James "Jim" Alan Stanley Johnston is a music composer who has been working … Read Full Bio ↴James "Jim" Alan Stanley Johnston is a music composer who has been working for World Wrestling Entertainment since the 1980s. His work is often accredited to the name James A. Johnston.

Johnston is famous for writing many of the memorable entrance theme songs for WWE, including the theme songs for The Undertaker, The Rock, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, amongst hundreds of others superstars. In addition, Johnston has also composed music for the majority of WWE's PPV and Television productions, including show themes, music videos, vignettes, commercials and tributes.

Johnston has mentioned in past interviews that he suffers from stage fright and a fear of live audiences, and it was this fear that led to him seeking a more 'studio oriented' music career. His first job in the entertainment business was working with MTV and VH1 to create bumpers and commercial cues, before a chance meeting in a sushi restaurant with a WWF producer led to him joining Vince McMahon's professional wrestling company. Initially composing TV themes for shows and commercial buffers, Johnston gravitated towards wrestlers' entrance themes, before eventually becoming a complete music composer for the company.

In 1989, Johnston composed original music for No Holds Barred, a movie starring Hulk Hogan. Although the score was never commercially released, the theme "No Holds Barred", with vocals by John Joyce, was later released on WWE Anthology album in 2002. Johnston also contributed the score to the 2010 WWE Studio's release, "Legendary", starring John Cena.

Johnston is well known for writing, composing and producing all his compositions, in addition to playing all instruments, and occasionally recruiting outside vocalists or additional musicians to contribute when the piece requires.

Johnston appears on the videotape Piledriver - The Wrestling Album 2 to introduce the video for Girls in Cars. He orchestrated the live band at the WWF Slammy Awards ceremonies, and traveled across the U.S. in 1995 as part of the "Raw Band". He also appeared on camera at WrestleMania XIV and the 1998 SummerSlam playing the DX theme with the Chris Warren Band. Johnston also had a brief clip in the film Beyond the Mat discussing his reasoning behind Vader's theme music. Johnston also appears on the bonus DVD for WWE Originals the 2004 album by the same name. The DVD features a 30 minute behind-the-scenes documentary on Johnston, offering insights into the composing, producing and directing of the album. There are also some humorous interactions of Johnston with Jonathan Coachman and Steve Austin. Johnston also appears on The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior discussing the Ultimate Warrior's theme song, and how it was able to be truly representative of the character. Johnston also appeared on the WWF WrestleMania XV DVD Extras, commenting on WWF's music, and how music is crucial in the World Wrestling Federation, now World Wrestling Entertainment.

James Alan Johnston composed the music for two films recently produced by WWE Studios, 'Legendary' (starring John Cena), and 'Knucklehead', starring The Big Show. He also wrote the score for "No Holds Barred" starring Hulk Hogan, and contributed the track, "Ahmed Johnson" to Beyond the Mat.

Break it down
James A. Johnston Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ridin in my town I'm up now bout ta buy uh pound
Bring the sack back to the trap then I break it down
Break it down in ta dimes dubs and them half Q's
Gotta double up what I spend ain't no half moves
Exterminate all the roaches breakin in my kitchen
Pyrex dishes in the sink cuz just got thru whippin
Whippin 6 zones then we bringin back uh whole nine
Put uh 14 on uh 14 and it's still on fire

Nigga I'm sleepy as shit but my phone ring then I'm gettin up
Nigga ain't no such thing as sleep when you out here gettin bucks
Feelin like I'm uh Memphis nigga out here flippin sluts
If weed was lyrical then I'm out here spittin runtz

Break it break it down break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family
Break it down break it break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family
Break it break it down break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family
Break it down Break it Break it down I just bought uh pound

Doin what I gotta do in this life I'm livin
On my knees prayin ta God for all the things I'm given
Also prayin that I don't get shot and i can keep on winnin
Long as my kids gotta Christmas I'm uh keep on grinnin
Point uh gun at my baby mamma I'm uh take the bullet
But it ain't gone get to that cuz I'm uh be the first one ta pull it
Put you on yo ass for my money and my family
Tryin ta make dessert for the table like I'm Sarah Lee
Take uh zip out just ta smoke outta every p
I was just ta teen money came ta me and said marry me
I said what we gone do she said we bout ta buy uh p
And break it down break it break it down So just follow me

Break it break it down break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family
Break it down break it break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family
Break it break it down break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family

Break it down break it break it down I just bought uh pound
I do this for my family

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to James A. Johnston's song Break It Down are rapped from the perspective of a person involved in illegal drug activities. The song starts with the singer driving around town, about to purchase a pound of drugs to bring back to their location to break it down into smaller quantities for sale. The singer explains that they have to be careful not to waste any of the product, multiplying their investment to make a profit.

