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!
Rejoice
Andrew Jackson Jihad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, rejoice, his eyes are big X's
Oh, rejoice, his arms are burning witches
Oh, rejoice, his hands perform hexes
Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you
And rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you
And rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds
And rejoice, the bed you sleep in is burning
Oh, rejoice, the sky's fucking falling
Oh, rejoice, the world we know is turning
Oh, rejoice, your father's been calling
Rejoice although this world will devastate you
And rejoice although this world will penetrate you
And rejoice although you will not survive
Rejoice you'll never make it out alive
And rejoice, your hair it smells like burning hair
Oh, rejoice, your nails all got chewed off
Oh, rejoice, and holy fuck you're bleeding there
Oh, rejoice, you burned your whole beard off
Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you
And rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you
And rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds
Rejoice because you're trying your best
The lyrics of this song are highly metaphorical and they convey a sense of doom and despair about the world we live in. The first lines "Rejoice, rejoice, God's ears are stitches / Oh, rejoice, his eyes are big X's" depict a distorted image of God, where his physical attributes are twisted and disfigured. This may signify a loss of faith or a questioning of religion.
The next lines, "Oh, rejoice, his arms are burning witches / Oh, rejoice, his hands perform hexes", possibly imply a criticism of the witch hunts of the past, where people were accused of practicing witchcraft and were burnt at the stake. The song seems to suggest that even God has been involved in this unjustified violence.
The chorus, "Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you / And rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you / And rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds / Rejoice because you're trying your best", highlights the message of the song - to remain positive and hopeful despite the atrocities of the world, and to keep striving to do our best.
The final lines, "Rejoice, your hair it smells like burning hair / Oh, rejoice, your nails all got chewed off / Oh, rejoice, and holy fuck you're bleeding there / Oh, rejoice, you burned your whole beard off" further reinforce the idea of physical pain and torture. Overall, the message of the song seems to be about the struggle of the human condition and the importance of finding joy and meaning in life despite the harsh realities we face.
Line by Line Meaning
Rejoice, rejoice, God's ears are stitches
Find pleasure in the fact that God has sewn his ears shut to human troubles
Oh, rejoice, his eyes are big X's
God has closed his eyes to the suffering of the world, so celebrate
Oh, rejoice, his arms are burning witches
God is punishing those who go against his will, and it's a reason to be happy
Oh, rejoice, his hands perform hexes
God has power over the world, causing joy in his ability to control things
Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you
Be happy despite facing the pain and difficulties life may bring
And rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you
Find joy even though death is inevitable
And rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds
Celebrate despite the world's tendency to destroy and break things down
Rejoice because you're trying your best
Take pleasure in the fact that you're doing all you can, even if it's not perfect
And rejoice, the bed you sleep in is burning
Be happy even though your situation is dire and challenging
Oh, rejoice, the sky's fucking falling
Find joy despite the chaos and destruction that is taking place
Oh, rejoice, the world we know is turning
Celebrate the constant changes that make life unpredictable
Oh, rejoice, your father's been calling
Take pleasure in the fact that someone cares about you
Rejoice although this world will devastate you
Be happy despite the world's ability to destroy and ruin things
And rejoice although this world will penetrate you
Find happiness even though the world may harm you in various ways
And rejoice although you will not survive
Celebrate life despite the fact that it's fleeting and temporary
Rejoice you'll never make it out alive
Find joy in the inevitability of death
And rejoice, your hair it smells like burning hair
Find pleasure in even the most unpleasant or strange things
Oh, rejoice, your nails all got chewed off
Take joy in the little things, even if they're odd
Oh, rejoice, and holy fuck you're bleeding there
Find happiness even though you're in pain or have been injured
