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."
Yo, what's up?
This is G-Love coming at you live out here from California,
Even though I'm Philly born and bred
And I got my man Jack Johnson in the studio today, we just got out of the surf
My man, Jack, tell 'em what time it is
(uh, com 'on)
Sweepin' the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Gettin' ready for the night
Nobody's romancin'
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
Bright lights flashin'
To cover of your liquor
So many people, so many powers,
So many reasons to buy another round
Drink it down
Just another night on the town
With the big man, money man
Better than the other man
He got the plan with the million dollars
Give a damn but
When nobody understands
He'll become a smaller man
The bright lights keep flashing
Man the women keep on dancin'
With the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down yeah, yeah
Rodeo Clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down, yeah, yeah
The disco ball spinning
All the music and the women
And the shots of tequila
Man they'll say that they need ya
But what they really need
Is just a little room to breathe
Teeny bopping disco queen
She barely understands her dreams
Of belly button rings
And other kinds of things
Symbolic of change
But the thing that is strange
Is that changes occurred
And now she's just a part of the herd yeah, yeah, yeah
Man I thought that you heard yeah, yeah
The changes occur yeah, yeah, yeah
She's just a part of the herd yeah, yea
Lights out shut down
Late night wet ground
You walk by, look at him but he can't look at you yeah
You might feel pity but he only feels the ground because
You understand moods
But he only knows let down
By the corner there's another one
Reaching out a hand
Coming from a broken man
Well you try to live
But he's done trying
He's not dead but definitely dying
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
Sweeping the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Getting ready for the night
Nobody's romancing
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
This is G-Love coming at you live out here from California,
Even though I'm Philly born and bred
And I got my man Jack Johnson in the studio today, we just got out of the surf
My man, Jack, tell 'em what time it is
(uh, com 'on)
Sweepin' the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Gettin' ready for the night
Nobody's romancin'
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
Bright lights flashin'
To cover of your liquor
So many people, so many powers,
So many reasons to buy another round
Drink it down
Just another night on the town
With the big man, money man
Better than the other man
He got the plan with the million dollars
Give a damn but
When nobody understands
He'll become a smaller man
The bright lights keep flashing
Man the women keep on dancin'
With the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down yeah, yeah
Rodeo Clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down, yeah, yeah
The disco ball spinning
All the music and the women
And the shots of tequila
Man they'll say that they need ya
But what they really need
Is just a little room to breathe
Teeny bopping disco queen
She barely understands her dreams
Of belly button rings
And other kinds of things
Symbolic of change
But the thing that is strange
Is that changes occurred
And now she's just a part of the herd yeah, yeah, yeah
Man I thought that you heard yeah, yeah
The changes occur yeah, yeah, yeah
She's just a part of the herd yeah, yea
Lights out shut down
Late night wet ground
You walk by, look at him but he can't look at you yeah
You might feel pity but he only feels the ground because
You understand moods
But he only knows let down
By the corner there's another one
Reaching out a hand
Coming from a broken man
Well you try to live
But he's done trying
He's not dead but definitely dying
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
Sweeping the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Getting ready for the night
Nobody's romancing
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
Lyrics submitted by acheapairline
Rodeo Clowns Lyrics as written by Jack Hody Johnson
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is the shit. Its got great flow, but i dont really see how its about posers.