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."
Fuu!
I got to got to let you down
But in an hour I will change my mind.
I got to got to let you down
But in an hour I will change my mind.
It is like magic to me
Making mistakes and be forgiven
Easily.
It is like magic to me
Making mistakes an be forgiven
Easily (easily).
Fuu!
I know she lets me down
But just for a short while then
She changes her mind.
I know she lets me down
But just for a short while then
She changes her mind.
She does it all the time
Making mistakes and then I
Ease her mind.
She does it all the time
But she's so pretty and I
Don't mind
Got to let you down, got to let you down.
I got to let you down, got to let you down.
She does it all the time
Making mistakes and then I
Ease her mind.
She does it all the time
But she's so pretty and I
Don't mind.
She does it all the time
Making mistakes and I
Ease her mind
She does it all the time
But she's so pretty and I
Don't mind.
I got to got to let you down
But in an hour I will change my mind.
I got to got to let you down
But in an hour I will change my mind.
It is like magic to me
Making mistakes and be forgiven
Easily.
It is like magic to me
Making mistakes an be forgiven
Easily (easily).
Fuu!
I know she lets me down
But just for a short while then
She changes her mind.
I know she lets me down
But just for a short while then
She changes her mind.
She does it all the time
Making mistakes and then I
Ease her mind.
She does it all the time
But she's so pretty and I
Don't mind
Got to let you down, got to let you down.
I got to let you down, got to let you down.
She does it all the time
Making mistakes and then I
Ease her mind.
She does it all the time
But she's so pretty and I
Don't mind.
She does it all the time
Making mistakes and I
Ease her mind
She does it all the time
But she's so pretty and I
Don't mind.
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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
New information just in! Olof Dreijer from The Knife just shared this tidbit:
"Also, the content of the song deals with an abusive man."
thequietus.com/articles/12252-the-knife-interview
This completely changed how I understand the song.
It seems like this song is being deliberately ironic. The woman and the man both see the woman's actions of letting her man down as "mistakes" even though they might be perfectly reasonable disagreements or refusals.
"In an hour I will change my mind" suggests she has been coerced, manipulated or beaten into doing what her man wants her to do after all.
They both see the man as "forgiving" and "easing her mind" even though he is the one in the relationship who should be sorry for what he's doing to her.
Hope that makes sense of Olof's statement about it!
I think the posted ones are correct, Makhno. It doesn't sound like "I need some why" and this was before I ever looked up this song.
This is such a sexy song. I get the sense they're both in on the game, and the guy quite enjoys his opportunities to "ease her mind". Who knows if their relationship will last, but in the moment, it's hard to say no to lust.
this song is about a girl with a guy in the palm of her hand. She can get away with whatever she wants because shes "so pretty".
the first verse is the woman, second man. Obviously!
Some other lyric sites say the line: "making mistakes and then I'll ease her mind" is: "Making mistakes and then I need some why"
I swing between both interpretations every time I listen!
I hear "I need some why" as well in the second half of the song. It could be like a "I need some, why?" question wondering why he's so attached to her.
This reminds me of my life. Sad, i know.
It's true. It's a game they are engaging in actively. She enjoys letting him down, but she's so pretty he doesn't mind the emotional torture and humiliation. Spent a summer like this once. Not fun. Listened to this whenever I got stood up. But when she made mistakes, I eased her mind, surely, cuz she was so pretty, I didn't mind.
I'm pretty sure "it is like magic to me" is "it tastes like magic to me"