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."
This place is a hole, and I don't want to go.
I wish we could stay here forever alone.
This time that we waste, but I still love your taste.
Don't let him take my place, don't just sit there.
Sometimes I wish you would leave me.
Well I'm not sick of you yet, is this as good as it gets,
I'll just say it, or I could slip into you,
Its so easy to come back into you.
I stand for awhile, and waited for words,
Seemed to not hurt and struggled to try.
My tongue's turning black, but I'll take you back.
You're still the best more or less, I guess.
I guess.
Don't you leave me,
Well I'm not sick of you yet,
Is that as good as it gets,
I'll just say it, or I could slip into you,
Its so easy to come back into you.
It hurts me to say that it hurts me to stay.
And it might be alright if you go.
It hurts me to say that I want you to stay,
But it might be alright if you go.
So leave me, well I'm not sick of you yet,
Is that as good as it gets.
I'll just try to hide it, or I could slip into you,
It's so easy to come back into you.
Sometimes I think that the bitter in you,
And the quitter in me,
Is the bitter in you and the quitter in me.
The bitter in you, and the quitter in me,
Is the bitter in you and the quitter in me.
The bitter in you, and the quitter in me,
Is the bitter in you and the quitter in me,
Is better than the both of us.
I wish we could stay here forever alone.
This time that we waste, but I still love your taste.
Don't let him take my place, don't just sit there.
Sometimes I wish you would leave me.
Well I'm not sick of you yet, is this as good as it gets,
I'll just say it, or I could slip into you,
Its so easy to come back into you.
I stand for awhile, and waited for words,
Seemed to not hurt and struggled to try.
My tongue's turning black, but I'll take you back.
You're still the best more or less, I guess.
I guess.
Don't you leave me,
Well I'm not sick of you yet,
Is that as good as it gets,
I'll just say it, or I could slip into you,
Its so easy to come back into you.
It hurts me to say that it hurts me to stay.
And it might be alright if you go.
It hurts me to say that I want you to stay,
But it might be alright if you go.
So leave me, well I'm not sick of you yet,
Is that as good as it gets.
I'll just try to hide it, or I could slip into you,
It's so easy to come back into you.
Sometimes I think that the bitter in you,
And the quitter in me,
Is the bitter in you and the quitter in me.
The bitter in you, and the quitter in me,
Is the bitter in you and the quitter in me.
The bitter in you, and the quitter in me,
Is the bitter in you and the quitter in me,
Is better than the both of us.
Lyrics submitted by xADAMxSTIx, edited by Faradei
Lover Dearest Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
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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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
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.
"this place is a hole, but I don't wanna go" He knows that he will get nowhere in his addiction, but he can't just give it up.
"I wish we could stay here forever alone" He wants to be with the numbness that comes with the use of heroin without his concipus telling him it's bad.
"this time that we waste but I still love your taste" He knows that he isn't going to get anywhere, but he loves of too much to stop of let to of his drug.
"Don't let him take my place don't just sit there" He wants someone to helpl him to get over his drug addiction an eating disorder "sometimes I wish you would leave me, woaa, I'm not sick of you yet" Sometimes he wants his addiction or eating disorder to just go away, but then doubts and realizes he still wants it.
"I stared for a while and waited for words seen but not heard and struggle to try" -he was waiting for something to help him get through it, but nothing ever came. He was struggling to get through it.
"and my tounges turning black but I'll tale you back" -his addiction is killing him but he's still not willing to give it up yet.
"you're still the best more of less I guess" -the drug will still always make him feel better, no matter what the amount is.
"it hurts me to say that it hurts me to stay and it might be alright if you go" It bothers him that he can't live without it, but he knows it would be better without it,
"it hurts me to say that I want you to stay but it might be alright if you go" It bothers him that he needs the drug or he can't get over his eating disorder but it would be ok if it didn't go away.
"Sometimes I think that the bitter in you and the quitter in me is the bitter in you and the quitter in me.... Is bigger than the both of us" -the after feeling of vein high is the bitter, and that feeling makes him wanna quit smoking/shooting (whichever he was doing) and that it is bigger than his addiction and bigger than himself.
"I'll just hide it" He'll hide his addiction or eating disorder from everyone
"I stared for a while and waited for words, seen but not heard" He waited for the words to come to ask for help,