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."
Dead star shine
Light up the sky
I'm all out of breath
My walls are closing in
Days go by
Give me a sign
Come back to the end
The shepherd of the damned
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive
If you show me the way
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
I'm falling apart
Leave me here forever in the dark
Daylight dies
Blackout the sky
Does anyone care?
Is anybody there?
Take this life
Empty inside
I'm already dead
I'll rise to fall again
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive
If you show me the way
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
I'm falling apart
Leave me here forever in the dark
God help me, I've come undone
Out of the light of the sun
God help me, I've come undone
Out of the light of the sun
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive
If you show me the way
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
Give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Just give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Just give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
Light up the sky
I'm all out of breath
My walls are closing in
Days go by
Give me a sign
Come back to the end
The shepherd of the damned
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive
If you show me the way
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
I'm falling apart
Leave me here forever in the dark
Daylight dies
Blackout the sky
Does anyone care?
Is anybody there?
Take this life
Empty inside
I'm already dead
I'll rise to fall again
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive
If you show me the way
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
I'm falling apart
Leave me here forever in the dark
God help me, I've come undone
Out of the light of the sun
God help me, I've come undone
Out of the light of the sun
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive
If you show me the way
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
Give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Just give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Just give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Forever, and ever
The scars will remain
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This is probably one of there best songs they have ever written. It's about a man who just broke up with the girl that he thought was his true destiny. He's broken and feels as if his soul has been left dead along with the relationship. He's on his last leg and wants to give in to the darkness. All he is asking is that someone please give him a sign to hold on and not end it all. It also seems as if he was playing the role of this persons guardian angel or a savior and when he found out how many times this person fell from grace it tore him up inside each and every time. He sees how this person is truly gone from his heart and now he wants the world to just fade away and he'd rather be left in the darkness forever then to face the reality of how this person has let him down so deeply.