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."
You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed, oh
My black eye casts no shadow
Your red eye sees nothing
Your slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit
So we remain the same
Love sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick to the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Oh, a kiss with a fist is better than none
I broke your jaw once before
I spilled your blood upon the floor
You broke my leg in return
So sit back and watch the bed burn
Love sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick in the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Oh, kiss with a fist is better than none
You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed, oh
Oh, you hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed, oh
My black eye casts no shadow
Your red eye sees nothing
Your slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit
So we remain the same
Love sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick to the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Oh, a kiss with a fist is better than none
I broke your jaw once before
I spilled your blood upon the floor
You broke my leg in return
So sit back and watch the bed burn
Love sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick in the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Oh, kiss with a fist is better than none
You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed, oh
Oh, you hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
Lyrics submitted by claire16, edited by Reisam, tellemonstar
Kiss With A Fist Lyrics as written by Matthew David Allchin Florence Leontine Mary Welch
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Quote from Florence and the Machine's myspace page: "Kiss with a fist is NOT a song about domestic violence. it is about two people pushing each other to phsycological extremes because they love each other. the song is not about one person being attacked, or any actual physical violence, there are no victims in this song. sometimes the love two people have for each other is a destructive force. but they cant have it any other way, because its what holds them together, they enjoy the drama and pushing each others buttons. the only way to express these extreme emotions is with extreme imagery, all of which is fantasism and nothing in the song is based on reality.
leona lewis's bleeding love isn't actually about her bleeding. this isnt really about punching someone in the face. thank you and goodnight."
I obviously couldn't put it better, because I'm not the artist. But that's what I always thought of when I heard this song. A very self destructive/violent couple, not physically but mentally and emotionally. It's just a very passionate romance.
that's what i thought :] i love this song x
Well gee, that's funny because in the music video, she is DEFINITELY punching some guy in the face. Whatdumb? "Thank you and goodnight!" :P
the music video doesn't necessarily reflect what the song writer meant with the lyrics
Better THAN none. THAN THAN THAN BETTER THAN NONE. than.
my interpretation of this song seems completely different to everyone elses.
my thought was that the song was about two people who felt very strongly towards each other, but either one or both of them were already in relationships. they couldn't finish it and didn't want to cheat, so the only way they could be strongly passionate with each other was to beat each other up. they burnt the bed to remove the temptation to do anything else on it. the whole "a kiss with a fist is better than none" refers to the fact they can't kiss each other properly, but by hitting each other, they're at least gaining some physical contact that no-one can deem as morally wrong in the sense of cheating. so i guess in a way it's sadomasochistic, but it's just a song about making the best of a situation (break the lock if it don't fit). i also thought the "slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit" bit was demonstrating that they didn't feel any pain out of what they were doing. and the "so we remain the same" bit was referring to how they had not technically cheated and became bad people. also, the chorus comprises of two people taking it in turns to assualt each other, which i think is like them creating their own version of a "give-and-take" relationship.
i know the song is provoking because people get angry about songs that might condone domestic violence (quite rightly) but i think the variety of interpretations demonstrates what a great song it is. one of my all time favourites :)
interesting intrepretaion... sounds like wat my bf would say teehee.
It's clearly not about domestic violence - if it was, she wouldn't be hitting back. It's metaphorical for a relationship full of non-physical fights. She's saying fighting is better than having no relationship, or a relationship without fights - fighting is actually a very healthy sign in a relationship.
Out of curiousity, what exactly in this song makes it "clearly not about domestic violence"? Not what she said on myspace, but what in the song makes that so clear? Because I can't find it anywhere. I think that the band was covering their ass with the comment on myspace, and that people here are defending it because they don't want to like a song that's about domestic violence. There isn't a single line in the song that even hints that it is a metaphor.<br /> <br /> I will say that I love this song, and I don't think it's endorsing violence, but that's not to say I don't think it's about physical violence. I have seen relationships where people claim to very much love each other but they are physical and emotional destructive is clear to everyone else. They say things like their relationship is just very "passionate".<br /> <br /> In the end, I could be wrong or I could be right. Those are just my opinions. I just wanted to post because I don't like the fact that some people think that their opinion is the end all, or that differing opinions are "ignorant". Just because the subject may be controversial, doesn't mean it's not the actual subject.
Technically, I agree with you, afbound, that it's not quite so clear that it's not about domestic violence. In fact the only lines in the song that hint to that would be "your slaps don't stick / your kicks don't hit / so we remain the same" which is ambiguous at best. However, taking into account the tone of the song, one (such as myself) might get the impression that it's not to be taken literally, as supported by an interview with the writer.<br /> <br /> My introduction to this song was from the radio, and the DJ announced that he'd spent the last several weeks trying to find a way to have sex with this song, because he loves it so much. That prelude was enough for me see the lyrics as sarcastic or metaphorical.<br /> <br /> afbound, the point of this website is to try to see songs from other people's perspectives, or at least give everyone an equal launchpad to proclaim theirs. I may not agree with what you say (because I think the intended meaning is clear enough given the tone), but I respect your right to say it, and the fact that you did.
Never said my opinion was the end all, or that differing opinions are ignorant. I just think that with what they said, it makes sense that it's metaphorical, and that's how I've always seen it (personally). I just don't like that some may say the song is endorsing physical violence or something, because I don't think it is and some people have implied that.
@missme bit late to this but your first sentence. Its clearly not about domestic because she hits back. I hope you can read this comment 12 years later and see the issue in that response.
i love this song so much :) my summer anthem :D
first saw this on 4music advert and looove it. ^^^i agree proper summer tune (: about mental torture [rather than physical violence] in a relationship, i believe. Bascially two people constantly trying to score points off each other.
it is metaphorical, and florence and the machine are of course covering themselves they dont want people thinking their sadomasochists lol. Of course to the casual listener would seem to be a about violence, but what i actually think its about is a turbulent relationship where a couple are the opposite of each other so they both get on each others nerves alot but they still love each other even after all the arguments and even though they know they will continue to fight
'my black eye cast no shadow your red eye sees no pain' - this i believe refers to the fact that the argument was petty and didn't effect the way they feel for eachother
'broke your jaw once before spilt your blood upon the floor you broke my leg in return sit back and watch the bed burn' - this is saying they have argued but afterwards they can lay back appologize let the moment pass/allow the flames to die out then have a laugh about the whole thing.
this is what i think its about hope i helped (rate if i did lol)
i absolutely love it!! its ridiculous that she had to actually explain that the song wasn't about endorsing violence, thats sad, ignorant people
I definitely needed an explanation considering in the music video, she is definitely punching some dude straight in the face. I think it's ridiculous you find that ridiculous. Just because you want this song to fit into some happy mold for you, doesn't make it obvious to the world, especially those of us who have been in abusive partnerships.
so catchy (:
LOL who the hell thought this was about domestic violence or abuse or something shit? Seriously, what? Haha.
This is exactly my kind of relationship. Teasing, tormenting, criticizing and just being mean to my sweetheart... I can't help it, it's just how I love someone. (I also shower them with kisses, of course. with fists.)
I discovered it from Jennifer's Body (hated the movie, but the soundtrack is so good, I'm thinking of buying the CD), and just... fell in love.
One of my favorite songs ever.
Oh and her performance is just perfect. I love her voice and the way she sings just fits these lyrics.
Typo.<br /> <br /> some shit *