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.
No Guarantees
Cody Jinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear the voice of Jesus and hear the devil talkin'
Just the same
And it seems they're tryin' to talk over each other
Any given day
I've lived the words in red so many times
By now I thought that I might see
I guess I'm sayin' this life just ain't the way
I been wanderin' down the hallways
Yep all roads just like some kid out skippin' school
By the time that I was seventeen
I figured I was done with all the rules
I turn thirty-five this year, and I'm still runnin' hard
For somethin' I can't see
The only thing in life that's guaranteed:
There are no guarantees
And it's gonna get hard fore it gets easy, I oughta know
It's gonna take a lotta rain fore the seed prayer starts to grow
The more I know, the more I know what I don't know
I know nothin's free
And there ain't no guarantees
The more I know, the more I know what I don't know
I know nothin's free
And there ain't no guarantees
And it's gonna get hard fore it gets easy, I oughta know
It's gonna take a lotta rain fore the seed prayer starts to grow
The more I know, the more I know what I don't know
I know nothin's free
And there ain't no guarantees
In Cody Jinks's song No Guarantees, the artist reflects on the uncertainties of life and the lack of guarantees that come with it. The lyrics open with a line that sets the tone for the entire song: "And it's gonna get hard, fore it gets easy, I ought to know." This line emphasizes the idea that life is not always smooth sailing, and there will be challenges along the way.
The song also talks about the internal conflicts that one can experience in life. The artist hears both the voice of Jesus and the devil talking, and they seem to be trying to talk over each other. This suggests that there is always a battle between good and evil within us, and we have to find a way to navigate it.
As the song progresses, Jinks reflects on his life journey, stating that he has been wandering down hallways like a kid skipping school. He explains that by the time he was 17, he thought he was done with all the rules but has since come to realize that there are no guarantees in life.
Overall, No Guarantees is a song about the uncertainties of life and the need to persevere and embrace challenges that come your way. It's a reminder to stay grounded and keep going even when things get tough.
Line by Line Meaning
And it's gonna get hard, fore it gets easy, I oughta know
Life is tough, it gets harder before it gets easier, and he understands this from experience
I hear the voice of Jesus and hear the devil talkin', just the same
He hears the voices of good and evil, but they seem to be competing for his attention
And it seems they're tryin' to talk over each other, any given day
The voices of good and evil are omnipresent, and he can't seem to escape their influence
I've lived the words in red so many times, by now I thought that I might see
He has studied the teachings of Jesus, but hasn't seen the promised clarity of life's struggles
I guess I'm sayin' this life just ain't the way, I thought that it might be
He expected life to be easier, but realizes it isn't
I been wanderin' down the hallways, yep all roads just like some kid out skippin' school
He is wandering aimlessly, much like a child skips school without direction
By the time that I was seventeen, I figured I was done with all the rules
He felt mature enough by 17 to throw off the rules of his youth
I turn thirty-five this year, and I'm still runnin' hard
Despite the passage of time, he is still struggling
For somethin' I can't see
He doesn't know what he is struggling for
The only thing in life that's guaranteed: there are no guarantees
The one certainty in life is that nothing is certain
And it's gonna take a lotta rain fore the seed prayer starts to grow
It takes a lot of time and effort for things to come to fruition
The more I know, the more I know what I don't know
The more he understands, the clearer it becomes that he still lacks much knowledge
I know nothin's free
Everything comes at a cost
And there ain't no guarantees
Nothing is certain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Cody 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