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."
Boys and girls, wanna hear a true story?
Saturday night was at this real wild party
There was liquor overflowin' the cup
About five or six strippers trying to work for a buck
So I took one girl outside with me
Her name was Londy, she went to Junior High with me
I said, "Why you up in there dancing for cash?
I guess a whole lot's changed since I seen you last"
She said
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
Girl, you ain't the only one to have a baby
That's no excuse to be living all crazy
So she stared me right square in the eye
And said, "Everyday I wake up, hoping to die"
She said, "They're gonna know about pain
'Cause me and my sister ran away
So our daddy couldn't rape us
Before I was a teenager
I done been through more shit
You can't even relate to"
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
What would you do?
Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
What would you do?
Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
What would you do?
Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
What would you do?
Get up off my feet!
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry
Saturday night was at this real wild party
There was liquor overflowin' the cup
About five or six strippers trying to work for a buck
So I took one girl outside with me
Her name was Londy, she went to Junior High with me
I said, "Why you up in there dancing for cash?
I guess a whole lot's changed since I seen you last"
She said
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
Girl, you ain't the only one to have a baby
That's no excuse to be living all crazy
So she stared me right square in the eye
And said, "Everyday I wake up, hoping to die"
She said, "They're gonna know about pain
'Cause me and my sister ran away
So our daddy couldn't rape us
Before I was a teenager
I done been through more shit
You can't even relate to"
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
What would you do?
Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
What would you do?
Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
What would you do?
Get up off my feet and stop making tired excuses
What would you do?
Get up off my feet!
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down
I ain't got a job now
He's just smokin' rock now
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone
On the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry
Lyrics submitted by EmilySophieRose
What Would You Do? Lyrics as written by Delmer Drew Arnaud Calvin Broadus
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
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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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Officially the best song ever (no offence directioners) such a brilliant cover to make a rap song from the early noughties into a dark pop song that would fit in nicely to any era of music ABSOLUTE CLASSIC!!!
@Bendubz I agree. This came up on my Pandora, and I was like "Holy shit, this is that one song from the nineties!" It's one of the most inventive covers. :)
I hate this song, judgemental santimonious COVER. The original song had better lyrics taking into consideration this single parent predicament. This says excues excuses about her poor predicament whilst she explains. I had to turn it off. Oh what she could do is work 7 jobs leave the child at home alone, as cannot afford childcare and that would be so much better (sarcasism). Unless you've been there bastille don't sing about it, I've never been here and l feel like an entitled person like yourself with a family who could support me when I was sick, who knows what would have happened if I hadn't come from a family with wealth, where you haven't been don't judge, unless your showing love and expanding our "compassionate wings". This society needs more empathy and compassion not less.