With Schwarzenbach on guitar and vocals, Bauermeister on bass, and Pfahler on drums, the band gained recognition in the late eighties and early nineties for their melodic yet driven sound built on the foundation for Schwarzenbach's poignant, bleeding-heart lyrics and signature rasp.
The band's first full-length release Unfun was put out by Shredder in 1990. On this, the band stuck close to the sound coming out of their contemporaries in the nascent pop punk scene in their sound, with the exception of Bauermeister's prominent bass lines and Schwarzenbach's lyrics, at times walking the line of the melodramatic.
Unfun was followed by Bivouac on Tupelo/Communion in 1992. Bivouac proved thicker and darker - both thematically and melodically - yet served to elevate the band above a crowd of previously similar acts. This more ambitious release also artfully used pieces of found-audio, in what was becoming one of the band's signatures, weaving it in and out of the ten minute title track, "Bivouac."
Their third release, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, produced by the ubiquitous Steve Albini, unveiled a sparse pop-punk with more carefully crafted lyrics. This album also holds what has become arguably their best known song, "Boxcar."
Jawbreaker had seemed poised for critical and commercial success by the time of their fourth, and last album, Dear You. Despite a vigorous marketing push, Jawbreaker's album sales were anemic in the wake of a post-Green Day market, and was one of the causes leading to the end of the band's career in 1996.
The group recently reacquired the rights to Dear You and have successfully put the long out-of-print album back into circulation on Pfahler's label, Blackball Records.
The band's cult status as the definitive nineties proto-pop-punk band has grown since its breakup, and songs like "Kiss the Bottle" and "Jet Black" are referenced as influences by bands such as Sparta, Lucero, and Rocky Votolato. In 2003, a Jawbreaker tribute album, Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault was released on Dying Wish Records, and featured covers by 18 bands including Fall Out Boy, Nerf Herder, Sparta, and Face To Face.
Singer Blake Schwarzenbach went on to form the New York City-based band Jets to Brazil, who have also since broken up, and is now an adjunct English professor at Hunter College (CUNY). In the fall of 2008, he debuted his new band, Thorns of Life, formed with Aaron Cometbus of Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder on drums and ex-Gr'ups bassist Daniela Sea.
Drummer Adam Pfahler is currently drumming in San Francisco-based Whysall Lane, whose LP was released in 2006 on his own Blackball Records.
Bassist Chris Bauermeister has been playing in post-hardcore band Horace Pinker and pop-punk band Shorebirds, which was formed with Matt Canino, formerly of Latterman; Shorebirds split in the summer of 2008.
In 2021, Blake Schwarzenbach teamed up with Joyce Manor on a release.
In spite of the similar name, the band Jawbreaker Reunion is unrelated.
Ashtray Monument
Jawbreaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The predawn white light's coming on.
Bottle on the night stand.
I count disasters on my free hand now.
Run for cover, there's a big one coming.
You'll be lucky if you're at ground zero.
No one said that this life was easy.
It gets hard.
The bills are scattered in the yard.
Ashtray monument.
A life spent waiting in cement comes down.
Run for cover, there's a big one coming.
You'll be lucky if it's got your number.
No one said that this life was easy.
Did that no one ever live a life this hard?
After all, it's not that bad.
I still have pictures.
I look back
At all the things that we once did.
You said, "I love you."
I guess you did.
Remember our life.
I did the dishes while you read out loud.
Best friends, strangers now.
Were our kids all we could call common ground?
After all, it's not that bad.
I still have pictures.
I look back
At all the things that we once did.
You said, "I love you."
I guess you did.
The lyrics of Jawbreaker's "Ashtray Monument" explore the hardships and challenges of life, as well as the reflection that comes with age and retrospect. The opening lines, "Free, alone. The predawn white light's coming on. Bottle on the night stand. I count disasters on my free hand now," set a contemplative and somewhat melancholic tone. The singer seems to be assessing their life and the disasters or challenges they've faced, possibly taking inspiration or reassurance from the idea that they have come out relatively unscathed.
The repeated refrain, "Run for cover, there's a big one coming. You'll be lucky if it's got your number. No one said that this life was easy. Did that no one ever live a life this hard?" reinforces the theme of life's unpredictability and the challenges that come with it. The singer seems to be facing these challenges head-on, acknowledging that life is tough, but not giving up hope.
The final verse brings a sense of nostalgia and reflection as the singer looks back on their life and their past love. They reflect on moments of happiness and love, but also acknowledge the distance that has grown between them and their former partner, now strangers. The final lines, "You said, 'I love you.' I guess you did," underline the bittersweet nature of the past, and the difficulty of fully reconciling with it.
Overall, "Ashtray Monument" is a contemplative and introspective song that explores the ups and downs of life, and the reflection that comes with age and experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Free, alone.
I am alone and not bound by anything or anyone.
The predawn white light's coming on.
It is early morning and the light is slowly illuminating the surroundings.
Bottle on the night stand.
There is a bottle of alcohol on the bedside table.
I count disasters on my free hand now.
I have experienced so many bad things that I can count them on my hand.
Run for cover, there's a big one coming.
There is trouble coming and you should get prepared for it.
You'll be lucky if you're at ground zero.
The situation is going to be so bad that being right at the center would be the least of your worries.
No one said that this life was easy.
Life is hard and nobody promised it would be easy.
Did that no one ever live a life this hard?
Has anyone else ever experienced as much hardship as I have?
It gets hard.
Life becomes difficult at times.
The bills are scattered in the yard.
The artist has not taken care of their financial responsibilities and the bills are literally scattered outside.
Ashtray monument.
The ashtray is a symbol of the singer's long-time smoking habit, and how they have spent a lot of time sitting in one spot.
A life spent waiting in cement comes down.
The routine and monotony of life is collapsing.
You'll be lucky if it's got your number.
The upcoming disaster is so bad that even being affected by it would be considered lucky.
After all, it's not that bad.
Despite everything, things are not as terrible as they may seem.
I still have pictures.
The singer has photographic memories of better times in their life.
I look back at all the things that we once did.
The artist is nostalgic and thinks about past experiences.
You said, "I love you." I guess you did.
The artist is uncertain if their past significant other truly loved them or not.
Remember our life.
The singer is pleading for the listener to recollect better days.
I did the dishes while you read out loud.
The singer and their significant other lead a mundane and routine life.
Best friends, strangers now.
The artist and their significant other who were once so close are now estranged.
Were our kids all we could call common ground?
Perhaps the only reason the artist and their significant other stayed together was because of their children.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bstokes1975
jawbreaker rocks and they never sold out and i had all their albums
seedypee
must have planted a couple hundred thousand trees 2 this album. I miss the 90's :(
Sara Berry
seedypee I love that you planted trees to this album! ❤️
Mara
This is emo. Top notch, early 90's emo the way nature intended.
Pete Cucuzza
@commbir because you're not punk and I'm telling everyone.
commbir
@Pete Cucuzza Curious as to why you take exception at the classification. Don’t you think the label is broad enough to encapsulate Jawbreaker? The punk family tree has plenty of cross-pollination.
Pete Cucuzza
No
Raul Goatman
love this band! I'm even wearing my jawbreaker shirt today :D
Clayton Eugene
The bills are scattered in the yard
SuperOlly6
Just picked up this Vinyl! My favorite album! Looks good on the turntable too! ;)