Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.
Barely a handful of people claim to have contacted Jandek, whose steadfastness in anonymity is legendary. Without any conventional attempts at promotion, he releases albums through his own record label Corwood Industries, which is addressed at a Houston post office box. Fans can write to Corwood for a typewritten catalogue and order Jandek’s albums, usually at inexpensive prices. Jandek’s work has been available on vinyl and on compact discs. Many of his albums feature pictures of the same young man (seen above) at various ages; in light of Jandek's live performances it is almost entirely certain that the person featured on the album covers is Jandek himself.
Jandek’s first album, Ready for the House (1978), was first accredited to a band called “The Units” but it was obviously a solo work. Jandek presumably plays acoustic guitar and has recorded much of his work apparently unaccompanied (assuming that the person singing is also the person playing guitar). However many other songs feature female vocals and/or different male vocalists. Others feature bass guitar, electric guitar and/or drums, presumably played by collaborators. No proper credits list has ever appeared on an album, but song titles have included "Nancy Sings" and "John Plays Drums".
Some of Jandek’s allure stems from his small but devoted fan base which has included Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, Indian Jewelry, and K Records founder Calvin Johnson.
The mystery of Jandek's identity was partially resolved in October 2004 when Jandek performed live in Scotland, at the Instal 04 music festival in Glasgow. This was Jandek's first known live appearance and performed with Richard Youngs (bass) and Alex Neilson (drums). The man on stage was obviously the same man who appears on the album covers. Corwood stipulated that the performance was not publicized in advance. Since then, "The Representative of Corwood Industries" (as Jandek sometimes insists on being called) has played a lot of concerts and recorded all of them for future releases. The last years have seen an even higher release frequency, even for Jandek.
For more information, you may go here:
www.tisue.net/jandek
www.jandekoncorwood.com
I'm Ready
Jandek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's 'cause you don't want to be a man
Yeah, just wanna have one
You know I have fantasies about you
Laying down, saying
Just come on
You can't be that unkind
I just steal away
[unknown] by the bleachers
Watch the door slam on in my face
I think a brick is cracking
I think a window's broken
I see your face in every feature
Your hand in every glove
Girls don't wanna be a man, just want to have one
You know I'm captured in your theater
And I still don't know what goes on below
But if you got to be with him
I'll say goodbye
You wonder why I'm a man
Oh, 'cause I don't want to be a woman
I just wanna have one
The song entitled "I'm Ready" by Jandek is a poetic and enigmatic piece that touches on the themes of gender, desire, and unrequited love. The opening lines, "If you want to know why you're a woman / It's 'cause you don't want to be a man", suggest a desire to place oneself in a certain gender role for a particular reason. The singer seems to be addressing someone, likely a woman, who they desire, but who does not feel the same way about them. The line "Yeah, just wanna have one" speaks to a desire to possess or own this person, potentially objectifying them in the process.
The singer goes on to describe their fantasies about this person, lying down and saying "just come on". However, there is an underlying frustration that comes through in the line "You can't be that unkind / Playing tricks on my mind". It seems that the singer is trying to make sense of their feelings and desires, but is being met with resistance or rejection from the object of their affections.
The chorus, "Girls don't wanna be a man, just want to have one / You know I'm captured in your theater", highlights the singer's understanding that they are not alone in their desire, but also the fact that they are merely a spectator in the life of the person they desire. The final lines, "You wonder why I'm a man / Oh, 'cause I don't want to be a woman / I just wanna have one", further illustrate the singer's confusion and yearning, as well as their belief that fulfilling their desire for this person will give them a sense of completion.
Line by Line Meaning
If you want to know why you're a woman
The singer is questioning why the woman he's addressing is a woman rather than a man.
It's 'cause you don't want to be a man
The reason why the woman is a woman is because she doesn't want to be a man.
Yeah, just wanna have one
The woman simply wants to have a man, rather than wanting to be one.
