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."
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Ma, Ma, look what I did, Ma
Look what I did to my hands, I broke em
You gave me the stone, gave me the chisel
Didn't say how to hold em
Didn't say give away every piece of the puzzle
Till I was left with nothing
But I took it upon myself to crush it up and distribute the dust
Get in the bus, hop in the van
Jump in the water, crawl to the land
Build another castle out of the sand
Break it down and then I get into the saddle again
Going city to city I'm already lost, tell the boss
Who is new in town; I'm-a ride this horse till it bucks me off
And I'm forced to shoot it down
I'm-a take him out for some gasoline
I'm-a trade this cow for some magic beans
Make Mom proud of the deals that I've made
'Cause I'm just a modern day Johnny Appleseed
But I'm glad that I never passed the genes
And I never put down the axe
Piano Man got a checkered dance floor
To grace and the painful look on his face
'Cause the crowd is packed and the louder they clap
The less he is able to make the connection
Between what he sees when he hears certain notes
And the hurt that is shown in his facial expression
I don't need your go-ahead to go ahead
No, I know no one said it was gonna be easy
But sweet Jesus, who wants to sleep with me?
Way too many moves to learn
But not enough people to put em on
Lookit, Mom, no hands
I built this suit of armor with wooden arms
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Oh God I think I'm dead
I can't see outside my head
Brains and bloods and cryptic gang men
Czars and warlords breaking bread
Thoughts are thought
What's said is said
I thought that 'fore you said it
I didn't mean to think out loud
My tongue slipped but who let it?
Let it be, let me be, let me go, nah let me out
My manhood nods and whispers when my father screams and shouts
Dear dad I'm sad you're dead
A new man standing in the pulpit
He bows before a wooden cross and forces praise the culprit
I'm a tenor in the choir but I sing a different song
Of how the where's and why's of now all prove I don't belong
But I'm staying I've planted seeds and plan to watch them grow
I've watered all my wishes dreams fulfilled more seeds to sow
And I promise to learn to love the way I've learned to fear
To unknot all the inhibitions tangled in my hair
To let my ego mound in piles around the barber chair
And make a graceful exit from my vexed and troubled years
I've decided I've been invited to my own resort
Where knights can leave their armor neatly piled by the door
And every woman, child, and man will gather by the shore
And study how sea lions swim in cursive
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Ma, Ma, look what I did, Ma
Look what I did to my hands, I broke em
You gave me the stone, gave me the chisel
Didn't say how to hold em
Didn't say give away every piece of the puzzle
Till I was left with nothing
But I took it upon myself to crush it up and distribute the dust
Get in the bus, hop in the van
Jump in the water, crawl to the land
Build another castle out of the sand
Break it down and then I get into the saddle again
Going city to city I'm already lost, tell the boss
Who is new in town; I'm-a ride this horse till it bucks me off
And I'm forced to shoot it down
I'm-a take him out for some gasoline
I'm-a trade this cow for some magic beans
Make Mom proud of the deals that I've made
'Cause I'm just a modern day Johnny Appleseed
But I'm glad that I never passed the genes
And I never put down the axe
Piano Man got a checkered dance floor
To grace and the painful look on his face
'Cause the crowd is packed and the louder they clap
The less he is able to make the connection
Between what he sees when he hears certain notes
And the hurt that is shown in his facial expression
I don't need your go-ahead to go ahead
No, I know no one said it was gonna be easy
But sweet Jesus, who wants to sleep with me?
Way too many moves to learn
But not enough people to put em on
Lookit, Mom, no hands
I built this suit of armor with wooden arms
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Oh God I think I'm dead
I can't see outside my head
Brains and bloods and cryptic gang men
Czars and warlords breaking bread
Thoughts are thought
What's said is said
I thought that 'fore you said it
I didn't mean to think out loud
My tongue slipped but who let it?
Let it be, let me be, let me go, nah let me out
My manhood nods and whispers when my father screams and shouts
Dear dad I'm sad you're dead
A new man standing in the pulpit
He bows before a wooden cross and forces praise the culprit
I'm a tenor in the choir but I sing a different song
Of how the where's and why's of now all prove I don't belong
But I'm staying I've planted seeds and plan to watch them grow
I've watered all my wishes dreams fulfilled more seeds to sow
And I promise to learn to love the way I've learned to fear
To unknot all the inhibitions tangled in my hair
To let my ego mound in piles around the barber chair
And make a graceful exit from my vexed and troubled years
I've decided I've been invited to my own resort
Where knights can leave their armor neatly piled by the door
And every woman, child, and man will gather by the shore
And study how sea lions swim in cursive
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Force of my love was strong
The sea lion laying down long
A song in the air
Why should singer care
When singer can be among song
Lyrics submitted by ScottXcore
Sea Lion Lyrics as written by Joseph Will Oldham Brendon Patrick Whitney
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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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Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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Magical
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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.
This is one of the most amazing songs I've ever heard in my life.