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.
The Same
Cody Jinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That bitersweet voice took me back, another time
She said, "After all this while, it's good to see you doin' fine"
Well, that's a funny thing to hear, after the last time
I recall the choice you made, the words you chose back then
It killed me for a long, long time, were we ever friends?
I said, "You came here to see if time had rearranged
The same old game, I'm still the same"
Same old bar, same guitars, same old stars
That light my dance
It's gettin' better to not feel ruined
But you know I do anyway
I really don't know what you're doing here
What you want, or why you came
It's gettin' late now and I gotta go
Since you asked, I'm still the same
I'm still the same
I really don't know what you're doing here
What you want, or why you came
It's gettin' late now and I gotta go
Since you asked, I'm still the same
I'm still the same
I'm still the same
The lyrics to Cody Jinks's song The Same start off with the singer hearing someone comment on how bright the lights are, which then takes them back to another time when they heard a bittersweet voice. The singer then goes on to say that the person they heard has said it's good to see them doing fine after all this time, which is a strange thing to hear after everything that had happened between them. The singer reflects on the choice the person had made and the words they had chosen, which had hurt the singer for a long time, and wonders whether they were ever really friends. The singer then says that the person had come to see if time had rearranged anything, but it's the same old game and the singer is still the same.
The second half of the song repeats the same sentiments, with the singer acknowledging that they don't know why the person is there or what they want, but it's getting late and the singer needs to go. The repeated phrase "I'm still the same" seems to be the singer asserting that despite everything that has happened, they haven't changed and are still the same person they were before.
Overall, the lyrics to The Same seem to be about confronting someone from the past who has hurt the singer and caused them pain. Despite the hurtful actions of the other person, the singer remains unchanged and resolute in their sense of self.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard 'Good to see - those lights were sure bright tonight'
She greeted me and commented on the lights, but there was an underlying bitter-sweetness in her voice that reminded me of the past.
That bitersweet voice took me back, another time
Her voice triggered memories of a different time.
She said, 'After all this while, it's good to see you doin' fine'
She complimented me on how well I was doing in life, despite it being an unusual and unexpected comment coming from her.
Well, that's a funny thing to hear, after the last time
I found her complimenting me to be ironic given the conversation we had the last time we saw each other.
I recall the choice you made, the words you chose back then
I remembered the choices she made and the words she used during our last encounter.
It killed me for a long, long time, were we ever friends?
I held onto the hurt caused by her actions and questioned the sincerity of our friendship.
I said, 'You came here to see if time had rearranged
I inferred that she came to visit me to investigate how time had changed me since our last encounter.
The same old game, I'm still the same'
I recognized that our interaction was the same as it had always been, with me not changing despite the passage of time.
Same old bar, same guitars, same old stars
Despite the passage of time, nothing much has changed in this place.
That light my dance
The lights make me feel alive when I dance.
It's gettin' better to not feel ruined
I am gradually recovering from the hurt of the past.
But you know I do anyway
Despite my slight recovery, there are moments when I still feel ruined.
I really don't know what you're doing here
I am curious about her purpose for visiting me.
What you want, or why you came
I am unsure what she wants or why she came to see me.
It's gettin' late now and I gotta go
It's becoming late, and I have to leave soon.
Since you asked, I'm still the same
She asked me how I was doing, and I confirmed that I am still the same.
I'm still the same
Despite the passage of time, I remain unchanged.
I'm still the same
Despite the passage of time, I remain unchanged.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Chris Claridy, Meredith 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