Jawbreaker is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, Un… Read Full Bio ↴Jawbreaker is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band has its root in Los Angeles, CA, where Blake Schwarzenbach and Adam Pfahler were students at the exclusive private Crossroads High School. The band came together when they met Chris Bauermeister at New York University in 1988.

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.

Down
Jawbreaker Lyrics

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I'm down on the floor, there's a man on the door
He won't let me in 'cause he thinks he's the law
He'll give me shout when he's figured it out
Gotta pick up myself, what am I waiting for?
It's never enough, it's never too late
I reminded myself that I'm starting again
You're telling me "never", it should be "whenever"

And while the world is swinging
I feel like I don't fit in
Don't even know the way
Don't hear a word they say
And all the money makin'
Oh, I just want to have a go
I'm always up on time, man
Why can't I be just like the people that I know?

I've got what it takes, I'm bang up to date
You know how it is, I'm all over the place
Kicked in the face, I'm backstage
Everyone here is half of my age
Standing in line, I'm hitching a ride
I'll give it a try but I don't have the time
You're telling me "never", it should be "whenever"

And while the world is swinging
I feel like I don't fit in
Don't even know the way
Don't hear a word they say
And all the money makin'
Oh, I just want to have a go
I'm always up on time, man
Why can't I be just like the people that I know?

Ohhhh...

Na na na na na (etc.)
You're telling me "never", it should be "whenever"

And while the world is swinging
I feel like I don't fit in
Don't even know the way
Don't hear a word they say
And all the money makin'
Oh, I just want to have a go
I'm always up on time, man
Why can't I be just like the people that I know?

And while the world is swinging
I feel like I don't fit in
Don't even know the way
Don't hear a word they say
And all the money makin'
Oh, I just want to have a go
I'm always up on time, man

I'm always up on time, man (Repeat)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jawbreaker's song 'Down' convey a sense of frustration with society's expectations and the singer's own inability to fit in. The first stanza depicts the singer being denied entry into a venue by a bouncer who thinks he's above the law. The singer has to remind himself that he's starting again, and that he should seize opportunities when they arise. The line, "You're telling me 'never', it should be 'whenever'" suggests that the singer is encountering naysayers who are telling him he can't do something, when he knows he can.

The second stanza highlights the singer's feelings of alienation from the rest of the world. The singer doesn't understand the way people are doing things or what they're saying, and they're not interested in the pursuit of money. The line "I just want to have a go" sums up the singer's desire to try things out for himself and figure out his own path. However, he still feels like he should conform to society's norms and be more like the people he knows who are successful.

Overall, the song is about feeling like an outsider and grappling with the pressure to conform to societal expectations. The singer is frustrated with being told "never" when he believes "whenever" is possible, and he wants to do things his own way.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm down on the floor, there's a man on the door
I am physically low to the ground and cannot enter the space because a person is blocking it.

He won't let me in 'cause he thinks he's the law
The person blocking my entry believes they have the authority to do so.

He'll give me shout when he's figured it out
The person blocking my entry will notify me when they have resolved the situation.

Gotta pick up myself, what am I waiting for?
I need to gather my strength and motivation to improve my situation.

It's never enough, it's never too late
I must keep pushing and striving for progress, even if it feels challenging or impossible.

I reminded myself that I'm starting again
I am acknowledging that I have hit a reset button and must begin anew.

You're telling me "never", it should be "whenever"
Your negative words of discouragement do not apply to my drive and determination to succeed.

And while the world is swinging I feel like I don't fit in Don't even know the way Don't hear a word they say And all the money makin' Oh, I just want to have a go I'm always up on time, man Why can't I be just like the people that I know?
While society moves and evolves, I feel like I am not part of it and struggle to keep up. I am not interested in just pursuing wealth; I desire to try new things and take risks. I am constantly punctual and responsible, but I struggle to relate to the people around me because I am different.

I've got what it takes, I'm bang up to date
I have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed, and I am keeping up with current trends and standards.

You know how it is, I'm all over the place
I am busy and involved in many things at once, which can be overwhelming and scatterbrained at times.

Kicked in the face, I'm backstage
I have faced obstacles and setbacks, but I am not defeated and still participating in the event.

Everyone here is half of my age
The people around me are much younger than I am, making me feel out of place and disconnected.

Standing in line, I'm hitching a ride
I am waiting my turn and hoping for an opportunity to reach my destination through the help of others.

I'll give it a try but I don't have the time
I am willing to make an effort, but I am constrained by limited time and other obligations.

Ohhhh... Na na na na na (etc.)
These are vocalizations without explicit verbal meaning.

I'm always up on time, man (Repeat)
This line is a repetition of the earlier assertion that the artist is punctual and responsible.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Roba Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON NIX, MICHAEL WAYNE ATHA, CLIFTON J. ROGERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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