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."
I wrote a goodbye note
In lipstick on your arm
When you passed out
I couldn't bring myself to call
Except to call it quits
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
This city says
Come hell or high water
When I'm feeling hot and wet
I can't commit to a thing
Be it heart or hospital
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
The tombstones are waiting
They were half engraved
They knew it was over
Just didn't know the date
And I cast a spell over the West
To make you think of me
The same way I think of you
This is a love song in my own way
Happily ever after below the waist
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
In lipstick on your arm
When you passed out
I couldn't bring myself to call
Except to call it quits
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
This city says
Come hell or high water
When I'm feeling hot and wet
I can't commit to a thing
Be it heart or hospital
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
The tombstones are waiting
They were half engraved
They knew it was over
Just didn't know the date
And I cast a spell over the West
To make you think of me
The same way I think of you
This is a love song in my own way
Happily ever after below the waist
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
Lyrics submitted by rust3dxh3art
Bang the Doldrums Lyrics as written by Joseph Mark Trohman Andrew John Hurley
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Bang the Doldrums is one of my fave's on IoH, and I didn't seem to find it as cryptic as most other people. But anyway, here's what I think:
"I wrote a goodbye note in lipstick on your arm when you passed out, I couldn’t bring myself to call, except to call it quits,"
This is pretty straightforward. I think they (the couple, I mean - probably Pete and Jenae) get drunk and sleep together and he wants her way more than she does him. He has a thing with commitment and intimacy, I mean, even the way he broke up with her is temporary. It can't be saved like a letter or text could.
He couldn't bring himself to call her, so he never did. 'Calling it quits' doesn't necessarily mean he called her, the lipstick note could qualify as such.
"Best friends, ex-friends to the end, Better off as lovers and not the other way around,"
There's a serious play on words here, definately added to confuse. Here's my interpretation: they were best friends, now 'ex-friends to the end'. By 'better off as lovers, not the other way around' I think he means they're not 'lovers better off'.
"Racing through the city, windows down, In the back of yellow-checkered cars."
I think this simply implies a sense of urgency and desire - racing through the city (Chicago, perhaps?) together, infatuated.
"You're all wrong, Are we all wrong? You're all wrong, Are we all wrong?"
Here I think he's simply questioning the situation. The relationship is so messed up - is it worth it?
"This city says; Come Hell or high water, when I’m feeling hot and wet, I can’t commit to a thing, be it heart or hospital,"
The City. Again, this could be L.A., Chicago, or New York (all of which Pete Wentz, the main lyricist, spends a lot of time). Come hell or high water is usually used to imply loyalty or staying power. Perhaps she promised to be there hell or high water, and now that both are there, what is she gonna do?
The next line is simple: he can't commit to a relationship - he just uses the hospital metaphor to emphasis how large his phobia is.
"The tombstones are waiting, They were half engraved, They knew it was over, Just didn’t know the date."
This is probably one of the most straight-forward FOB lyrics ever. The relationship was doomed from the beginning - it was a matter of when, not if.
"And I cast a spell over the West to make you think of me, The same way I think of you,"
Maybe he's talking about Hollywood, maybe he's talking about the chick - who knows? He just wants to be accepted and thought of and loved.
"This is a love song in my own way, Happily ever after, below the waist."
Possibly one of my favorite lines on the album. This is a love song is his own way, as close as he can come to love - obsession, infatuation, and lust. Happily ever after below the waist just serves the drive the point home. Sexual satisfaction is as close to happily ever after as they'll ever come.
Amazing song - great lyrics, but all FOB songs are mindblowing. I think I've got it down pat - who knows? Everbody reads them and thinks something different.
lol this is totally about mikey god
and by this (because I just realize I was terribly cryptic) this song is totally about the Summer of Like, and thus about Mikey fucking Way.
this is called 'never date your best friend since you were five because that is exactly how it will feel: best friends, ex friends 'til the end.' you will break up or almost break up and get into fights multiple times and get back together, realize that it wasn't meant to be, and then people will question your friendship for the rest of eternity...after it ends, at which point you're just friends.
getting into a relationship with your best friend just ends up causing drama.
this song is bassed off an old blog like someone already pointed out- said blog was about mikeyway. so technically this song would be about mikeyway, too.
mikeyway was a special someone during warped '05, and (pete) had a crush on him at the time- it was nearly adoration. but at the same time (he) knew it wouldn't work out no matter what. here it's explained how they were bestfriends, and then had a night together, causing them to be "ex-friends" and become "lovers", which to pete's eyes was better than being just friends. ("i wish you were my bass, not just my friend")
THIS SONG IS ABOUT MIKEY WAY NUFF SAID
SWEETLITTLEDUDES
two words:
mikey way
This song is about Mikey way. Proof: crucios.tumblr.com/post/42380127787/love-cant-save-you-a-petemikey-otp-post-im-so
This is about Mikey. Three words summer of like.
well i suppose this is kind of self explanitory song what the hell is the yellow ticket?
actually, i think its "In the back of yellow-checkered cars" (which would be a taxi)