Andrew Jackson Jihad was formed after its original drummer, Justin James White, approached Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty, who had just left Rodan (not the Rodan of Kentucky fame) and The Sub-Standards. Since then, many significant Arizona musicians have sat in with the remaining duo of Sean and Ben, including John De La Cruz of Fatigo and Asleep In The Sea's Owen Evans. Dylan Cook also plays mandolin regularly with the band.
According to Songfacts, Bonnette, who is also the lyricist of the band (with upright bass player Ben Gallant handling most of the production and some vocals as well) volunteered at a suicide prevention hotline for teenagers for eight years, and worked with homeless men and women in the Phoenix, Arizona area. These experiences gave him a sometimes bleak, but at moments, hopeful outlook on life, often reflected in the band's lyrics.
On Halloween 2005, Andrew Jackson Jihad covered Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea album in its entirety at CounterCulture Cafe.
Their biggest performance to date has been in their hometown with Flogging Molly and Authority Zero on St. Patrick's Day 2006.
On April 15, 2006, the band played as part of the 2006 New Times Music Showcase, nominated for Best Americana Band, and won a 2006 Best of Phoenix later that year.
Besides their local shows, where they have become arguably the most prominent representative in Arizona of the DIY ethic, they have also toured in clubs and basements across the Western United States, appearing at such venues as the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, CA. One show in Kimberly, Idaho saw the band in a cowboy bar and leaving the premises as soon as possible after the show.
Andrew Jackson Jihad also performed at St. Augustine, Florida's second annual Harvest of Hope Festival in 2010. They played a dual set with Bomb the Music Industry!
Bells & Whistles
Andrew Jackson Jihad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have often wondered if a pregnant woman is decapitated, will the baby survive, will the baby survive?
Oh, and I have also wondered if that baby lives his life, what kind of life will the baby lead, and will the baby ever be happy?
No, his heart will be bloated and swollen, just like his soul
Too big to fit in his body
And I don't think that I can take it
And I know he sure as hell can't take it
So we all go
So we all go
So we all go
Woah, woah, woah...
The lyrics to Andrew Jackson Jihad's song Bells & Whistles are incredibly thought-provoking and poignant. The opening lines immediately shock the listener with the gruesome idea of a pregnant woman being decapitated and the resulting impact on the unborn child. The singer then goes on to ponder what kind of life the child would lead if they were to survive, expressing cynicism and a lack of hope for their future.
The description of the baby's heart and soul being bloated and swollen suggests a deep-seated sadness or emptiness that cannot be filled, something that will plague the child for the rest of their life. The line "too big to fit in his body" is particularly powerful, suggesting that the weight of this burden is too great for any one person to carry.
The chorus is a repetition of the phrase "so we all go," perhaps suggesting that we are all destined to suffer in our own way and that there is a kind of universality to the pain that we experience. This idea is strengthened by the fact that the "woah, woah, woah..." refrain that bookends the song is almost like a mournful wail, underscoring the sense of loss and sadness that permeates the lyrics.
Overall, Bells & Whistles is a bleak but incredibly affecting song that forces the listener to grapple with some truly weighty ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
I have often wondered if a pregnant woman is decapitated, will the baby survive, will the baby survive?
Have you ever thought about what happens to an unborn child if a pregnant woman suffers decapitation? Will the baby make it or not?
Oh, and I have also wondered if that baby lives his life, what kind of life will the baby lead, and will the baby ever be happy?
Assuming the baby survives, have you ever thought about the kind of life it will live? Will it be a happy one or not?
No, his heart will be bloated and swollen, just like his soul
It is highly unlikely that the child will lead a happy life. His heart will most likely be heavy, and his soul burdened with sorrow.
Too big to fit in his body
The weight of the child's suffering will be too much for him to bear, and it will be overwhelming, like a swollen body that can't contain its mass.
And I don't think that I can take it
The singer finds the idea of such a tragedy unbearable, they cannot even begin to imagine it happening.
And I don't think that you can take it
The singer doesn't believe that even listeners can handle thinking about such a tragedy.
And I know he sure as hell can't take it
The singer knows that the child would not be able to deal with this sort of experience, it would be devastating.
So we all go
All of us, singer and listeners alike, are all headed towards something, that ultimately everyone will face the same end.
So we all go
We are all in this together, every human shares the same fate of eventual death.
So we all go
The inevitability of our own mortality is something that connects us all.
Contributed by Harper J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.