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."
Maggie woke at 6:05
Brushed the dreams out of her eyes
And gazed in the mirror at a face full of compromise
Took some time to set the stage
Put on the lotion to control the age
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Step out the door to the summer sun
Hit the pavement for the morning run
Feels good, but it’s not what you’d call fun
Look at the hair, not a hint of gray
You’d better not get in her way
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
And it’s
Fold the hands to hide the ring
Smile doesn’t give away a thing
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Talk the talk and wink the wink
They’re gonna think that you think the think
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Could’ve been on the silver screen
Yeah she’s the queen of the could-have-been
Plays both sides and everything in between
Straight as an arrow with a twisted tip
On this tightrope she never slips
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Full of jokes and looking spry
Looking no one in the eye
Looking like the best kind of girl that money can buy
Look at the hair, not a hint of gray
It’s not a game, but she knows how to play
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
And it’s
Fold the hands to hide the ring
Smile doesn’t give away a thing
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Talk the talk and wink the wink
They’re gonna think that you think the think
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Back at home she let’s it slide
She can be who she is inside
Sad truth is there’s not much left to hide
But in this world so full of lies
All you can count on is your disguise
Maggie didn’t blow her cover for another day
And it’s
Fold the hands to hide the ring
Smile doesn’t give away a thing
Maggie didn’t blow her cover for another day
Walk the walk and drink the drink
They’re gonna know that you think the think
Maggie didn’t blow her cover
Maggie didn’t blow her cover
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
And another day
And another day
Brushed the dreams out of her eyes
And gazed in the mirror at a face full of compromise
Took some time to set the stage
Put on the lotion to control the age
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Step out the door to the summer sun
Hit the pavement for the morning run
Feels good, but it’s not what you’d call fun
Look at the hair, not a hint of gray
You’d better not get in her way
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
And it’s
Fold the hands to hide the ring
Smile doesn’t give away a thing
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Talk the talk and wink the wink
They’re gonna think that you think the think
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Could’ve been on the silver screen
Yeah she’s the queen of the could-have-been
Plays both sides and everything in between
Straight as an arrow with a twisted tip
On this tightrope she never slips
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Full of jokes and looking spry
Looking no one in the eye
Looking like the best kind of girl that money can buy
Look at the hair, not a hint of gray
It’s not a game, but she knows how to play
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
And it’s
Fold the hands to hide the ring
Smile doesn’t give away a thing
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Talk the talk and wink the wink
They’re gonna think that you think the think
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
Back at home she let’s it slide
She can be who she is inside
Sad truth is there’s not much left to hide
But in this world so full of lies
All you can count on is your disguise
Maggie didn’t blow her cover for another day
And it’s
Fold the hands to hide the ring
Smile doesn’t give away a thing
Maggie didn’t blow her cover for another day
Walk the walk and drink the drink
They’re gonna know that you think the think
Maggie didn’t blow her cover
Maggie didn’t blow her cover
Maggie’s going undercover for another day
And another day
And another day
Lyrics submitted by Psychonomaly
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