Jinks is a native of Haltom City in Fort Worth, Texas, and attended Haltom High School. He started learning to play a few country music riffs on the guitar from his father when he was 16, but soon formed a heavy metal band.
Jinks started out as the lead singer of a thrash metal band from Fort Worth named Unchecked Aggression, initially named Silas, that was active from 1998 to 2003. He also played the lead guitar; the other band members were Gary Burkham on bass who left in 2000 and was replaced by Chris Lewis, Anthony Walker on drums, and Ben Heffley on guitar. They were influenced by Metallica and Pantera. An album, The Massacre Begins was released in 2002. Songs they recorded included "Hell Razor" and "Kill Me Again". The band however broke up after a trip to Los Angeles, and Jinks took a year off from music. In around 2005, he started playing country music, the music he grew up with.
Jinks is backed by The Tone Deaf Hippies. He began to release albums in the country genre in 2008. An album titled 30 was released in 2012. He began to develop his own sound in an EP, Blacksheep, which was released in 2013.
2015: Adobe Sessions
The album was recorded at the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and the album title was named after a small adobe room they recorded the album in. It was released in January 2015 and charted in Billboard's regional Heatseekers charts – #2 on Heatseekers South Central and #8 on Heatseekers Mountain. Jinks toured in support of Adobe Sessions as an opener for Sturgill Simpson in 2015.
2016: I'm Not the Devil
I'm Not the Devil was released on August 12, 2016. The album was recorded at the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. It includes a cover of Merle Haggard's "The Way I Am". The title track was written with Ward Davis; the album was almost finished and the album title had already been decided, but it was retitled with the name of the song they wrote. The album debuted at #4 on the Top Country Albums chart, selling 11,300 copies in the first week. Jinks supported I'm Not the Devil with a co-headlining tour with Whitey Morgan and the 78's in August, September, and October. The album was rated one of the best country albums of 2016 by Rolling Stone.
2017
Jinks released a cover of Pink Floyd's hit song "Wish You Were Here" in January 2017. He also re-released a remixed and remastered version of his 2010 album Less Wise, as Less Wise Modified 2017, with three bonus tracks included.
2018: Lifers
Jinks released the album Lifers on July 27, 2018, via Rounder Records. It was preceded by the lead single "Must Be the Whiskey", which was released on June 15, 2018.
2019: After the Fire and The Wanting
On October 11, 2019, Jinks released the album After the Fire. The album was independently produced and released by his own label, Late August Records, marking a departure from Rounder Records, with whom he produced 2018's Lifers. The album was preceded by two singles, "Ain't a Train" and "Think Like You Think". Jinks also promoted the song "William and Wanda", which was written about his late grandparents. For the week of October 26, 2019, the album was #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
One week later, October 18, 2019, Jinks released a second album, The Wanting. Similar to After the Fire, the album was independently produced. It was preceded by two singles, "Same Kind of Crazy as Me" and "Which One I Feed".
On October 24, 2019, both albums held the # 1 and 2 spots for Top Albums on iTunes and Apple Music.
Hand Me Down
Cody Jinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on, come on, hand me down
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
Hand me down my evenin' news
Hand me down your point of view
Hand me down those rich man's wars
Hand me down your politicians
Handed down by hypocrites
Hand me down false laws of man
Hand me down your latest brand
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
The good times came, good times gone
Hand me down what went wrong
Hand me down for I'm ashamed
Truth brings life and life brings slain
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
Hand me down my weekly tithe
Hand me down your thoughts on life
Hand me down that book to read
That's the handout that I need
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
Hand me down, hand me down
Come on, come on, hand me down
The good times came, good times gone
Hand me down what went wrong
Hand me down for I'm ashamed
Truth brings life and life brings slain
Won't you hand me down, hand me down
Hand me down
The lyrics to "Hand Me Down" by Cody Jinks are a commentary on life and society. The repeated phrase "hand me down" throughout the song suggests that we have received ideas and beliefs from others, and that we continue to pass them on to future generations. Jinks implores the listener to hand down things that are valuable and worthwhile, while rejecting the hand me downs of false values and harmful beliefs.
The first verse mentions the evening news and a point of view, suggesting that we are constantly bombarded with opinions and perspectives by the media, and that we should be mindful of what we accept and pass on. The second verse mentions the wars of the rich, politicians, and false laws of man, alluding to the oppressive systems and structures that have been handed down to us. The bridge references the good times that have come and gone, and Jinks asks to be handed down what went wrong so that we can learn from our mistakes and try to do better.
Line by Line Meaning
Well hand me down, hand me down
The singer is requesting for something to be passed down to them.
Come on, come on, hand me down
They are urging whoever they addressing to give them what they want quickly.
Hand me down my evenin' news
The singer is asking for a newspaper.
Hand me down your point of view
They are asking for another person's perspective or opinion on something.
Hand me down those rich man's wars
The singer is requesting an explanation for why wealthy individuals start wars that others have to fight.
Hand me down what it's all for
The singer is asking for the purpose behind certain actions, events, or situations.
Hand me down your politicians
The singer is requesting information or opinions about politicians.
Handed down by hypocrites
The singer is aware that the information or opinions about politicians may be biased or insincere.
Hand me down false laws of man
The singer is asking for clarification on laws or rules that may be unjust or corrupt.
Hand me down your latest brand
They are asking for the newest or most popular product or trend.
The good times came, good times gone
The singer is reflecting on past experiences or memories.
Hand me down what went wrong
They are asking for an explanation for why things didn't go well in the past.
Hand me down for I'm ashamed
The singer is admitting their faults or failures and is requesting advice or guidance.
Truth brings life and life brings slain
The singer is acknowledging that truth can be powerful and life-changing, but can also have negative consequences for those who are exposed.
Hand me down my weekly tithe
The singer is asking for their weekly donation or contribution to their church or religious organization.
Hand me down your thoughts on life
They are asking for another person's perspective on the meaning or purpose of life.
Hand me down that book to read
The singer is requesting a book to read, possibly for knowledge or entertainment.
That's the handout that I need
The singer is expressing gratitude for receiving what they had asked for.
Won't you hand me down, hand me down
The singer is making one final request to whoever they are addressing.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Meredith Cody Jinks, Meredith Evelyn Jinks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dakota
on Loud and Heavy
I love the meaning behind songs and not just the music and Cody jinks songs are all of the above!
Ernie
on Loud and Heavy
Duh