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."
You can tell the past boy I can tell the future
Give me a lobotomy and I can be your tutor
Open up the blast doors, then we can be
neutered
I can smell your fingerprints all over my
computer
So give me all the black-brown sticky
sugar-water
Swing you by your neck mama this can be
your future
Something very strange about your picture
in the mirror
When you move it doesn't move now how could
that be weirder?
Just keep on rubbernecking yeah whatever
feels familiar
I can send my brain on a holiday forever
You can fire a rocket at a rocket it's the future
If you weren't already dead I wouldn't have to
school ya
You say you're gonna change
But you don't have any time
Down in my beast heart,
I build an empire,
Whenever I'm blind I,
Open my wild eye
Go tell it to the plain clothed officer behind us
What are you a master of disguise and keeping
silent?
Drop another depth charge coiling like a viper
Eyes so close together make it harder for
the sniper
And shoot a starving porno for the yuppies
in a circle
Second death upon you swimming backwards
like a turtle
Man I really trusted you I thought you were civilian
I could shove a magnet in your mouth and
make a million
So did you pack your bag or did somebody pack it for you?
Take me to the sad, sad party that you
bound to
Whether you're a have not or a have I got a
question
Are you living dead or is it some kind of
possession?
You say you're gonna change
But you don't have any time
Down in my beast heart,
I build an empire,
Whenever I'm blind I,
Open my wild eye
I hear the death rattle of a time wasted.
Time.
Wasted.
You know that I believe in it.
You know that I believe in it.
But I'm wasted.
Oh you say you're gonna change
But you don't have any time
Down in my beast heart,
I build an empire,
Whenever I'm blind I,
Open my wild eye
Give me a lobotomy and I can be your tutor
Open up the blast doors, then we can be
neutered
I can smell your fingerprints all over my
computer
So give me all the black-brown sticky
sugar-water
Swing you by your neck mama this can be
your future
Something very strange about your picture
in the mirror
When you move it doesn't move now how could
that be weirder?
Just keep on rubbernecking yeah whatever
feels familiar
I can send my brain on a holiday forever
You can fire a rocket at a rocket it's the future
If you weren't already dead I wouldn't have to
school ya
You say you're gonna change
But you don't have any time
Down in my beast heart,
I build an empire,
Whenever I'm blind I,
Open my wild eye
Go tell it to the plain clothed officer behind us
What are you a master of disguise and keeping
silent?
Drop another depth charge coiling like a viper
Eyes so close together make it harder for
the sniper
And shoot a starving porno for the yuppies
in a circle
Second death upon you swimming backwards
like a turtle
Man I really trusted you I thought you were civilian
I could shove a magnet in your mouth and
make a million
So did you pack your bag or did somebody pack it for you?
Take me to the sad, sad party that you
bound to
Whether you're a have not or a have I got a
question
Are you living dead or is it some kind of
possession?
You say you're gonna change
But you don't have any time
Down in my beast heart,
I build an empire,
Whenever I'm blind I,
Open my wild eye
I hear the death rattle of a time wasted.
Time.
Wasted.
You know that I believe in it.
You know that I believe in it.
But I'm wasted.
Oh you say you're gonna change
But you don't have any time
Down in my beast heart,
I build an empire,
Whenever I'm blind I,
Open my wild eye
Lyrics submitted by qwertyfox
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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
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.
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.
favourite song off the album! can someone please tell me what it means?