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."
And I made through, and I made it through the,
Oh and i made it through the rain and the cold
through the dark all alone
my life hit rock bottom i had no where to go
and if i could turn back time and change the road that i chose
all the mistakes that i made it burns a hole in my soul
and it took all that i had to get out of that hole
it took the birth of my sons to get back my control
so man i just went number one, aint going back to the dole
im stronger than ever my enemies they thought i would fold and yo
CHORUS Thats why Im standing up,
Im holding on to my life yo I gotta be strong
now watch me rise you wont see me fall
Im stronger now we can take them all
So alone and confused and my soul was abused
and a hand came of the handrail to throw me a noose
it took the love of my fam and my friends to show me the truth
I lived a lifetime of pain and i was only a youth
and its hard tryin to swim in an ocean of fools
and i thought I catch a break but i'd broken the rules
and ma always told me take care of yourself
lest the devil put a fork in the road that you choose
and even the strongest trees must grow from the roots
see a house without love aint a home its a roof
its shelter without warmth and you know its the truth
and i feel most at home when im alone in the booth
and my flow is unstoppable this poem is the proof
its poetry pen and paper my label is showing the fruits
while i grow and improve and their all slow and observant
exactly what youve learned and you know when they're throwin the curve
and if their showing concern its not cause their care
its just cause they know what they owe in return
time just feels like its taking me too long
the trials and tribulations are why i grew strong
CHORUS
oh, tell my mother that i love her like no other
im holding of in above we made it out of the gutter
did i stutter i came with the goods and for my fam
i came from the hood you got no choice but to plan
a way to make it out somehow we'll brake away
from these chains like che fu well never fade away
i came to stay made it through the rainy days
never will i go astray came to take the pain away
Thats why Im standing up, Im holding on
i just made it through the storm
by all rights i should be gone
they said id never make it i'll prove them all wrong
i took the pain now for so long
and im still here and its my life and im not scared
against all odds i got here give me your best shot yea
cause i can take it i wasn't destined to make it
i was destined to forever burn in a Fiery lake
CHORUS
Oh and i made it through the rain and the cold
through the dark all alone
my life hit rock bottom i had no where to go
and if i could turn back time and change the road that i chose
all the mistakes that i made it burns a hole in my soul
and it took all that i had to get out of that hole
it took the birth of my sons to get back my control
so man i just went number one, aint going back to the dole
im stronger than ever my enemies they thought i would fold and yo
CHORUS Thats why Im standing up,
Im holding on to my life yo I gotta be strong
now watch me rise you wont see me fall
Im stronger now we can take them all
So alone and confused and my soul was abused
and a hand came of the handrail to throw me a noose
it took the love of my fam and my friends to show me the truth
I lived a lifetime of pain and i was only a youth
and its hard tryin to swim in an ocean of fools
and i thought I catch a break but i'd broken the rules
and ma always told me take care of yourself
lest the devil put a fork in the road that you choose
and even the strongest trees must grow from the roots
see a house without love aint a home its a roof
its shelter without warmth and you know its the truth
and i feel most at home when im alone in the booth
and my flow is unstoppable this poem is the proof
its poetry pen and paper my label is showing the fruits
while i grow and improve and their all slow and observant
exactly what youve learned and you know when they're throwin the curve
and if their showing concern its not cause their care
its just cause they know what they owe in return
time just feels like its taking me too long
the trials and tribulations are why i grew strong
CHORUS
oh, tell my mother that i love her like no other
im holding of in above we made it out of the gutter
did i stutter i came with the goods and for my fam
i came from the hood you got no choice but to plan
a way to make it out somehow we'll brake away
from these chains like che fu well never fade away
i came to stay made it through the rainy days
never will i go astray came to take the pain away
Thats why Im standing up, Im holding on
i just made it through the storm
by all rights i should be gone
they said id never make it i'll prove them all wrong
i took the pain now for so long
and im still here and its my life and im not scared
against all odds i got here give me your best shot yea
cause i can take it i wasn't destined to make it
i was destined to forever burn in a Fiery lake
CHORUS
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"it took the love of my fam and my friends to show me the truth I lived a lifetime of pain and i was only a youth and its hard tryin to swim in an ocean of fools and i thought I catch a break but i'd broken the rules"
seriously, sick lyrics.