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 tell you what!
They don’t mess with me, I’m a wild man, son
I got me my very own anti tank gun
I got a jack rabbit with it, guess he was a mean one
Yeah, I’ve always been a sportsman
Now, there wasn’t much left when I got to him
Them big old shells didn’t just go through him
Just lumps of fur and that was it
Guess you could say he sure took a hit, alright
Yeah, you want to see my fire power, see my collection
Cause that’s my thing, man, perfection
Now I’m talking power in the barrel of a gun
I’ll blow anything I want to kingdom come
Ba ba boom
Ba ba ba ba bomb
And I’ll blow anything I want
To kingdom come
Yeah, all you got to do is sqeeze on the trigger
And a little bitty human get a whole lot bigger
Cause there’s a time for talking and a time to shoot them down
And this mama-jama [? ] don’t pussy foot around, alright
Yeah, let them laugh, let them say we’re strange
Me and my buddies on the rifle range
But you won’t be laughing when it hits the fan
You’re going to want to be a survivor, man
Yeah, you got to see my fire power, see my collection
Cause that’s my thing, man, perfection
Now, I’m talking power in the barrel of a gun
I’ll blow anything I want to kingdom come
Ba ba boom
Ba ba ba ba bomb
And I’ll blow anything I want
To kingdom come
Ba ba ba ba boom
I say we ought to drop the bomb
Yes, and I’ll blow anything I want
To kingdom come.
They don’t mess with me, I’m a wild man, son
I got me my very own anti tank gun
I got a jack rabbit with it, guess he was a mean one
Yeah, I’ve always been a sportsman
Now, there wasn’t much left when I got to him
Them big old shells didn’t just go through him
Just lumps of fur and that was it
Guess you could say he sure took a hit, alright
Yeah, you want to see my fire power, see my collection
Cause that’s my thing, man, perfection
Now I’m talking power in the barrel of a gun
I’ll blow anything I want to kingdom come
Ba ba boom
Ba ba ba ba bomb
And I’ll blow anything I want
To kingdom come
Yeah, all you got to do is sqeeze on the trigger
And a little bitty human get a whole lot bigger
Cause there’s a time for talking and a time to shoot them down
And this mama-jama [? ] don’t pussy foot around, alright
Yeah, let them laugh, let them say we’re strange
Me and my buddies on the rifle range
But you won’t be laughing when it hits the fan
You’re going to want to be a survivor, man
Yeah, you got to see my fire power, see my collection
Cause that’s my thing, man, perfection
Now, I’m talking power in the barrel of a gun
I’ll blow anything I want to kingdom come
Ba ba boom
Ba ba ba ba bomb
And I’ll blow anything I want
To kingdom come
Ba ba ba ba boom
I say we ought to drop the bomb
Yes, and I’ll blow anything I want
To kingdom come.
Lyrics submitted by Dasch
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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,
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.
Another Love
Tom Odell
Tom Odell
I think the meaning is pretty clear. This person got really burned in a previous relationship, and because of this is unable to love and show care in his present one, even though he so badly wants to. It's lovely song, and very sad. You can really feel how defeated and frustrated he is with himself.
Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."