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.
Wolf Teeth
JD McPherson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dont go down soon
I aint gonna lose my my my my my m mind
If that ol sky
Dont come come out light
I ain't gonna lose my my my my my mind
Pay my lover girl
Pay no never mind
Dont choo know that you're gonna be cryin'
If that ol moon
Dont go down soon
I aint gonna lose my my my my my my mind
Oh
If that ol moon
Dont go down soon
I ain't gonna lose my my my my my m mind
If that ol sky
Don't come up light
I ain't gonna lose my my my my my mind
Whole world knows
The rivers ain't froze
Even little girls know
That the grass can't grow
Come here little girl
Tell the whole world
Got more teeth than a buffalo bur
Rivers aint froze
I grab for the door
I leave a little magic every place I go
Running through the woods
Chasin round hoods
Save the money like a farmer
When the banker gets here
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
Don't come up light
The song "Wolf Teeth" by JD McPherson begins with a feeling of desperation that is evident in the lyrics "If that ol moon don't go down soon, I ain't gonna lose my mind." The singer seems to be in a state of anxiety that could be brought on by the presence of the moon, which might suggest that he is a werewolf. However, the song's meaning is not entirely clear. The line "If that ol sky don't come out light" could suggest a fear of the coming day, as the singer is afraid of losing control of himself.
The song progresses to include a lover who the singer believes will be crying because of him. It may be the singer's fear of hurting the one he loves that causes him to feel like he is losing his mind. The final lines of the song are comparatively more understandable. The singer references nature, saying that even little girls know that the rivers don't freeze and the grass can't grow. In this way, the song is conveying a message about the importance of embracing the world around us and understanding that our emotional experiences are a part of that.
Line by Line Meaning
If that ol moon
The singer is waiting for the moon to go down. If it does not happen soon, he feels like he is losing his mind.
Dont go down soon
The singer is waiting for the moon to disappear from the sky.
I aint gonna lose my my my my my m mind
The singer is worried that if the moon does not go down soon, he will lose his mind.
If that ol sky
The singer is waiting for the sky to become lighter.
Dont come come out light
The singer is waiting for the sky to brighten up.
Hmmm
This is an exclamation that shows the singer's frustration with the situation.
Pay my lover girl
The singer does not care about his lover anymore.
Pay no never mind
The singer is telling his lover to forget about him.
Dont choo know that you're gonna be cryin'
The singer is warning his lover that she will regret leaving him.
Oh
This is an interjection.
Whole world knows
Everyone is aware of this fact.
The rivers ain't froze
The rivers are not frozen.
Even little girls know
Even children know this fact.
That the grass can't grow
The grass is not growing.
Come here little girl
The singer is calling for the girl to come to him.
Tell the whole world
The singer wants the girl to share this information with everyone.
Got more teeth than a buffalo bur
The singer has a lot of sharp teeth like a buffalo.
Rivers aint froze
The rivers are not frozen.
I grab for the door
The singer is trying to escape from a situation.
I leave a little magic every place I go
The singer has a certain charm that appeals to people.
Running through the woods
The singer is moving through the forest quickly.
Chasin round hoods
The singer is chasing people around.
Save the money like a farmer
The singer is trying to save his money carefully.
When the banker gets here
The singer is suggesting that he is afraid of bankers.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Don't come up light
The singer is repeating that he does not want the sky to brighten up.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JAMES E SUTTON, JONATHAN DAVID JR MCPHERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Purdy
Wow! That song went from kinda slow to mind bending! By the time you hit the piano solo your feet are tapping, you feel like jumping. Then you went wow!! Great song!
Wallace Sanders
What Robert Purdy said!
Anne Castro
I think this is one of my favorite JD McPherson. Some Bo Diddly, some Howlin' Wolf, yet completely his own sound. <3
epnewhouse
Holy crap, that dude just murdered that piano and it was awesome!
Greg Simspon
It is the base that makes the tonality great..
The Tiger's_Stripes
When he got into it the entire band got screwed into the ceiling. It was awesome.
C A
@Susan Predis yes. They put on a great show love em
Karen C.
Ray Jacildo is the best!
Susan Predis
@James Spies see them live
Karina Hernandez
Just saw them on Thursday. What a great show! I mean WOW! .... I love this song and the energy they bring.