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."
How do we agree?
How do we exceed?
Places that our lives have taken
Sharpened instruments
Failed experiments
Faces of the occupation
Boxing helps. I guess, I think it toughens your mind
I think you push yourself beyond certain limits, past
The worst thing in the world is to be in a fight and to get tired
You don't want to get tired in a fight
Say that you can show me
You don't know me
You want to live oh
Say that you can own me
You think you know me but you're wrong
No matter how much natural ability you have
There's a lot of working at it
You know, you don't need, Muhammad Ali was a great fighter
But if he didn't train as hard as he did, he
You'd never hear the name Muhammad Ali become
You have to train hard
You have to devote yourself one hundred percent
You can't be a success if you don't have any part of it
Like if you don't have discipline. You need discipline
You need discipline to do things
And the discipline is you do it without things, you know?
No matter if we say we believe this, we believe that
You know there's certain things we believe
But just how strongly we believe is a matter, you know
It's what we want to believe
A force much stronger than us, a power
A power much more powerful, you know? But we still don't know
No matter how much we think we believe
We still tremor at the thought of dying
We shiver almost died, you know?
There's something out there
But just to me it's like the great unknown. You know? I don't know.
One of the most important things in life
Is to have people who care about you, and you care about
You know Love is the magic word, it is, you know?
If it wasn't for love I wouldn't be here today
How do we exceed?
Places that our lives have taken
Sharpened instruments
Failed experiments
Faces of the occupation
Boxing helps. I guess, I think it toughens your mind
I think you push yourself beyond certain limits, past
The worst thing in the world is to be in a fight and to get tired
You don't want to get tired in a fight
Say that you can show me
You don't know me
You want to live oh
Say that you can own me
You think you know me but you're wrong
No matter how much natural ability you have
There's a lot of working at it
You know, you don't need, Muhammad Ali was a great fighter
But if he didn't train as hard as he did, he
You'd never hear the name Muhammad Ali become
You have to train hard
You have to devote yourself one hundred percent
You can't be a success if you don't have any part of it
Like if you don't have discipline. You need discipline
You need discipline to do things
And the discipline is you do it without things, you know?
No matter if we say we believe this, we believe that
You know there's certain things we believe
But just how strongly we believe is a matter, you know
It's what we want to believe
A force much stronger than us, a power
A power much more powerful, you know? But we still don't know
No matter how much we think we believe
We still tremor at the thought of dying
We shiver almost died, you know?
There's something out there
But just to me it's like the great unknown. You know? I don't know.
One of the most important things in life
Is to have people who care about you, and you care about
You know Love is the magic word, it is, you know?
If it wasn't for love I wouldn't be here today
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Well those aren't the lyrics I submitted. Part of the second verse is wrong and most of the spoken parts have changed. I'll post what I had below. Chuvalo's parts are in the brackets.
[Boxing helps. I guess... I think it toughens your mind. I think you push yourself beyond certain limits, past certain limits as a fighter. The worst thing in the world is to be in a fight and to get tired. You don't want to get tired in a fight.]
You say you can show me, but you don't know me You won't and never will You say that you can owe me, you think you know me But you're wrong
[No matter how much natural ability you have, there's a lot of work in it. You know, you don't need... Muhammad Ali was a great fighter but if he didn't train as hard as he did, he would never be the Muhammad Ali that he did become so... you know, you have to train hard, you have to devote yourself one hundred percent.]
[You can't be a success if you don't have any part of it. Like if you're not disciplined. You need discipline. You need discipline to do things. And the discipline, you can do without things, you know?]
[No matter if we say we believe this, we believe that, you know... there's certain things we believe. But just how strongly we believe is a matter, you know... it's what we want to believe. A force much stronger than us, a power... a power much more powerful, you know? But we still don't know. No matter how much we think we believe, we still tremor at the thought of dying. You know, mostly we shiver, it's, uh, like I'll die, or once, my opponents have died, or almost died, you know? There's something out there. But just to me it's like the great unknown. You know? I don't know.]
[One of the most important things in life is to have people who care about you, and that you care about, you know? Love is the magic word, it is, you know? If it wasn't for love I wouldn't be here today.]