With Schwarzenbach on guitar and vocals, Bauermeister on bass, and Pfahler on drums, the band gained recognition in the late eighties and early nineties for their melodic yet driven sound built on the foundation for Schwarzenbach's poignant, bleeding-heart lyrics and signature rasp.
The band's first full-length release Unfun was put out by Shredder in 1990. On this, the band stuck close to the sound coming out of their contemporaries in the nascent pop punk scene in their sound, with the exception of Bauermeister's prominent bass lines and Schwarzenbach's lyrics, at times walking the line of the melodramatic.
Unfun was followed by Bivouac on Tupelo/Communion in 1992. Bivouac proved thicker and darker - both thematically and melodically - yet served to elevate the band above a crowd of previously similar acts. This more ambitious release also artfully used pieces of found-audio, in what was becoming one of the band's signatures, weaving it in and out of the ten minute title track, "Bivouac."
Their third release, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, produced by the ubiquitous Steve Albini, unveiled a sparse pop-punk with more carefully crafted lyrics. This album also holds what has become arguably their best known song, "Boxcar."
Jawbreaker had seemed poised for critical and commercial success by the time of their fourth, and last album, Dear You. Despite a vigorous marketing push, Jawbreaker's album sales were anemic in the wake of a post-Green Day market, and was one of the causes leading to the end of the band's career in 1996.
The group recently reacquired the rights to Dear You and have successfully put the long out-of-print album back into circulation on Pfahler's label, Blackball Records.
The band's cult status as the definitive nineties proto-pop-punk band has grown since its breakup, and songs like "Kiss the Bottle" and "Jet Black" are referenced as influences by bands such as Sparta, Lucero, and Rocky Votolato. In 2003, a Jawbreaker tribute album, Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault was released on Dying Wish Records, and featured covers by 18 bands including Fall Out Boy, Nerf Herder, Sparta, and Face To Face.
Singer Blake Schwarzenbach went on to form the New York City-based band Jets to Brazil, who have also since broken up, and is now an adjunct English professor at Hunter College (CUNY). In the fall of 2008, he debuted his new band, Thorns of Life, formed with Aaron Cometbus of Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder on drums and ex-Gr'ups bassist Daniela Sea.
Drummer Adam Pfahler is currently drumming in San Francisco-based Whysall Lane, whose LP was released in 2006 on his own Blackball Records.
Bassist Chris Bauermeister has been playing in post-hardcore band Horace Pinker and pop-punk band Shorebirds, which was formed with Matt Canino, formerly of Latterman; Shorebirds split in the summer of 2008.
In 2021, Blake Schwarzenbach teamed up with Joyce Manor on a release.
In spite of the similar name, the band Jawbreaker Reunion is unrelated.
Save Your Generation
Jawbreaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have to learn to find it within you
If you can learn to love it,
You just might like it
You can't live without it
There's a million open windows
I'm passing these open windows
There is plenty to criticize
It gets so easy to narrow these eyes
But these eyes will stay wide
I will stay young
Young and dumb inside
I have just begun to forget my lines
If you could save yourself,
You could save us all
Go on living, prove us wrong
Your leap of faith could be a well-timed smile
Survival never goes out of style
I have a message: save your generation
We're killing each other by sleeping in
Finnegan, begin again
This one can be won
One can become two
Two can pick and choose
You could be the first
You have to learn to learn from your mistakes
You can afford to lose a little face
The things you break, some can't be replaced
A simple rule, every day be sure you wake.
The Jawbreaker song "Save Your Generation" is a call to action for the youth, urging them to take control of their lives and make a difference. The opening lyrics "I have a present: it is the present. You have to learn to find it within you" suggest that the present moment is a gift, and we should learn to appreciate it. The song encourages the listener to embrace life, to learn from their mistakes, and to stay young at heart.
The line "if you can learn to love it, you just might like it" implies that we should try to find joy in everything we do, even the mundane. The metaphor of "passing these open windows" acknowledges that opportunities are abundant, but it can be tempting to let them pass us by. The song urges the listener to keep their eyes open and to stay curious, even when it's easier to close off and criticize everything around them.
The chorus repeats the phrase "if you could save yourself, you could save us all," which suggests that individual actions have a ripple effect and can make a difference in the world. The song calls on the listener to take a "leap of faith" and embrace their potential to create change. The final lines "a simple rule, every day be sure you wake" reinforce the message that life is precious and should be cherished.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a present: it is the present
The present moment is the gift and it should be cherished
You have to learn to find it within you
One needs to learn to find happiness from within rather than depending on external sources
If you can learn to love it,
If you can learn to love the present moment,
You just might like it
you will start to enjoy life
You can't live without it
The present moment is vital for life
There's a million open windows
There are many opportunities and choices in life
I'm passing these open windows
I'm avoiding these temptations
There is plenty to criticize
There is always something wrong with the world that can be criticized
It gets so easy to narrow these eyes
It is easy to become cynical and negative
But these eyes will stay wide
I'll remain optimistic
I will stay young
I'll remain young at heart
Young and dumb inside
I'll remain inexperienced and naive
I have just begun to forget my lines
I'm starting to forget what I once stood for
If you could save yourself,
If you could save yourself from your negative thoughts and emotions,
You could save us all
You could inspire others to do the same
Go on living, prove us wrong
Don't give up and prove your doubters wrong
Your leap of faith could be a well-timed smile
Your positive attitude could be just what someone needs at the right time
Survival never goes out of style
It is always important to survive and persevere through tough times
I have a message: save your generation
I have a message to inspire the younger generation to save themselves
We're killing each other by sleeping in
We are harming ourselves and our potential by staying idle
Finnegan, begin again
It's never too late to start over
This one can be won
This challenge can be overcome
One can become two
One person can inspire another
Two can pick and choose
Two people can have more choices and opportunities
You could be the first
You could be the one to make a positive change
You have to learn to learn from your mistakes
It's important to learn from your mistakes to improve yourself
You can afford to lose a little face
It's okay to be vulnerable and make mistakes
The things you break, some can't be replaced
Consequences of actions can't always be undone
A simple rule, every day be sure you wake.
A daily reminder to be grateful for each morning
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind