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."
How could you do this to me
I have you every little thing that I could
You had me singing forever
Just like I knew you would
I refuse to get a grip
Whats the point when life is stripped more than it ever was
Its time to turn a leaf over but I don’t see any trees or leave
Why set something free with no reason to let it go
It must not be meant to be
How could you do this to me
I have you every little thing that I could
You had me singing forever
Just like I knew you would
So you figure you’d stop by
Well I appreciate the push back to a point a
For a few days at least
When you figure it makes a fig out of you and re but
Whats that really mean
It means you should leav
Why set it all free
With no reason to let it go
It must not be meant to be.
Wars Will Always Happen
Your vision is blurry but oh don’t you worry
You know this place
And you said you could manage with eyes closed well
Now is the time to shine and save some lives
When the going gets tough
The going gets what you ask for
No mistakes and no regrets
The actions you make now they’ll only reflect it
Boys, there is a war to win out there
We all know you’re scared
But look around at all of their faces
They all look just like us
So all hail the king for trying
Running and racing to future to bury this more in the past
Instead of it being the last thing that happened
What happened
We had it
We thought that it was magic
Then the rabbits turned into maggots
And maggots feet are bad luck
When the going gets tough
You’re going to get what you ask for
We can’t have mistakes this time
If you’re not ready then don’t even try
Hold your breath
And don’t forget
That wars will always happen
And we will always fight them
I have you every little thing that I could
You had me singing forever
Just like I knew you would
I refuse to get a grip
Whats the point when life is stripped more than it ever was
Its time to turn a leaf over but I don’t see any trees or leave
Why set something free with no reason to let it go
It must not be meant to be
How could you do this to me
I have you every little thing that I could
You had me singing forever
Just like I knew you would
So you figure you’d stop by
Well I appreciate the push back to a point a
For a few days at least
When you figure it makes a fig out of you and re but
Whats that really mean
It means you should leav
Why set it all free
With no reason to let it go
It must not be meant to be.
Wars Will Always Happen
Your vision is blurry but oh don’t you worry
You know this place
And you said you could manage with eyes closed well
Now is the time to shine and save some lives
When the going gets tough
The going gets what you ask for
No mistakes and no regrets
The actions you make now they’ll only reflect it
Boys, there is a war to win out there
We all know you’re scared
But look around at all of their faces
They all look just like us
So all hail the king for trying
Running and racing to future to bury this more in the past
Instead of it being the last thing that happened
What happened
We had it
We thought that it was magic
Then the rabbits turned into maggots
And maggots feet are bad luck
When the going gets tough
You’re going to get what you ask for
We can’t have mistakes this time
If you’re not ready then don’t even try
Hold your breath
And don’t forget
That wars will always happen
And we will always fight them
Lyrics submitted by skaboslai
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
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.
Lyrics edit.
How could you do this to me I gave you every little thing that I could You had me singing forever Just like I knew you would
I refuse to get a grip Whats the point when life is stripped more than it ever was Its time to turn a leaf over but I don’t see any trees or leaves
Why set something free with no reason to let it go It must not be meant to be
How could you do this to me I gave you every little thing that I could You had me singing forever Just like I knew you would
So you figured you’d stop by Well I appreciate the push back to a point A For a few days at least When you figure it makes a fig out of you and re but Whats that really mean It means you should leave
Why set it all free With no reason to let it go It must not be meant to be.
How could you do this to me? I gave you every little thing that I could. You had me singing forever- Just like I knew you would.
How could you do this to me? How could you do this to me? How could you do this to me? How could you do this to me?
So gracefully...
I think this is one of the songs about former member paul who was on heroine. A few songs are, and this is one of them. I also believe "flashlight" and "exactly" are about him.
cool bonus "Wars Will Always Happen" lyrics! SCORE! lol