McPherson grew up in rural southeastern Oklahoma, on a cattle ranch near the town of Talihina. His father was a farmer and ex-army while his mother was a church minister. He took up the guitar at age 13. In high school he played in a number of local punk rock bands and began writing his own songs. He has stated that he has never not been in a band of some sort since he was 16 years of age.
During this time, McPherson also developed a strong interest in 1950s rock and roll after being exposed to the music of Buddy Holly. This went on to shape his song writing and sound for bands he was in such as The Poison Okies and The Starkweather Boys.
He studied visual arts in college, earning a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tulsa, and later worked as an art and technology teacher. After deciding to pursue music more seriously, McPherson sent a demo to Jimmy Sutton of the small independent record label Hi-STYLE Records, which specialized in roots music. Sutton agreed to produce McPherson's debut album: this became 2010's Signs and Signifiers. On 19 November 2012, Rolling Stone labelled McPherson an "Artist to Watch" in a 3½ star (out of 5) review of Signs and Signifiers after its wider release through Rounder Records.
The band played the acoustic stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2015 on Friday June 26, before continuing their European tour in the Netherlands.
In October 2015, JD McPherson and band appeared (in animated form) as musical guests performing a new and original song "Crazy Horse" for the DreamWorks animated TV series, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show on Netflix.
A Gentle Awakening
JD McPherson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a dream at dawn
A terrible storm blew over
Covered up the morning sun
Beyond I heard a lullaby
So peaceful and serene
Next thing I knew I eased into
The farmers on the plains
All walking in the lucid dream
While the sky is set aflame
They soon will hear a quiet tune
So peaceful and serene
Then they may too may ease into
Waiting through a waning moon
An unknown masquerade
Hear the wounded mockingbird
A mournful serenade
The people on the city streets
The farmers on the plains
They're walking in the lucid dream
While the sky is set aflame
They soon will hear a quiet sound
So peaceful and serene
Then they might too may ease into
As I interpret these lyrics, JD McPherson is describing a dream or vision he had at dawn where he saw a storm that covered up the sun. However, he then heard a peaceful lullaby which allowed him to ease into a lucid dream. In this dream, he noticed that everyone in the city and on the farmlands were walking around, but in a serene and peaceful way, almost as if they were in a trance. The sky was set aflame, which could potentially indicate that there was a disaster happening in the real world, but people in this dream seemed unperturbed. Moreover, they would soon hear a quiet tune, which would put them in the same state of calmness, allowing them to ease into this dream just like he did.
The lyrics that describe waiting through a waning moon and hearing a wounded mockingbird's mournful serenade showcase a darker side to this dream. The dreamers might be in a state of limbo, waiting for something to happen, yet unable to change or perceive anything around them, trapped in this dreamlike state. Nevertheless, the final verse seems to indicate that everyone might be able to ease into this serene dream and escape the chaos of the real world.
Overall, A Gentle Awakening seems to be a song about escaping from the turmoil of reality, in this case, through a dream-like state where everything is peaceful and serene. Even though there might be darker elements within this dream, McPherson's inviting lyrics seem to suggest that this is a preferable alternative to the harshness of the real world.
Line by Line Meaning
Put down the paper, baby
Stop what you’re doing, my dear
I had a dream at dawn
I had a dream this morning
A terrible storm blew over
An intense storm came through
Covered up the morning sun
Blocked out the sun so it was dark
Beyond I heard a lullaby
In the distance I heard a calming tune
So peaceful and serene
It was tranquil and relaxing
Next thing I knew I eased into
Before I knew it, I had slipped into
The people on the city streets
The individuals in the urban area
The farmers on the plains
The workers in the rural area
All walking in the lucid dream
All moving through the vivid, dream-like state of mind
While the sky is set aflame
Even as the sky is ablaze with color
They soon will hear a quiet tune
They will soon hear a mellow melody
So peaceful and serene
It will be very calm and tranquil
Then they may too may ease into
Perhaps they too will slip into it
Waiting through a waning moon
Passing the time during a shrinking moon
An unknown masquerade
An unfamiliar facade or appearance
Hear the wounded mockingbird
Listen to the hurting mockingbird
A mournful serenade
A sad musical performance
They soon will hear a quiet sound
Soon they will hear a subdued noise
So peaceful and serene
Very calm and tranquil
Then they might too may ease into
Then they too could possibly slip into it
Writer(s): James Sutton, Jd Mcpherson Copyright: Happy Valley Music O/B/o Rounder Music
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ShootOne MU-FU
Put down the paper, baby
I had a dream at dawn
A terrible storm blew over
Covered up the morning sun
Beyond I heard a lullaby
So peaceful and serene
Next thing I knew, I eased into a gentle awakening
The people on the city streets
The farmers on the plains
All walking in a lucid dream while the sky is set aflame
They soon will hear a quiet tune
So peaceful and serene
Then they might too, may ease into a gentle awakening Wading through a waning moon
An unknown masquerade
Hear the wounded mockingbird
A mournful serenade
Read more: JD McPherson - A Gentle Awakening Lyrics
Prairie Schooner
It's been 10 years already? Feels I just picked up this album yesterday.
A timeless recording. 🎶
Uğur Ertunga
Tamam aşkım benim ya
Marianne
Cannot believe that there is still something this great out there ! I am amazed at the detail and attention to the music. I heard of this band from my sister early on. North Side Gal was fantastic. It was played on opening day and I heard the tail end of it that morning on WXRT. I am still in shock. Don't give up, music lovers. There's still hope. Great job guys !
L
who says there isn't any modern day classics. this man speaks to my soul!!!
CYMORI [PROD BY CYUHNIDE]
They still say it and they’re still not looking in the right places
Ryan Heldmann
JD McPherson is outstanding and I'm looking forward to see him live. Also is anyone else just hypnotized by the standing waves of the bass strings on the close up of Jimmy.
Katherine J O'Malley
Totally agree. I love those shots of the bass strings on jimmys base and I love jimmys presence throughout all of this. He seems like a cool dude.
ThaCrypt
This feels like a 60-year-old gemstone, and not a 10 year old one. So glad I found this today.
Weiss Hal
I think JD is one of the best newer artists I've heard in a while!!!
Sebastian Sack
Totally agreeing... he is just awesome ;)