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."
Well, she seemed all right by dawn's early light
Though she looked a little worried and weak
She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again
But daddy left the proof on her cheek
And I was only eight years old that summer
And I always seemed to be in the way
So I took myself down to the fair in town
On Independence Day
Well, word gets around in a small, small town
They said he was a dangerous man
But mama was proud and she stood her ground
She knew she was on the losin' end
Some folks whispered, some folks talked
But everybody looked the other way
And when time ran out there was no one about
On Independence Day
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
It's Independence Day
Well, she lit up the sky that fourth of July
By the time that the firemen come
They just put out the flames
And took down some names
And send me to the county home
Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
But maybe it's the only way
Talk about your revolution
It's Independence Day
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
It's Independence Day
Roll the stone away
It's Independence Day
Though she looked a little worried and weak
She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again
But daddy left the proof on her cheek
And I was only eight years old that summer
And I always seemed to be in the way
So I took myself down to the fair in town
On Independence Day
Well, word gets around in a small, small town
They said he was a dangerous man
But mama was proud and she stood her ground
She knew she was on the losin' end
Some folks whispered, some folks talked
But everybody looked the other way
And when time ran out there was no one about
On Independence Day
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
It's Independence Day
Well, she lit up the sky that fourth of July
By the time that the firemen come
They just put out the flames
And took down some names
And send me to the county home
Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong
But maybe it's the only way
Talk about your revolution
It's Independence Day
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning
Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay
It's Independence Day
Roll the stone away
It's Independence Day
Lyrics submitted by Manderzterz
Independence Day Lyrics as written by Gretchen Peters
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
These lyrics are wrong, "Throw the Stone Away" is actually, "Roll the Stone Away". You may think that is a small difference, but it is very important to the meaning of "Let the Right be Wrong".
The chorus is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let Freedom Ring - Mark 16:15 Let the White Dove Sing - Luke 3:22 Today is the day of reckoning - Hebrews 9:27 Let the Weak be Strong - James 4:10 Let the Right be Wrong - Galatians 3:24, Romans 3:20 Roll the Stone Away - Mark 16:3-4 Let the Guilty Pay, It's Independence Day - Matthew 25:46
What the chorus says, is pretty much what every letter in the New Testament says, “Hallelujah, the Christ has come, death has lost its sting!” – 1 Corinthians 15:55 Let the White Dove sing is talking about Jesus being Baptized when God, as a Dove, landed on Jesus’ head and said(sang) “This is my Son.” Today is the day of reckoning is Biblical, but I think it is more to make the chorus fit the song. Everyone is accountable to God at their death, the ultimate statistic is that 10 out of 10 people die, so it’s important that the whole world hear it. Let the Weak be Strong is an emphasis to how often the Bible speaks of the humble and poor being the ones that God has the most affection for. Let the Right be Wrong is the most important part in the road to the salvation of your soul! Paul said that he knew not sin except by the law. If you do not know that you are a sinner, then you do not know you need a savior. In order for Christ to save your soul, your righteousness must be shown to you to be wrongness. How is that? It is by understanding that every lie you have ever told has been written on your conscious, every thing you have stolen, from a pen, to a song on the internet, to taking someone else’s idea as your own is known to God. Every idle word (either a cuss word or blasphemy) will require an account. These are three of the commandments, there are seven more. The Gospel, or good news, is that when the Stone was Rolled Away, Jesus Christ, who was punished and KILLED for your sins, was no longer dead, He DEFEATED death and delivered your soul from the grips of the Devil.
Let the Guilty Pay > The unrepentant, untrusting Sinners. It’s Independence Day > Those that have repented of their sins, trusted in Jesus Christ to save their souls, are Independent from Hell.
Cool Chorus, it started to unfold when I was trying to figure out how she was referring to America when she said, “Let the Right be Wrong”, then I realized it wasn’t about America’s Independence Day from Britain, it is about American’s Independence Day from Hell.
@NoWorries1988 The person who thinks that "Independence Day" is a celebration of the Gospel of Christ, apparently doesn't realize some important things about this song. First off, the Gospel of Jesus Christ never contradicts itself. But when we look at this particular song, we know that the lyrics say, at one point, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong..." But when we consider that the song is a rousing anthem, containing a rising of the ringing of bells (a reasonable interpretation might be Christian church bells, perhaps Protestant Christian church bells) and that it would be reasonable to say that the song has elements of enthusiasm and/or vigor and/or energy, that seems to be quite a quite a contradiction of the lyric, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong". Now, when the daughter in the song is claiming, "I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong", it's safe to interpret that line as the following claim: "Manslaughter could be right", or "Maybe my mother was acting righteously when she slaughtered my dad". More to come...
I am looking again at some of the text there from "NoWorries1988", who claimed in 2006 that the Martina McBride/Gretchen Peters song "Independence Day" is a celebration of the Gospel of Christ. And I read the following: "It is about American’s Independence Day from Hell." There is nowhere in the four Gospels, and there is nowhere in the New Testament, where we are encouraged to commit acts of manslaughter. The Gospel of Jesus Christ never condemns war per se (such as the war of the Colonists against Great Britain, or certain other wars), and never celebrates war per se (unless if we're speaking of God's chosen people, the Israelites). More to come...