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."
Help help help
Out out out out out out out now now now now now
The evil fell from your pretty mouth
Wrapped in your classic voice
Angelic in your syntax, demonic in
Your motive your pretty eyes don't know
That the water flowing from this well isn't fresh
Demolish all that sets you up against your rising up
Confessing all that's broken and watch the healing come
Spread out your open hands
Admit you've held them shut
Turn all the way around
Be swept away by this.
Time for surrender
Spread out your open hands
And He will raise you up
Confessing all that's broken
And watch the healing come
Spread out your open hands
Admit you've held them shut
Be swept away by this
Your clothes are smooth and spotless
The air is putrid sewage downwind of
Your pressed church clothes
Your eyes are black and empty
Your deeds are just for showing how
Big and bright your fake smile glows
I see you moving and their getting scared
Their eyes are focusing on something else
Your staring at me and I stare at you
I rage against everything that you do.
See them surrender
Spread out your open hands
And he will raise you up
Confessing all that's broken
Look at the healing come
Spread out your open hands
Admit you've held them shut
Be swept away by this
I see you moving and their getting scared
Their eyes are focusing on something else
Your staring at me and I stare at you
I rage against everything that you do
Get this hell out out of my way
There's nothing more that you can say so
Get this hell out get this hell
Out out out of my way
Get this hell out get this hell
Out out out of my way
We spread our open hands
And he is rising up
Repairing all that broken
Look at the healing come
We spread our open hands
Forgiveness holds them up
We're swept away by this.
Out out out out out out
Now now now now now now
Out out out out out out
Now now now now now now
Out out out out out out out now now now now now
The evil fell from your pretty mouth
Wrapped in your classic voice
Angelic in your syntax, demonic in
Your motive your pretty eyes don't know
That the water flowing from this well isn't fresh
Demolish all that sets you up against your rising up
Confessing all that's broken and watch the healing come
Spread out your open hands
Admit you've held them shut
Turn all the way around
Be swept away by this.
Time for surrender
Spread out your open hands
And He will raise you up
Confessing all that's broken
And watch the healing come
Spread out your open hands
Admit you've held them shut
Be swept away by this
Your clothes are smooth and spotless
The air is putrid sewage downwind of
Your pressed church clothes
Your eyes are black and empty
Your deeds are just for showing how
Big and bright your fake smile glows
I see you moving and their getting scared
Their eyes are focusing on something else
Your staring at me and I stare at you
I rage against everything that you do.
See them surrender
Spread out your open hands
And he will raise you up
Confessing all that's broken
Look at the healing come
Spread out your open hands
Admit you've held them shut
Be swept away by this
I see you moving and their getting scared
Their eyes are focusing on something else
Your staring at me and I stare at you
I rage against everything that you do
Get this hell out out of my way
There's nothing more that you can say so
Get this hell out get this hell
Out out out of my way
Get this hell out get this hell
Out out out of my way
We spread our open hands
And he is rising up
Repairing all that broken
Look at the healing come
We spread our open hands
Forgiveness holds them up
We're swept away by this.
Out out out out out out
Now now now now now now
Out out out out out out
Now now now now now now
Lyrics submitted by onthefinishline
Swept Away Lyrics as written by James Culpepper Sameer Bhattacharya
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
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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,
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