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."
Maha Kali
Maha Kali, dark mother dance for me
Let the purity of your nakedness awaken me
Yours are the fires of deliverance which shall bring me bliss
Yours is the cruel sword which shall set my spirit free
Devourer of life and death who rule beyond time
In thy name I shall fullfil my destiny divine
Maha Kali, formless one, destroyer of illusion
Your songs forever sung, the tunes of dissolution
Kalika, black tongue of fire, embrace me
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Awaken within me the reflection of your flame
Kiss me with your bloody lips and drive me insane
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Maha Kali come to me
Smashana Kali, I burn myself for thee
I cut my own throat in obscene ecstasy
I make love to abominations, embrace pain and misery
Until my heart becomes the burning ground and Kali comes to me
O dark mother, hear me calling thee
Mahapralaya, bring to me
Through all illusions I shall see
I shall cremate this world and set my essence free
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Without fear I will dance with death and misery
Maha Kali, come to me
�O Kali, thou art fond of cremation grounds
So I have turned my heart into one, that thou
may dance there unceasingly.
O mother, I have no other fond desire in my
heart. Fire of a funeral pyre is burning there.�
Female voice:
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Kali Mata, namo nama
Kali Mata, namo nama
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
At your left hand for endless victory
Maha Kali, come to me
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Mahapralaya will set our spirits free
Maha Kali, come to meMaha Kali
Maha Kali, dark mother dance for me
Let the purity of your nakedness awaken me
Yours are the fires of deliverance which shall bring me bliss
Yours is the cruel sword which shall set my spirit free
Devourer of life and death who rule beyond time
In thy name I shall fullfil my destiny divine
Maha Kali, formless one, destroyer of illusion
Your songs forever sung, the tunes of dissolution
Kalika, black tongue of fire, embrace me
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Awaken within me the reflection of your flame
Kiss me with your bloody lips and drive me insane
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Maha Kali come to me
Smashana Kali, I burn myself for thee
I cut my own throat in obscene ecstasy
I make love to abominations, embrace pain and misery
Until my heart becomes the burning ground and Kali comes to me
O dark mother, hear me calling thee
Mahapralaya, bring to me
Through all illusions I shall see
I shall cremate this world and set my essence free
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Without fear I will dance with death and misery
Maha Kali, come to me
�O Kali, thou art fond of cremation grounds
So I have turned my heart into one, that thou
may dance there unceasingly.
O mother, I have no other fond desire in my
heart. Fire of a funeral pyre is burning there.�
Female voice:
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Kali Mata, namo nama
Kali Mata, namo nama
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
At your left hand for endless victory
Maha Kali, come to me
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Mahapralaya will set our spirits free
Maha Kali, come to me
Maha Kali, dark mother dance for me
Let the purity of your nakedness awaken me
Yours are the fires of deliverance which shall bring me bliss
Yours is the cruel sword which shall set my spirit free
Devourer of life and death who rule beyond time
In thy name I shall fullfil my destiny divine
Maha Kali, formless one, destroyer of illusion
Your songs forever sung, the tunes of dissolution
Kalika, black tongue of fire, embrace me
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Awaken within me the reflection of your flame
Kiss me with your bloody lips and drive me insane
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Maha Kali come to me
Smashana Kali, I burn myself for thee
I cut my own throat in obscene ecstasy
I make love to abominations, embrace pain and misery
Until my heart becomes the burning ground and Kali comes to me
O dark mother, hear me calling thee
Mahapralaya, bring to me
Through all illusions I shall see
I shall cremate this world and set my essence free
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Without fear I will dance with death and misery
Maha Kali, come to me
�O Kali, thou art fond of cremation grounds
So I have turned my heart into one, that thou
may dance there unceasingly.
O mother, I have no other fond desire in my
heart. Fire of a funeral pyre is burning there.�
Female voice:
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Kali Mata, namo nama
Kali Mata, namo nama
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
At your left hand for endless victory
Maha Kali, come to me
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Mahapralaya will set our spirits free
Maha Kali, come to meMaha Kali
Maha Kali, dark mother dance for me
Let the purity of your nakedness awaken me
Yours are the fires of deliverance which shall bring me bliss
Yours is the cruel sword which shall set my spirit free
Devourer of life and death who rule beyond time
In thy name I shall fullfil my destiny divine
Maha Kali, formless one, destroyer of illusion
Your songs forever sung, the tunes of dissolution
Kalika, black tongue of fire, embrace me
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Awaken within me the reflection of your flame
Kiss me with your bloody lips and drive me insane
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Make me one with your power for all eternity
Maha Kali come to me
Smashana Kali, I burn myself for thee
I cut my own throat in obscene ecstasy
I make love to abominations, embrace pain and misery
Until my heart becomes the burning ground and Kali comes to me
O dark mother, hear me calling thee
Mahapralaya, bring to me
Through all illusions I shall see
I shall cremate this world and set my essence free
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Without fear I will dance with death and misery
Maha Kali, come to me
�O Kali, thou art fond of cremation grounds
So I have turned my heart into one, that thou
may dance there unceasingly.
