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've been away for a long, long time
Tears from the trees fall on sullen lives
Dropped in the wake of a plastic mind
Some kinda love and I heard it's mine
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
I've been away for a long, long time
Tears from the trees fall on sullen lives
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
Something will be on the minds so undeveloped
So they will leave links to the banks to crack the codes
It's the part of you that stays
Leaving nothing but a stain
Bang
Take you down a peg
(We crash into the rocks below)
(We crash into the rocks below)
No water here
No quarter here
I don't wanna fear you man, oh no
Just wanna have you here
Don't go
I've been away for a long, long time
Tears from the trees fall on sullen lives
Dropped in the wake of a plastic mind
Some kinda love and I heard it's mine
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
Something will be on the minds so undeveloped
So they will leave links to the banks to crack the codes
It's the part of you that stays (take you down a peg)
Leaving nothing but a stain
Sometimes we'll be laying by the docks so undisturbed
Folding, maybe, leaves on the ground turned brown with age
That's the part of you that stays
That's the part I hope remains
Take you down a peg
Tears from the trees fall on sullen lives
Dropped in the wake of a plastic mind
Some kinda love and I heard it's mine
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
I've been away for a long, long time
Tears from the trees fall on sullen lives
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
Something will be on the minds so undeveloped
So they will leave links to the banks to crack the codes
It's the part of you that stays
Leaving nothing but a stain
Bang
Take you down a peg
(We crash into the rocks below)
(We crash into the rocks below)
No water here
No quarter here
I don't wanna fear you man, oh no
Just wanna have you here
Don't go
I've been away for a long, long time
Tears from the trees fall on sullen lives
Dropped in the wake of a plastic mind
Some kinda love and I heard it's mine
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
It's the Devil and I can't see you
Split the difference and you can be the same
Something will be on the minds so undeveloped
So they will leave links to the banks to crack the codes
It's the part of you that stays (take you down a peg)
Leaving nothing but a stain
Sometimes we'll be laying by the docks so undisturbed
Folding, maybe, leaves on the ground turned brown with age
That's the part of you that stays
That's the part I hope remains
Take you down a peg
Lyrics submitted by peaceoutside
Devil You Know Lyrics as written by Robert Harold Guy Dave Joseph Dobbyn
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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i think its about a guy who was away in prison for a long time and finally got out and he still has a criminal mind cause thats just what he loves to do, be a criminal. then in the lyrics "something will be on the minds so undeveloped" meaning he'll have a not so well drawn out plan to steal something so then he gets people to get on the inside of a bank and crack the codes to the vaults. then when its like "thats the part of you that stays, its the part i hope remains" means like theres a part of him that knows hes doing wrong. then in the end he crashes into the rocks as in he gets caught again.