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."
Don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me, come find me
Make up your mind
Should I let you fall, lose it all
So maybe you can remember yourself?
Can't keep believing
We're only deceiving ourselves
And I'm sick of the lie
And you're too late
Don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me, come find me
Make up your mind
Couldn't take the blame, sick with shame
Must be exhausting to lose your own game, selfishly hated
No wonder you're jaded
You can't play the victim this time
And you're too late
So don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me, come find me
Make up your mind
You never call me when you're sober
You only want it 'cause it's over, it's over
How could I have burned paradise?
How could I?
You were never mine
So don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
Don't lie to me, just get your things
I've made up your mind
You would be here with me
You want me, come find me
Make up your mind
Should I let you fall, lose it all
So maybe you can remember yourself?
Can't keep believing
We're only deceiving ourselves
And I'm sick of the lie
And you're too late
Don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me, come find me
Make up your mind
Couldn't take the blame, sick with shame
Must be exhausting to lose your own game, selfishly hated
No wonder you're jaded
You can't play the victim this time
And you're too late
So don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me, come find me
Make up your mind
You never call me when you're sober
You only want it 'cause it's over, it's over
How could I have burned paradise?
How could I?
You were never mine
So don't cry to me, if you loved me
You would be here with me
Don't lie to me, just get your things
I've made up your mind
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HELLO. THIS WEBSITE IS CALLED SONG MEANINGS. Did anyone forget that!? People on this website like you all really tick me off. Moaning and groaning on whether the song is good or not, if the band sucks or not. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK. I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE INTERPRETING THE SONGS. If you want to share your opinion on the song, GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. No one cares about if you think it sucks or not. That's not what this site is about. It's called SONG MEANINGS for a reason. Good god. It seems to me the only sensible person on this entire thread for this song was missy_moo417.
With that said, I would like to break down the song for those who would care to read: I mean, it is a pretty straight forward song.
The narrator has been dealing with a lover who has been wishy washy with their relationship, and she's finally sick and tired of all the trouble he's been putting her through. He probably has broken up a few times, or has taken some sort of action that basically says he doesn't really love her. (Actions speak louder than words). Therefore, the line "If you loved me, you would be here with me" is a reminder that if he really did love her, he wouldn't be putting her through all this pain. He can't seem to make up his mind on if he really wants her or not, and she's sick of dealing with his conflicts and an inability to make a good decision that he doesn't regret. The "Should I let you fall..." verse is her thinking that just cutting him off might be the only way for him to learn. Obviously with all this pain, she thinks that they'll only be hurting each other ("Can't keep believing, We're only deceiving ourselves"), and so she's sick of him lying and her lying to herself. ("Sick of the lies"). Then, she's referring to him either having broken up with her or doing something that hurt her ("Couldn’t take the blame, sick with shame"), obviously the guy is coming back to her all upset, probably telling her he can't live without her. He can't seem to understand how much grief he's been causing her. Now that he's regretting his decision, it "Must be exhausting to loose your own game." Now that he's the one hurting, he's playing the victim, when his pain was self-inflicted. "You never call me when you're sober / You only want it cause it's over" basically, she's saying that he's been so conflicted with himself that there's no way he can really want her; just the relationship. He only wants it because he sees it's finally ending. Not for the right reasons. The second time she says "it's over" is sort of a realization, or a reminder that it really is over between them. Then the part "How could I have burned paradise?" She's reminding him that she never did anything that caused him pain, reminding him that all his pain has been self-inflicted. He's trying to get sympathy from her, as if she were the one causing his pain. She reminds him that he doesn't really love her and that he was never hers ("You were never mine"), which is also probably something she's just come to realize in the process. In the last verse, "Don’t lie to me /Just get your things / I’ve made up your mind" is basically her finally trying to be the mature one and finally find some peace for herself. She sees that he's too conflicted to just leave her or take her, and to save them both from further pain, she's decided that she just doesn't want to be a part of it anymore. She is firm in her decision by making the decision for him. Getting him out of her life so she can move on, and so that hopefully he will learn.
People keep saying this is about Amy and that guy from Seether. But really, we don't know for sure unless she's actually come out and said that. I don't really care who it was written for, I just know that the song can apply to anyone in a similar situation, and that's what matters to me.
@VictorianRomantic Actually, you can type all sorts of comments. It says so on the 'type' category. Yours is labeled as general comment, but it should be 'song meaning'. If general comments bother you, you can go to the dropdown menu below the 'add your thoughts' button and click on the song meaning or my interpretation option. However, some people forget to change the labels, so it won't show all the results.
@iamawesomedog probably when the user originally posted this comment the different options for the type of comment weren't available (hence why this is just a general comment more than likely).
I love the music video for this. I didn't think the dancers looked cheap at all, it was actually pretty cool. And I liked the wolves.
This song is actually about a failed relationship between the lead singer of Evenescence (I forget her name.) And Shaun Morgan (The singer for Seether.) She made this song out of spite for the recovering addict. Who at the very time the band had sent the song was already in rehab for his addictions. Which to the people who knew somewhat demonized her thinking that she and her band-mates had written the song regardless of him seeking help for himself.
There might still be bugs, there are some words that are debateable, let me know and I'll edit it =].
Anyway, much more bluesy than I thought it would be (as a lot of interviews have mentioned), but amazing stuff!! Very literal, easy lyrics to understand =P. No more of that "I think this song's about Jebus!" crap, this is straightforward and unmistakeable =].
it sounds just about right. but we'll only be sure when the album comes out...
Meh... it's a bit of a let down...
Where can I hear this song at?
Go to youtube and search for Call Me When You're Sober. If you search by last added, you should get about a billion results with the full song. I'd tell you where to download it but I don't want to get sued =X. Try p2p programs and the like, though.
I'm probably the only one who loves this song. It may be straightforward but it has an awesome beat a I lve the way it speaks. Just got done listening to it at myspace.com/evanescence.
I think it's a great song so you're not the only one who loves it =) Very straight to the point, no messing! Great to hear new stuff from Evanescence!