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'll never leave this place,
No, I'll never leave this place.
I'll never leave the place where I was born.
Because beyond these town limits,
even though I've never seen it,
there's really nothing else to explore-
there's nothing more.
there's nothing more.
Where is your intrigue and interest?
You don't have any questions or wonder.
Why would I leave this place when I'm comfortable right here?
Everything I need and more isn't far - it's near.
I'll never leave this place,
no, I'll never leave this place.
I'll never leave the place where I was born.
Because beyond these town limits,
even though I've never seen it,
there's really nothing else to explore.
There's nothing more.
There's nothing more.
You have created a falsehood,
a focused and closed-minded view
There's no telling where we'll be at this same time next year.
But I do know one thing - it won't be far from here.
I'll never leave this place,
no, I'll never leave this place.
I'll never leave the place where I was born.
Because beyond these town limits,
even though I've never seen it,
there's really nothing else to explore.
There's nothing more.
There's nothing more.
There's nothing more.
No, I'll never leave this place.
I'll never leave the place where I was born.
Because beyond these town limits,
even though I've never seen it,
there's really nothing else to explore-
there's nothing more.
there's nothing more.
Where is your intrigue and interest?
You don't have any questions or wonder.
Why would I leave this place when I'm comfortable right here?
Everything I need and more isn't far - it's near.
I'll never leave this place,
no, I'll never leave this place.
I'll never leave the place where I was born.
Because beyond these town limits,
even though I've never seen it,
there's really nothing else to explore.
There's nothing more.
There's nothing more.
You have created a falsehood,
a focused and closed-minded view
There's no telling where we'll be at this same time next year.
But I do know one thing - it won't be far from here.
I'll never leave this place,
no, I'll never leave this place.
I'll never leave the place where I was born.
Because beyond these town limits,
even though I've never seen it,
there's really nothing else to explore.
There's nothing more.
There's nothing more.
There's nothing more.
Lyrics submitted by ToasterRodeo, edited by Planets89
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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.
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.
I can't tell if these is being almost sarcastic. From what I've read from dredg this doesn't seem to be Gavin's typical mindset. I'm not sure. It could be about the beauty of home and your normal life, or it could be ridicule of people who aren't willing to explore. I'm not quite sure.
I wonder if we could get an edit to these lyrics since they're not all correct.
"I'll never leave this place where I was born."
"Even though I never seen th/em"
There's also a couple of lines missing: "You have created a falsehood A focused yet closed minded view There's no telling where we'll be at the same time next year But I do know one thing it won't be far from here."
you can click the edit lyrics button and do it yourself.
the home or home town that's being referred to here could be literal or a metaphor. it brings to my mind childhood and growing up, a lot of nostalgia. in a good way.
They're definitely sarcastic on this. Well, sarcastic might not be exactly the right word... it's more that this album is very conceptual, and that is the mindset at the beginning while at the end during "Stamp of Origin: Horizon", the mindset has definitely changed.
isn't the right chorus: "I'll never leave the place where I was born" ? maybe someone could change it..
Maybe I'm biased because I'm an atheist, but I've been reading this whole album as a case for living a life free of thought of a higher being. Especially the line "Cause life is really the only and last gift we've all received" in the song Pariah.
For this song, I see "the place where I was born" as Earth itself, and that he will "never leave this place" because heaven is what is "beyond these town limits," and there's "nothing more."
"Where is your intrigue and interest? You don't have any questions or wonder. Why would I leave this place when I'm comfortable right here? Everything I need and more isn't far - it's here."
For me, this is like asking people who are so focused on the concept of an afterlife why they don't see the beauty and wonder that surrounds them in this life. The second and third lines are exactly how I feel about life... this world is so amazing and beautiful in itself without having to believe that there is something more- "Why would I leave this place when I'm comfortable right here?"
That's what I get from it, I'm not sure if it's exactly what Dredg had in mind or not...
As and Agnostic, I agree with goawayavalon 100% on their interpretation of this song.<br /> <br /> Only those fine people in dredg can tell us the real meaning though.
I may also be biased by my agnostic point of view but I interpret this song as sarcastic with people with short views, as a metaphor of those xenophobic persons who think that they are right and there is nothing else to see or to know. This interpretation could also be applied to the religious fanatics.
yeah i'm pretty sure religion has a lot to do with this album. i like that the agnostic/atheistic movement is picking up more support.
It's about challenging oneself to question the things they were taught, from parents, teachers, friends, and the world around them. It’s never easy to walk away and leave the surroundings you’ve been born into, whether it’s a town, a religion, a house, or a group of friends. In the case of religion, it’s one of those questions like, “Why are you catholic?” and the answer turns out to be, “my whole family is catholic.” So you’re that religion based on birth and what someone has told you to be, you have never gone out and challenged yourself and tired to look into other religions…instead you just go with the teachings that have been instilled you…"you are comfortable right here”.