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.
Busy
Jawbreaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lose their charm and change their faces
The world becomes too cruel to bear
And something in you starts to tear
When nothing seems to be quite worth it
And sleep becomes the only sure thing
I'm here to help you out of it
Come and see me for a lift
Don't you need a friend?
Honor your allegiances
Everyone is drowning in sand
Couldn't you use a hand!
Please don't make a guess
When changes make the world a stranger
No one calls and yout life's in danger
If the money's gone without a trace
And your longing for a familiar face
Cars collide and people die
You begin to shake 'til you start to cry
If disasters only start to multiply
My door is open drop on by
Sad again you're sad again
Hey you're breaking down
Your eyes betray your new smile
When keeping up is killing you
And you need a ruling without a clue
When cool means being dead
And your better thoughts are better left unsaid
If you're sad to see your gun's unloaded
Tried to drown but you only floated
If the world is only getting colder
I'd like to offer you a dry shoulder
Whoah!
The lyrics of Jawbreaker's song Busy is about offering a helping hand and a friend to someone who is struggling with life's challenges. The opening lines paint a picture of a person who is overwhelmed by the harshness of the world and is tearing apart. The singer invites the person to come to him for a lift, indicating that he is ready to help the person with whatever they are facing. The chorus echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the need to honor our allegiances and be there for each other.
The second verse presents more specific scenarios where someone might need help, from feeling like the world is a stranger after a significant change to experiencing a financial loss or feeling alone in the face of tragedy. The bridge repeats the song's theme of being willing to offer support and comfort to someone in need, even when they feel like they are at their lowest point.
Overall, the lyrics of Busy offer a message of hope and friendship, reminding us that we all need each other when we're at our lowest. It is a reminder that tough times don't last, and that there is always someone, even a stranger, willing to offer a helping hand.
Line by Line Meaning
When all the consoling places
When all the comforting places and people fail you
Lose their charm and change their faces
When these places and people no longer have any appeal or usefulness to you
The world becomes too cruel to bear
The harshness and cruelty of the world becomes overwhelming and unbearable
And something in you starts to tear
Something inside you begins to break apart
When nothing seems to be quite worth it
When nothing in life seems worthwhile or meaningful
And sleep becomes the only sure thing
When sleep is the only escape or relief from reality
I'm here to help you out of it
I'm here to offer comfort and assistance in getting through tough times
Come and see me for a lift
Come to me for support and encouragement
We're all close to the end
Life is fleeting and time is running out for us all
Don't you need a friend?
Don't you need someone to lean on and confide in?
Honor your allegiances
Stay true to your values, beliefs, and loyalties
Everyone is drowning in sand
Everyone is struggling and sinking in their own problems and issues
Couldn't you use a hand!
Don't you need a helping hand to guide you through these challenges?
Please don't make a guess
Don't make a hasty or uncertain decision
When changes make the world a stranger
When changes and transitions make the world unfamiliar and uncomfortable
No one calls and yout life's in danger
When you feel abandoned and your life is in peril
If the money's gone without a trace
If you've lost all your money without explanation or recourse
And your longing for a familiar face
And you yearn for the comfort and familiarity of someone you know
Cars collide and people die
When tragedies and accidents occur
You begin to shake 'til you start to cry
When you're so overwhelmed with emotion that you begin to tremble and cry
If disasters only start to multiply
If one misfortune leads to another and another
My door is open drop on by
My door is always open for you to come and seek comfort and support
Sad again you're sad again
You're feeling sad again, as if stuck in a cycle
Hey you're breaking down
You're falling apart emotionally
Your eyes betray your new smile
Your eyes reveal the sadness behind your forced smile
When keeping up is killing you
When the pressure to keep up appearances and maintain a certain image is overwhelming and detrimental to your well-being
And you need a ruling without a clue
When you need guidance or direction but don't know where to turn
When cool means being dead
When being indifferent or apathetic is seen as desirable or admirable
And your better thoughts are better left unsaid
When your positive and hopeful thoughts and feelings are dismissed or ignored
If you're sad to see your gun's unloaded
If you're sad to see that you're powerless or helpless
Tried to drown but you only floated
When you tried to escape your problems but were unsuccessful
If the world is only getting colder
If the world seems increasingly unforgiving and unkind
I'd like to offer you a dry shoulder
I'm here to offer you a listening ear and support, without judgment or criticism
Whoah!
Expressing surprise, wonder, or emotion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind