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."
Dirt work
I'm about two an' a quarter from rockin' the bird
An' about a G short from choppin' the third
Now I'm sittin' at the light with ten pounds of herb
Uh oh, there they go, the Red Dogs swerve
Jumped out, ?Man, damn, they got nerve?
Got the hell on, dropped everythin' includin' my word
Now it's off through the woods we go, here we go
Tossin' the greens an' blow, oh no
Dippin' through the trails, runnin' from twelve
Everybody gotta lay low
Escape routes major, elite street rollers
Shit, we doper than cola, straight from Ayatollah
A Town heat strokers, flamin' like the Devil's poker
Two of the best wit it, hot shit, we'll roast it
If it's beef, I'll choke ya an' leave you for the vultures
Or we can keep it cool, playboy an' I'll toast ya
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Well it's the rippinest, wickedest MC
Bustin' hard up out the ginseng
Tell more dope stories than a damn dope house dope fiend
Fuck the police, you know me
These hoes blow me slowly, seems like they owe me
Show me the dope, don't worry about the cash
Or your girlfriend's gonna be lonely, homey
These rich an' these vegetables spinnin' bony
Don't make me open my book bag an' you underscalin' on me
You understand me, Tony
You look like you wanna go on a boat
But you know I'll leave you bloatin' or floatin'
Like sailboats an' LTD's, private, please
I'm the nigga that earned his street stripes
An' they've seen me in the Source Magazine
So you can't even pass me three mikes
You get three strikes an' about a half of clip of bullets
So run it an' we can go on an' get our little prices up
An' act like we was on that Teen Summit
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
I'm about a four an' a half into workin' these slabs
An' about a hundred away from back in the lab
Now I done bust the next batch down an' my face lookin' drab
Uh oh, yep, this nigga done served me some bab
Me sad? Naw, mad
Quick to bust your ass
Playin' around wit a hustler's cash?
They'll find ya stankin' in the trash
An' escape wit your 'Billy Jean' an' 'Thriller' 'cause I'm 'Bad'
Who dat, them niggas wit the juice pack, you thought you had?
Naw, Dad, I'm glad my niggas keep a few thangs, wit a few mags
Down to toe tag, drop bags, switch tags an' haul ass
Smash till we out of gas, blast only if we gotta blast
Turn sunny days into an overcast
Abusive to the under class, when my tongue lash
An' I mash out wit OutKast
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
I'm about two an' a quarter from rockin' the bird
An' about a G short from choppin' the third
Now I'm sittin' at the light with ten pounds of herb
Uh oh, there they go, the Red Dogs swerve
Jumped out, ?Man, damn, they got nerve?
Got the hell on, dropped everythin' includin' my word
Now it's off through the woods we go, here we go
Tossin' the greens an' blow, oh no
Dippin' through the trails, runnin' from twelve
Everybody gotta lay low
Escape routes major, elite street rollers
Shit, we doper than cola, straight from Ayatollah
A Town heat strokers, flamin' like the Devil's poker
Two of the best wit it, hot shit, we'll roast it
If it's beef, I'll choke ya an' leave you for the vultures
Or we can keep it cool, playboy an' I'll toast ya
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Well it's the rippinest, wickedest MC
Bustin' hard up out the ginseng
Tell more dope stories than a damn dope house dope fiend
Fuck the police, you know me
These hoes blow me slowly, seems like they owe me
Show me the dope, don't worry about the cash
Or your girlfriend's gonna be lonely, homey
These rich an' these vegetables spinnin' bony
Don't make me open my book bag an' you underscalin' on me
You understand me, Tony
You look like you wanna go on a boat
But you know I'll leave you bloatin' or floatin'
Like sailboats an' LTD's, private, please
I'm the nigga that earned his street stripes
An' they've seen me in the Source Magazine
So you can't even pass me three mikes
You get three strikes an' about a half of clip of bullets
So run it an' we can go on an' get our little prices up
An' act like we was on that Teen Summit
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
I'm about a four an' a half into workin' these slabs
An' about a hundred away from back in the lab
Now I done bust the next batch down an' my face lookin' drab
Uh oh, yep, this nigga done served me some bab
Me sad? Naw, mad
Quick to bust your ass
Playin' around wit a hustler's cash?
They'll find ya stankin' in the trash
An' escape wit your 'Billy Jean' an' 'Thriller' 'cause I'm 'Bad'
Who dat, them niggas wit the juice pack, you thought you had?
Naw, Dad, I'm glad my niggas keep a few thangs, wit a few mags
Down to toe tag, drop bags, switch tags an' haul ass
Smash till we out of gas, blast only if we gotta blast
Turn sunny days into an overcast
Abusive to the under class, when my tongue lash
An' I mash out wit OutKast
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Dirt work, nigga, we don't play
I got a couple on the tool an' a few on the way
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
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Mountain Song
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Dusty Springfield
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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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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.