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."
Falling through pages of Martens on angels
Feeling my heart pull west
I saw the future dressed as a stranger
Love in a space-dye vest
Love is an act of blood and I'm bleeding
A pool in the shape of a heart
Beauty projection in the reflection
Always the worst way to start
"But he's the sort who can't know
Anyone intimately, least of all a
Woman,
He doesn't know what a woman
Is,
He wants you for a possession,
Something to look at like a painting or an ivory box.
Something to own and to display.
He doesn't want you to be real,
Or to think or to live.
He doesn't love you, but I love you.
I want you to have your own thoughts and ideas and
Feelings, even when
I hold you in my arms.
It's our last chance
It's our
Last chance"
Now that you're gone I'm trying to take it
Learning to swallow the rage
Found a new girl I think we can make it
As long as she stays on the page
This is not how I want it to end
And I'll never be open again
"I was gonna move out, get,
Get a job, get my own place,
But, I go into the mall where I
Want to work and they tell me, I'm,
I was too young"
"Some people, gave advice before,
About facing the facts, about
Facing reality. And this is, this
Without a doubt, is his biggest
Challenge ever. He's going to have to face it.
You're gonna have to try, he's gonna to have to try and,
Uh, and, and, and get some help here. I mean no one can
Say they know how he feels."
"That, so they say that, in ya know
Like, Houston or something, you'd
Say it's a hundred and eighty degrees,
But it's a dry heat.
In Houston they say that?
Oh, maybe not. I'm all mixed up.
Dry until they hit the swimming pool."
"I get up with the sun, listen.
You have your own room to sleep in,
I don't care what you do. I don't
Care when. That door gets locked,
That door gets locked at night by nine o'clock.
If you're not in this house by nine o'clock, then you'd
Better find some
Place to sleep. Because you're not going to be a bum in
This house.
Supper is ready"
There's no one to take my blame
If they wanted to
There's nothing to keep me sane
And it's all the same to you
There's nowhere to set my aim
So I'm everywhere
Never come near me again
Do you really think I need you
I'll never be open again, I could never be open again.
I'll never be open again, I could never be open again.
And I'll smile and I'll learn to pretend
And I'll never be open again
And I'll have no more dreams to defend
And I'll never be open again
Feeling my heart pull west
I saw the future dressed as a stranger
Love in a space-dye vest
Love is an act of blood and I'm bleeding
A pool in the shape of a heart
Beauty projection in the reflection
Always the worst way to start
"But he's the sort who can't know
Anyone intimately, least of all a
Woman,
He doesn't know what a woman
Is,
He wants you for a possession,
Something to look at like a painting or an ivory box.
Something to own and to display.
He doesn't want you to be real,
Or to think or to live.
He doesn't love you, but I love you.
I want you to have your own thoughts and ideas and
Feelings, even when
I hold you in my arms.
It's our last chance
It's our
Last chance"
Now that you're gone I'm trying to take it
Learning to swallow the rage
Found a new girl I think we can make it
As long as she stays on the page
This is not how I want it to end
And I'll never be open again
"I was gonna move out, get,
Get a job, get my own place,
But, I go into the mall where I
Want to work and they tell me, I'm,
I was too young"
"Some people, gave advice before,
About facing the facts, about
Facing reality. And this is, this
Without a doubt, is his biggest
Challenge ever. He's going to have to face it.
You're gonna have to try, he's gonna to have to try and,
Uh, and, and, and get some help here. I mean no one can
Say they know how he feels."
"That, so they say that, in ya know
Like, Houston or something, you'd
Say it's a hundred and eighty degrees,
But it's a dry heat.
In Houston they say that?
Oh, maybe not. I'm all mixed up.
Dry until they hit the swimming pool."
"I get up with the sun, listen.
You have your own room to sleep in,
I don't care what you do. I don't
Care when. That door gets locked,
That door gets locked at night by nine o'clock.
If you're not in this house by nine o'clock, then you'd
Better find some
Place to sleep. Because you're not going to be a bum in
This house.
Supper is ready"
There's no one to take my blame
If they wanted to
There's nothing to keep me sane
And it's all the same to you
There's nowhere to set my aim
So I'm everywhere
Never come near me again
Do you really think I need you
I'll never be open again, I could never be open again.
I'll never be open again, I could never be open again.
And I'll smile and I'll learn to pretend
And I'll never be open again
And I'll have no more dreams to defend
And I'll never be open again
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
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.
It's a masterpiece...