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."
These are the days of the endless summer
These are the days, the time is now
There is no past, there's only future
There's only here, there's only now
Oh your smiling face, your gracious presence
The fires of spring are kindling bright
Oh the radiant heart and the song of glory
Crying freedom into night
These are the days by the sparkling river
His timely grace and our treasured find
This is the love of the one magician
Turned the water into wine
These are days of the endless dancing
And the long walks on the summer night
These are the days of the true romancing
When I'm holding you, oh, so tight
These are the days by the sparkling river
And His timely grace and the treasured find
This is the love of the one great magician
Turned the water into wine
These are the days now that we must savor
And we must enjoy as we can
These are the days that will last forever
You've got to hold them in your heart.
These are the days, the time is now
There is no past, there's only future
There's only here, there's only now
Oh your smiling face, your gracious presence
The fires of spring are kindling bright
Oh the radiant heart and the song of glory
Crying freedom into night
These are the days by the sparkling river
His timely grace and our treasured find
This is the love of the one magician
Turned the water into wine
These are days of the endless dancing
And the long walks on the summer night
These are the days of the true romancing
When I'm holding you, oh, so tight
These are the days by the sparkling river
And His timely grace and the treasured find
This is the love of the one great magician
Turned the water into wine
These are the days now that we must savor
And we must enjoy as we can
These are the days that will last forever
You've got to hold them in your heart.
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
These Are the Days Lyrics as written by Van Morrison
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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WoW! One of the best songs I've ever heard. It encompasses so many emotions. It makes me hopefull of my "endless summer" ahead, regretful of some moments in my life, but happy for most. Any song that can address this many emotions is truly amazing; and this one is!
This is one of Van's best...it's about recognising our mortality and enjoying what we have while we are here on earth. Despite the references to 'One Great Magician' it's not a religious song, it's a heartfelt appreciation of what we have in life...warts and all.
I think Van is speaking of finding the kingdom of heaven within…the same one the “great magician” Jesus came to show us. He references the experience of being in the eternal now, reached through meditation or being the state of spiritual enlightenment. In esoteric imagery, the sparkling river is the living water or Truth that Jesus talks about drinking from his mouth. There is an element of grace to finding this kingdom of heaven within and one must be awakened and hear the call in order for it to make sense and for the path to be found. So it is timely grace and our receptivity that enables the “treasured find” of the kingdom of heaven. The divine is often called the “beloved” in esoteric symbolism, so the endless dancing, long walks and romancing are all symbols of delighting in ecstatic union with the divine as mystics throughout the ages have portrayed it.
@Philos It has been a few years since you posted your interpretation of the song, and I absolutely agree with it in every way, except that I would have clarified "The kingdom of heaven" more clearly. However, I appreciate you may not agree with my understanding of what "heaven" is. So the one and only line I would change, simply <br /> to clarify is: <br /> There is an element of grace to finding this kingdom of heaven WITHIN and one must be awakened and hear the call in order for it to make sense and for the path to be found. So it is timely grace and our receptivity that enables the “treasured find” , the state of being that is "the kingdom of heaven" which lies within us all , our eternal, true selves, our consciousness/soul. (Christ when asked where the Kingdom of God was, replied "Within you", and again Who/what is God? replied God is Love.
@Philos It has been a few years since you posted your interpretation of the song, and I absolutely agree with it in every way, except that I would have clarified "The kingdom of heaven" more clearly. However, I appreciate you may not agree with my understanding of what "heaven" is. So the one and only line I would change, simply <br /> to clarify is: <br /> There is an element of grace to finding this kingdom of heaven WITHIN and one must be awakened and hear the call in order for it to make sense and for the path to be found. So it is timely grace and our receptivity that enables the “treasured find” , the state of being that is "the kingdom of heaven" which lies within us all , our eternal, true selves, our consciousness/soul. (Christ when asked where the Kingdom of God was, replied "Within you", and again Who/what is God? replied God is Love.