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."
Maybe you'll find some peace of mind which is more than what I have
We say something is wrong and it is/ But I don't know the secrets
how to live either
Maybe you'll run away/ Maybe we'll run away from how we've been
feeling/ Maybe to us you'll cease to speak/ We'll be unable to keep
memory of you burning
I knew you when/ I knew you when I wanted to be like you
When your power, it was too much/ You could too easily walk across
the barriers, through the dwellings/ You wondered why it was because
as a child you were so able
You could organize the people/ So it came as no surprise that you
had the first and the most girlfriends/ You were our emcee of life
So it came as no surprise that you were an old man by twenty-one
I knew you when/ I knew you when I wanted to be like you
When doing well versus not doing well/ We'd say "whatever
that means"/ Doing well versus not doing well/ We'd say "whatever
that means"
I show the disgust on my face/ You try to please me in haste/ To
stop all of this family's bleeding/ Our mother, she tries to translate
She says it looks like hate/ But you kids are just heartbroken
I know it was hollow here/ All the achievement and the cheer that
left you feeling empty/ You wondered why it was because as a child
you were so able
I knew you when/ I knew you when I wanted to be like you
Maybe you'll find some peace of mind which is more than what I have
We say something is wrong and it is/ But I don't know the secrets
how to live either
Maybe you'll run away/ Maybe we'll run away from how we've been
feeling/ Maybe to us you'll cease to speak/ We'll be unable to keep
memory of you burning
I knew you when/ I knew you when I wanted to be like you
When your power, it was too much/ You could too easily walk across
the barriers, through the dwellings/ You wondered why it was because
as a child you were so able
You could organize the people/ So it came as no surprise that you
had the first and the most girlfriends/ You were our emcee of life
So it came as no surprise that you were an old man by twenty-one
I knew you when/ I knew you when I wanted to be like you
When doing well versus not doing well/ We'd say "whatever
that means"/ Doing well versus not doing well/ We'd say "whatever
that means"
I show the disgust on my face/ You try to please me in haste/ To
stop all of this family's bleeding/ Our mother, she tries to translate
She says it looks like hate/ But you kids are just heartbroken
I know it was hollow here/ All the achievement and the cheer that
left you feeling empty/ You wondered why it was because as a child
you were so able
I knew you when/ I knew you when I wanted to be like you
Maybe you'll find some peace of mind which is more than what I have
Lyrics submitted by Blaupunked
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Mountain Song
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