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 woke up screaming
But no one heard the drying river shining
To the breathing world (what was I dreaming of...)
And I missed all the gardens all the animals' footprints fresh in the rain
Now there is only the train the beast gives wait
Another master another day
In the borderlands
Cities forgotten
Borderlands crossing over me
So wipe the tears from your cheekbones
And the blood from your fingers
We are the ghosts in the theater of human rights
Just beyond their security lights
In the borderlands cities forgotten
Borderlands crossing over me
To the borderlands
Rivers and mountains
Borderlands
Crossing over me
(Crossed me)
This world is bigger than this
Bigger than lines drawn by governments
Illusions we're tracked by your eyes always watching
Just like the cameras twisting 'round this place
Out 24, 000 miles in space
Always so cold and so clear
But how do we get to the world from here?
Crash the system's hate from the factory floor to the white house gate
Crush the system's hate
From the maquiladora to the White House gate
To the borderlands cities forgotten (crossing over)
Borderlands
Crossing over me
To the borderlands
Rivers and mountains
Borderlands
Crossing over me
But no one heard the drying river shining
To the breathing world (what was I dreaming of...)
And I missed all the gardens all the animals' footprints fresh in the rain
Now there is only the train the beast gives wait
Another master another day
In the borderlands
Cities forgotten
Borderlands crossing over me
So wipe the tears from your cheekbones
And the blood from your fingers
We are the ghosts in the theater of human rights
Just beyond their security lights
In the borderlands cities forgotten
Borderlands crossing over me
To the borderlands
Rivers and mountains
Borderlands
Crossing over me
(Crossed me)
This world is bigger than this
Bigger than lines drawn by governments
Illusions we're tracked by your eyes always watching
Just like the cameras twisting 'round this place
Out 24, 000 miles in space
Always so cold and so clear
But how do we get to the world from here?
Crash the system's hate from the factory floor to the white house gate
Crush the system's hate
From the maquiladora to the White House gate
To the borderlands cities forgotten (crossing over)
Borderlands
Crossing over me
To the borderlands
Rivers and mountains
Borderlands
Crossing over me
Lyrics submitted by StrikeAgainstRiseAnywhere
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Mountain Song
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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Quoting Thomas Barnett:
Inspired by all the different people trying to get somewhere where they can eat food and have a family. It's ... about this Central American and Mexican movement of people to move back north to have a piece of this world. It references "The Beast" in the second verse, which is the name of the train that people would jump on and hope that they survive it to get across the border. To get somewhere where there's not political executions that are often orchestrated by these middle-men groups so that our corporations can have a very fertile and flexible footing and cheap labor in these countries that these people call home. So, it's about immigration and human rights.