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."
Age five just a little boy shy
Is he ready for the big surprise
He'll be playin' Lego in a dream
When the shadows come to life
Age nine then he should've been fine with a secret he's sure to keep
Two times and they tell a little lie
For the sake of him and me
Now it's over
I need closure
Hey! look what you did to me
While you were ticking me off
Gotta be stoned leave me alone
I'm waiting for mom to comfort me
But when I open my mouth
Don't say, nothing
Age twelve and it isn't going well
Now he's three years to the day
Confused, but unlike you
This feeling wont go away
Sixteen and the woman down the street
Has invited him to come inside
First time and it didn't feel right
It'll be the last time he tries
Hey! look what you did to me
While you were ticking me off
Gotta be stoned leave me alone
I'm waiting for mom to comfort me
But when I open my mouth
Don't say, nothing's wrong
I wont say nothing's wrong.
I wont say I wont say
I wont say I wont say
I wont say I wont say
Seventeen and all he's ever seen is
A limit in between the lies
It's kind of funny how a mind
Can keep living in denial
Eighteen is a very strange scene,
And hes still playin with the past
Expelled, maybe someone could've helped
If someone had known to ask
Hey! look what you did to me
While you were ticking me off
Gotta be stoned leave me alone
I'm waiting for mom to comfort me
But when I open my mouth
Don't say, nothing
Nineteen and he's innocently
Parked right beside a school
He stares at a boy sittin' there
And the boy stares at him too
He walks over
He needs closure
Is he ready for the big surprise
He'll be playin' Lego in a dream
When the shadows come to life
Age nine then he should've been fine with a secret he's sure to keep
Two times and they tell a little lie
For the sake of him and me
Now it's over
I need closure
Hey! look what you did to me
While you were ticking me off
Gotta be stoned leave me alone
I'm waiting for mom to comfort me
But when I open my mouth
Don't say, nothing
Age twelve and it isn't going well
Now he's three years to the day
Confused, but unlike you
This feeling wont go away
Sixteen and the woman down the street
Has invited him to come inside
First time and it didn't feel right
It'll be the last time he tries
Hey! look what you did to me
While you were ticking me off
Gotta be stoned leave me alone
I'm waiting for mom to comfort me
But when I open my mouth
Don't say, nothing's wrong
I wont say nothing's wrong.
I wont say I wont say
I wont say I wont say
I wont say I wont say
Seventeen and all he's ever seen is
A limit in between the lies
It's kind of funny how a mind
Can keep living in denial
Eighteen is a very strange scene,
And hes still playin with the past
Expelled, maybe someone could've helped
If someone had known to ask
Hey! look what you did to me
While you were ticking me off
Gotta be stoned leave me alone
I'm waiting for mom to comfort me
But when I open my mouth
Don't say, nothing
Nineteen and he's innocently
Parked right beside a school
He stares at a boy sittin' there
And the boy stares at him too
He walks over
He needs closure
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The abuse here is not sexual in my eyes. The part where people are really getting it wrong is:
"16 and the woman down the street has invited him to come inside. It was the first time It didn't feel right. It'll be the last time he tries."
The woman is not having sex with the 16 year old kid. I think she is trying to pull from him the truth about his abuse as a child, however as he starts telling her he "didn't feel right". Many children who undergo physical abuse, especially by a parent, feel like if they speak up about it they are in some way betraying their family. This marks the last time the boy will attempt to seek help from another person, and instead chooses to deal with the abuse alone.
As for the end:
"19 and he's innocently parked right beside a school. He stares at a boy sitting there and the boy stares at him too. He walks over He needs closure."
The boy in the song sees another boy who seems to be in a very similar situation. As part of his closure, he decides to talk to the boy and help him through his problem like no one did for him at that age.
I think the feeling of confusion in the song does not come from sex, but rather the confusion that comes with abuse from a primary care giver, the very people in your life that are supposed to love and comfort you. The boys father beat him and his mother stayed quite the whole time. Seems like a lot to live through.