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!
Coffin Dance
Andrew Jackson Jihad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing
I’m gonna miss this place
If you give it to me I’ll give it back much harder
If you treat me like a son, then I’ll treat you like a daughter
Everyone has a future. Everyone has a soul.
Everyone has a heart. They have a mind. They have control.
A coffin dancer dances like he has something to break because he does
Sleeps a couple hours in the morning, hates the morning when he wakes up.
A coffin dancer dances like has to make a frown when he dances off
The eye contact he makes with each and everyone he doesn't see is kinda hot
Don’t wanna go to here. It’s not worth to go in fear.
There’s nothing left to go on. The love and sense of tender in your eyes.
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing.
I’m gonna miss this place
I’m gonna miss its face
Just like a vein inside my heart.
The lyrics to Andrew Jackson Jihad's song Coffin Dance paint the picture of a grim and violent scene, with the singer witnessing a corpse dance after being shot, and urging for more shots to be fired. The lyrics can be interpreted in different ways, but one possible interpretation is that the singer is expressing a sense of detachment and nihilism towards life, and sees beauty in the macabre and violent. The line "Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing" can be seen as a sarcastic comment on the idea of a soul existing beyond death, or as an expression of the singer's fascination and desire to witness the moment of death.
The next verse, "If you give it to me I’ll give it back much harder / If you treat me like a son, then I’ll treat you like a daughter / Everyone has a future. Everyone has a soul. / Everyone has a heart. They have a mind. They have control." can be seen as a commentary on power dynamics and human nature. The singer seems to be suggesting that they will only reciprocate kindness with more kindness, but will retaliate fiercely if provoked. The last two lines underline the universal humanity of all people and the agency they have over their own lives.
The chorus repeats the line "Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing" and adds the lines "I'm gonna miss this place / I'm gonna miss its face / Just like a vein inside my heart." These lines suggest that the singer is leaving or losing something that they have a deep emotional connection to, and that their fascination with death and violence is intertwined with a sense of loss and grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing
The singer sees the soul of the person they just shot dancing and is compelled to shoot again.
I’m gonna miss this place
The singer has some attachment to a particular place, which they will soon be leaving.
If you give it to me I’ll give it back much harder
The singer is willing to reciprocate any treatment they receive with greater intensity.
If you treat me like a son, then I’ll treat you like a daughter
The artist expects to be treated with care and empathy, and will reciprocate in kind.
Everyone has a future. Everyone has a soul.
All human beings have a purpose and a spiritual essence.
Everyone has a heart. They have a mind. They have control.
All human beings possess an emotional center, cognitive abilities, and agency over their actions.
A coffin dancer dances like he has something to break because he does
The performer of a traditional funerary dance is expected to break the coffin with their movements.
Sleeps a couple hours in the morning, hates the morning when he wakes up.
The coffin dancer has an irregular sleep schedule and does not enjoy waking up early.
A coffin dancer dances like has to make a frown when he dances off
The performer must maintain a solemn or mournful expression during the dance.
The eye contact he makes with each and everyone he doesn't see is kinda hot
The artist finds the intense gaze of the performer attractive or interesting.
Don’t wanna go to here. It’s not worth to go in fear.
The singer does not want to go somewhere that inspires fear or trepidation.
There’s nothing left to go on. The love and sense of tender in your eyes.
The artist has no motivation or hope without the affection of another person.
Just like a vein inside my heart.
The place or person the singer is leaving holds great significance and is intimately connected to their emotional being.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steroalt
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing
I’m gonna miss this place
If you give it to me I’ll give it back much harder
If you treat me like a son, then I’ll treat you like a daughter
Everyone has a future, everyone has a soul
Everyone has a heart, they have a mind, they have control. (Oh-oh)
[Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart]
The Coffin Dancer dances like he has something to prove
Because he does
He sleeps a couple hours in the morning
Hates the morning when he wakes up
The Coffin Dancer dances like he wants to make a friend
But he does not
The eye contact he makes with each and everyone he doesn't see is kinda hot
I don’t wanna go to here, there's nothing left to go on here
There’s nothing left to go on, but the love and sense of tender in your eyes
[Sean Bonnette]
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing
Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing
I’m gonna miss this place
I’m gonna miss its face
Just like a vein inside my heart
@ruchiruru
I maybe have two theories for this song??
Ready?
So hear me out,
First one:
I believe this could be about sleep paralysis (when you wake up but your body is still asleep, your mind will try to figure out why your body isn't moving at all, it will start to imagine every kind of reasons to why you can't actually move, and then you will start to see some sort of silhouettes whether somewhere in the room, or even sitting on you for example...)
Why's that? The '' silhouette '' thing and the man sleeping in the video (he doesn't talk about sleep in the lyrics though).
Or second theory :
It could be about the chock of losing someone. What I mean is that for the same reason as the first theory, there's a guy sleeping, that could be dreaming of this loved and lost person, but because of the chock, (as I experienced myself) forgot every detail of this one, their voice, eyes, mouth, everything blurry, leaving just a silhouette dancing.
The guy being in the coffin could feel like the dead one (because he's the one in the coffin actually?), he's not dancing, but sleeping.
Then he would talk to someone and get help to get rid of those blurry dreams/nightmares that hant him, so here comes the line '' I'm gonna miss this place, I'm gonna miss it's face ''.
Damn, sorry for those messy explanations, I just wanted to put that here, so you could think about it and maybe help me understand. (maybe there's nothing to understand just-)
Oh and also, English isn't my native language, sorry for any grammar or spelling mistake!!
@zoegordon1403
this has been my comfort song for years. whenever i talk about it to people i say it sounds like rain on the moon. this was my first time watching the video and it was on the moon!
@stabbystabe
How sad Sean sounds in this song breaks my heart
@leathery420
Well maybe it will fix your heart to know there are two people singing in this song. Sean sings the first, and last part of this song. Starting with shoot him again both times. The middle part is sung, by Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart.
@margoec1755
Came here to see if Jamie Stewart was the guest vocals... thank you!
@sehrgrossesglied5000
ahh it's hard to notice thanks!
and yes it breaks my heart too, anyways :(
@ariannaishappy2281
This song is helping me get through a really difficult time.....I've hardly ever felt so much internal conflict. Thanks, ajj. For helping me and everyone who enjoys your music, and thank you humanity for being so beautiful. I love this world.sometimes I just need some reminding of why I love it. I'm going to sleep now. It's late. Goodnight youtube.
@ariannaishappy2281
@Patric Bunny yep, good morning YouTube (: haha
@mackaroni9792
@@ariannaishappy2281 I hope you're still doing well!
This song truly is very beautiful, so therapeutic for me <3
@dj-wizzy
When you love the world, always remember you're a part of the world! I love you!!
@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus
Who’s iguana is on the table?