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."
Take me across the water cause I need some place to hide
I done the rancher's daughter and I sure did hurt his pride
Haha
Well, there's a hundred miles of desert lies between his hide and mine
I don't need no food and no water, Lord, cause I'm runnin' out of time
Fightin', killin', wine and women gonna put me to my grave
Runnin', hidin', losin', cryin', nothing left to save
But my life
Stood on a ridge and shunned religion, thinking the world was mine
I made my break and a big mistake, stealin' when I should have been buyin'
All that fightin', killin', wine and those women gonna put me to an early grave
Runnin', hidin', losin', cryin', nothing left to save
But my life, life, life, life, life, life, life, life, life
So I stood on a ridge and shunned religion, thinking the world was mine
I made my break and a big mistake, stealin' when I should have been buyin'
I was stealin' when I should have been buyin'
I was stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' woo
Stealin' hahaha, yeh
I was stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin', oh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh
Stealin', oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Stealin', rock'n'roll, all right
Stealin', rock'n'roll, all right
Stealin' babe, babe
Stealin', should, should, should have been buyin'
Stealin', should, should, should have been buyin'
Stealin', should have, should have, should have been buyin'
Stealin', buying, yeah
I done the rancher's daughter and I sure did hurt his pride
Haha
Well, there's a hundred miles of desert lies between his hide and mine
I don't need no food and no water, Lord, cause I'm runnin' out of time
Fightin', killin', wine and women gonna put me to my grave
Runnin', hidin', losin', cryin', nothing left to save
But my life
Stood on a ridge and shunned religion, thinking the world was mine
I made my break and a big mistake, stealin' when I should have been buyin'
All that fightin', killin', wine and those women gonna put me to an early grave
Runnin', hidin', losin', cryin', nothing left to save
But my life, life, life, life, life, life, life, life, life
So I stood on a ridge and shunned religion, thinking the world was mine
I made my break and a big mistake, stealin' when I should have been buyin'
I was stealin' when I should have been buyin'
I was stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin' woo
Stealin' hahaha, yeh
I was stealin' when I should have been buyin'
Stealin', oh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh
Stealin', oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Stealin', rock'n'roll, all right
Stealin', rock'n'roll, all right
Stealin' babe, babe
Stealin', should, should, should have been buyin'
Stealin', should, should, should have been buyin'
Stealin', should have, should have, should have been buyin'
Stealin', buying, yeah
Lyrics submitted by RainbowDemon, edited by LynxSD, 3d1mandakng
Stealin' Lyrics as written by Ken Hensley
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
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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,
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Good song to sing in a jail cell