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."
My lonely prison wall
I heard the young girl calling
Michael they are taking you away
For you stole travelyns corn
so the young might see the morn
now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay
Chorus 1:
Low lie the fields of athenry
where once we watched the small free birds fly
our love was on the wings
we had dreams and songs to sing
its so lonely round the fields of athenry
my lonely prison wall
i heard the young man calling
nothing matters mary when you're free
against and the famine and thecrown i rebelled
they shot me down
now you must raise our child with dignity
Chorus 1
my lonely hardbor wall i watched the star falling
as a prison ship sailed out against the sky
sure she'll wait and hope and pray
for her love in botany bay
its so lonely round the fields of athenry
chorus 1
Chorus 2:
i'm a rambler i'm a gambler
i'm a long way from home
and if you don't like me well leave me alone
i'll eat when i'm hungry i'll drink when i'm dry
and the moonshine don't kill me i'll live 'till i die
i've been a moonshiner for many a year
i've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
i'll go to some hollow i'll set up my still
and i'll make you a gallon for a ten shilling bill
chorus 2
i'll go to some hollow in this country
ten gallons of wash i can go honestly
no women to follow the world is all mine
i'll love none so well as i love the moonshine
chorus 2
oh moonshine oh moonshine oh how i love thee
it killed me old father but darent kill me
god bless all the moonshiners god bless all the moonshine
their breath smells as sweet as the dew on the vine
chorus 2
I heard the young girl calling
Michael they are taking you away
For you stole travelyns corn
so the young might see the morn
now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay
Chorus 1:
Low lie the fields of athenry
where once we watched the small free birds fly
our love was on the wings
we had dreams and songs to sing
its so lonely round the fields of athenry
my lonely prison wall
i heard the young man calling
nothing matters mary when you're free
against and the famine and thecrown i rebelled
they shot me down
now you must raise our child with dignity
Chorus 1
my lonely hardbor wall i watched the star falling
as a prison ship sailed out against the sky
sure she'll wait and hope and pray
for her love in botany bay
its so lonely round the fields of athenry
chorus 1
Chorus 2:
i'm a rambler i'm a gambler
i'm a long way from home
and if you don't like me well leave me alone
i'll eat when i'm hungry i'll drink when i'm dry
and the moonshine don't kill me i'll live 'till i die
i've been a moonshiner for many a year
i've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
i'll go to some hollow i'll set up my still
and i'll make you a gallon for a ten shilling bill
chorus 2
i'll go to some hollow in this country
ten gallons of wash i can go honestly
no women to follow the world is all mine
i'll love none so well as i love the moonshine
chorus 2
oh moonshine oh moonshine oh how i love thee
it killed me old father but darent kill me
god bless all the moonshiners god bless all the moonshine
their breath smells as sweet as the dew on the vine
chorus 2
Lyrics submitted by MJF92289
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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Yo La Tengo
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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.
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.