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."
I would rejoice the choice
Not to mess up the mess
Were in around here….
Sometimes
But I'm not gonna push
No one no where
Let nature do it's course
Why infringe on a fringe
Which is precision made unkempt
I don't ask much -
Just being here is all I attempt
You could maybe say
I'm conducting a sociological survey
I ain't ripped off or sucked in
On a neater kind of holiday
Can anybody tell me,
Who is the grand poobah around here?
There's many people under impressions
I've wanted to know all year
A person i know is a pornographic philosopher
She's a dirty joke from one end
Of the town to the other
I think there must be some mistake here
She's younger than me
Yet older than my mother
I can't decide if this is lively or lugubrious
But I ain't gonna start thinkin' about it
Cos loose lips sink loose ships
Pacemakers molest loose hips
Personally I can do without it
But when the asterisk takes over
Is when you should worry
But never revive your process in pain
Cos who knows - in a week or two
You may wish you hadn't and make a trip down
Memory lane
Now i can't decide
If it's viscereal or visceral
I've heard of people who are in no hurry
People who are like a dodgy curry
Even more people who don't wanna worry
Who get in a flurry
Say they're sorry/ don't say there sorry
Don't you call it a "corrie"?
Here comes a line
Is that a line?
For every cloud that has a silver line
You'll find one that has decided to lead a life of crime
Wito will dust off the career of a weather-eater
In his prime
IS THAT A LINE?
When there seems to be no obstacles in the way
when I ask if my human objects ok
when feel a neater feeling than you feel
IS THAT A LINE? IS THAT A LINE?
Would you please appease my pleas
Or peas pudding peas and plum pudding please
I know frozen food doesn't grow on trees
IS THAT A LINE?
if I offer you a better deal
If I polish up some rods of shiny steel
If one make out one knows how another one feels
IS THAT A LINE?
Person can't keep down person's bile
when person realizes calm down for a while
IS THAT A LINE?
darling any day you'll get my vote
darling I just love you for your new fur coat
or is that your hairy shoulders
you could just about part your spine
IS THAT A LINE.. IS THIS A LINE
IS THAT A LINE
Not so much hitting as missing
See you at the next bout of pretend kissing
One spreads ones spit around too much
Bye bye saliva-keep in touch
IS THAT A LINE
Beware of these danger spots
The place where old mattresses go to rot
The trouble with old actresses is
That they're always got
The same old plots
I know your line - I know your lines
IS THAT A LINE
IS THAT A LINE?
Not to mess up the mess
Were in around here….
Sometimes
But I'm not gonna push
No one no where
Let nature do it's course
Why infringe on a fringe
Which is precision made unkempt
I don't ask much -
Just being here is all I attempt
You could maybe say
I'm conducting a sociological survey
I ain't ripped off or sucked in
On a neater kind of holiday
Can anybody tell me,
Who is the grand poobah around here?
There's many people under impressions
I've wanted to know all year
A person i know is a pornographic philosopher
She's a dirty joke from one end
Of the town to the other
I think there must be some mistake here
She's younger than me
Yet older than my mother
I can't decide if this is lively or lugubrious
But I ain't gonna start thinkin' about it
Cos loose lips sink loose ships
Pacemakers molest loose hips
Personally I can do without it
But when the asterisk takes over
Is when you should worry
But never revive your process in pain
Cos who knows - in a week or two
You may wish you hadn't and make a trip down
Memory lane
Now i can't decide
If it's viscereal or visceral
I've heard of people who are in no hurry
People who are like a dodgy curry
Even more people who don't wanna worry
Who get in a flurry
Say they're sorry/ don't say there sorry
Don't you call it a "corrie"?
Here comes a line
Is that a line?
For every cloud that has a silver line
You'll find one that has decided to lead a life of crime
Wito will dust off the career of a weather-eater
In his prime
IS THAT A LINE?
When there seems to be no obstacles in the way
when I ask if my human objects ok
when feel a neater feeling than you feel
IS THAT A LINE? IS THAT A LINE?
Would you please appease my pleas
Or peas pudding peas and plum pudding please
I know frozen food doesn't grow on trees
IS THAT A LINE?
if I offer you a better deal
If I polish up some rods of shiny steel
If one make out one knows how another one feels
IS THAT A LINE?
Person can't keep down person's bile
when person realizes calm down for a while
IS THAT A LINE?
darling any day you'll get my vote
darling I just love you for your new fur coat
or is that your hairy shoulders
you could just about part your spine
IS THAT A LINE.. IS THIS A LINE
IS THAT A LINE
Not so much hitting as missing
See you at the next bout of pretend kissing
One spreads ones spit around too much
Bye bye saliva-keep in touch
IS THAT A LINE
Beware of these danger spots
The place where old mattresses go to rot
The trouble with old actresses is
That they're always got
The same old plots
I know your line - I know your lines
IS THAT A LINE
IS THAT A LINE?
Lyrics submitted by typo
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Mountain Song
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
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Great song. Possibly my favorite Foetus song.(yes there are many that I like!) possibly about small talk and how people use cliches and dont think for themselves.
Person can't keep down person's bile when person realizes calm down for a while
is wrong
it's actually
....when person realizes person is on trial