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.
White Rabbit
My Morning Jacket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small
When men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said:
"Feed your head
Feed your head
Feed your head"
The lyrics to My Morning Jacket's song "White Rabbit" are filled with allusions to Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." The first verse is a play on the scene in which Alice grows and shrinks by eating cakes and drinking potions. The song suggests that pills can also change one's size, but in a way that is beyond physicality. The second verse refers to the scene where Alice chases the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole, and the Caterpillar smoking a hookah is a reference to the Caterpillar from the novel. The line "Call Alice when she was just small" adds a level of nostalgia to the song.
The third verse describes a state of confusion that the singer is experiencing, possibly from the use of psychedelic drugs. The reference to the chessboard and the mushroom is reminiscent of the novel, as Alice plays a game of chess in the second chapter and eats a mushroom to shrink or grow. The line "Go ask Alice, I think she'll know" may suggest that Alice has the answers to the confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
One pill makes you larger
There are substances that can make you feel bigger and stronger than you really are
And one pill makes you small
There are substances that can make you feel weak and insignificant
And the ones that mother gives you
Sometimes the things that adults, including one's mother, tell you to do or take don't have any effect
Don't do anything at all
Some things don't work as expected
Go ask Alice
Seek advice from someone who has some experience with substances and their effects
When she's ten feet tall
When she's high on something that makes her feel bigger than usual
And if you go chasing rabbits
If you indulge in activities that are risky and unpredictable
And you know you're going to fall
And you're aware that there might be negative consequences to your actions
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Blame an imaginary creature or an external force for your current state
Has given you the call
As if you were summoned or influenced by something outside of yourself
Call Alice
Get some guidance and support from someone who has been through similar experiences
When she was just small
When she was younger and less experienced
When men on the chessboard
When society or authority figures try to impose order and control over your life
Get up and tell you where to go
Dictate your actions and decisions
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
When your perception of reality is altered
And your mind is moving low
And you feel confused or less in control than usual
Go ask Alice
Seek guidance and clarity from someone who has gone through similar experiences and can relate to you
I think she'll know
I trust that her wisdom and advice will be helpful
When logic and proportion
When the rational and logical principles that govern our reality are no longer relevant or applicable
Have fallen sloppy dead
When order, structure, and reasoning are no longer valid concepts
And the White Knight is talking backwards
When even our symbols and languages become incomprehensible or irrelevant
And the Red Queen's 'off with her head!'
When authority figures become arbitrary and unreasonable
Remember what the dormouse said:
Recall the wisdom of those who have gone before you and experienced similar situations
"Feed your head
Nurture your mind and soul
Feed your head
Keep seeking knowledge and understanding, even in difficult or uncertain times
Contributed by Kaylee E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
D Ringo
on Librarian
Fantastic song...simple song with a huge message