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!
Gift of the Magi 2: Return of the Magi
Andrew Jackson Jihad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I'm a fucking jedi
And I've got lots of news for you
And I've got a long list of things to do
I used to dwell in the present
I used to be so hesitant
But now I've got my whole life to live
To all you fuckers that I hate
It's like the Gift of the Magi
It's like the Gift of the Magi 2
You sold your soul to buy some tits
And I sold my soul to grow a dick
We gotta get him in the van
Well what if he resists?
Just kick him in the back of the fucking head
And put him in the back of the fucking van
It's a miracle of science
All this betrayal and violence
And it lives inside us all
It lives inside our hearts
Just like a stupid fucking tapeworm
Who can we blame?
The husband divorced his wife
After she cut her hair
Because she was way less fuckable
And that's just unforgivable
He moved into a condo
He hung out by the pool
But he never wore a bathing suit
He just wanted to scope out the talent
If God doesn't like ugly
Then God doesn't like anybody
So fuck God anyway
God is obsolete
My God thinks my jokes are funny
There's no one to blame
People are just fucking mean
Go suns!*
*(referring to the Phoenix Suns, a basketball team from AJJ's hometown)
In the song "Gift of the Magi 2: Return of the Magi," Andrew Jackson Jihad delves into the theme of transformation and coming into oneself after a period of being lost. The opening lines "I used to be a dead guy / Now I'm a fucking jedi" describes the singer's transformation from a state of stagnancy to one of power and control. The singer has a "long list of things to do" and is ready to tackle life head-on, fueled by the newfound self-assuredness that comes with their rebirth.
The song then shifts into a commentary on societal expectations and pressures. The line "You sold your soul to buy some tits / And I sold my soul to grow a dick" speaks to the impossible standards set for individuals, especially women, to conform to traditional beauty ideals. The singer is pointing out the ridiculousness of these expectations and how they force individuals to betray their true selves in pursuit of an unattainable ideal.
Later on, the song brings up themes of betrayal and violence, but also the hypocrisy and absurdity of societal expectations. The line "If God doesn't like ugly / Then God doesn't like anybody / So fuck God anyway / God is obsolete" asserts that any higher power that would judge individuals based on their looks or conformity is not worth following. In the end, the song speaks to the struggle of finding oneself in a world that expects conformity and the need to hold onto one's individuality despite societal pressures.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to be a dead guy
I used to have no direction and not really care about anything
Now I'm a fucking jedi
Now I'm confident and in control of my life
And I've got lots of news for you
And I have a lot of exciting things I want to share
And I've got a long list of things to do
And I have a lot of plans and goals for myself
I used to dwell in the present
I used to not think about the future or plan for it
I used to be so hesitant
I used to not take risks or try new things
But now I've got my whole life to live
But now I feel like I have a lot of time to do everything I want to do
And I've got all my love to give
And I have a lot of love and positivity to share with others
To all you fuckers that I hate
To all the people I dislike or who have wronged me
It's like the Gift of the Magi
It's like when two people make sacrifices for each other that ultimately cancel each other out
It's like the Gift of the Magi 2
It's like another situation where sacrifices are made but don't ultimately benefit anyone
You sold your soul to buy some tits
You made a big sacrifice to get something you thought you wanted, but it wasn't worth it
And I sold my soul to grow a dick
I too made a big sacrifice to get something I thought I wanted, but it wasn't worth it
We gotta get him in the van
We need to capture him
Well what if he resists?
What if he doesn't want to come with us?
Just kick him in the back of the fucking head
Use force to get him to comply
And put him in the back of the fucking van
Physically transport him to where we need him to be
It's a miracle of science
It's amazing what scientific progress has allowed us to do
All this betrayal and violence
All of these negative things that happen between people
And it lives inside us all
And these impulses and emotions are within everyone, even if we try to hide them
It lives inside our hearts
These negative emotions are part of our emotional makeup
Just like a stupid fucking tapeworm
Just like a parasite that feeds on its host
Who can we blame?
Who's responsible for all of this negativity and violence?
The husband divorced his wife
The husband left his wife
After she cut her hair
After she did something he didn't like
Because she was way less fuckable
Because he found her less attractive
And that's just unforgivable
But that's not a good reason to leave your spouse
He moved into a condo
He started a new life somewhere else
He hung out by the pool
He relaxed and enjoyed himself
But he never wore a bathing suit
He was trying to hide or didn't feel comfortable in his own skin
He just wanted to scope out the talent
He was looking for a new partner or someone to hook up with
If God doesn't like ugly
If God doesn't like unattractive or unpleasant things
Then God doesn't like anybody
Then nobody could meet those standards
So fuck God anyway
So why bother trying to please an impossible standard?
God is obsolete
The idea of God is no longer necessary in our society
My God thinks my jokes are funny
I don't care what anyone else thinks, my humor makes me happy
There's no one to blame
Sometimes bad things just happen, and it's not any one person's fault
People are just fucking mean
People can be cruel for no good reason
Go suns!*
A cheer for AJJ's hometown basketball team, the Phoenix Suns
Contributed by Julia Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mxabel92
This song is so fucking good.
@p3nr0d70
how is this so funny and so depressing at the same time
@Abide468
this is pretty sweet. but i liked it better with just acoustic guitar and stand up bass.... fuck, I'm that guy.
@FUCKINGGAMESTOP
AJJ CONFIRMED FOR MAGICAL GIRL.
@midnighteyeYT
sean sounds like john mulaney in this
@Zeeboq
Haha holy shit I hear it!
@smugcat6938
"I got all my life to live and all my love to give to you stupid fuckers that I hate"
@gamer46ful
funny as hell song!
@matthewdemauro6996
My God thinks my jokes are funny
@LogoDojo
Go, Suns, go!