The band's moniker comes from a discarded coat James saw while walking through the remains of his favorite bar the morning after it burned down. The coat had the letters "MMJ" embroided on it. The band has released seven albums so far: "The Tennessee Fire" (1999), "At Dawn" (2001), "It Still Moves" (2003), "Z" (2005), "Evil Urges" (2008), "Circuital" (2011) & "The Waterfall" (2015). The band's breakthrough came when their 2003 single "One Big Holiday" became one of the most played songs on college radio that year. 2008's "I'm Amazed" was also a sizable hit, peaking at #6 on Billboard's Triple A (adult album alternative) Singles chart.
The Circuital songfacts reports that "Circuital" was recorded inside a church’s converted gymnasium in the band's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Said frontman Jim James: “I hate the phrase ‘going back to our roots’, but for this record we came home and made it in Kentucky. And it just felt a lot like it did when we were first starting out.”
James co-produced the record with Tucker Martine. The pair first worked together when James appeared on Laura Veirs ' album "July Flame" in 2010, which Martine, Veirs’ husband, also produced.
My Morning Jacket guest stared in the American Dad Episode "My Morning Straitjacket" where Stan Smith becomes obsessed with them and decides to become a groupie. The edisode was first aired November 22 2009.
Believe
My Morning Jacket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The answer floats on down
The farthest shore
Of the mind
Roll the dice
That sail the ship
And all the doors will open
Turned to Rome
The lesson learned
And then forgotten over
In our time
In that moment
I awoke among the
Smoke and mirrors
I was blind
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows for sure
It begins and on and on
The babies born
The elders down
All in their time
Start at dawn, the setting sun
The day has come
My mind is open
My oh my
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows for sure
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows, nobody knows
Time to go
The answers floats on by
The farthest shore
Of the mind
Roll the dice, set sail the ship
And all the world will open
All in its time
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Nobody knows, nobody knows
Nobody knows
Nobody knows
The song "Believe" by My Morning Jacket appears to be a contemplative and introspective piece. The lyrics speak about grappling with big, existential questions about the nature of reality and our place in it. There is a sense of searching for answers that may not be easily found or understood. The repeated refrain of "Believe, believe, believe, believe / Nobody knows" suggests that the singer is trying to find faith or meaning in something, but acknowledges that we ultimately cannot truly know the secrets of the universe.
The opening lines ("Time to roll / The answer floats on down / The farthest shore / Of the mind") set a reflective and somewhat mystical tone. It seems like the singer is on a journey to some unknown destination, and is hoping to uncover some kind of hidden truth. The mention of rolling dice and open doors implies that our fate is not entirely predetermined, but that we have some agency in shaping our lives. The line "Turned to wrong / A lesson learned / And then forgotten over / In our time" suggests that mistakes can be made in the pursuit of understanding, but that we have the capacity to learn from our errors and move on.
The later verses continue to explore the theme of seeking, with references to birth, aging, and the cycle of life ("It begins and on and on / A baby's born / The elder's down / All in their time"). The lines "Start a door, the setting sun / The day has come / My mind is open" seem to suggest that the singer has had some kind of epiphany, or has achieved a new level of enlightenment. However, the refrain of "Nobody knows" reminds us that even if we feel like we have found answers, we can never be completely sure of our understanding.
Overall, "Believe" seems to be a song about the human search for meaning in a universe that is often chaotic and unknowable. The lyrics encourage us to keep seeking, even if we may never find all the answers we are looking for.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to roll
It’s time to move forward
The answer floats on down
The answer is within reach but not yet grasped
The farthest shore
The destination that is yet to be reached
Of the mind
The path lies within our thoughts
Roll the dice
Take chances
That sail the ship
That lead us towards our goals
And all the doors will open
Opportunities will arise
On down the line
Along the journey
Turned to wrong
Making mistakes
A lesson learned
Learning from the mistakes
And then forgotten over
Mistakes can be forgotten and we can move on
In our time
In the present moment
In that moment
In a specific instance
I awoke among the
I realized in the midst of
Smoke and mirrors
Deception and confusion
I was blind
I was previously unaware
Believe, believe, believe, believe
Have faith
Nobody knows
The future is unknown and unpredictable
For sure
With certainty
It begins and on and on
The cycle of life
A baby’s born
The start of a new life
The elder’s down
The end of a life
All in their time
It happens when it’s meant to be
Start a door, the setting sun
The beginning and end of a journey
The day has come
The moment has arrived
My mind is open
I am ready for what’s to come
My oh my
Expresses surprise or amazement
Time to go
It’s time to leave
The answer floats on by
The answer is out of reach
And all the world will open
The world is full of opportunities
All this time
All along the way
Nobody knows
The future is unpredictable
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Florian Schneider-Esleben, James Edward Olliges Jr., Ralf Huetter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Harry Lee
My Morning Jacket are like a fine wine! They get better with age.
Fathoms2004
This album is ridiculously good. At least 5 new MMJ classics (Compound Fracture, In it's Infancy, Spring, Thin Line, Tropics)...
ultrastark1
BELLISSIMO... VOCE DOLCE.....found these guys on Conan.....what a gem of a band
ethan lear
Great song and great album so far!
Mohamed Ali Kaab
Simply amazing!
Sawyer Phillips
Diggin' it. Chorus reminds me of The Who.
Igor A
фантастическая группа!
Raw420Films
Great song, great band
Mazz 15
I first discovered Fleet Foxes at Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park in London, then later discovered My Morning Jacket - These guys are the real deal...
Mecânico Sedutor
I want to see the full album.