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."
The cash machine is blue and green
For a hundred in twenties and a small service fee
I could spend three dollars and sixty-three cents
On Diet Coca-Cola and unlit cigarettes
I wonder why we listen to poets when nobody gives a fuck
How hot and sorrowful, this machine begs for luck
All my lies are always wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
We want a good life with a nose for things
The fresh wind and bright sky to enjoy my suffering
A hole without a key if I break my tongue
Speaking of tomorrow, how will it ever come?
All my lies are always wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
I'm down on my hands and knees
Every time a doorbell rings
I shake like a toothache
When I hear myself sing
All my lies are only wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
I would like to salute
The ashes of American flags
And all the fallen leaves
Filling up shopping bags
For a hundred in twenties and a small service fee
I could spend three dollars and sixty-three cents
On Diet Coca-Cola and unlit cigarettes
I wonder why we listen to poets when nobody gives a fuck
How hot and sorrowful, this machine begs for luck
All my lies are always wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
We want a good life with a nose for things
The fresh wind and bright sky to enjoy my suffering
A hole without a key if I break my tongue
Speaking of tomorrow, how will it ever come?
All my lies are always wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
I'm down on my hands and knees
Every time a doorbell rings
I shake like a toothache
When I hear myself sing
All my lies are only wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
I would like to salute
The ashes of American flags
And all the fallen leaves
Filling up shopping bags
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
There are two prevailing trends of meaning in this song. 1) Materialism or consumer culture. The lines about buying cigarettes and Coca-Cola represent consumer culture and their obsession with buying things (note how Jeff knows the exact amount of his purchase). Also the "cash machine" and "service fees" evoke this sentiment of money replacing any spiritual values in America.
2) Mortality. Obviously the lines about wanting to die and come back new are a desperate plea for Jeff to remake himself, and right his wrongs. This is impossible when humans are mortal by nature. "Speaking of tomorrow / how will it ever come?" articulates a sense of being stuck in time, in other words doing nothing with your meaningless life.
The last lines refer back to the themes of capitalism in America. The flag is being burned because it has no real value, there is no substance to American culture other than the desire to aquire more and more material wealth: "fallen leaves filling up shopping bags." The last line evokes hollow consumers who will buy anything, filling up shopping bags with dead, lifeless things such as "fallen leaves." Alternatively it could indicate the familiar image of the abandoned shopping bag drifting aimlessly and filling up with dead leaves a-la "American Beauty." This is simply my take on the song, there really is a ton of stuff going on here and lyrically it is quite fascinating.
Jeff Tweedy reminds me so much of Bob Dylan on this song.
This seems to me to just be about how empty life can become, hece ashes of american flags. He just wants something new and different.
The part where he signs "I know I would die if I could come back new" just says it all. Great song.
in an interview, he said that ashes of american flags had nothing to do with anti-patriotism. he said that it was about him admiring people who have the balls to burn american flags.
first how have only two people commented on this song. second this song is awesome, lyrically its amasing the lines : All my lies are only wishes I know I would die if I could come back new are just... i dunno universal i would think. beautiful, just so good
If any one out there can understand this: I listen to this song and it makes me think of being in a dream-like state, and in this dream-like state I am waking up from actually being asleep, with no worries. I think that's what Jeff's sayin he wants too, in a way, iguess. If that's what he was goin for...I would like to salute the ashes of his american flags
Just going off all the previous, tying together the loose ends: I'd say its a dead song, longing for passion. Something to do and feel like doing. Waking up in a dream-like state with no worries... that would be a peace found in the good life the singer desires.
This song reminds me of summers with me and my best friend; driving around aimlessly. Broke. Wanting good things to happen to us and come our way. Wanting to make something of ourselves. Something better. But still just driving around and hoping for something to fall into our lap.
I think that this song has to do with how life is so simple and boring, no one cares. Almost like his life and the people around him are meaningless. He's dreading everyday so he would die to come back a new person... to start over. I think that he is being unpatriotic even if what SUGARXSPICE08 says is true (he might not want to admit that he was being unloyal to his own country). Not to say that he's dissing the country, but almost like he would like to see all the fake and meaningless shit of our country burn away.
I think that this song has to do with how life is so simple and boring, no one cares. Almost like his life and the people around him are meaningless. He's dreading everyday so he would die to come back a new person... to start over. I think that he is being unpatriotic even if what SUGARXSPICE08 says is true (he might not want to admit that he was being unloyal to his own country). Not to say that he's dissing the country, but almost like he would like to see all the fake and meaningless shit of our country burn away.
I gotta agree with Fypast on this one.
I don't think the song really has any political meaning. He's just wants to feel passionate enough about something to fight for a change. He wants to feel excited about things again.
Also, ashes of American flags and falling leaves both (to me) represent a kind of circularity. Something that does die only to come back new.
Flags burn because we live in a country where they can. And leaves fall but return anew every year.