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."
Now that I can release my tension
Let me make clear my best intentions
Girls ask, can I define decision?
Boys ask, can I describe their function?
Oh, the boys wanna talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the girls say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic to follow
And the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say
Oh, the girls still want to talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the boys say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic, I know
And the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say
Let me make clear my best intentions
Girls ask, can I define decision?
Boys ask, can I describe their function?
Oh, the boys wanna talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the girls say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic to follow
And the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say
Oh, the girls still want to talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the boys say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic, I know
And the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
That they are
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery, edited by StarLord
Tentative Decisions Lyrics as written by David Byrne
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The "I" in the song is anthropomorphized "sex"
"Girls ask and I Define decision Boys ask and I Describe their function"
Girls become defined by their decision to have or not have sex. For example, they're either defined as sluts or they're prudes depending on their decision. ...While boys, however, are expected to have sex..it's pretty much their function.
"Oh the boys Want to talk Like to to talk about those problems And the girls Say they're concerned That they are Concerned with decisiveness"
If guys are expected to have sex, girls worry that they guys will judge them based on their decision. "Are they going to think I'm a prude if I decide not to, or are they going to think i'm a slut if I decide to do it?"
"And it's a Hard Logic I know"
Basically this whole system, where society pressures boys to have sex and defines girls by their decisions to go or not to go along with it, doesn't make a lot of sense. It's hard logic to follow and just confuses guys and girls.
"I want to talk I want to talk as much as I want I'm gonna give I'm gonna give the problem to you"
All this pressure to have sex, as a result of everything in society that talks about it, sets up problems for both boys and girls.
"Decide, decide Make up your mind Decide, decide I told you what to say Confuse, confuse Describe what I found Confuse, confuse I told you what to say"
This is where that anthropomorphized "sex" is whispering in the boys' and girls' ears, telling them to decide and make up their mind, but it's actually confusing them further.
Song makes more sense when you get the lyrics right. Absolutely love it; Talking Heads are genius.
I love that kick the bass gives at the end of each verse... As for the song, I don't get the meaning at first glance? What may be the decisions he's talking about? Sex? As for Psycho Killer's companion on the best-of of 77', I'd rather prefer No Compassion, but it's anyone's choice.
Great Melody. With Psychokiller the best song on the Talking Heads debutalbum.
This seems like a song about communication between the opposite sexes, and how men and women practically speak two different languages sometimes.
The chorus ("I want to talk as much as I want, I'm gonna give the problem to you") seems to bring about a sort of release. I have no idea what this song is about though... communication problems, I guess, how the two sexes speak to each other. Makes it sound so complicated...
"And they are Concerned with these decisions"
Should be:
"And they are Concerned with decisiveness"
All the way across the song. Also, I hear, "And it's a hard logic, I know", not "it's all". I've checked numerous other sites, and it's all just these lyrics copy/pasted. Can't believe no one has corrected this before.
@BeckonJM You are correct! They should fix the lyrics on here!
this is bisexual panic and the pressure from the world to decide one way or the other
I love that kick the bass gives at the end of each verse... As for the song, I don't get the meaning at first glance What may be the decisions he's talking about? Sex? As for Psycho Killer's companion on the best-of of 77', I'd rather prefer No Compassion, but it's anyone's choice.