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."
Girl, I understand why
See it's burning me to hold onto this
I know this is something that I gotta do
But that don't mean I want to
What I'm trying to say is that, I love you I just
I feel like this is coming to an end
And it's better for me to let it go now than hold on and hurt you
I've gotta let it burn
It's gonna burn for me to say this
But it's coming from my heart
It's been a long time coming
But we done been fell apart
Really wanna work this out
But I don't think you gonna change
I do but you don't
Think it's best we go our separate ways
Tell me why I should stay in this relationship
When I'm hurting, baby, I ain't happy, baby
Plus there's so many other things I gotta deal with
I think that you should let it burn
When your feeling ain't the same and your body don't want to
But you know gotta let it go
'Cause the party ain't jumpin' like it used to (oh no)
Even though this might bruise you
Let it burn (yeah)
Let it burn
Gotta let it burn
Deep down you know it's best for yourself but you
Hate the thought of her being with someone else
But you know that it's over
We knew it was through
Let it burn
Let it burn
Gotta let it burn
Sendin' pages I ain't supposed to
Got somebody here but I want you
'Cause the feeling ain't the same
Find myself callin' her your name
Ladies tell me do you understand?
Now all my fellas do you feel my pain?
It's the way I feel
I know I made a mistake
Now it's too late
I know she ain't coming back
What I gotta do now
To get my shorty back?
Oh oh oh oh
Man, I don't know what I'm gonna do
Without my boo
You've been gone for too long
It's been fifty-leven days, umpteen hours
I'ma be burnin' 'til you return (let it burn)
When your feeling ain't the same and your body don't want to
But you know gotta let it go
'Cause the party ain't jumpin' like it used to
Even though this might bruise you
Let it burn (let it burn, you gon' learn)
Let it burn (gotta let it burn)
Gotta let it burn
Deep down you know it's best for yourself but you
Hate the thought of her being with someone else
But you know that it's over (know it's over)
We knew it was through (know it's through)
Let it burn (yeah, baby)
Let it burn (ooh, girl, I)
Gotta let it burn
I'm twisted 'cause one side of me is tellin' me that I need to move on
On the other side, I wanna break down and cry (oh)
I'm twisted 'cause one side of me is tellin' me that I need to move on
On the other side, I wanna break down and cry (yeah)
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh (can you feel me burnin'?)
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
So many days, so many hours
I'm still burnin' 'til you return
When your feeling ain't the same and your body don't want to
But you know gotta let it go
'Cause the party ain't jumpin' like it used to
Even though this might bruise you
Let it burn (let it burn, let it burn)
Let it burn
Gotta let it burn
Deep down (ooh, deep own inside you)
You know it's best for yourself but you (know what's best for you)
Hate the thought of her being with someone else
But you know that it's over (it's over)
We knew it was through
Let it burn (let it burn) (let it burn, let it burn)
Let it burn (let it burn) (let it burn, ohh)
Gotta let it burn
See it's burning me to hold onto this
I know this is something that I gotta do
But that don't mean I want to
What I'm trying to say is that, I love you I just
I feel like this is coming to an end
And it's better for me to let it go now than hold on and hurt you
I've gotta let it burn
It's gonna burn for me to say this
But it's coming from my heart
It's been a long time coming
But we done been fell apart
Really wanna work this out
But I don't think you gonna change
I do but you don't
Think it's best we go our separate ways
Tell me why I should stay in this relationship
When I'm hurting, baby, I ain't happy, baby
Plus there's so many other things I gotta deal with
I think that you should let it burn
When your feeling ain't the same and your body don't want to
But you know gotta let it go
'Cause the party ain't jumpin' like it used to (oh no)
Even though this might bruise you
Let it burn (yeah)
Let it burn
Gotta let it burn
Deep down you know it's best for yourself but you
Hate the thought of her being with someone else
But you know that it's over
We knew it was through
Let it burn
Let it burn
Gotta let it burn
Sendin' pages I ain't supposed to
Got somebody here but I want you
'Cause the feeling ain't the same
Find myself callin' her your name
Ladies tell me do you understand?
Now all my fellas do you feel my pain?
It's the way I feel
I know I made a mistake
Now it's too late
I know she ain't coming back
What I gotta do now
To get my shorty back?
Oh oh oh oh
Man, I don't know what I'm gonna do
Without my boo
You've been gone for too long
It's been fifty-leven days, umpteen hours
I'ma be burnin' 'til you return (let it burn)
When your feeling ain't the same and your body don't want to
But you know gotta let it go
'Cause the party ain't jumpin' like it used to
Even though this might bruise you
Let it burn (let it burn, you gon' learn)
Let it burn (gotta let it burn)
Gotta let it burn
Deep down you know it's best for yourself but you
Hate the thought of her being with someone else
But you know that it's over (know it's over)
We knew it was through (know it's through)
Let it burn (yeah, baby)
Let it burn (ooh, girl, I)
Gotta let it burn
I'm twisted 'cause one side of me is tellin' me that I need to move on
On the other side, I wanna break down and cry (oh)
I'm twisted 'cause one side of me is tellin' me that I need to move on
On the other side, I wanna break down and cry (yeah)
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh (can you feel me burnin'?)
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
So many days, so many hours
I'm still burnin' 'til you return
When your feeling ain't the same and your body don't want to
But you know gotta let it go
'Cause the party ain't jumpin' like it used to
Even though this might bruise you
Let it burn (let it burn, let it burn)
Let it burn
Gotta let it burn
Deep down (ooh, deep own inside you)
You know it's best for yourself but you (know what's best for you)
Hate the thought of her being with someone else
But you know that it's over (it's over)
We knew it was through
Let it burn (let it burn) (let it burn, let it burn)
Let it burn (let it burn) (let it burn, ohh)
Gotta let it burn
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
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
marry me urrsher plz I love this song. He needs to make up his mind though.