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."
Sometimes I think I'm not that strong
But there's a force that carries me on
Sick of my small heart, made of steel
Sick of the wounds that never heal (Never heal)
'Cause I have lived my life in debt
I've spent my days in deep regret
Yeah, I've been living in the red
Oh, 'cause I can't forgive and I can't forget
Forget
Forget, forget, forget, forget
Ain't no time to regret
Yeah, it's time to forget
Ever since I can remember
Life was like a tipping scale
Like an abacus I played with
Counting every win and fail
'Cause I have lived my life in debt
I've spent my days in deep regret
Yeah, I've been living in the red
But I wanna forgive and forget
Forget, forget, forget, forget
Ain't no time for regret
Yeah, it's time to be letting go
Oh baby, you know
What I'm talking about
Got nothing to lose and nothing to prove
Oh baby, I'm bowing out
I'm bowing out
Yeah, I've been dancing with the devil
I love that he pretends to care
If I'll ever get to heaven
When a million dollars gets you there
Oh, all the time that I have wasted
Chasing rabbits down a hole
When I was born to be the tortoise
I was born to walk alone
Forget about it
Forget about it
Forget about it
Forget, forget, forget, forget
Ain't no time for regret
I'm gonna leave the past behind
I've had enough, I'm breaking through
No pressing stop, erase, rewind
That chain of thought that followed me
I've put my money where my mouth is
For the first time in my life
I've made mistakes, but I believe that
Everything was worth the fight
'Cause in the end, the road is long
But only 'cause it makes you strong
It's filled with peaks and twists and turns
Sometimes you have to learn to forget about it
But there's a force that carries me on
Sick of my small heart, made of steel
Sick of the wounds that never heal (Never heal)
'Cause I have lived my life in debt
I've spent my days in deep regret
Yeah, I've been living in the red
Oh, 'cause I can't forgive and I can't forget
Forget
Forget, forget, forget, forget
Ain't no time to regret
Yeah, it's time to forget
Ever since I can remember
Life was like a tipping scale
Like an abacus I played with
Counting every win and fail
'Cause I have lived my life in debt
I've spent my days in deep regret
Yeah, I've been living in the red
But I wanna forgive and forget
Forget, forget, forget, forget
Ain't no time for regret
Yeah, it's time to be letting go
Oh baby, you know
What I'm talking about
Got nothing to lose and nothing to prove
Oh baby, I'm bowing out
I'm bowing out
Yeah, I've been dancing with the devil
I love that he pretends to care
If I'll ever get to heaven
When a million dollars gets you there
Oh, all the time that I have wasted
Chasing rabbits down a hole
When I was born to be the tortoise
I was born to walk alone
Forget about it
Forget about it
Forget about it
Forget, forget, forget, forget
Ain't no time for regret
I'm gonna leave the past behind
I've had enough, I'm breaking through
No pressing stop, erase, rewind
That chain of thought that followed me
I've put my money where my mouth is
For the first time in my life
I've made mistakes, but I believe that
Everything was worth the fight
'Cause in the end, the road is long
But only 'cause it makes you strong
It's filled with peaks and twists and turns
Sometimes you have to learn to forget about it
Lyrics submitted by dlsfjdsfdsfsadfd
Forget Lyrics as written by Marina Lambrini Diamandis
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
This song literally describes everything I've been and am going through. Sometimes - well,most times - I don't think I can rise above depression anymore,but once it dies down,something keeps me going despite every good reason I have inside to end it all. I have spent my life in debt to my friends and family for being so disconnected and ungrateful and leeching off of their loyalty and help,and I regret being this way. It's all because I can't bring myself to just forget the sadness and all of my insecurities and forgive myself for the constant self-deprecation; that's really what life is about,even according to this song: forgetting that life is difficult doesn't make it so difficult. There is no time to wallow in regret; your life gets shorter by the minute.
Ever since I recognized this deep sadness,I've weighed my epiphanies and my defeats and wondered what life really consisted of. Are we destined for darkness with insignificant,chance sightings of light,or is it that we're just not looking at life in the best way? Not knowing the answer really makes you go insane! Firing and ricocheting from joy to emptiness takes the worst toll on your emotional well-being,but you start to realize that you need to forget taking score.
It kind of seems like when she sings,"Baby,you know," that she's talking to herself. You know,treating herself more gently than she has been because she's at rock bottom,and there's nothing she has to prove and nothing she has that she can lose anymore. I wanna bow out too; I'm tired of worrying about that reputation.
"Yeah,I've been dancing with the devil; I love that he pretends to care if I'll ever get to heaven when a million dollars gets you there." I only recently understood what this line means,honestly. Sadness and all those dark feelings make you think they comfort you and lead you a little more to becoming a genuinely happier person,but these feelings are persistent and daily. They are there to ruin you,and this "heaven" it seemingly cares that you reach is easy (for her) to reach (a million dollars/she's wealthy) and is shallow because that heaven is actually depression and emptiness. This line could mean so many different things though,and that's just my take.
I've definitely wasted a lot of time chasing fantasies such as feeling like I truly fit in with most of society,other people,their interests,and their passions,when I've known deep down that I was born different,unknown whether happily or mistakenly. I go at a slower pace with life,and I admire simple things and nature and strangers that pass by and everything in-between. Nobody wants to stay back and walk with the tortoise,so I've expected and dealt with the unavoidable loneliness of it all. All I can do is forget about it and try my best to live.
My past is full of embarrassment and regret and uncomfortable states of mind,and I'm gonna need leave it all behind some time. It's simply not worth it to keep bringing it up out of the grave and grieving over stupid mistakes that I can't change. I have to follow through with all the philosophies I've told myself I believe in. I need to remember that everything I've done has brought me to where I am and finally feel like I'm on the right track.
The last four lines are really what get me. They're just so comforting and true. Most of our moments of joy come from distraction,and I used to feel so against this. What's the use in hating that fact? Sometimes you have to learn to forget about how much life can feel like shit.
This song could be about trying to be more vulnerable and trying to forget the past mistakes she's made.