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."
At a tin mine we do stand,
And here I realise that it's all in my hands,
At the tips of our feet where the waves stun the rocks,
Where the sun steals the sand,
Here I do plot,
I bang my fists and I crush the cliffs,
I scream out into the mouth,
Of this cave, this fiery cave,
This fucking world we cannot save!
So I start again, turn the wheel,
I pierce my skin - I feel so real!
I'm a lovelorn shepherd - lightening skies!
The future blows into my eyes.
So with a sense of terror and bewilderment,
We damage our pasts with romance and hatred,
So burn all your books, your videos and CDs,
Forget all that has happened and wail down on your knees!
I take two steps back and tie my boots,
I run and dive into the blue,
I can feel the air redesign my hair,
Redesign my life, and my cares,
The deeper I swim the more I know,
The more I love, the more I grow.
And here I realise that it's all in my hands,
At the tips of our feet where the waves stun the rocks,
Where the sun steals the sand,
Here I do plot,
I bang my fists and I crush the cliffs,
I scream out into the mouth,
Of this cave, this fiery cave,
This fucking world we cannot save!
So I start again, turn the wheel,
I pierce my skin - I feel so real!
I'm a lovelorn shepherd - lightening skies!
The future blows into my eyes.
So with a sense of terror and bewilderment,
We damage our pasts with romance and hatred,
So burn all your books, your videos and CDs,
Forget all that has happened and wail down on your knees!
I take two steps back and tie my boots,
I run and dive into the blue,
I can feel the air redesign my hair,
Redesign my life, and my cares,
The deeper I swim the more I know,
The more I love, the more I grow.
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