In the 2009-10 season, the band visits a long list of venues including Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall (where they debuted in Zankel Hall in 2007), the Somerville Theater in Boston, Old Town School in Chicago, the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, UMS Ann Arbor, Duke University, the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and many others. They have performed recently in nearly every conceivable format and space, from small clubs (they have a regular series at the Living Room in New York and have played frequently at Largo in Los Angeles) to concert halls (Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Sheldon Hall in St. Louis, Mondavi Center in Davis, Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, the Allen Room in New York, in addition to Carnegie) to festivals of all kinds (Bonnaroo, Ravinia, Aspen, Telluride, Spoleto, Savannah, Chamber Music Northwest). Their shows include an unpredictable mix of original songs written by the band, the 4-movement chamber suite The Blind Leaving the Blind (composed by Thile), traditional bluegrass and folk tunes, arrangements of Bach and Mozart, and covers of Radiohead, The Beatles, The Band, The White Stripes, The Strokes, and multiple other sources. In the fall of 2011, the band embarked on a tour opening for music legend Paul Simon, occasionally accompanying him on "The Boxer."
Punch Brothers return with their second album, Antifogmatic, June 15 on Nonesuch. The record is the follow-up to the band’s highly praised 2008 debut, Punch, which The New Yorker calls “...wide-ranging and restlessly imaginative...” A special deluxe edition of the album will also be available. Included in this package is a four song instrumental EP, All of This Is True, as well as a seven song DVD, Live from the Lower East Side: It’s p-Bingo Night!, which was filmed during the band’s residency at NYC’s The Living Room. Pre-orders of both the standard and deluxe editions are available now at www.nonesuch.com and www.punchbrothers.com. The first 500 orders of the deluxe edition will include an autographed official Punch Brothers cocktail recipe guide.
At home in a dizzying array of settings even outside of their expansive core activities, Punch Brothers are the subject of an upcoming feature-length documentary called How to Grow a Band, have appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and were among three finalists in ESPN’s cut-throat, fan-voted battle of the bands in interpretations of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. The band members’ diverse backgrounds and extraordinary talents make the group impossible to describe and thrilling to experience.
Chris Thile has changed the mandolin forever, elevating it from its origins as a relatively simple folk and bluegrass instrument to the sophistication and brilliance of the finest jazz improvisation and classical performance. In the 2009-10 season, he premieres his Mandolin Concerto with six orchestras in the US. For more than 15 years, Thile played in the wildly popular band Nickel Creek, with whom he released three albums and sold two million records, was awarded a Grammy® in 2002, and traveled the world on sold-out concert tours. As a soloist he has released four albums, as well as performing and recording extensively as a duo with double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer and with fellow eminent mandolinist Mike Marshall. He has written a duo for Meyer and pianist Emanuel Ax; recorded with Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming and Joshua Bell; and collaborated with a pantheon of bluegrass innovators including Bela Fleck, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush.
Although initially drawn to the electric guitar, by his mid-teens Chris Eldridge had developed a deep love for acoustic music, thanks in part to his father, a banjo player and founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. Eldridge later gained in-depth exposure to a variety of different musical styles while studying at Oberlin Conservatory, where he earned a degree in Music Performance in 2004. During his time at Oberlin, Eldridge studied with legendary guitarist Tony Rice. Before joining Punch Brothers, he was a founding member of the critically acclaimed bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters.
Paul Kowert is from Madison, WI and graduated from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. As a classical musician Paul has performed with various orchestras as a soloist and as a section member, most recently playing in the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland in the summer of 2008. He was one of the performers at Edgar Meyer’s Carnegie Hall workshop in 2006, and since then has appeared in concert with Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, Alex and Tatiana Hargreaves, Futureman’s Black Mozart Ensemble, Jordan Tice, Brittany Haas, and Jeremy Kittel. Paul can be heard as a member of the “Big Trio” with mandolinist Mike Marshall and violinist Alex Hargreaves, a group that released its first album in spring 2009.
Noam Pikelny (born Noam Pikelny) hails from Chicago, IL where he picked up the banjo at the age of 8. He studied old-time and bluegrass banjo at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Throughout high school, he played all over Illinois and Indiana with several traditional bluegrass bands, who occasionally required him to wear a uniform. Noam studied music theory at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. In 2002, he became the principal banjoist with the award-winning Colorado ensemble Leftover Salmon. His debut solo record, In the Maze, was released on Compass Records, and though it did not have much success on the billboard charts, it made a splash in the world of postmodern progressive three-finger style five-string banjo. He relocated to Nashville, TN in 2006 to play with New Grass Revival bassist and vocalist John Cowan. He starting performing and recording with mandolinist, fellow Cubs fan, spiritual advisor, and life coach Chris Thile in the fall of 2005. Noam relocated to Brooklyn, NY in the spring of 2008.
Gabe Witcher began his musical training at age five, learning classical violin and bluegrass fiddle simultaneously. By age six he was performing professionally with his father in the bluegrass band The Witcher Brothers; over the next decade, he gained renown as both a member of that group and as a multiple winner on the California competition circuit. In 1994, Witcher was recruited by veteran musician Herb Pedersen to fill the shoes of three-time national fiddle champion Byron Berline in the group The Laurel Canyon Ramblers. By age 17, Witcher was recording for heavyweights such as Randy Newman, Bernie Taupin, and producer Don Was. He has since contributed to more than 300 records and countless movie and television scores, including 2006 Oscar® winner Brokeback Mountain. Over the last five years, he has solidified his place at the forefront of the progressive acoustic music scene by playing with 12-time Grammy® winner Jerry Douglas.
