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."
The snakes are in the garden, swallowing down their prey
The flowers all are faded, their scent has gone away
The sky turns red under midnight, your eyes don't look the same
The truth is out; I can see your heavy breathing
The lights are down and you're moving out in the dark
So kiss my face, commit yourself to treason
Now run away, you broke my heart
The hours are now turning, nobody lies awake
The children all are sleeping, a lonely death dirge plays
The ropes pulls tight under your weight, the nightmare ends today
You broke my heart
I hope it's worth the price you paid
I hope it's worth the time you gave
I hope it's worth your life
The flowers all are faded, their scent has gone away
The sky turns red under midnight, your eyes don't look the same
The truth is out; I can see your heavy breathing
The lights are down and you're moving out in the dark
So kiss my face, commit yourself to treason
Now run away, you broke my heart
The hours are now turning, nobody lies awake
The children all are sleeping, a lonely death dirge plays
The ropes pulls tight under your weight, the nightmare ends today
You broke my heart
I hope it's worth the price you paid
I hope it's worth the time you gave
I hope it's worth your life
Lyrics submitted by SuperKind311
Even Snakes Have Hearts Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
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:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This is basically a song that is describing the life of Judas. In the Bible, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 silver coins. Judas kisses Jesus on the cheek before Jesus is taken away to be judged, hence the "So kiss my face..." line. Out of guilt, Judas later hangs himself, hence "the rope pulls tight under your weight, the nightmare ends today."
Now that I've examined the obvious metaphors very briefly, I'll leave you to figure out the moral meaning...
Yes the song could be about Judas but I like to think of the songs as they apply to us. There is evil all around us people betraying God betraying themselves they get fixes to forget the pain, gilt. I just think this sing shows the true sickness of our condition. What we are doing now will show for our life. We act all cheeky like everything is fine and we can go to God give him kisses and thank him for our food when there is bigger issue in our lives that are left in the dark. Sad....
This song must be about Jesus, even at the start "the snakes are in the garden, swallowing down their prey" this is refering to the garden in which Jesus was praying when he was betrayed, and the snakes refering to the devil who was alive in the evil men that came to take Jesus away.
"I hope it's worth the price you paid, I hope it's worth the time you gave. I hope it worth your life!"
"So kiss my face, commit yourself to treason Now run away, you broke my heart"
This song is from the perspective of Jesus, not about Jesus. Like, Jesus is singing. He's singing to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene by kissing him.
"The ropes pulls tight under your weight, the nightmare ends today"
More proof that it's not about Jesus, but Judas. After his betrayal, Judas hung himself.