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."
Peek in, sneak about
peek in, sneak about
your broken hearted detective
hey girl save the liar
can't you see his pants on fire
hey girl, save the liar
can't you see his pants on fire
my back it hurts again
it aches like history
cottonmouth and all lit up
you're smiling back at me, but
I feel you must have failed me
once again you've let me down
my confidence below my knees now
I need to find you out
[Chorus:]
Peek in, sneak about
I'm gonna snoop and call you out
I caught you, your hands are red
Now I'm your broken hearted detective
Hey, hey hey
Hey lover why the gun?
Hold on I'm almost there
It's too late you've killed the trust
Don't act so unaware
Why are you so destructive?
Do you realize what you've done?
you can't bring it back to life now
What are you running from?
[Chorus]
I don't like the way I feel
I just want you to be real
Hey girl, save the liar
Can't you see his pants on fire?
Hey girl, save the liar
Can't you see his pants on fire?
I'm rummaging through your closet
Imagining all the worst thoughts
[Chorus x2]
Peek in, peek in
Peek in, peek in
Peek in, sneak about
I'm gonna snoop and call you out
I've caught you, you're hands are red
Now I'm you're brokenhearted detective
peek in, sneak about
your broken hearted detective
hey girl save the liar
can't you see his pants on fire
hey girl, save the liar
can't you see his pants on fire
my back it hurts again
it aches like history
cottonmouth and all lit up
you're smiling back at me, but
I feel you must have failed me
once again you've let me down
my confidence below my knees now
I need to find you out
[Chorus:]
Peek in, sneak about
I'm gonna snoop and call you out
I caught you, your hands are red
Now I'm your broken hearted detective
Hey, hey hey
Hey lover why the gun?
Hold on I'm almost there
It's too late you've killed the trust
Don't act so unaware
Why are you so destructive?
Do you realize what you've done?
you can't bring it back to life now
What are you running from?
[Chorus]
I don't like the way I feel
I just want you to be real
Hey girl, save the liar
Can't you see his pants on fire?
Hey girl, save the liar
Can't you see his pants on fire?
I'm rummaging through your closet
Imagining all the worst thoughts
[Chorus x2]
Peek in, peek in
Peek in, peek in
Peek in, sneak about
I'm gonna snoop and call you out
I've caught you, you're hands are red
Now I'm you're brokenhearted detective
Lyrics submitted by aznskatergurl
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.
I don't think these lyrics are correct... =/
doesnt it say "hey lover why the gun" the chorus of this song sounds like it should be on a barbie cd hhahahaha but its cute this album is SO 80s
awesome song to sing along with. and i dont think the lyrics are correct either... and ps you need a grammar lesson whoever posted this, "your smiling back at me" no no that would be "YOU'RE smiling back at me" as in you are smiling back at me yeppp you suck
No Doubt RULES. And the lyrics are "hey lover, why the gun." It says so right in the lyrics on their website. Get it right, people! This is a great song!
Correction - the lyrics are inside the cover of Rock Steady. My bad.
SomeGirl is right, it is "hey lover why the gun" and i love this song! Just the way all the instruments give it the coolest sound and I agree stargazer00, this album, esp. this song, is soooooo 80's!
oh, and it's about her friend, not her
gwen and gavin were on good terms during rs
This song has such a mysterious feel to it...the Detective title and lyrical content makes me think of, you know, real detectives; back in the days when they wore those fedoras & trenchcoats, and carried magnifying glasses =]...haha, Sherlock Holmes anyone? I just love this song, it has the coolest sound...I'll never get tired of it.
The lyrics remind me of Danielle Steel's book Vanished-which is about a woman whose husband kidnaps their son. It's a pretty good mystery, although i've kind of revealed the ending...
These are closer to the actual lyrics from another website (but I did not proofread the whole thing):
Peek in, sneak about peek in, sneak about your broken hearted detective
hey girl save the liar can't you see his pants on fire hey girl, save the liar can't you see his pants on fire
my back it hurts again it aches like history cottonmouth and all lit up you're smiling back at me, but
I feel you must have failed me once again you've let me down my confidence below my knees now I need to find you out
[Chorus:] Peek in, sneak about I'm gonna snoop and call you out I caught you, your hands are red Now I'm your broken hearted detective
Hey, hey hey
Hey lover why the gun? Hold on I'm almost there It's too late you've killed the trust Don't act so unaware
Why are you so destructive? Do you realize what you've done? you can't bring it back to life now What are you running from?
[Chorus]
I don't like the way I feel I just want you to be real
Hey girl, save the liar Can't you see his pants on fire? Hey girl, save the liar Can't you see his pants on fire?
I'm rummaging through your closet Imagining all the worst thoughts
[Chorus x2]
Peek in, peek in Peek in, peek in Peek in, sneak about I'm gonna snoop and call you out I've caught you, you're hands are red Now I'm you're brokenhearted detective