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.

Imaginary War
Jawbreaker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Underwater screams,
He is so far gone.
Drowned out by the unseen powers in unseen ways.
Fists clenched to fight,
It's a fearless wall.
Takes your soul and grinds it all.
Let it go.
Some things aren't meant to be now.

Battlesore.
Why fight a war that's been decided?
Change your course.
Feel out your enemy now.
Realize you can't fight a war without a weapon.
Ran off to war but you couldn't find the battlesite.
Seems you missed the fight.
It's imaginary.
Causes, clauses clog your mind with their spite.
Like the preacherman who lectures hard on supersin,
He's soon found out in bed.
Too long engaged sleeping with your ideas.
Now you're your best source.
Arms pinned to your side.
Your mind's on fire.
It's got you firmly in its grasp,
A keyless clasp.
If you had an edge you just might cut loose.
But you've been dulled with age and ease.
Your muscles seized.
Please beware.
You should prepare yourself now.
Nevermore.
Don't come to class without your homework.
Resign yourself.

It takes work to make it here now.
Realize...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jawbreaker's song "Imaginary War" describe the feeling of being trapped and overwhelmed by one's own thoughts and limitations. The opening lines, "Underwater screams, he is so far gone. Drowned out by the unseen powers in unseen ways," suggest a feeling of helplessness and disorientation. The singer feels as though they are drowning, surrounded by forces they can't perceive or understand.

The rest of the song deals with the idea of fighting a losing battle, or a battle that isn't worth fighting in the first place. The lines "Why fight a war that's been decided? Change your course. Feel out your enemy now. Realize you can't fight a war without a weapon," suggest that the singer is realizing that they can't win or even engage in the battle they've been fighting. They need to change their approach, or perhaps even walk away altogether.

The song also touches on themes of aging and disillusionment. The lines "Too long engaged sleeping with your ideas. Now you're your best source. Arms pinned to your side. Your mind's on fire," suggest that the singer has been stuck in their own head for too long, and while they may still be passionate and fired up about their beliefs, they feel as though they can't act on them.

Overall, "Imaginary War" is a song about recognizing one's own limitations and the futility of certain battles. It's a call to action, urging listeners to find new ways to approach their problems and move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Underwater screams,
The singer is describing a loud, intense noise, as if someone is screaming underwater.

He is so far gone.
The person the singer is referring to is extremely lost or disconnected.

Drowned out by the unseen powers in unseen ways.
The person is overwhelmed and silenced by forces that cannot be seen or understood.

Fists clenched to fight,
The person is ready and willing to physically fight.

It's a fearless wall.
The person's physical defense is impenetrable and unafraid.

Takes your soul and grinds it all.
Fighting takes a toll on the person's spirit and completely drains them.

Let it go.
The singer advises the person to release their desire to fight or their emotional burden.

Some things aren't meant to be now.
It's not the right time to pursue certain things, including fighting.

Battlesore.
The artist describes the person as exhausted and battered from battling.

Why fight a war that's been decided?
The artist questions the point of fighting a battle that's already been determined.

Change your course.
The singer advises the person to change their direction or behavior to avoid the conflict.

Feel out your enemy now.
The artist advises the person to evaluate their opponent's strengths and weaknesses before engaging in fight.

Realize you can't fight a war without a weapon.
The singer points out that fighting without proper preparation, strategy or tools is futile.

Ran off to war but you couldn't find the battlesite.
The person was eager to fight but could not find an opportunity or opponent.

Seems you missed the fight.
The singer suggests that the conflict has already ended before the person could even participate.

It's imaginary.
The battle may be an illusion and the person's mind might have distorted their perception of the conflict.

Causes, clauses clog your mind with their spite.
The person is filled with anger and resentment over the reason behind the battle.

Like the preacherman who lectures hard on supersin, He's soon found out in bed.
The singer compares the person's passion for battle to a preacher who talks of morality but doesn't lead by example.

Too long engaged sleeping with your ideas.
The person has been preoccupied with their own ideals, to the point of ignoring the reality of the situation.

Now you're your best source.
The artist encourages the person to rely on their own inner strength and instincts in order to find their way.

Arms pinned to your side.
The person is paralyzed or immobilized due to fear or indecision.

Your mind's on fire.
The person is tormented or consumed by their own thoughts.

It's got you firmly in its grasp, A keyless clasp.
The person is trapped and suffocated by their own thoughts or emotions, with no way to escape.

If you had an edge you just might cut loose.
The artist suggests that if the person had an advantage in this situation, they might be able to break free from their own constraints.

But you've been dulled with age and ease.
The person has grown complacent and weak over time, making it even harder for them to overcome their own limitations.

Your muscles seized.
The person is physically or emotionally incapable of fighting, as if their body or mind has locked up.

Please beware.
The singer is warning the person to be cautious and aware of their surroundings.

You should prepare yourself now.
The artist advises the person to get ready for whatever is coming next, instead of being caught off guard.

Nevermore.
The artist assures the person that they will never have to fight again or experience this conflict.

Don't come to class without your homework.
The singer metaphorically compares fighting to learning, and warns the person that they need to prepare themselves in order to succeed.

Resign yourself.
The singer advises the person to accept their fate or surrender to the circumstances.

It takes work to make it here now.
The artist emphasizes the effort and dedication required to succeed, even in difficult situations.

Realize...
The artist is concluding their advice, encouraging the person to reflect and learn from their experiences.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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