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.
ON THE LIPS
JD McPherson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A memory of a one time kiss
Tiny shadows in the autumn moonlight
Taken items off each others list
Finally you was on the lips
You blew me down like a sinking ship
Time burns if you get the feeling
You taken from your knees to your fingertips
Memories fade away with these but
There's a mark where I got hit
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
Blurry songs from the humdrum town
Popped up when the rain poured down
Hold a charm and I'm full of grit
Something sharp in the hands of a little kid
Give me voice, let it gleam and shine
Like a kiddle in a diamond mine
For a while I laid down there dead
For the wind is freezing, can you see your breathe?
Melodies fade away with these but
There's a mark where I got hit
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
The lyrics of JD McPherson's song ON THE LIPS is a reflection of the intensity of a past relationship. The singer reminisces about a memory of a one-time kiss which they have longed for, but never experienced before. He describes the moment as tiny shadows in the autumn moonlight, which signifies the brief moment of happiness and how it came and went without warning. However, they were able to fulfill their desire, and eventually, it became an experience they could hold as a memory. The verse "Finally you was on the lips" describes how the singer longed for this moment and was able to have it, which left him feeling lost.
The chorus "You hit me on the lips" is symbolic of the impact the other person had on the singer's life, both physically and emotionally. The words "time burns if you get the feeling, you're taken from your knees to your fingertips" indicate the intensity of the feelings the singer had towards this person, which took over their whole being.
The second verse indicates the chaos that comes with being in a relationship when it is not stable. The blurry songs from the humdrum town signify the confusion and the disarray that come with being in a relationship that isn't working as it should. However, the experience left the singer stronger and wiser, as he learned to embrace the challenges that come with love.
Line by Line Meaning
I never had a dream like this
I never imagined something like this happening to me
A memory of a one time kiss
A recollection of a single kiss
Tiny shadows in the autumn moonlight
Small, indistinct shapes visible only in the light of the autumn moon
Taken items off each others list
Crossing things off each other's to-do lists
Finally you was on the lips
Finally, you were kissing me
You blew me down like a sinking ship
You left me feeling powerless and defeated
Time burns if you get the feeling
Time can be painful if you have strong emotions
You taken from your knees to your fingertips
You took everything from me, from my lowest point to my highest
Memories fade away with these but
These experiences cause memories to fade, but...
There's a mark where I got hit
There's a lasting impression from what happened to me
You hit me on the lips
You kissed me passionately
Blurry songs from the humdrum town
Indistinct songs from a boring place
Popped up when the rain poured down
Appeared suddenly when it started raining
Hold a charm and I'm full of grit
I have both charm and determination
Something sharp in the hands of a little kid
Something potentially dangerous in the hands of a child
Give me voice, let it gleam and shine
Let me express myself and shine through my words
Like a kiddle in a diamond mine
Like a child in a place filled with potential
For a while I laid down there dead
For a period of time, I felt completely lifeless
For the wind is freezing, can you see your breathe?
It's so cold that you can see your breath
You hit me on the lips
You kissed me passionately
You hit me on the lips
You kissed me passionately
You hit me on the lips
You kissed me passionately
You hit me on the lips
You kissed me passionately
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jonathan David McPherson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Heywood Jabuzoff
I love this song! I tried looking up the lyrics, but it seems most of the references currently contain several obvious errors. Most of the lyrics are clear, but can anyone confirm if he sings "Holy, charming and full of grit" ? I can't figure it out. I also am not confident if it's "Blurry (Lonely? Loving?) songs from a humdrum town". Anyone got eyes on the actual lyrics?
I never had a dream like this
A memory of a one-time kiss
Tiny shadows in the autumn moonlight
Ticking items off each other's list
Finally it was on the lips
It pulled me down like a sinking ship
Time burns - you forget the feeling
That tingles from your knees to your fingertips
Memories fade away with ease but
There's a mark where I got hit
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
Blurry songs from a humdrum town
Popped up when the rain poured down
Holy, charming, and full of grit
Something sharp in the hands of a little kid
Give me voice let it gleam and shine
Like a candle in a diamond mine
For a while I lay dumb and deaf
Only when it's freezing can you see your breath
Melodies fade away with ease but
There's a mark where I got hit
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
Koellnermichael
I never had a dream like this
A memory of a one time kiss
Tiny shadows in the autumn moonlight
Taken items off each others list
Finally you was on the lips
You blew me down like a sinking ship
Time burns if you get the feeling
You taken from your knees to your fingertips
Memories fade away with these but
There's a mark where I got hit
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
Blurry songs from the humdrum town
Popped up when the rain poured down
Hold a charm and I'm full of grit
Something sharp in the hands of a little kid
Give me voice, let it gleam and shine
Like a kiddle in a diamond mine
For a while I laid down there dead
For the wind is freezing, can you see your breathe?
Melodies fade away with these but
There's a mark where I got hit
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
You hit me on the lips
Matt Strickland
Love this song! Best one on the new release!
Forgotten Path
Heard it in my car today. Stopped me in my tracks like all great music. Had to find out who it was.
Blake Lewis
Love that you made this! One of my favorites from the album.
2minstral
Very well done on the video gentlemen and I love the album. Three songs from the album make the Best songs of 2017 Playlist on my World United Music channel and blog, "On the Lips", "Hunting for Sugar", and "Crying's just a thing you do". Certainly three of the best songs of 2017. As always, I'm in the background sharing and in support of great music. ~ Stewart
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Me encanta!!! ♥️
Karen García
Good job, JD Mc Pherson!
Daniel Tessari
Great vintage sound! The Ray Bans are fucking amazing!
Heywood Jabuzoff
I love this song! I tried looking up the lyrics, but it seems most of the references currently contain several obvious errors. Most of the lyrics are clear, but can anyone confirm if he sings "Holy, charming and full of grit" ? I can't figure it out. I also am not confident if it's "Blurry (Lonely? Loving?) songs from a humdrum town". Anyone got eyes on the actual lyrics?
I never had a dream like this
A memory of a one-time kiss
Tiny shadows in the autumn moonlight
Ticking items off each other's list
Finally it was on the lips
It pulled me down like a sinking ship
Time burns - you forget the feeling
That tingles from your knees to your fingertips
Memories fade away with ease but
There's a mark where I got hit
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
Blurry songs from a humdrum town
Popped up when the rain poured down
Holy, charming, and full of grit
Something sharp in the hands of a little kid
Give me voice let it gleam and shine
Like a candle in a diamond mine
For a while I lay dumb and deaf
Only when it's freezing can you see your breath
Melodies fade away with ease but
There's a mark where I got hit
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
It hit me on the lips
Hercios Marrogola
I have the Vinyl for the album and it has all the lyrics and your mostly right but instead of "it blew me down like a sinking ship" its actually "pulled me down like a sinking ship" and instead of "The tingle from your knees to your fingertips" its actually "That tingles from your knees to your fingertips" and finally instead of "Taking items off each others list" its actually "Ticking items of each other's list". Hope this helps!
Heywood Jabuzoff
@Hercios Marrogola Thanks for your excellent clarifications! You're a little slow though... next time please respond in something under 4 years. 😅