Julep
Punch Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I died happy in my sleep
Our children around and you looking down
Heaven's a julep on the porch
Heaven's a julep on the porch
You and me rocking
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
She brought the sugar and the mint
She brought the sugar and the mint
And he brought the whiskey
Asked for my blessing
Yes sir I know she's
Heaven's a julep on the porch
Heaven's a julep on the porch
You and me rocking
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
Got time
We used to wind it
Now the time stands still
We drink our fill
Out of silver
God will never
Tarnish like we will
You were just a girl that I should meet
You were the girl that I would meet
For drinks in the backyard
A beautiful daughter
Lifetimes of summer
And love ever after
I died happy in my sleep
I died happy in my sleep
Our children around and you looking down
Heaven's a julep on the porch
Heaven's a julep on the porch
You and me rocking
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
Got time
We used to wind it
Oh it's tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
The first part of this song talks about death and the afterlife in a very peaceful and content way. The singer says that they died happy in their sleep with their children around them and their loved one looking down. They describe heaven as being like a julep on a porch with them rocking and a grandfather clock ticking. The second part of the song describes a memory of a time when the singer was still alive. They remember a time when a couple came over to share a julep with them. The woman brought the sugar and mint, while the man brought the whiskey. The man even asked for the singer's blessing. The verse continues to talk about how time is fleeting, but in that moment they were all happy and everything was perfect. The final verse goes back to the first part of the song describing heaven on a porch with a grandfather clock ticking. The singer talks about love and how they died happy with their family around them.
The imagery in this song is very strong and it gives the listener a sense of peace and contentment. The description of heaven as being like a julep on a porch is very evocative of a Southern summer evening. The grandfather clock ticking in the background is also very peaceful and gives the listener a sense of the passage of time. The song overall has a very nostalgic and bittersweet feel, focusing on happy memories and the fleeting nature of time.
Line by Line Meaning
I died happy in my sleep
I lived a fulfilled life and passed away peacefully
Our children around and you looking down
My loved ones surrounded me as I took my last breaths
Heaven's a julep on the porch
The afterlife is a relaxing and enjoyable place
You and me rocking
Together with loved ones, enjoying the little things in life
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tocking to time
The ephemeral nature of time passing, as represented by a clock
We used to wind it
We had control over our time when we would wind the clock
She brought the sugar and the mint
A friend or family member contributed the necessary ingredients for a drink
And he brought the whiskey
Someone else brought the alcohol to the gathering
Asked for my blessing
Respectful request for approval or confirmation
Yes sir I know she's
I acknowledge this person and their intentions/formalities
Now the time stands still
Moments of peace and stillness in life
We drink our fill
Enjoying life to the fullest, taking advantage of the best moments
Out of silver
Drinking from elegant or fancy vessels
God will never
The use of religious or spiritual language to imply reverence or respect
Tarnish like we will
Humans are flawed and make mistakes that lead to regret
You were the girl that I would meet
Having an idea of the perfect person to share experiences with
For drinks in the backyard
Sharing time and space with someone else, creating meaningful experiences
A beautiful daughter
Having children, likely females, and enjoying them
Lifetimes of summer
Many seasons together
And love ever after
The warm, lasting, and omnipresent feeling of loving someone always
Oh it's tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tocking to time
A musical way of emphasizing the idea of time's ticking, and the finite nature of life
We used to wind it
We would try to save time, or move things/challenges faster with our efforts
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christopher Curtin Eldridge, Christopher Scott Thile, Gabriel John Witcher, Noam David Pikelny, Paul Frederick Kowert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Titus Nadeem
Song Lyrics
I died happy in my sleep
I died happy in my sleep
Our children around and you looking down
Heaven's a julep on the porch
Heaven's a julep on the porch
You and me rocking
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
She brought the sugar and the mint
She brought the sugar and the mint
And he brought the whiskey
Asked for my blessing
Yes sir I know she's
Heaven's a julep on the porch
Heaven's a julep on the porch
You and me rocking
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
Got time
We used to wind it
Now the time stands still
We drink our fill
Out of silver
God will never
Tarnish like we will
You were just a girl that I should meet
You were the girl that I would meet
For drinks in the backyard
A beautiful daughter
Lifetimes of summer
And love ever after
I died happy in my sleep
I died happy in my sleep
Our children around and you looking down
Heaven's a julep on the porch
Heaven's a julep on the porch
You and me rocking
A grandfather clock is tick, tick, tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
Got time
We used to wind it
Oh it's tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tocking to time
We used to wind it
The sinner Jim Whitney
This is one of the most powerful and heartbreaking songs ever written. I cry damn near every time I hear it. It makes me miss my wife even when she's next to me, makes me wish I'd kissed my granddad more, makes me want to be a better and more beautiful person. God, to be that kind of talented...
Colin West
This is one of those songs I wish never ended.
Melissa Joe
it sort of doesn't, it is a celtic trefoil knot song, yes
Akib Khan
Play on repeat
MrStrangeSensation
That's how most of their music is for me too
Carzogs_Hyaena
Like “the blind leaving the blind”. Love that so much.
R J
Have you seen their npr?
Bclaw5
"You weren't just a girl that I should meet
You were the girl that I would meet"
the lyrics in this song are fantastic and the music itself is a masterpiece.
Punch Brothers you have a new fan.
MadelineJean
I see some people think this is boring? You have a right to your opinion but i'd like to offer my perspective: the way the lyrics interlock, the way repetition and variation (a trope in blue grass) anchor the song, the instrumentation and unique melodies, particularly with the mandolin and banjo, it's all so charming and poignant--i think this song is intoxicating, i'd love to slow dance to it.
I don't know, different perspectives have helped me appreciate songs, movies, books, etc after my first interaction.
Camille Henry
I fully agree.......it's meditative and thoughtful.......music and lyrics are sublime and perfect. Those bored just need to slow down and "really" listen....