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.
El Caporal
My Morning Jacket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then you've sure got a funny way of showing
El Caporal
El Caporal
El Caporal
You're money's no good here
Well if you really don't want me to know
El Caporal
El Caporal
El Caporal
My dog's not in your dumpster
Slide through your life
Straight like a knife
Sway when you dance
Play a game in your pants
It's all new you see
The believing in things
Believing in things that I do
Have we played all the chords we can finger?
Have we made all the musical shapes?
I just hope that my kisses, love will linger
On your sweet, confused captain's face
And the things you say just aren't making any sense
And the wars you wage are mostly killing innocents
When I want to say, all that's good has gone away
You tell me no, it isn't so
But if you really wanted me to know
Then you sure got a funny way of showing
El Caporal
El Caporal
Your love lasted forever
Your love lasted forever
The lyrics of My Morning Jacket's song "El Caporal" are cryptic, making it difficult to determine a clear meaning behind them. Nevertheless, the song seems to describe a strained relationship between two people. The singer accuses someone - presumably a lover or partner - of having a "funny way of showing" that they want the singer to know something, indicating a lack of communication and trust between the two. The repeated lyrics "El Caporal" and "Your love lasted forever" are also unclear in their meaning, creating a sense of ambiguity and mystery that characterizes the entire song.
The song's second verse provides more clues about the relationship in question. The singer references dancing, playing games, and "believing in things," possibly indicating a period of carefree happiness and a shared outlook on life. However, the final two lines of the verse are somewhat jarring, with the singer musing on whether they have "played all the chords [they] can finger" and "made all the musical shapes." This could suggest that the relationship has become stagnant or formulaic, with both partners feeling stuck and uninspired.
Line by Line Meaning
If you really wanted me to know
If you truly desire to let me know
Then you've sure got a funny way of showing
But it appears that you are expressing it differently than expected
El Caporal
The term 'El Caporal' (a Spanish word) is repeated frequently, but its meaning is unclear
El Caporal
The term 'El Caporal' is repeated again
El Caporal
And once more, the term 'El Caporal' is repeated
You're money's no good here
Your money is of no value in this place/context
Well if you really don't want me to know
In case you truly don't intend to let me know
Then you sure got a silly way of showing
You are expressing it in a foolish and nonsensical way
My dog's not in your dumpster
I am not interested in what you are offering
Slide through your life
Move through your life with ease and grace
Straight like a knife
With decisiveness and precision
Sway when you dance
Allow yourself to be moved by music and let go of inhibitions
Play a game in your pants
Have some fun and don't take everything too seriously
It's all new you see
Everything appears to be fresh and revitalized
The believing in things
Maintaining a belief in certain values or ideas
Believing in things that I do
Specifically, believing in the same ideas that I believe in
Have we played all the chords we can finger?
Have we exhausted all of the musical possibilities available to us?
Have we made all the musical shapes?
Have we fully explored all of the unique sounds and combinations that can be created in music?
I just hope that my kisses, love will linger
I hope that the love and affection I have offered will stay with you and be remembered
On your sweet, confused captain's face
On the face of somebody who is both endearing and bewildered
And the things you say just aren't making any sense
The things you are expressing are difficult to comprehend
And the wars you wage are mostly killing innocents
The conflicts and battles you are fighting lead to the deaths of many innocent people
When I want to say, all that's good has gone away
When I want to communicate that everything positive has vanished
You tell me no, it isn't so
You refute my claim and deny that it is true
Your love lasted forever
Your affection and devotion persisted over an extended period
Your love lasted forever
Again, it is emphasized that your love continued for a long time
Contributed by Samuel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lelehart3
LOVE THIS MAN, LOVE THIS BAND. I REALLY REALLY DO.
@Alex_Mac_
I love this song so much.
@brianjdillon
thank u for posting this ive been searching since the compilation came out
@LawrenceDavisIV
excellent song.
@realfreakaynaughtay
Dark Was The Night is a great album. Way too much talent on it.
@Daniel_Boni
The best song on the album in my opinion is this song called "Happiness" by Riceboy Sleeps, it's a really long instrumental, perfect for nightdriving. Amazing song. Also this song is great and so Is the national track and the spoon song
@ThinkFastBoom93
i guess there are good music these days you just have to go looking and then you find stuff like this and go "ah something good for once :D"
@stevenelsonmusic
thanks you.
@zehrademir4714
hey!
@ThinkFastBoom93
@skatasterfi haha thanks they are interesting band as well (just skimmed through some of their stuff) gonna actually listen to some of their songs now