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."
Everybody's got something
They had to leave behind
One regret from yesterday
That just seems to grow with time
There's no use looking back, or wondering (or wondering)
How it could be now or might've been (or might've been)
All this I know
But still I can't find ways to let you go
I never had a dream come true
'Til the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say (found the words to say)
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be with you, yeah
Somewhere in my memory
I've lost all sense of time
And tomorrow can never be
'Cause yesterday is all that fills my mind
There's no use looking back or wondering (or wondering)
How it should be now or might've been (or might've been)
All this I know
But, still I can't find ways to let you go
I never had a dream come true
'Til the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say (never found the words to say)
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be
You'll always be the dream that fills my head
Yes, you will
Say you will
You know you will, oh baby
You'll always be the one I know I'll never forget
There's no use looking back or wondering (or wondering)
Because love is a strange and funny thing (and funny thing)
No matter how hard I try and try
I just can't say good bye
No, no, no, no
I never had a dream come true
'Til the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say (never found the words to say)
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be
A part of me will always be with you, ooh
They had to leave behind
One regret from yesterday
That just seems to grow with time
There's no use looking back, or wondering (or wondering)
How it could be now or might've been (or might've been)
All this I know
But still I can't find ways to let you go
I never had a dream come true
'Til the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say (found the words to say)
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be with you, yeah
Somewhere in my memory
I've lost all sense of time
And tomorrow can never be
'Cause yesterday is all that fills my mind
There's no use looking back or wondering (or wondering)
How it should be now or might've been (or might've been)
All this I know
But, still I can't find ways to let you go
I never had a dream come true
'Til the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say (never found the words to say)
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be
You'll always be the dream that fills my head
Yes, you will
Say you will
You know you will, oh baby
You'll always be the one I know I'll never forget
There's no use looking back or wondering (or wondering)
Because love is a strange and funny thing (and funny thing)
No matter how hard I try and try
I just can't say good bye
No, no, no, no
I never had a dream come true
'Til the day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say (never found the words to say)
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be
A part of me will always be with you, ooh
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.
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/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This song. Probaly reminds a lot of people of their exes, and I'm no different. Haha, it reminds me of my ex who'm I'm still very much in love with, though it's been about 10 months since I found out of his cheating. So yeah. It's a girl that tries her hardest to let go of the boy she loves, and when she can't, she's telling him all the things she never had the courage to say when they were together.
you cant just get over someone like that if you really cared that much about them. so i wouldnt say theres any confusion. and not pointless either, its about feeling really strongly about someone and wishing youd told them and still wanting to be with them.
its so sweet. :]
I think it's using "a part of me" as a metaphor to say that she'll never forget the guy (if that's how you choose to interpret it) because of all the experiences they've had together. Like basically, she chooses to keep the experience in her mind so that she can learn from it instead of just vapidly letting it go. Then again, it doesn't have to be about an ex-boyfriend at all. It could be about a crush, a particularly life-changing experience, a friend who moved away or that you've lost touch with, a deceased person, (a la Phantom of the Opera) Hmm, for me it's ironically about a particular song. It's been years and some of my friends say I should stop obsessing about it but I just can't help singing it and bringing up memories associated with it.
One complaint I'd say about this song, though, is that the chorus sounds very similar to Elliot Yamin's "Wait for You". I'm not sure who came first, though.
The Great Gatsby. YEAH, OKAY, obsessive love is hardly an obscure theme and the song is by S Club effing 7 but even if it's not at all intentional, that is the meaning this song holds for me. And I like it!
This song is amazing! Simply amazingg.
i like the chorus, remind me some girl.
this song reminds me of an ex bf....like everytime i hear it ..i think about all the things we did together and everything ...i think i still love him and as this song says "a part of me will always be with you" thas how i feel ...cuz we still talk ..SOMETIMES and he says he was stupid but this a great song and has alot of sad/but good meaning to it ..
i taught myself the chorus to this on keyboard then on my guitar i was so proud, even though i dont like s club seven (dont get me started on s clud juniors) i was quite pleased with myself for doing this
and i highly recommend that whatever you like, listen to tool they are pure talent with deep thought, undeniable musical ability and they are one of the best live bands ever and even after 10 years they still havent sold out and extreme time and care is put into every bit of everything they do. Also on somewhere called songmeanings.net they actually fit in because it can actually create a discussion to what their songs mean and what they are about
goodnight
I think jo is rather annoying (nothing personal). Why are there 7 of them if only jo sings??? the song is self-explanatory (I think).