from the LP Ritual De Lo Habitual, Warner Bros. Records, 1990This song is a fucking voyage, a passage, an expedition inside; it is an unrelenting energy & spirit which swells beyond the separate confines of “music” or “experience”. Honestly, this track is an achievement so luminous and inspired, most musicians merely dream about writing something half as good! “Three days was the morning, my focus three days old; my head, it landed, to the sounds of cricket bows...” There are some of us out here for which, at certain points in time, merely one single evening of “partying” didn’t quite cut the coke. “Three lovers in three ways…” Well, there are some of us out here for which, at certain points in time, merely one single lover didn’t quite scratch the itch. The whole affair is propelled along by a snaking, Eastern-influenced bassline care of Eric Avery (the lone holdout in all the Jane’s Addiction reunion tours over the years), accentuated by equally numinous-sounding guitar licks courtesy of the infamous Dave Navarro. “…shadows of the morning light, shadows of the evening sun, ‘til the shadows and the light were one…” They start to open it up here, the direction changes, and suddenly the drumbeat builds in volume and immediacy; Stephen Perkins hits the drums really fucking hard, and they are impeccably recorded. “True hunting is over, no herds to follow; without game, men prey on each other…true leaders gone, of land and people; we choose no kin but adopted strangers...the family weakens by the lengths we travel…” These are the subterranean, transient meanderings of a very chemically active mind indeed, and Perry goes one step further, proclaiming, “…all of us with wings, all of us with wings…” Makes me think of Kierkegaard’s musings on human beings, that we are one half demon and one half angel, creating a third entity altogether…three. It then detonates into an epic and frenzied jam, so tribal and frenetic that I can’t help but flail about; I recall listening to this part once, after having smoked some dust, and I was knowing that I was flying through space. There have been numerous passionate debates/arguments over the years, regarding the specific meaning to all the imagery herein; wisely, Mr. Farrell has chosen to avoid the cryptic nuances & religious overtones, instead only addressing the literal theme: (from a published interview) Perry Farrell: “Well, I think that there ought to be a moment or two in one's life that they -- as an adult – are taking their party to the limit. And that's quite simply what the story is about, so anyone who couldn't understand the lyrics probably has not taken their party to the limit yet.” Religion, philosophy, hedonism---and not one dull moment for over ten minutes of transcendental orgasm!