As the song continues, the singer describes the risks and dangers they face, such as dealing with roaches and carrying guns for protection. Despite the dangers, the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to provide for their family. They express gratitude for the opportunities they have been given, even when the path they have chosen is risky and uncertain.

Overall, the lyrics are a reflection of the struggles and sacrifices that people make in order to survive and provide for their loved ones, even when that means taking part in illegal activities.

Line by Line Meaning

Ridin in my town I'm up now bout ta buy uh pound
I'm driving around town right now, planning to purchase a pound of marijuana.

Bring the sack back to the trap then I break it down
After acquiring the weed, I'll bring it back to my dealer's place and break it down to smaller amounts.

Break it down in ta dimes dubs and them half Q's
I'll break down the pound into smaller amounts of ten dollars, twenty dollars, and half-quarters.

Gotta double up what I spend ain't no half moves
I need to double my money when I sell the weed and won't accept anything less.

Exterminate all the roaches breakin in my kitchen
I need to get rid of all the pests that are entering my kitchen and making it difficult to cook.

Pyrex dishes in the sink cuz just got thru whippin
I have dirty dishes in the sink from cooking drugs in Pyrex containers.

Whippin 6 zones then we bringin back uh whole nine
I cooked six ounces of drugs and am bringing back nine ounces.

Put uh 14 on uh 14 and it's still on fire
I put fourteen ounces on fourteen ounces of weed and it's still selling quickly.

Nigga I'm sleepy as shit but my phone ring then I'm gettin up
I'm very tired, but if my phone rings with a potential buyer, I'll immediately wake up.

Nigga ain't no such thing as sleep when you out here gettin bucks
When you're focused on making money, there's no time for sleep.

Feelin like I'm uh Memphis nigga out here flippin sluts
I feel like a drug dealer from Memphis, hustling to sell drugs to anyone and everyone.

If weed was lyrical then I'm out here spittin runtz
If selling weed was a talent, then I'm an expert at it.

Doin what I gotta do in this life I'm livin
I'm doing what I can to make a living in this difficult life.

On my knees prayin ta God for all the things I'm given
I'm thanking God for everything I have and asking for his protection.

Also prayin that I don't get shot and i can keep on winnin
I'm hoping I don't get shot while selling drugs and can continue to make money.

Long as my kids gotta Christmas I'm uh keep on grinnin
As long as my children have a good Christmas, I'll continue to smile and hustle.

Point uh gun at my baby mamma I'm uh take the bullet
If it came down to it, I would take a bullet for my child's mother.

But it ain't gone get to that cuz I'm uh be the first one ta pull it
However, I would rather be the first one to pull the trigger and protect my family.

Put you on yo ass for my money and my family
I'll knock you out if you try to take my money or threaten my family.

Tryin ta make dessert for the table like I'm Sarah Lee
I'm trying to make money to provide for my family, like Sarah Lee made desserts for families to enjoy together.

Take uh zip out just ta smoke outta every p
I'll take a small amount out of each 'zip' (ounce) to smoke for myself.

I was just ta teen money came ta me and said marry me
I was just a teenager when someone offered me money to sell drugs for them.

I said what we gone do she said we bout ta buy uh p
I asked what our plan was, and she said we were going to purchase and sell drugs.

And break it down break it break it down So just follow me
We'll break down the drugs and sell them, so just follow my lead.

Break it break it down break it down I just bought uh pound
I just purchased a pound of drugs and will begin the process of selling and breaking it down.

I do this for my family
Everything I do is for my family's well-being and future.

Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: James Judkins Jr

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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