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."
Don't tell me that this is your last chance to change
'Cause if you do, then you would be telling a lie but
I warned you, what could happen if you should decide
To live your life from nine to five
And I mourn you for the detail that is left unsaid
Is a reminder of the time you bled
Return to days when you knew
You still you felt alive
Reveal the way you felt
When you could look inside
They sold you everything you need to fix you up
And you feel good now but you can't wake up
They found a way to reassure you
(That everything would be okay)
Reach out today now I implore you to remember who you are
Return to days when you knew
You still you felt alive
Reveal the way you felt
When you could look inside
So you felt it but you don't know
Why you can't explain at all?
Why you felt it? 'Cause you don't know
No, you don't know
Break the walls between building atrophy
Causing all your problems to recede
Break the walls between
(Break the walls between)
Causing all your pain
(Causing all your pain)
You'll never learn
Return to days when you knew
You still felt alive
Reveal the way you felt
When you could look inside
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
'Cause if you do, then you would be telling a lie but
I warned you, what could happen if you should decide
To live your life from nine to five
And I mourn you for the detail that is left unsaid
Is a reminder of the time you bled
Return to days when you knew
You still you felt alive
Reveal the way you felt
When you could look inside
They sold you everything you need to fix you up
And you feel good now but you can't wake up
They found a way to reassure you
(That everything would be okay)
Reach out today now I implore you to remember who you are
Return to days when you knew
You still you felt alive
Reveal the way you felt
When you could look inside
So you felt it but you don't know
Why you can't explain at all?
Why you felt it? 'Cause you don't know
No, you don't know
Break the walls between building atrophy
Causing all your problems to recede
Break the walls between
(Break the walls between)
Causing all your pain
(Causing all your pain)
You'll never learn
Return to days when you knew
You still felt alive
Reveal the way you felt
When you could look inside
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
Take back the beat in your heart
Why fight when you can't be bought
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
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
It talks about somebody you know that has been changed in a bad way to try to fit into popularity, even if it means to fall into peer pressure of drug usage. However, what you really wanted was this somebody to be just himself/herself.
Now to you, you see this somebody as being dead in a sense that they are not the person they used to be. This person has completely changed.
In addition, this person is now facing problems and can't explain all the problems.