You know I have fantasies about you
The singer has sexual fantasies about the woman and desires her.
Laying down, saying
The singer imagines the woman lying down in a sexual situation.
Just come on
The singer wants the woman to engage in sexual activity with him.
You can't be that unkind
The singer is trying to convince the woman to have sex with him by suggesting it wouldn't be unkind of her to do so.
Playing tricks on my mind
The woman is causing the singer to obsess and think about her, despite her not reciprocating his desires.
I just steal away
The singer is trying to sneak away unnoticed from his current situation and desires with the woman.
[unknown] by the bleachers
The singer is in a certain location, probably in a school.
Watch the door slam on in my face
The singer is left behind or left out of something he may have expected to happen.
I think a brick is cracking
The singer hears a sound of breaking bricks or deteriorating things, which may be a metaphor for his own soul or emotions.
I think a window's broken
The singer hears a sound of a breaking window, which may be symbolic of his own shattered visions or expectations.
I see your face in every feature
The singer is so obsessed with the woman that he is seeing her face in every person's features and everything around him.
Your hand in every glove
The singer again sees the woman's touch and influence in every object, as if she's controlling everything around him.
Girls don't wanna be a man, just want to have one
The singer is generalizing that women typically do not aspire to be men, but rather desire a man in their life.
You know I'm captured in your theater
The singer feels trapped and powerless in the woman's presence and influence, as if he's in a performance or a play.
And I still don't know what goes on below
The singer is unsure of the woman's true intentions and desires, despite being so obsessed with her.
But if you got to be with him
The singer is willing to accept that the woman would choose another man over him.
I'll say goodbye
The singer would move on and forget about the woman if she chose someone else over him.
You wonder why I'm a man
The singer is questioning why he is a man rather than a woman.
Oh, 'cause I don't want to be a woman
The reason why the singer is a man is because he doesn't want to be a woman.
I just wanna have one
The singer desires a woman rather than wanting to be one.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTEO BONSANTO, LUCIANO NINZATTI, STEFANO PULGA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Virgo Sagittarius
If you want to know why you're a woman
It's 'cause you don't want to be a man
Yeah, just wanna have one
You know I have fantasies about you
Laying down, saying
Just come on
You can't be that unkind
Playing tricks on my mind
I just steal away
??? by the bleachers
Watch the door slam on in my face
I think a brick is cracking
I think a window's broken
I see your face in every feature
Your hand in every glove
Girls don't wanna be a man, just want to have one
You know I'm captured in your theater
And I still don't know what goes on below
But if you got to be with him
I'll say goodbye
You wonder why I'm a man
Oh, 'cause I don't want to be a woman
I just wanna have one
charlie tethers
His masterpiece. Like the very best paintings of Cezanne, this song floats like a haze above our reality.
lylajean100
perfect
Virgo Sagittarius
If you want to know why you're a woman
It's 'cause you don't want to be a man
Yeah, just wanna have one
You know I have fantasies about you
Laying down, saying
Just come on
You can't be that unkind
Playing tricks on my mind
I just steal away
??? by the bleachers
Watch the door slam on in my face
I think a brick is cracking
I think a window's broken
I see your face in every feature
Your hand in every glove
Girls don't wanna be a man, just want to have one
You know I'm captured in your theater
And I still don't know what goes on below
But if you got to be with him
I'll say goodbye
You wonder why I'm a man
Oh, 'cause I don't want to be a woman
I just wanna have one
PjR
wow wonderful thanks
Booman
*roll a brain by the bleachers
Jerkcurb
that chord sequence good lord
ElJimmie
god damn it all, still running across your comments years later, first hosono and now jandek
Pesos Gouda
omg it's jerkcurb!
Simon Waldram
I really wish he hadn't had the albums remastered. This was already my favourite Janky song ever, but the vinyl rip is like floating an endless ocean of sound. I love it.
kanacubana
Hits the spot like nothing else