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."
[Esthero]
Oh ah oh
[Saul Williams]
Children of the night
Only some will star the sky
Only believers in death will die
And fathers must feather the wings of women
For the unfeathered masses dangle ridiculous
Carrying crosses to phalanx filled tombs
The future sells silence through blood rivered wombs
That ripple with riddles of cows and spoons and births
Moons and earths
Sun-centered at noon
[Esthero]
Now
[Saul Williams]
And here I stand
Court jestering infinity
Fetal fisted for revolution
But open hands birth humility
Now what you the density of an ego-less planet?
Must my spine be aligned to sprout wings?
I'm slouched into sling steps and kangoled with gang reps
But my orbit rainbows Saturn rings
Mystical elliptical
Presto Polaris
Karmic flamed future when Saturn's and Aries
And now I'm a fish called father
With gills type dizzy
Blowing liquid lullabies through the spine of time
I'm certain of Saturn's rivers and all else is fact
So baptize me in the stars
And wrap me in nighttime
Moon blue
Pupil my sight with orange balls of light
And echo my plight
Through the corridors of metaphor
What else are we living for if not to create
Fiction and rhyme?
My purpose is to make my soul
Rhyme with my
Mind over matter
Minds create matter
Minds create fiction
As a matter of fact
As if matter were fact
Matter is fact
So spirit must be fiction
Science fiction
Art fiction meta fiction
[Esthero]
Now
[Saul Williams]
The Tao of now
Is here amongst the living in the voice of children is the tao of now
[Esthero]
You are the divine reflection of this earth
She does not belong to you
No there is no need for your correction
All rivers run in the same direction
[Saul Williams]
If you're serving the father there's no son without mother
Parent bodies discover
Water bodies and drown
Wade me in the water
'Til Atlantis is found
On the sea floors of self
I'm starfish and unbound
Heard that name of that mound is stone mountain
Underwater volcanoes erupt
Water fountains of youth
Let's us carnal the equation, cancel out wind and truth
Swirl me beyond sometimes
Drench me water proof
Let eve drop forever
Rain sunsets on my roof
As I sit on the front porch of my sanity
Deciphering ham bones to van gogh this vanity
Oiled egos
Canvased and framed
To be reborn unborn unburied unnamed
A reflection through a blood stained glass window
Of souls gone yellow around the edges
[Esthero]
There is a monster living
It's the voice of children
It is the Tao of now
[Saul Williams]
Carbonated dreams and blurred daily lives
But let family bring focus
Out of swamps blossom lotus
The muddy water blue daughters of infinity
Gravity we water bodied Bodhisattva's our serenity
As we rise with the tides toward divinity
[Esthero]
Now,
There is a monster living its in the voice of children
It is the Tao of now
[Saul Williams]
Yes we rise with the tides towards divinity
The muddy water blue daughters of infinity
Gravity we water bodied Bodhisattva's our serenity
As we rise with the tides toward divinity,
Yes we rise with the tides towards divinity
Yes we rise with the tides towards divinity
Now we rise with the tides towards divinity
And we rise with the tides towards divinity
Cause we rise with the tides towards divinity
[Esthero]
Now
[Saul Williams]
The Tao of now
Is here amongst the living in the voice of children is the tao of now
[Esthero]
There is a monster living it's in the voice of children
It is the Tao of now
Oh ah oh
[Saul Williams]
Children of the night
Only some will star the sky
Only believers in death will die
And fathers must feather the wings of women
For the unfeathered masses dangle ridiculous
Carrying crosses to phalanx filled tombs
The future sells silence through blood rivered wombs
That ripple with riddles of cows and spoons and births
Moons and earths
Sun-centered at noon
[Esthero]
Now
[Saul Williams]
And here I stand
Court jestering infinity
Fetal fisted for revolution
But open hands birth humility
Now what you the density of an ego-less planet?
Must my spine be aligned to sprout wings?
I'm slouched into sling steps and kangoled with gang reps
But my orbit rainbows Saturn rings
Mystical elliptical
Presto Polaris
Karmic flamed future when Saturn's and Aries
And now I'm a fish called father
With gills type dizzy
Blowing liquid lullabies through the spine of time
I'm certain of Saturn's rivers and all else is fact
So baptize me in the stars
And wrap me in nighttime
Moon blue
Pupil my sight with orange balls of light
And echo my plight
Through the corridors of metaphor
What else are we living for if not to create
Fiction and rhyme?
My purpose is to make my soul
Rhyme with my
Mind over matter
Minds create matter
Minds create fiction
As a matter of fact
As if matter were fact
Matter is fact
So spirit must be fiction
Science fiction
Art fiction meta fiction
[Esthero]
Now
[Saul Williams]
The Tao of now
Is here amongst the living in the voice of children is the tao of now
[Esthero]
You are the divine reflection of this earth
She does not belong to you
No there is no need for your correction
All rivers run in the same direction
[Saul Williams]
If you're serving the father there's no son without mother
Parent bodies discover
Water bodies and drown
Wade me in the water
'Til Atlantis is found
On the sea floors of self
I'm starfish and unbound
Heard that name of that mound is stone mountain
Underwater volcanoes erupt
Water fountains of youth
Let's us carnal the equation, cancel out wind and truth
Swirl me beyond sometimes
Drench me water proof
Let eve drop forever
Rain sunsets on my roof
As I sit on the front porch of my sanity
Deciphering ham bones to van gogh this vanity
Oiled egos
Canvased and framed
To be reborn unborn unburied unnamed
A reflection through a blood stained glass window
Of souls gone yellow around the edges
[Esthero]
There is a monster living
It's the voice of children
It is the Tao of now
[Saul Williams]
Carbonated dreams and blurred daily lives
But let family bring focus
Out of swamps blossom lotus
The muddy water blue daughters of infinity
Gravity we water bodied Bodhisattva's our serenity
As we rise with the tides toward divinity
[Esthero]
Now,
There is a monster living its in the voice of children
It is the Tao of now
[Saul Williams]
Yes we rise with the tides towards divinity
The muddy water blue daughters of infinity
Gravity we water bodied Bodhisattva's our serenity
As we rise with the tides toward divinity,
Yes we rise with the tides towards divinity
Yes we rise with the tides towards divinity
Now we rise with the tides towards divinity
And we rise with the tides towards divinity
Cause we rise with the tides towards divinity
[Esthero]
Now
[Saul Williams]
The Tao of now
Is here amongst the living in the voice of children is the tao of now
[Esthero]
There is a monster living it's in the voice of children
It is the Tao of now
Lyrics submitted by show_your_bones
Tao of Now Lyrics as written by Saul Williams
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
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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/
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.
wow... i just dont know what to say about this song. i really wish there were a few ideas on here but looks like im gonna have to figure this one out on my own. this may take a while.
this is all i've got:
taoism is an ancient chinese philosophy of simplicity and selflessness.
thus, i think that saul is trying to say that if we look at children, we can see this. it is one of the best examples of taoism. as a child, life isnt complicated. no worries of love and money. these things dont matter to children.
This song made me cry with joy