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 used to tell me that you loved me once
What happened, what happened?
Where is all of this coming from?
What happened, what happened?
You say I'm crazy and there's nothing wrong
You're lying and you know I know
Baby what have we become?
What happened?
We used to never go to bed angry
But it's all we ever do lately
And you're turning away like you hate me
Do you hate me, do you hate me, oh
You can take this heart
Heal it or break it all apart
No, this isn't fair
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh ah ha
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh ah ha
Love me or leave me here, yeah
Do you remember when you loved me once?
What happened, what happened?
And you'd hold me here just because
What happened, no
We used to never go to bed angry
But it's all we ever do lately
You're turning away like you hate me
Do you hate me, do you hate me, oh
You can take this heart
Heal it or break it all apart
No, this isn't fair
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here
Love me baby please
'Cause I could still be the only one you need
The only one close enough to feel you breathe
Yeah I could still be that place where you run
Instead of the one that you're running from, ooh
You can take this heart
Heal it or break it all apart
No, this isn't fair
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here
What happened, what happened?
Where is all of this coming from?
What happened, what happened?
You say I'm crazy and there's nothing wrong
You're lying and you know I know
Baby what have we become?
What happened?
We used to never go to bed angry
But it's all we ever do lately
And you're turning away like you hate me
Do you hate me, do you hate me, oh
You can take this heart
Heal it or break it all apart
No, this isn't fair
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh ah ha
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh ah ha
Love me or leave me here, yeah
Do you remember when you loved me once?
What happened, what happened?
And you'd hold me here just because
What happened, no
We used to never go to bed angry
But it's all we ever do lately
You're turning away like you hate me
Do you hate me, do you hate me, oh
You can take this heart
Heal it or break it all apart
No, this isn't fair
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here
Love me baby please
'Cause I could still be the only one you need
The only one close enough to feel you breathe
Yeah I could still be that place where you run
Instead of the one that you're running from, ooh
You can take this heart
Heal it or break it all apart
No, this isn't fair
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here, oh, oh, ah, ha
Love me or leave me here
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Mountain Song
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I see this as being a story of a boy and a girl who are at a tough point in their relationship. The girl feels like things have fallen apart completely. She feels as though the boy hates her and doesn't want to be with her anymore, yet, he doesn't break up with her.
Every time she confronts him he says she's 'crazy and there's nothing wrong' but she knows better than that and has no idea what happened to them and their relationship.
Now she is finally confronting him, letting him know that he can either stay or leave - love her or leave her - as she hates being in this in-between stage where they are together, but broken.
She want's him to stay and love her but if things are going to continue the way they currently are then she knows it would be best to just end things, even if it would break her heart to do so.