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 don't know why they mad at me
They can't catch me but still they after me
When we deal face to face, is a tragedy
You ask why i got my gun they might blast at me
Real niggaz, real shit, reality
Who gives a fuck if you niggaz is mad at me
Fuck around with Warren G its a tragedy
Real niggaz, real shit, reality
Warren G top dog
Patrollin the beach
Niggaz say they as hard as bitch
But they're as soft as a peach
Claimin the G of all G's
Please
I come blowin through like the breeze
Sittin on threes
Post it
Coastin mashing down Pacfic Coastin
The bomb chrome rims black on black Yukon
With nuts hangin' from the city
Where the bangers is being banging
it don't seem like shit is changing
I holla'd at the homey the other day
G'ded up at the park sippin alisah
One of the homeys took a beaten
So now we spend at being a gang
of checking at the meetin like cycles repeatin
It's just another sunset fall in sea
I can here the homeys in the past callin me
And you know what i discovered
What they keep saying
Keep your mind on your money
muthafuckers and shake busters
Chorus
Have you ever sold millions
But yet you niggaz persist to talk shit
Get of my dick
You never catch me slipping
Rollin with the heat
Slap the clip in
I never thought the world would started trippin
My life is a trip, though
Hit the crip though
Blow the whistle
They think i banged
So i packed a pistol
Warren to tha G is a G
I don't fuck with you nigga
So don't fuck with me
Let's ride to the east side
Slide like a fo
I packs a fo-fo
When i'm steppin out doors
To the bang to the buggy
If i speak then i spoke
Warren G do it every time to you Locc
Get the party beat like blaze and smoke
The east side and the beach
West side of the coast
You know the niggaz that i ride with
Hogs, attack dogs
the same niggaz i'm down to die with muthafucka
Chours
Who's the man
I've been from London to Japan
Stomp land to land
To the Egyptian sands
You can't check me
Dis-respect me
Or mop me up
With the base bumpin' out my truck
And all these police trying to lock me up
Money rules the world
And I made the loot
So don't make me shoot
'cause trying to mash
Will get you done every time
I ain't trying to hurt nobody
But i'm down for mine
Chorus
They can't catch me but still they after me
When we deal face to face, is a tragedy
You ask why i got my gun they might blast at me
Real niggaz, real shit, reality
Who gives a fuck if you niggaz is mad at me
Fuck around with Warren G its a tragedy
Real niggaz, real shit, reality
Warren G top dog
Patrollin the beach
Niggaz say they as hard as bitch
But they're as soft as a peach
Claimin the G of all G's
Please
I come blowin through like the breeze
Sittin on threes
Post it
Coastin mashing down Pacfic Coastin
The bomb chrome rims black on black Yukon
With nuts hangin' from the city
Where the bangers is being banging
it don't seem like shit is changing
I holla'd at the homey the other day
G'ded up at the park sippin alisah
One of the homeys took a beaten
So now we spend at being a gang
of checking at the meetin like cycles repeatin
It's just another sunset fall in sea
I can here the homeys in the past callin me
And you know what i discovered
What they keep saying
Keep your mind on your money
muthafuckers and shake busters
Chorus
Have you ever sold millions
But yet you niggaz persist to talk shit
Get of my dick
You never catch me slipping
Rollin with the heat
Slap the clip in
I never thought the world would started trippin
My life is a trip, though
Hit the crip though
Blow the whistle
They think i banged
So i packed a pistol
Warren to tha G is a G
I don't fuck with you nigga
So don't fuck with me
Let's ride to the east side
Slide like a fo
I packs a fo-fo
When i'm steppin out doors
To the bang to the buggy
If i speak then i spoke
Warren G do it every time to you Locc
Get the party beat like blaze and smoke
The east side and the beach
West side of the coast
You know the niggaz that i ride with
Hogs, attack dogs
the same niggaz i'm down to die with muthafucka
Chours
Who's the man
I've been from London to Japan
Stomp land to land
To the Egyptian sands
You can't check me
Dis-respect me
Or mop me up
With the base bumpin' out my truck
And all these police trying to lock me up
Money rules the world
And I made the loot
So don't make me shoot
'cause trying to mash
Will get you done every time
I ain't trying to hurt nobody
But i'm down for mine
Chorus
Lyrics submitted by defubuskorn
Reality Lyrics as written by Sylvester Stewart Warren Iii Griffin
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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.