Born in Hawaii, Jennings moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at an early age. Jennings learned to play guitar at the age of 13, when he began writing songs. Jennings later dropped out of school and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to pursue his musical career.
Jennings produced his self-titled debut album in 1997 on an analog four-track in the basement of a rented home, manning all instruments himself. In October 1998, after bringing drummer Chris Stock and bassist Robert Skoro on board, he began a weekly gig at Minneapolis' 400 Bar as the Mason Jennings Band. Garnering local praise and a wide fan base, Mason began touring nationally.
His 2000 album Birds Flying Away revealed Jennings' political activism and penchant for singing first-person narratives of imaginary rustic characters. Following the release of this album, Noah Levy took over drumming duties from Stock.
2002 saw the release of two albums: the studio piece Century Spring and a "fans only" collection of acoustic rarities, Simple Life. An EP supporting Century Spring was also released, featuring the album's opening track, "Living In The Moment," two live tracks, and the previously-unreleased "Emperor Ashoka." Jennings released all three discs -- and re-released his earlier albums -- on his homebrewed record label, Architect Records.
In 2003, Skoro and Levy left the band (the former to pursue a solo career), and were replaced by bassist Chris Morrissey (formerly of Bill Mike Band) and drummer Brian Mcleod.
On 10 February 2004, Jennings released Use Your Voice, which notably included the songs "Keepin' It Real," a foot-stomper ostensibly written at the request of Shrek 2 producers (but not used in the film), and "The Ballad of Paul and Sheila," an acoustic dirge for late Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone. On the 30th, September of that year, the band released a DVD entitled Use Your Van, which chronicled the recording of Use Your Voice and part of the promotional tour. The DVD was filmed by Andy Grund.
On June 17, 2005, news broke that Jennings had finally signed with a major label: Glacial Pace, a subsidiary of Sony's Epic Records headed by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock. Minnesota's Star Tribune broke the story, and credited Brock with convincing Jennings to sign after the Mason Jennings Band had opened for several Modest Mouse shows in 2004. Jennings had long avoided the major labels, citing desires to maintain creative control and dodge big-label politics.
Jennings recorded his sixth album, "Boneclouds," at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN. The album was released on May 16, 2006 by Glacial Pace.
After considerable success on "Boneclouds", Jennings released his seventh full length album "In the Ever" in 2008. The album was released under Jack Johnson's "Brushfire Records".
In September 2009, Blood of Man was released on CD and vinyl format. In late 2010, Live at First Ave., his first ever live album, was released.
Darkness Between the Fireflies
Mason Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Early morning I could hear the wind in the trees
I was looking for the light to bring you out
From the shadows, redefine you now for only me
And honey, I'm sure that you've been in love before
Plenty of men have held high places in your eyes
And jealousy has got no use for me
The past is beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
I was driving faster through the Appalachians
I could see the world go out below me in the sun
You should know by now that someone's always been there
Long before you, you're never going to be the only one
Honey, I'm sure that you've been in love before
Plenty of men have held high places in your eyes
But jealousy has got no use for me
The past is beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
Beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
Honey, I'm sure that you've been in love before
Plenty of men have held high places in your eyes
But jealousy has got no use for me
The past is beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
Beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
The lyrics to Mason Jennings's song "Darkness Between the Fireflies" is a beautifully crafted piece about the complexities of love and relationships. The first stanza highlights the singer's search for light in the darkness, both physically and metaphorically. It is implied that the singer is looking for a light to guide their loved one out of the shadows and redefine their relationship. The imagery of the wind in the trees adds to the sense of loneliness and isolation felt by the singer in this moment. The second stanza reveals that jealousy does not have any hold over the singer, as they acknowledge that their loved one has been in love before and held others in high regard. The past is beautiful, despite its darkness, and the singer seems to embrace the idea that their loved one has a history before them. The third stanza adds to this idea, with the singer driving through the Appalachians and reflecting on how others have been there and taken in the sights before. The lyrics suggest that the singer does not see their relationship as exclusive, but that's okay because the past and the memories that come with it are still beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up before you in the total darkness
I woke up before you before sunrise and in complete darkness
Early morning I could hear the wind in the trees
In the early hours of the morning, I could hear the sound of the wind rustling through the trees
I was looking for the light to bring you out
I was searching for a source of light to help bring you out of the shadows
From the shadows, redefine you now for only me
I want to redefine who you are to me, solely for myself and in this moment
And honey, I'm sure that you've been in love before
It's likely that you've already experienced love with other men before me
Plenty of men have held high places in your eyes
You've held other men in high regard and esteem
And jealousy has got no use for me
I won't let jealousy consume me over your past experiences
The past is beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
Just like the beauty found in the dark spaces between glowing fireflies, there's a beauty in your past experiences
I was driving faster through the Appalachians
I drove faster through the Appalachian Mountains
I could see the world go out below me in the sun
The world faded away below me as the sun rose higher in the sky
You should know by now that someone's always been there
You should realize by now that someone has always been in your life before me
Long before you, you're never going to be the only one
There were people in your life before me and you won't be the only one in the future
The past is beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
Just like the beauty found in the dark spaces between glowing fireflies, there's a beauty in your past experiences
Beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
The beauty of your past experiences cannot be denied, just like the beauty in the darkness found between fireflies
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mason Stewart Jennings
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chloe8605
I woke up before you in the total darkness
Early morning
I could hear the wind in the trees
I was looking for the light to bring you out
From the shadows
Redefine you now for only me
And honey i'm sure
That you've been in love before
Plenty of men have held high places in your eyes
And jealousy has got no use for me
The past is beautiful
Like the darkness between the fireflies
I was driving faster through the appalachians
I could see the world go out below me in the sun
You should know by now
That someone's always been there
Long before you
You're never going to be the only one
And honey i'm sure
That you've been in love before
Plenty of men have held high places in your eyes
But jealousy has got no use for me
The past is beautiful
Like the darkness between the fireflies
Beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies
@triplucid3563
I Love Mason's music + vibe.
Saw him live, and he truly mezmerized the audience/room. + most people I share a listen with end up fans. 😊
@Ada1613
This song is so beautiful! I love Mason Jennings <3
@MsMiguel70
If I'd heard and loved this song at 18, not 32, my love life might have had a lot less stress and drama. But now I get it.
@joshuaobrien7034
First Jennings tune I ever listened to.. was hooked in the first 15 seconds and still am today. Real music!
@dustiestrain
yeah i was obsessed with this song and it was nowhere on youtube so i uploaded it
@SunshineSasha23
my favorite song of all time
@andallis13
Mason Jennings writes such beautiful songs, they're all amazing, listen to them all!!
@meghjoshi
One of the finest tunes made just like his 'Fighter Girl'🎶❤
@AGTinnercircle
What a great song
@MrTocalino
First time I heard this song it sounded kinda of annoying.... but it sticked in my mind and I caught myself singing it ...... kkkkk good song....