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."
Throw it all away
Lets lose ourselves
Cause there's no one left for us to blame
Its a shame we're all dying
And do you think you deserve your freedom
How could you send us all far away from home
When you know damn well that this is all
I would still lay down my life for you
And do you think you deserve your freedom
No I don't think you do
There's no justice in the world
There's no justice in the world
And there never was
Lets lose ourselves
Cause there's no one left for us to blame
Its a shame we're all dying
And do you think you deserve your freedom
How could you send us all far away from home
When you know damn well that this is all
I would still lay down my life for you
And do you think you deserve your freedom
No I don't think you do
There's no justice in the world
There's no justice in the world
And there never was
Lyrics submitted by N/U/T/T/Y/?
Soldier's Poem Lyrics as written by Matthew James Bellamy Matt Bellamy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Mountain Song
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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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ok, another idea here: it's a comparison between an AMerican soldier and Iraq civilian:
Iraqi (speaking towards his fellow Iraqis): Throw it all away/The world is all against us Lets lose ourselves/What should we do? -> anger -> terror Cause theres no one left for us to blame/Can't blame people in our land, because all are poor Its a shame we're all dying/ ... And do you think you deserve your freedom?/ (Towards the American soldier)
American (to America):How could you send us all far away from home?/Why are we doing this? why can't they help themselves, why isn't Bush here, why am I? When you know damn well that this is all?/The government knows, they can't bring peace to this countries I would still lay down my life for you./But as I am proud AMerican I wouldn't question and do what they want
Iraqi:And do you think you deserve your freedom?/what did the American himself do for it? No I dont think you do!/he was just lucky to be born there
Both:Theres no justice in the world Theres no justice in the world And there never was
The contempt of soldiers towards civilians? The way they go and die on our governments whims while we are 'free' to do as we please?.
I agree with this response, I think everyone here is overthinking the message of the song. Every soldier has some contempt for the civilians it serves, and the fact that th Soldier gives his life and his considered subordinate to civilians of the country it's sworn to protect frustrates me as well. <br /> <br /> Maybe i get what your saying because i'm a caet lol.
cadet not caet sorry lol.
I think this is the soldier's feelings towards the government. The government has imprisoned him in war, and he resents them for it, but he would still die for them, and he is questioning how the men in power can be free when he can't.
I know that Muse usually write this "style" of song. but it kinda stuck me. It's a great "high" song. the song just kinda sounds like being high..
so the point: there have been a few soldiers who have recently spoke out about the reason that we're over there: Poppy plants. opium.
"there's no one left for us to blame." - we've blamed it on all of these "terrorists" and now we've got not no one left to justify our presence overseas.
the singer says. "and you think you deserve your freedom? how could you send us so far from home? when you know damn well we're that this is wrong. I would still lay down my life for you."
from a soldier's perspective: he asks the all of the people in the US government included: "do you think you DESERVE your freedom?" do you even KNOW what we've been doing over here? this is wrong, we shouldn't be here. you don't deserve freedom because what we're fighting for is not "freedom" or "democracy." we're killing innocent people, and we know it.
"I would still lay down my life for you." saying: even though this is BS, I still took oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;" he wants to defend, help and serve his country. so he will still lay down his life for for our country, although he believes what he is doing is wrong."
I respect and support our military every day. always have always will.
In my mind the song could not be clearer:
The soldier addresses George W Bush and Tony Blair. Bush and Blair desperately needed revenge for the 9/11 disaster, and decided to blame Iraq for it.
It's a shame so many people died for such a misled cause. And all in the name of freedom for the Iraqi people. Bush and Blair knew damn well that this was wrong -- but they still sent their troops so far away from home, causing the deaths of so many.
The soldier believes that with their atrocities neither Bush nor Blair deserve their own freedom. If there was any justice in the world, they would have been prosecuted by the International Court of Justice and found guilty of crimes against humanity.
But there is no justice in the world.
I'm not trying to be condescending, but to say that this song isn't brilliant, or that it doesn't stand up, is ridiculous. Listen to the words - listen to how powerful they are. I love the line "I will still lay down my life for you"... It seems to me anyone who doesn't like it has no appreciation for poetry. I personally think this is up with the top songs on Black Holes.
Anyone think it's like Franz Schubert's Ave Maria? "No I don't think you do" just like the opening of Ave Maria...
I'm not saying that Muse was plagiarist. Soldier's Poem is one of the most beautiful song of them. I think it speaks of war for general, not really made a reference to a specified one. Somehow it is the real condition of every war...
Seems a totally rational letter home from a soldier to his or her country asking wtf... why would anyone instigate a war if they had any idea as to it’s absolute madness, his frustration shining through the way he drops “...this is all...”.
“Do you deserve your freedom?” is a legit question... we’re ok sending men and women far from home to do HORRIBLE things, using psychological training on them to get the “kill rate” (the % of soldiers actually shooting at the enemy with the intent to kill them) up from 2% in WWII to 98% in modern wars. The majority of humans have no wish to kill each other, that 2% from WWII bears it out, yet now we’ve conditioned these soldiers to shoot to kill as a conditioned response... we’ve turned normal folk into killers with psychology so now we’ll just deprogram them... oh, we can’t do that? We turned normal people into killers but never gave one thought about what that does to them or how to help them?
There’s no justice in the world...
...and there never was.
This is a brilliant song. The musical style reminds me very much of the Showbiz album. Another seemingly politically motivated song from BHaR. I think this one is aimed at the government and how they can send people to war, with no comprehension of what it entails. It could also be aimed at the wider population, who see war for it's face value, and also do not understand or appreciate the efforts of those fighting. It also says 'when you know -damn- well'. Very hard-hitting song, for it's laid back tone.
This is OK considering what a great album it comes from. Like the ideas about its meaning. Isnt it supposed to be "Soldier's Poem" without the A