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've been drowned out by the rain
Still I'm wishing I could stay
But I'm sorry my old friend
I've got to leave you once again
And despite what I might say
I measure pleasure by the pain
Measure pleasure by the twisting
Of the metal in vein
And it might be very hard
Can't be more than what we are
Can't be more 'til it's over
Here comes the resurrection
Everybody's got to die from something
Nothing ever left to leave you when you go
I saw you strip my babies
Animal the way you cut them might be
Animal the way I cut you from below
So you goad me into spite
It's the cruelty that you'd like
It's the waiting for the one thing
That you never could define
Fill the longing just because
Emasculate the ones you love
Have to wait 'til it's over
We are the less than mighty
Never was a way I thought it could be
Never quite enough to leave you when you go
I saw you strip my babies
Animal the way you cut them might be
Animal the way I cut you from below
I've been drowned out by the rain
Still I'm wishing I could stay
But I'm sorry my old friend
I've got to leave you once again
And despite what I might say
I measure pleasure by the pain
Measure pleasure by the twisting
Of the metal in the vein
And it might be very hard
Can't be more than what we are
Can't be more when it's over
Here comes the resurrection
Everybody's got to die for something
Never thought I'd have to leave you when you go
I saw you strip my babies
Animal the way you cut them might be
Animal the way I cut you from below
And if anger is the ending
Of the thing that we've become
For the mother and the father
And the sister and the son
Through the shallow without wanting
Realization to mistake
Through the ugliness
The open all the things we can't replace
I will control
Still I'm wishing I could stay
But I'm sorry my old friend
I've got to leave you once again
And despite what I might say
I measure pleasure by the pain
Measure pleasure by the twisting
Of the metal in vein
And it might be very hard
Can't be more than what we are
Can't be more 'til it's over
Here comes the resurrection
Everybody's got to die from something
Nothing ever left to leave you when you go
I saw you strip my babies
Animal the way you cut them might be
Animal the way I cut you from below
So you goad me into spite
It's the cruelty that you'd like
It's the waiting for the one thing
That you never could define
Fill the longing just because
Emasculate the ones you love
Have to wait 'til it's over
We are the less than mighty
Never was a way I thought it could be
Never quite enough to leave you when you go
I saw you strip my babies
Animal the way you cut them might be
Animal the way I cut you from below
I've been drowned out by the rain
Still I'm wishing I could stay
But I'm sorry my old friend
I've got to leave you once again
And despite what I might say
I measure pleasure by the pain
Measure pleasure by the twisting
Of the metal in the vein
And it might be very hard
Can't be more than what we are
Can't be more when it's over
Here comes the resurrection
Everybody's got to die for something
Never thought I'd have to leave you when you go
I saw you strip my babies
Animal the way you cut them might be
Animal the way I cut you from below
And if anger is the ending
Of the thing that we've become
For the mother and the father
And the sister and the son
Through the shallow without wanting
Realization to mistake
Through the ugliness
The open all the things we can't replace
I will control
Lyrics submitted by pumpkingirl, edited by shimmers
Resurrection Lyrics as written by Jeffrey Howard Pearce David Usher
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I have seen this song performed live and when he says, "twisting of the metal in the vein" he actually twists a pretend syringe in his arm.