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!
Survival Song
Andrew Jackson Jihad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I was possessed by something quite unfriendly
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
That's how I learned how to survive
And I gave a beer to a bum that was drinking
And I gave some sauce to my bestest friend for cooking
And I gave water to all I thought were thirsty
And I gaveve my money to the bank for safe keeping
And I gave my money to my landlord, he was needing it
And I gave attention to the TV that was bleeding
That's how I learned how to survive
If you ain't got the do re mi, boys
If you ain't got the do re mi
Well you better go back to beautiful Texas
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee
California is a Garden of Eden
A paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not
You won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi
And we totally ripped off a man named Woodie Guthrie
And I bought a restaurant for his son named Alice
And I fed false information to the audience
That's how I learned how to survive
And I give a "thank you" to my father for not raising me
And I give a finger to my step father for beating me
And I give props to myself for achieving
God damn, I'm glad that I survived
God damn, I am surprised I have survived
And I just handed you a giant load of gibberish
And I give love to a lover quite deserving of it
And I give thanks to all of you for listening
To the story of how we learned how to survive
The lyrics of the song Survival Song by Andrew Jackson Jihad are a commentary on the idea of survival and what it takes to survive in this world. The first verse speaks of breaking a promise on a sharp rock, implying that the singer has faced difficult choices and might not always keep his word. He also mentions being possessed by something quite unfriendly and being haunted by a demon in his sleep, suggesting a struggle with his inner demons.
The second verse talks about giving a beer to a bum, sauce to a friend, and water to the thirsty. These actions imply that the singer has learned to be compassionate and empathetic towards others, understanding that helping those in need is a part of survival. The third verse mentions giving money to the bank and his landlord, suggesting that he understands the importance of taking care of his financial responsibilities. However, the reference to giving attention to the TV that was bleeding implies that he might also have been distracted by the outside world and its problems.
The chorus of the song states that without the "do re mi" - the money - life might not be as easy as it seems. While California might be a paradise, it's not easy to live there without money. The fourth verse speaks of ripping off the legendary musician Woodie Guthrie and of feeding false information to the audience, suggesting that the singer might have faced some moral dilemmas and tough choices to survive in the music industry.
Finally, he concludes by giving thanks to his father for not raising him, showing that he has endured a difficult childhood, and giving a finger to his stepfather for beating him. He also gives props to himself for achieving and surviving.
Line by Line Meaning
I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
I failed to keep my promise and suffered immensely
And I was possessed by something quite unfriendly
I was consumed by negativity and hostility
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
I was tormented by my bad thoughts and anxieties in my sleep
That's how I learned how to survive
I survived my difficult experiences and grew stronger
And I gave a beer to a bum that was drinking
I showed kindness to someone who needed it
And I gave some sauce to my bestest friend for cooking
I provided my friend with something I had that they needed
And I gave water to all I thought were thirsty
I helped those who were in need of hydration
That's how I learned how to survive
I learned the importance of helping others
And I gaveve my money to the bank for safe keeping
I entrusted my money with a bank for security purposes
And I gave my money to my landlord, he was needing it
I provided my landlord with the money he needed
And I gave attention to the TV that was bleeding
I gave too much attention to things that were negative and pointless
If you ain't got the do re mi, boys
If you don't have money, my friends
If you ain't got the do re mi
If you don't have the dough, you see
Well you better go back to beautiful Texas
You better go back to where you're from
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee
Or other places you've called home
California is a Garden of Eden
California is a wonderful place to be
A paradise to live in or see
A place where one can be happy either living or visiting
But believe it or not
However, this is the truth
You won't find it so hot
It won't be so great
If you ain't got the do re mi
If you don't have money
And we totally ripped off a man named Woodie Guthrie
We took credit for someone else's work without shame
And I bought a restaurant for his son named Alice
I invested in someone who deserved it
And I fed false information to the audience
I deliberately misled people
That's how I learned how to survive
I learned the good, bad, and ugly of surviving
And I give a "thank you" to my father for not raising me
I'm grateful to my biological father for his absence
And I give a finger to my step father for beating me
I show my contempt towards my abusive stepfather
And I give props to myself for achieving
I acknowledge my accomplishments
God damn, I'm glad that I survived
I'm happy to still be alive despite everything
God damn, I am surprised I have survived
I'm shocked that I still made it through
And I just handed you a giant load of gibberish
I just spoke nonsense
And I give love to a lover quite deserving of it
I show sincere affection to someone who deserves it
And I give thanks to all of you for listening
I'm grateful for all who have taken the time to listen
To the story of how we learned how to survive
The story of how we have struggled and prevailed
Contributed by Arianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@seacrystal6189
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
And I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
And I was possessed by something quite unfriendly
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
[Refrain]
And that's how I learned how to survive
[Verse 2]
And I gave a beer to a bum that was drinking
And I gave some sauce to my bestest friend for cooking
And I gave water to all I thought were thirsty
[Refrain]
And that's how I learned how to survive
[Verse 3]
And I gave my money to the bank for safe keeping
And I gave my money to my landlord, he was needing it
And I gave attention to the T.V. that was bleeding
[Refrain]
And that's how I learned how to survive
[Bridge]
But if you ain't got the do-re-mi boys
If you ain't got the do-re-mi
Well you better go back to beautiful Texas
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee
California's a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do-re-mi
[Verse 4]
And we totally ripped off a man named Woody Guthrie
And I bought a restaurant for his son named Alice
And I fed false information to the audience
[Refrain]
And that's how I learned how to survive
[Verse 5]
And I give a thank-you to my father for not raising me
And I give a finger to my step-father for beating me
And I give props to myself for achieving
And god damn, I'm glad that I survived
And god damn, I'm surprised that I survived
[Outro]
And I just handed you a giant load of gibberish
And I give love to a lover quite deserving of it
And I give thanks to all of you for withstanding
The story of how we learned how to survive
@sterilized
lyrics
I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
And I was possessed by something quite unfriendly
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
And that's how I learned how to survive.