O mother, I have no other fond desire in my
heart. Fire of a funeral pyre is burning there.�
Female voice:
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Jai Maha Kali, Jai Ma Kalika
Kali Mata, namo nama
Kali Mata, namo nama
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
At your left hand for endless victory
Maha Kali, come to me
Jai Kalika! Jai Kali!
Mahapralaya will set our spirits free
Maha Kali, come to me
Lyrics submitted by Bloodmouth
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.
its about a hindu goddess ..called mahakali.. she is like the goddess of destruction..people peirce their tounges and even cut them for her..
im not a hindu..but my parents are
You are right it is about a hindu goddess but she is called Kali and Maha is only the sanskrit word for great and mighty
i love this song! one of my fav dissection songs! anyway, about this song... The meaning is quite self explanatory. anyway...... Firstly, i am hindu. This song quite ironic really considering that the lead singer was a satanist. Maha (meaning divine mother) Kali (meaning black in tamil) is the hindu goddess (an entity of God) of war and destruction and the destroyer of evil. (so She is NOT AT ALL evil) and the hindu religion enforces that God is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of all things living. so, just as God created us all, He will destroy us all. i guess nodtviedt (not sure of the spelling) produced this song bcuz he knew he was going to kill himself and so he called out to Maha Kali to take him away. 'Jai Kalika Jai Kali. Kali Mata Namo Nama' sounds very similar to something out from a hindu service, or satsung. it seems like it is a Kali mantra but isn't bcuz people cannot create their own mantra. the proper Kali mantra is 'Om Sri Kalikaye Namah' mata means mother.
@Lord_nephthys Maha means "great". So Mahakali means The Great Kali.
@Lord_nephthys Thank you so much for the insight!<br /> <br /> I know you think its somewhat ironic, but do you think its actually very sad since Kali is the destroyer of evil, and Nödtveidt called for her to take him?
@Lord_nephthys Thank you so much for the insight!<br /> <br /> I know you think its somewhat ironic, but do you think its actually very sad since Kali is the destroyer of evil, and Nödtveidt called for her to take him?
@Lord_nephthys Jon Nodtveidt was fighting against evil. Against the evil of matter, and against the evil demiurge that entrapped us in that hell on Earth. To him Satan is one of the eleven gods who shall destroy the cosmos and free our souls back into the primordial chaos. I don't know much about that topic but yeah, he wasn't necessarily evil.
i love this song! one of my fav dissection songs! anyway, about this song... The meaning is quite self explanatory. anyway...... Firstly, i am hindu. This song quite ironic really considering that the lead singer was a satanist. Maha (meaning divine mother) Kali (meaning black in tamil) is the hindu goddess (an entity of God) of war and destruction and the destroyer of evil. (so She is NOT AT ALL evil) and the hindu religion enforces that God is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of all things living. so, just as God created us all, He will destroy us all. i guess nodtviedt (not sure of the spelling) produced this song bcuz he knew he was going to kill himself and so he called out to Maha Kali to take him away. 'Jai Kalika Jai Kali. Kali Mata Namo Nama' sounds very similar to something out from a hindu service, or satsung. it seems like it is a Kali mantra but isn't bcuz people cannot create their own mantra. the proper Kali mantra is 'Om Sri Kalikaye Namah' mata means mother.
i love this song! one of my fav dissection songs! anyway, about this song... The meaning is quite self explanatory. anyway...... Firstly, i am hindu. This song quite ironic really considering that the lead singer was a satanist. Maha (meaning divine mother) Kali (meaning black in tamil) is the hindu goddess (an entity of God) of war and destruction and the destroyer of evil. (so She is NOT AT ALL evil) and the hindu religion enforces that God is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of all things living. so, just as God created us all, He will destroy us all. i guess nodtviedt (not sure of the spelling) produced this song bcuz he knew he was going to kill himself and so he called out to Maha Kali to take him away. 'Jai Kalika Jai Kali. Kali Mata Namo Nama' sounds very similar to something out from a hindu service, or satsung. it seems like it is a Kali mantra but isn't bcuz people cannot create their own mantra. the proper Kali mantra is 'Om Sri Kalikaye Namah' mata means mother.