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."
Word up, I ain't forget y'all, yeah Doug
Four to five times, dum-dums blast
In the chest of my brother, that breath was the last one
I don't believe it, my heart need a cast
I told him, GET OUT THAT LANE, cause it was too fast
Ain't it time to, cut these yellow lines, the
show must go on I got his younger brother on my mind
Cash tragic, wish I knew magic tricks
I'd bring it back to the physical script
And dreams is broke, he got smoked for coke - in the form of rock
What it made worse, he was on his own block
At the funeral, I cried then laughed
At the same time, my wrath, had me happy and sad
To reminisce, off his unique funnyness
Adds up to this, his life was a gift
To be back, the memories from days of way back
Before, Crips or gats, colored tops and graf
We thought, bikes was fat, and girls was whack
They said you died black, but I don't believe that
'Member that time I took the shit in the train station
And you said the cops was comin, but you was just playin
Right after we robbed that crackhead fams
That was back in the day, but DAMN
We both had the, high-top, fades like Kane and
We was fiendin for them Nike Airs on Fordham Road
It don't make sense, how you was gone
And it don't make rent, how I don't get paid for this song
But it make rent, in my pocket when I pull 'em out
And it make me, wanna go and.. yo
I feel like blastin myself, cause my pops is gone
This ain't nothin goin on, but the stocks and bonds
Lost in the ocean of life, provokin the strife
Couldn't see the day, with the motion of night
[Chorus - repeat 2X]
Off on the road, 3 card molly
Fuckin up the icey man in front of everybody
BX, the place I was from
BX, man I loved that slum
And Ms. Rios, sorry that I dissed your flag
And when Ty got shot, he had to shit in a bag
But that's okay, cause Ra lay, on the same corner
On the same ave, where I sold, marijuana
And Ms. Carolyn, was a nosy neighbor
Mr. Sack was screamin loud, but that was the days
of a angry sick juvenile, mentality
Not nice on the mic, but niggaz ain't wanna battle me
Cause the knuckle game was Chuck Norris
The gun was enchanted, enterin a buck-buck forest
Without the dollars, more lies that Morris
You know how it go, for con artists
I remember block parties and, 22's
And light and serious and, a funny crew
And Jabu I miss you, when you died I was upset
Couldn't know how it felt, to be a Vietnam vet
To hear bombs goin off in your ear, with big Metallica
And now we in the streets and the jails is like Galaga
They got your DNA sample
Plus they got your female in the house trampled
{*sounds*} is the hell of the train station
I try to move out, leave the pain vacant
But it stay here, and it stays there
Bust out, stray shots, there's no fear
[Chorus]
Four to five times, dum-dums blast
In the chest of my brother, that breath was the last one
I don't believe it, my heart need a cast
I told him, GET OUT THAT LANE, cause it was too fast
Ain't it time to, cut these yellow lines, the
show must go on I got his younger brother on my mind
Cash tragic, wish I knew magic tricks
I'd bring it back to the physical script
And dreams is broke, he got smoked for coke - in the form of rock
What it made worse, he was on his own block
At the funeral, I cried then laughed
At the same time, my wrath, had me happy and sad
To reminisce, off his unique funnyness
Adds up to this, his life was a gift
To be back, the memories from days of way back
Before, Crips or gats, colored tops and graf
We thought, bikes was fat, and girls was whack
They said you died black, but I don't believe that
'Member that time I took the shit in the train station
And you said the cops was comin, but you was just playin
Right after we robbed that crackhead fams
That was back in the day, but DAMN
We both had the, high-top, fades like Kane and
We was fiendin for them Nike Airs on Fordham Road
It don't make sense, how you was gone
And it don't make rent, how I don't get paid for this song
But it make rent, in my pocket when I pull 'em out
And it make me, wanna go and.. yo
I feel like blastin myself, cause my pops is gone
This ain't nothin goin on, but the stocks and bonds
Lost in the ocean of life, provokin the strife
Couldn't see the day, with the motion of night
[Chorus - repeat 2X]
Off on the road, 3 card molly
Fuckin up the icey man in front of everybody
BX, the place I was from
BX, man I loved that slum
And Ms. Rios, sorry that I dissed your flag
And when Ty got shot, he had to shit in a bag
But that's okay, cause Ra lay, on the same corner
On the same ave, where I sold, marijuana
And Ms. Carolyn, was a nosy neighbor
Mr. Sack was screamin loud, but that was the days
of a angry sick juvenile, mentality
Not nice on the mic, but niggaz ain't wanna battle me
Cause the knuckle game was Chuck Norris
The gun was enchanted, enterin a buck-buck forest
Without the dollars, more lies that Morris
You know how it go, for con artists
I remember block parties and, 22's
And light and serious and, a funny crew
And Jabu I miss you, when you died I was upset
Couldn't know how it felt, to be a Vietnam vet
To hear bombs goin off in your ear, with big Metallica
And now we in the streets and the jails is like Galaga
They got your DNA sample
Plus they got your female in the house trampled
{*sounds*} is the hell of the train station
I try to move out, leave the pain vacant
But it stay here, and it stays there
Bust out, stray shots, there's no fear
[Chorus]
Lyrics submitted by Batousi
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songs a fuckin classic. b-lyn.