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.
The Times They Are a Changin'
Mason Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
And you better start swimmin'
For the times they are a-changin'
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
In Mason Jennings’ rendition of Bob Dylan’s classic, “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, the lyrics are a call to society to acknowledge the shifting times, and to make the necessary changes to keep up. Jennings calls out to people from all walks of life, urging them to take notice of their surroundings and to recognize that they are living in a time of great change.
He warns that those who refuse to adapt to the changing times will be left behind and ultimately left with nothing. The opening lines, for instance, “And accept it that soon / You’ll be drenched to the bone,” imply a sense of urgency, and the need to act before it’s too late.
The song’s attention is not just reserved for the general public - it also addresses those in positions of power, such as senators and congressmen. The lyrics demand that they pay attention to the changes taking place in society and work to create policies that reflect those changes. As with the rest of the song, the message is one of adaptation and growth, in order to survive in a changing world.
Overall, Mason Jennings’ interpretation of “The Times They Are A-Changin’” calls for a sense of urgency in adapting to a changing world, and reiterates the timeless message that those who refuse to change will ultimately be left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Come gather 'round, people
Everyone should come together
Wherever you roam
No matter where you are in life
And admit that the waters
Acknowledge that the world around you
Around you have grown
Is changing rapidly
And accept it that soon
Understand that in no time
You'll be drenched to the bone
You'll be overwhelmed by the changes
If your time to you is worth savin'
If you value your time
And you better start swimmin'
You need to start adapting
Or you'll sink like a stone
Or you'll be left behind
For the times they are a-changin'
Because the world is rapidly evolving
Come writers and critics
Those who observe and comment on the world
Who prophesize with your pen
Who make predictions with your writing
And keep your eyes wide
Be alert and observant
The chance won't come again
Opportunities don't always repeat themselves
And don't speak too soon
Don't make predictions too early
For the wheel's still in spin
Because everything is still in motion
And there's no tellin' who
And it's hard to know
That it's namin'
What will ultimately happen
For the loser now
Those who are failing now
Will be later to win
Can later experience success
Come senators, congressmen
Those in power in government
Please heed the call
Listen to what's happening
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block others' progress
Don't block up the hall
Don't stop others from moving forward
For he that gets hurt
Those who suffer the consequences
Will be he who has stalled
Are those who obstructed progress
The battle outside ragin'
The conflict in the world at large
Will soon shake your windows
Will soon affect you personally
And rattle your walls
And challenge your beliefs
Come mothers and fathers
Parents
Throughout the land
Everywhere
And don't criticize
Don't judge too harshly
What you can't understand
What you don't fully comprehend
Your sons and your daughters
Your children
Are beyond your command
Are independent and making their own choices
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Your traditional ways are becoming outdated
Please get out of the new one
Stop trying to cling to new ways
If you can't lend your hand
If you can't help
For the times they are a-changin'
The world is swiftly changing
The line it is drawn
A line has been drawn in the sand
The curse it is cast
There is no going back
The slow one now
Those who have been slow to adapt
Will later be fast
Will later become quickly accustomed
As the present now
As things are currently
Will later be past
Will become history
The order is rapidly fadin'
Old ways of doing things are fading away
And the first one now
Those who are adapting quickly
Will later be last
Will be the ones lagging behind in time
For the times they are a-changin'
The world is changing faster than ever before
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
macaz1986
Sick video! Love it.
A
I think the video hits the most imaginations about this song :D just great :D
Art Levine
this is awesome
Jen Ki
Nice work. I wish I could help the polar bears. :(
Taif Altaf
the first one now will later be last and that is what happens.