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."
I've been evicted, erase me from the face of the planet
Cause your world got my outlook damaged
My minds stuck inside a cycle of depression
The reflection
Can you feel me?
Look in the mirror, tell me do you see clearly?
They have it shattered and cracked, it's so crazy
My minds stuck inside a cycle of depression
The reflection
Listen, I can make the crows talk
And have you jumping out a twenty story building
and come crashing on the sidewalk
You can see it in my eyes cause I never blink
And I can read it on your mind every time you think
I'm the sick side of circlin' spells
And I'm surrounded for the secrets of?
All the writings on the walls in the cave described us
To decapitate the heads of the people who broke trust
Beyond the nonbelievin'
Unforgiven by the sacraments of sin
All the way from the beginnin'
I keep spinnin'
Good versus evil, who's winnin'?
My mind state takin' a beatin' and still grinnin'
Underground and I'm buried alive
I'm resurrected and reflected through the Juggalo eyes
This ain't no fuckin disguise
This is the way that I look
And it will all be explained in the book (in the book)
Chorus
I want you to touch the mirror, saying Twiztid inside your mind 17 times
Would you survive in a world that's full of hate?
Or would you live and love then die and be buried and then disintegrate?
I want you to envision in the battle ground
With a light from heaven if I give'em hell of the sound
Painted in the wind like the stench of the dead
Angels with broken wings and devils with severed heads
I want you to believe in the realm of the dark
Where souls are rotten like teeth and withered like tree barks
Screams can be heard, only faint in the sky
Demons with false tongues and bright yellow eyes
With his flesh being torn, by haunts and ghosts
With a flock of ??????? and unicorns
The monster in the medicine cabinet grows clear
Is it me or my reflection that I'm seeing in the mirror
In the book (in the book)
They'll all be explained in the book (in the book)
Chorus
Lyrics submitted by MyAntiDrugIsSuicide
Reflection Lyrics as written by Jason Singleton James Fukai
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, 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/
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Anyone know what they mean by "explained in the book"?