And I gave a beer to a bum that was drinking
And I gave some sauce to my bestest friends for cooking
And I gave water to all I thought were thirsty
And that's how I learned how to survive
And I gave some money to my bank for safe keeping
And I gave some money to my land lord, he was needing it
And I gave attention to the TV that was bleeding
And that's how I learned how to survive.
Cuz if you ain't got the doh ray me, boys
If you ain't got the doh ray me
Well, you better go back to beautiful Texas
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennesse
California is a garden of Eden
A paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not, you won't find so hot
If you ain't got the doh rey me
And I just ripped off a man named Woody Guthrie
And I bought a resturant for his son named Alice
And I fed false information to the audience
And that's how I learned how to survive
And I give a thank you to my father for leaving me
And I give a finger to my step-father for beating me
And I give props to myself for achieving
Goddamn, I'm glad that I survived
Goddamn I am glad that I survived
And I just handed you a giant load of gibberish
And I give love to a lover quite deserving of it
And I give thanks to all of you for listening
To the story of how we all learned how to survive
@cheesehamster57
I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
And I was possessed by something quite unfriendly
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
And that's how I learned how to survive.
And I gave a beer to a bum that was drinking
And I gave some sauce to my bestest friends for cooking
And I gave water to all I thought were thirsty
And that's how I learned how to survive
And I gave some money to my bank for safe keeping
And I gave some money to my land lord, he was needing it
And I gave attention to the TV that was bleeding
And that's how I learned how to survive.
Cuz if you ain't got the doh ray me, boys
If you ain't got the doh ray me
Well, you better go back to beautiful Texas
Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennesse
California is a garden of Eden
A paradise to live in or see
But believe it or not, you won't find so hot
If you ain't got the doh rey me
And I just ripped off a man named Woody Guthrie
And I bought a resturant for his son named Alice
And I fed false information to the audience
And that's how I learned how to survive
And I give a thank you to my father for leaving me
And I give a finger to my step-father for beating me
And I give props to myself for achieving
Goddamn, I'm glad that I survived
Goddamn I am glad that I survived
And I just handed you a giant load of gibberish
And I give love to a lover quite deserving of it
And I give thanks to all of you for listening
To the story of how we all learned how to survive
@terriblyclawed
This is kind of off topic, but I've never seen AJJ as an edgy artist. I've always listened to the songs as a sad guy recounting all the wrongs of the world and why he loves living in it anyways, for himself. Maybe I'm projecting? Who knows!
@shnorglebop1798
You’re exactly right
@jstarstudios7110
Definitely! So many songs have a sort of message of hope at the very end, like "In this life we lead, we can conquer everything, if we could just get the braves to get out of bed in the morning" (Brave as a Noun) and "BE THE BEST FUCKING HUMAN THAT YOU CAN BE" (Personal Space Invader).
@Payn333
Agreed
@firetarrasque4667
If I had to put it into words, AJJ feel like people who looked into the dark of the world and didn't blink. They fucking broke down sobbing, but they didn't blink.
There's a sort of unconditional kindness and love for humanity in these songs I've seen maybe three times in the course of my life.
@terriblyclawed
@Fire Tarrasque YES YOU GET IT
@fen4ri
when i listen to this i just bounce harder and harder until i bounce myself up and out of the atmostphere into the sun goodbyeeeeeeeee
@YangTheGoddess
Bro that's a OSHA violation
@LateNightRewrites
@Yang The Goddess bro that's a war crime
@YangTheGoddess
@LateNightRewrites idk bro