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."
Plants and rags
Ease myself into a body bag
Plants and rags
Ease myself into a body bag
Dreamt of a man
He fed me fine food
He gave me shiny things
I dreamt of a man
He fed me fine food
He gave me shiny things
White and black
You looking for the sun, boy?
The sun doesn't shine down here, no, no, no
White and black
You looking for the sun, boy?
The sun doesn't shine down here, in the shadows
House and home
Who thought they could take away that place?
Outside, and they lead us out quietly
Lead us outside, and the lead us out quietly
House and home
Who thought they could take away that place?
Outside, and they lead us out quietly
Lead us outside, and they lead us out quietly
Ease myself into a body bag
Plants and rags
Ease myself into a body bag
Dreamt of a man
He fed me fine food
He gave me shiny things
I dreamt of a man
He fed me fine food
He gave me shiny things
White and black
You looking for the sun, boy?
The sun doesn't shine down here, no, no, no
White and black
You looking for the sun, boy?
The sun doesn't shine down here, in the shadows
House and home
Who thought they could take away that place?
Outside, and they lead us out quietly
Lead us outside, and the lead us out quietly
House and home
Who thought they could take away that place?
Outside, and they lead us out quietly
Lead us outside, and they lead us out quietly
Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by fast_as_you_can
Plants and Rags Lyrics as written by Robert Damian Ellis Polly Harvey
Lyrics © Sentric Music
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
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
After listening to this song for some time I've been getting visions of holocaust survivors
@alecspen: me too. like a couple seperated by the holocaust and he kept presents of plants and rags for her (she then compares them to fine food and shiny things, because they mean more than dinner and jewellery to her). Don't think they both survive though - the eerieness of "they lead us outside and they lead us out quietly suggests death to me." Definately don't think the love survives anyway (who thought they could take away that place). I suppose you can twist any story anyway you want to fit it really! But visions of holocaust victims for me too.<br /> <br /> Anyway, great song and so good it just seeps under your skin and stays there - songs like this just seem to give more the more you listen to them. Thanks PJ!
"the sun doesnt shine down here" this song is about being in the merky depts of depression and wanting to commit suicide.
I've always liked this song a lot. No idea what exactly its meaning is derived from- but it seems to be a song based on a person (assumingly female) who is in a very murky & deep state of depression.
I love how PJ Harvey's songs from album to album- even track to track, a lot of the time- can alter so much in mood, element, emotion...
Take a song like this. Then compare it to a later work, such as Good Fortune. Or a ballad-like rock song like Dry. Or something like The River... Electric Garden. etc. The diversity in her music has always kept me interested and listening consistently- one of a few artists constantly in rotation on my playlist. Great music, great lyrics.
I never noticed this song on "Dry" before so wierd that i didnt, it is bloody fantastic but really quite morbid
This song is so beautiful, how she sings it... (I overlooked this for a long while too somehow)
i've always thought this song was about homelessness.
"plants and rags / ease myself into a body bag." her current condition. a starving person lying in a ditch somewhere, ready to die alone.
"dreamt a man..." self-explanatory.
"white and black / you're looking for the sun, boy?...." not entirely sure on this one, but it appears there was a male protagonist at one point, and this lyric may suggest a falling out. poverty will completely destroy a relationship.
"house and home, who thought they take away our place..." the cause of all their problems.
As a new user I thought I'd comment on some of my favourite songs ever, this is the most beautiful sublime song about loss, depression, unfulfilled dreams, aaah, its always been one of mt favourite P J songs, it makes me cry alot...
Well, it seems to me that the meaning is self explanatory, there was some lonely girl who dreamt of a man who would be kind for her, and he got killed by him, and dumbed in some derelict place among plants and rags, where the sun doesn't shine. And the last part is about body being recovered, at least that is how I imagine it, as a quiet and sad piece of work. That song is truly sad and the cello part is amazing. I'm not an anglophone though, and thus might be wrong on the meaning of it.
I always felt this song was about being taken for granted. Or even deceived by the man she gave herself to. In a sense, she feels as if she'd rather be dead. He offered her all the finer things in life. But she was nothing more than another possession of his to show off. Never really cared for her. Just my opinion.
Personally, I should know. Being gay has it's perks.
it's about the Mai Lai massacre
This song always reminds me of the book The Handmaid's Tale.