do the march of the black queen
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Walking to the style
She's vulgar, 'buse and vile
Fie-fo the black queen tattoos all her pies
She boils, and she bakes, and she never dots her "I's"
She's our leader
Forget your sing-alongs and your lullabies
Surrender to the city of the fireflies
Dance with the devil, beat with the band
To hell with all of you hand-in-hand
But now it's time to be gone
La, la, la, la, forever, forever
Lyrics submitted by MikCrazyHorse, edited by SmileyKovacs
The March of the Black Queen Lyrics as written by Freddie Mercury
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
In my opinion this song is about a promiscuous person or prostitute who engages in all sorts of debauchery but still has an element of Godliness as described in the part of the song which begins with "A voice from behind me reminds me spread out your wings you are an angel. Before Bohemian Rhapsody there was The March of The Black Queen. I was only 10 when Queen 2 was released so I don't know what the reaction to the album was but if you look back now it was obvious that Queen were something very special and were destined to become one of the greatest bands of all time.