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."
No horizon is obscured by the clouds. settlements make nary a sound.
And there were black birds singing and fish floating on the sea.
While the bells of the buoys all rang in harmony.
Bury your treasure, burn your crops,
Black water rising and it ain't gonna stop.
The governor he been long gone, anchor dropped on his front lawn.
Build a keep and dig a moat, the return of the swollen goat.
Can you hear the fife and drums, barnacles barking at the sun.
Ain't no chance, so don't you try, now everybody got to die.
Bury your treasure, burn your crops,
Black water rising and it ain't gonna stop.
We do not desire tributes.
We desire information.
We seek the worm drink who has lately betrayed his nation
Albatross on your neck and a hooker on the shore,
Dog-men to the deck, there's a hooker on the
In the wake of the swollen goat
Bury your treasure, burn your crops,
Black water rising and it ain't gonna stop.
And there were black birds singing and fish floating on the sea.
While the bells of the buoys all rang in harmony.
Bury your treasure, burn your crops,
Black water rising and it ain't gonna stop.
The governor he been long gone, anchor dropped on his front lawn.
Build a keep and dig a moat, the return of the swollen goat.
Can you hear the fife and drums, barnacles barking at the sun.
Ain't no chance, so don't you try, now everybody got to die.
Bury your treasure, burn your crops,
Black water rising and it ain't gonna stop.
We do not desire tributes.
We desire information.
We seek the worm drink who has lately betrayed his nation
Albatross on your neck and a hooker on the shore,
Dog-men to the deck, there's a hooker on the
In the wake of the swollen goat
Bury your treasure, burn your crops,
Black water rising and it ain't gonna stop.
Lyrics submitted by almostmanda
(In the Wake Of) The Swollen Goat Lyrics as written by Jean-paul Gaster Dan Maines
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
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Never mind. It turns out "an albatross on (or around) your neck" is synonymous with "a cross to bear" as an English idiom. I guess I've never heard this expression before.
usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/albatross+around+your+neck.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatross_(metaphor)
The albatross line is a reference to Coleridge's "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner." The idiomatic expression also arose from this poem. In the poem, most of which takes place on a ship at sea, the ship is followed by an albatross, a large seabird. The albatross is held to be good luck by sailors. The ancient mariner kills it, and the rest of the crew turns on him when their luck runs foul. He is forced to wear it around his neck in retribution. There you have it, in a nutshell.
Another relevant reference to the albatross around your neck comes from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. it's a poem about a man who kills an albatross (the albatross was seen as good luck, so killing one was bad juju) and the horrible journey that follows. The crew turn on him when things go bad and literally make him wear the dead albatross around his neck. It has been 20 years since I read it, so forgive me any mistakes in my recollection. That's the gist of it, though.<br /> <br /> It is likely the source of the idiom.
Guess I should've read christco's reply before I wrote mine. :)