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."
Yeah! Oh, yeah! Now!
Cold ground was my bed last night (bed last night)
And rock was my pillow, too (doo-oo-oo-oo-oo!)
Cold ground was my bed last night (bed last night)
And rock was my pillow, too yeah!
I'm saying: talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
They say your feet is just too big for your shoes (shoe-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
Your feet is just too big for your shoes (shoe-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Yeah, I've been down on the rock for so long, (so long)
I seem to wear a permanent screw (screw-oo-oo-oo-oo)
I've been down on the rock for so long (so long)
I seem to wear a permanent screw (screw-oo-oo-oo-oo)
But-a I I'm gonna stare in the sun
Let the rays shine in my eyes
I I'm a gonna take a just-a one step more
Cause I feel like bombin' a church
Now now that you know that the preacher is lyin'
So who's gonna stay at home
When when the freedom fighters are fighting?
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
They say your feet is just too big for your shoes, woe-oh-oh-oh!
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), keep on talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
They say you hear what they say
Didn't you hear?
Cold ground was my bed (bed last night)
Rockstone rockstone rockstone was my pillow
Cold ground was my bed last night (bed last night)
And rock was my pillow, too
Sayin' (talkin' blues, talkin' blues)
I seem to wear a permanent screw permanent screw
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
Feet is just too big for your shoes (Shoe-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Cold ground was my bed last night (bed last night)
And rock was my pillow, too (doo-oo-oo-oo-oo!)
Cold ground was my bed last night (bed last night)
And rock was my pillow, too yeah!
I'm saying: talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
They say your feet is just too big for your shoes (shoe-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
Your feet is just too big for your shoes (shoe-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Yeah, I've been down on the rock for so long, (so long)
I seem to wear a permanent screw (screw-oo-oo-oo-oo)
I've been down on the rock for so long (so long)
I seem to wear a permanent screw (screw-oo-oo-oo-oo)
But-a I I'm gonna stare in the sun
Let the rays shine in my eyes
I I'm a gonna take a just-a one step more
Cause I feel like bombin' a church
Now now that you know that the preacher is lyin'
So who's gonna stay at home
When when the freedom fighters are fighting?
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
They say your feet is just too big for your shoes, woe-oh-oh-oh!
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), keep on talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
They say you hear what they say
Didn't you hear?
Cold ground was my bed (bed last night)
Rockstone rockstone rockstone was my pillow
Cold ground was my bed last night (bed last night)
And rock was my pillow, too
Sayin' (talkin' blues, talkin' blues)
I seem to wear a permanent screw permanent screw
Talkin' blues (talkin' blues), talkin' blues (talkin' blues)
Feet is just too big for your shoes (Shoe-oo-oo-oo-oo)
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Talkin' Blues Lyrics as written by Lecon Cogill Carlton Barrett
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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.
Great version of a great song,
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.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
a story about this song came up in a book that i am reading that was written by nesta's mum.she wrote that his father often said "stone for my pillow,and the sky is my roof. nesta's father hated the fact that his wife went to church and would pay teenagers to make trouble and disrupt the sunday service.