Oh, rejoice, you burned your whole beard off
Celebrate your mistakes or misfortunes, even if they're humorous or embarrassing
Contributed by Samantha L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kaliaarkenia8595
[Verse 1]
Rejoice, rejoice God's ears are stitches
Rejoice, His eyes are big X's
Rejoice, His arms are burning witches
Rejoice, His hands perform hexes
[Chorus]
Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you
Rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you
Rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds
Rejoice because you're trying your best
[Verse 2]
Rejoice, the bed you sleep in is burning
Rejoice, the sky's fucking falling
Rejoice, the world we know is turning
Rejoice, your father's been calling
[Verse 3]
Rejoice although this world will devastate you
Rejoice although this world will penetrate you
Rejoice although you will not survive
Rejoice you'll never make it out alive
[Verse 4]
Rejoice, your hair it smells like burning hair
Oh rejoice, your nails all got chewed off
Rejoice, and - holy fuck! - you're bleeding there
Oh rejoice, you burned your whole beard off
@felixc543
@BLANK I think I meant differently than how you read it, but it's because I'm very bad at communication and knowing me, I wrote my comment sleep deprived- basically I originally heard it when I was in a super rough place;
When I originally heard it it felt like it was cynically reflecting on forcing positivity and saying it was futile to try and bring joy into life when it's a shitshow
I don't know for sure what the original intention was, but now I take from it that sometimes refusing to let the shittiest things in life dictate how you react is the only control you still have
Idk, I've just been doing what I can to accept that some things are gonna be shitty no matter what and if I can find ways to fight back against that I won't be in a worse place than I was before, so why not try
I try to Rejoice if only to prove I still can
Sorry to be Fake Deep or whatever, I just like the song
@kaliaarkenia8595
[Verse 1]
Rejoice, rejoice God's ears are stitches
Rejoice, His eyes are big X's
Rejoice, His arms are burning witches
Rejoice, His hands perform hexes
[Chorus]
Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you
Rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you
Rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds
Rejoice because you're trying your best
[Verse 2]
Rejoice, the bed you sleep in is burning
Rejoice, the sky's fucking falling
Rejoice, the world we know is turning
Rejoice, your father's been calling
[Verse 3]
Rejoice although this world will devastate you
Rejoice although this world will penetrate you
Rejoice although you will not survive
Rejoice you'll never make it out alive
[Verse 4]
Rejoice, your hair it smells like burning hair
Oh rejoice, your nails all got chewed off
Rejoice, and - holy fuck! - you're bleeding there
Oh rejoice, you burned your whole beard off
@bonesfloodedwithdreams
Thank you :)
@sleekthegeek6669
@Casey Cottonwood rejoice god's ear's are stanchions
a stanchion is a big beam (god is deaf as a post)
rejoice, his eyes are big Xs (and he's also blind)
@_winter7745
@sleek the geek I heard stanchions exactly like you said until I really listened to this video and looked at the stitches lyric. I think he actually is saying "exes" (used to think it was axes) and "stitches" (used to think it was stanchions). He has a thick accent but comparing them to the way he says 'witches' and 'hexes' I think OP is right.
I'll still forever hear "stanchions" which are also tall cones meant for looping caution tape across, shaped like horns. There are also stanchion horns, which are elongated horns like for the hard of hearing. This does kind of contrast with the deaf idea, so I'm thinking it's stitches.
@TapdotWater
I've always loved the way "your best" is sung. The oscillation makes it come out like "your har-best," as though it were both your best and your hardest at the same time.
@justbrowsing9697
This is one of my comfort songs... that probably says something about my mental health lol.
It's just so harsh and real, yet hopeful. This world is brutal and broken, but we're together in this painful life. Together till our inevitable end, not to be feared but accepted. Hell, maybe even rejoiced
Taking comfort in death, that this pain I feel will at some point end. Weirdly comforting to my mentally unwell ass
@tylerp3327
Rejoice in the fact your taste in music has not been affected. Hope you’re doing better man.
@crisptomato9495
Kind of reminds me of Camus’ take on Sisyphus, and how you should embrace suffering and meaninglessness instead of fruitlessly trying to overcome it.
@Kas3-
Fake deep yt comments😭
@justbrowsing9697
@Kas3- don't call me out like that >:/