Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
We pick up in New York City
I'm trying to find the man I never got to be
But when I push down on the pavement
I found the whole thing so much harder than it seemed
The only deal I ever signed
No devil drew a dotted line
The stage was set, the words were mine
I'm not complaining
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Wake up, shake it off
And repeat
It's just a phase
It's not forever
It's just a phase
But I still might have a ways to go
Every night around this time
My friends and I, we treat it like a race
But when I really start to break it down
I wouldn't trust a girl who knew about this place
Walking on with no one left
Speak softly underneath my breath
Hey world you ain't seen nothing yet
Hey now, it's waiting.
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Wake up, shake it off
And repeat
It's just a phase
It's not forever
It's just a phase
But I still might have a ways
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Dreamed somebody missed me
Wake up, shake it off
And repeat it, repeat it, repeat after me
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Cut me off and pour me in the street
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
I'm trying to find the man I never got to be
But when I push down on the pavement
I found the whole thing so much harder than it seemed
The only deal I ever signed
No devil drew a dotted line
The stage was set, the words were mine
I'm not complaining
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Wake up, shake it off
And repeat
It's just a phase
It's not forever
It's just a phase
But I still might have a ways to go
Every night around this time
My friends and I, we treat it like a race
But when I really start to break it down
I wouldn't trust a girl who knew about this place
Walking on with no one left
Speak softly underneath my breath
Hey world you ain't seen nothing yet
Hey now, it's waiting.
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Wake up, shake it off
And repeat
It's just a phase
It's not forever
It's just a phase
But I still might have a ways
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Dreamed somebody missed me
Wake up, shake it off
And repeat it, repeat it, repeat after me
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Cut me off and pour me in the street
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey
Water, water, water
Sleep
Lyrics submitted by Marbar7890, edited by kenkei
Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey Lyrics as written by John Mayer
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"'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."
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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."
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I really wish I wasn't able to relate to this song.
This is my favorite song from his current album.
I think it perfectly captures the grown up John Mayer that we seem to have found in Born & Raised. He's a little worn down, he's a little more realistic, but in his soul he's still looking for something more.
Well, at least that's how the song strikes me, and that's how I can relate to it.
My favorite lines are: It's just a phase, it's not forever, it's just a phase, but I still might have a ways to go.
This song kinda captures the moments in life when those who find (or once found) solace in the party scene, start to somehow reel away in it's essence of emptiness.
"It's"(the song and such moments in life) (are) both melancholic yet therapeutic simultaneously.
I've thought nearly every thought and phase Mayer represented in this song, and it seems to help to me deal with the unknowingness of meaningless and the hopeful search for purpose that drapes the existence of those who live into their 30's.
It is likely the best song on Mayer's most recent album, and let's hope he gets back to expressing himself about the darks of life further on his next album(which he masterfully does on all his projects). Because, the powers that be, know, I need it...;)
I feel like John is showing us the transition he may be going through in his life at this point in time.
"It's just a phase...It's not forever...but I still might have a ways to go."
On the surface, this song allows us to believe that he sees alcohol as a way to numb the pain of his uncomfortable transition through life. I also think he's trying to say that he has more to learn as things change. He's stumbling over the transitional problems he's facing, just as a drunk person (who has had a little too much whiskey, whiskey, whiskey) might stumble over obstacles that seem so simple to overcome.
This is definitely one of his deeper songs and I think it can apply to anyone who may be going through an uncomfortably awkward stage in their life.
Corrections:
We pick up in New York City I try to find the man I never got to be But when I push down on the pavement I find the whole thing so much harder than it seems
The only deal I ever signed No* devil drew a dotted line The stage was set, the words were mine I'm not complaining
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Wake up, shake it off And repeat
It's just a phase It's not forever It's just a phase But* I still might have a ways to go
Every night around this time My friends and I we treat it like a race But when I really start to break it down I wouldn't trust a girl who knew about this place
Walking home with no one left Speak softly underneath my breath Hey world you ain't seen nothing yet Great now it's raining
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Wake up, shake it off And repeat
It's just a phase It's not forever It's just a phase But I still might have a ways...yeah
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Wake up, shake it off And repeat it, repeat it, repeat after me
(First of alI, sorry for my bad english.)
I think it's related to the period where he recorded the Born&Raised album.
"We pick up in New York City. I'm tryin' to find the man I never got to be. But when I push down on the pavement, find the whole thing so much harder than it seems."
"The only deal I ever signed, no devil drew a dotted line. The stage was set, the words were mine, I'm not complaining"
"Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, water, water, water, sleep. Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, wake up, shake it off and repeat. It's just a phase, it's not forever, it's just a phase but I still might have a ways to go..."
"Every night around this time, my friends and I we treat it like a race. But when I really start to break it down, I wouldn't trust a girl who knew about this place"
"Walking on with no one left, speak softly underneath my breath: 'Hey world you ain't seen nothing yet!'. -Great, now it's raining"
"Dreamed somebody missed me... wake up, shake it off and repeat it, repeat it, repeat after me"
"...Cuttin' me off and pour me in the street"
Well, there it is, it's my interpretation of this great song. It's my favourite album, also.
I think sinshereinsong got most of the corrections right, but this is how I think the lyrics are:
We pick up in New York City I'm tryna to find the man I never got to be But when I pushed down on the pavement I found the whole thing so much harder than it seemed
The only deal I ever signed No devil drew a dotted line The stage was set, the words were mine I'm not complaining
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Wake up, shake it off And repeat
It's just a phase It's not forever It's just a phase But I still might have a ways To go
Every night around this time My friends and I, we treat it like a race But when I really start to break it down I wouldn't trust a girl who knew about this place
Walking on/home with no one left Speak softly underneath my breath Hey world, you ain't seen nothing yet Great, now it's raining
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Wake up, shake it off And repeat
It's just a phase It's not forever It's just a phase But I still might have a ways
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Dream somebody missed me Wake up, shake it off And repeat it, repeat it, repeat after me
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Cut me off and pour me in the Street
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey Water, water, water Sleep
I think BobTheRhino's nailed the first verse, but I think there's a bit more to the second verse. I don't think the song's a comment about his own life so much as a comment about the GLOBAL alcoholism epidemic fueled by distillers (in particular) focusing on and exploiting "new" drinkers -- did you know that the French even have their own word for "binge drinking" now?
I'd offer the following slight changes for the second verse:
Every night around this time My friends and I, we'd treat it like a race (<<=as in, most of them got smarter) But when I really start to break it down I wouldn't trust a girl who knew about this place
Walking home when no one's left (<<=as in, last to leave the bar) Speak softly underneath my breath Hey world, you ain't seen nothing yet Great, now it's raining (are these 2 lines the most desperate lyrics ever??)
I think it's a sensational song, easily one of his best (and I happen to think he's done some great stuff, too) ... but now I'm off to see if I can find him actually credited anywhere as the lyricist.