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.
I Love You And Buddha Too
Mason Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I love Buddha too
Rama Krishna Guru Dev
Daodejing and Muhammad
Why do some people say
That there is just one way
To love you god and come to you
You are a nameable
You are a knowable
All we have is Metaphor
That's what time and space are for
It's the universal thought (i think thats right)
You are and you are not
You are many you are one
Ever ending just begun
All right
All right
All right
Oh Jesus I love you
And I love Buddha too
Rama krishna Guru dev
Daodejing and Muhammad
All right
All right
All right
I love you and Buddha too
Oh Jesus I love you
And I love Buddha too
Rama Krishna Guru Dev
Daodejing and Muhammad
Why do some people say
That there is just one way
To love you god and come to you
We are all apart of you
You are a nameable
You are a knowable
All we have is Metaphor
That's what time and space are for
It's the universal thought
You are and you are not
You are many you are one
Ever ending just begun
All right
All right
All right
I love you and Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
And Buddha too
Aww yeah!
The lyrics of Mason Jennings's song "I Love You And Buddha Too" explore the relationship between different religions and their respective deities. The song begins with the singer declaring his love for Jesus and Buddha simultaneously, and then goes on to mention other spiritual leaders and texts such as Rama, Krishna, Guru Dev, Daodejing, and Muhammad. The lyrics question the idea that there is only one way to connect with God and wonder why people make such claims. The song suggests that all of these figures and texts are different metaphors for the same universal thought or concept.
The chorus repeats the title of the song, "I love you and Buddha too," affirming the idea that love and admiration for different religious figures is not only possible but also desirable. The lyrics also suggest that human language and concepts are limited in their ability to fully capture the essence of divinity. Comparing all we have to metaphor, the song emphasizes how the concepts of time and space, which constrain our understanding, are themselves insufficient to grasp the vastness of what is being discussed.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Love You And Buddha Too" promote religious tolerance and inclusivity, arguing that there are multiple paths to the divine and that it is possible and, in many ways, preferable to love and appreciate the different ways others approach the spiritual.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Jesus I love you
The singer loves Jesus.
And I love Buddha too
The singer also loves Buddha.
Rama Krishna Guru Dev
The singer references different spiritual leaders and texts.
Daodejing and Muhammad
The singer continues to reference different spiritual texts and leaders.
Why do some people say
The singer questions why some people believe there is only one way to love God.
That there is just one way
The singer references the belief that there is only one way to love God.
To love you god and come to you
The belief is that there is only one way to love God and find salvation.
We are all apart of you
The singer believes everyone is a part of God.
You are a nameable
God is able to be given a name.
You are a knowable
God is able to be comprehended.
All we have is Metaphor
The only way we can understand God is through metaphor.
That's what time and space are for
Time and space allow us to use metaphor to comprehend God.
It's the universal thought
The concept of God is a universal thought.
You are and you are not
God simultaneously exists and doesn't exist.
You are many you are one
God is both singular and plural in nature.
Ever ending just begun
God is infinite and eternal.
I love you and Buddha too
The singer reiterates that they love both Jesus and Buddha.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mason Stewart Jennings
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zakakwan3106
Oh Jesus, I love You
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed
Why do some people say
That there is just one way
To love You, God, and come to You?
We are all a part of You
You are un-nameable
You are unknowable
All we have is metaphor
That's what time and space are for
Is the universe Your thought?
You are and You are not
You are many, You are one
Ever ending, just begun
Alright, alright, alright
I love You and Buddha too
Oh Jesus, I love You
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed
Why do some people say
That there is just one way
To love You, God and come to You?
We are all a part of You
Alright, alright, alright
I love You and Buddha too
Oh Jesus, I love You
(I love You, Jesus)
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed
Why do some people say
(I love You, Jesus)
That there is just one way
To love You God and come to You?
We are all a part of You
You are un-nameable
(I love You, Jesus)
You are unknowable
All we have is metaphor
That's what time and space are for
Is the universe Your thought?
(I love You, Jesus)
You are and You are not
You are many, You are one
Ever ending, just begun
Alright, alright, alright
(I love You, Jesus)
I love You and Buddha too
Alright, alright, alright
(I love You, Jesus)
I love You and Buddha too
@kevinj2525
Makes me feel like a cell in God's dream just waving back and forth in adoration and love of the One. Such bliss.
@adamdreisler7365
… beautifully put… 😘
@CourtneyDoes
I need more of this song in my life. ❤
@matchstick121
Holy Crap..... Mason Jennings, Matt Costa, and Jack Johnson all on onw stage...pure beauty.
@jaimiecrowder
This song is perfect in every way <3
@alexberg2934
I absolutely love your music, I dont know if you read your comments, but I want you to know that your music has taught me a lot and I aspire to live a life like you've lived. I'm born and raised in rochester mn and my dad Jesse has been playing your music since I was a child and you may or may not have played at the restaurant he manages. I'd like to shake your hand one day and properly thank you 🙏
@CandyLeeMusic
This is such a great song!
@newtempphone-ash9507
dang where have I been? 11 years?
@MrTitolito
I would love to just meet this man and hear him make those beautiful sounds that are more than just music
@AlexHeineCSB
Any way we can get this version on Spotify too?! I love it