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.
Lurker II: Dark Son Of Night
Jawbreaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have sex a lot.
A hostile climate clouds and sickens you.
Two room condo, treeless cul-de-sac.
A nun's dark habit.
All arm, no follow through.
As a favor to me.
As a place to go.
Little stitch to sew.
Loose leaf paper.
At a loss for words.
A can of dinner.
Hard to get a rise.
Hook up the sega.
Have sex alone.
Stick a fork in a socket.
Still it's no surprise.
I think I'm coming unplugged.
I just scratch and shrug.
Itches in my theeth.
As a favor to me.
I can't watch you all the time.
Much as I would like to, as I think I ought to.
It's hard to argue for this life.
Harder still without you.
Don't make me survive you.
Ripe fruit falls from the tree so bare.
Dead in sunshine, decomposing there.
Spoiled and keeping.
Keeping tracks to pick.
Fitful sleeping.
Were you never sick?
Another mouth to feed.
As a favor to me.
As a need to need.
As a favor to me.
Warm and sated.
The walls get interesting.
Don't know what they're saying.
Perhaps they're listening.
So I stopped talking to hear the pins drop.
I'm in the back room so I won't hear you knock.
The song Lurker II: Dark Son Of Night by Jawbreaker explores the ennui and melancholy of suburban existence, as well as the darker, seemingly unexplainable thoughts that brew in the subconsciousness of an individual. The lyrics are written in a fragmented style, with a series of seemingly unrelated statements that are actually linked together by a dream-like logic. The first half of the song seems to be about the mundanity and isolation of suburban living: the cable, treeless cul-de-sac, little stitch to sew, and can of dinner describe a domestic scene that is devoid of anything exciting or inspiring. The reference to a nun's dark habit could suggest religious guilt or repression, while the sega and sex references could denote escapism and carnality. The line "I think I'm coming unplugged. I just scratch and shrug. Itches in my teeth" conveys a feeling of disconnection and disorientation, perhaps indicating that the singer is experiencing some form of inner turmoil.
The second half of the song introduces a theme of guilt and responsibility, as the singer admits to being unable to watch someone (possibly a child?) all the time and to argue for this life. The imagery of "ripe fruit falls from the tree so bare" and "dead in sunshine, decomposing there" adds a sense of decay and mortality to the song, as if the singer is suddenly confronted with the fragility and fleetingness of life. The closing lines, "So I stopped talking to hear the pins drop. I'm in the back room so I won't hear you knock", suggest a retreat into silence and solitude, as the singer tries to make sense of his or her thoughts and feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Connect the cable.
Prepare for a sexual encounter.
Have sex a lot.
Indulge in sexual activity frequently.
A hostile climate clouds and sickens you.
Your environment is toxic and making you ill.
Two room condo, treeless cul-de-sac.
Your living situation lacks vitality and excitement.
A nun's dark habit.
You feel trapped or confined by the rules and expectations of society.
All arm, no follow through.
You lack the commitment or motivation to follow through with your actions.
As a favor to me.
Do me a favor, for my benefit.
As a place to go.
Provide a location or destination for me to visit.
As a favor to me.
Do me a favor, for my benefit.
Little stitch to sew.
A minor problem or issue that can be easily fixed.
Loose leaf paper.
A blank slate or open opportunity with no direction.
At a loss for words.
Unable to express oneself verbally.
A can of dinner.
A meal that is cheap and unsatisfying.
Hard to get a rise.
Difficult to become aroused or excited.
Hook up the sega.
Prepare to engage in sexual activity alone.
Have sex alone.
Engage in sexual activity without a partner.
Stick a fork in a socket.
Engage in dangerous or harmful behavior.
Still it's no surprise.
Despite the danger or risk, the outcome was somehow expected.
I think I'm coming unplugged.
Feeling disconnected or disengaged from life.
I just scratch and shrug.
Feeling helpless or unable to make a difference.
Itches in my teeth.
Feeling restless or uneasy.
As a favor to me.
Do me a favor, for my benefit.
I can't watch you all the time.
I cannot always be there to protect or guide you.
Much as I would like to, as I think I ought to.
Despite the desire or obligation to do so.
It's hard to argue for this life.
Life is difficult and challenging to justify.
Harder still without you.
Your absence makes life even more difficult.
Don't make me survive you.
Do not force me to endure the pain of being without you.
Ripe fruit falls from the tree so bare.
Opportunities present themselves, even in barren or unlikely circumstances.
Dead in sunshine, decomposing there.
Even in death or failure, there is still value or potential.
Spoiled and keeping.
Something has gone bad and is being preserved.
Keeping tracks to pick.
Gathering information or clues to use later.
Fitful sleeping.
Restless or incomplete sleep.
Were you never sick?
Have you never experienced difficulty or struggle?
Another mouth to feed.
Another obligation or responsibility to take care of.
As a favor to me.
Do me a favor, for my benefit.
As a need to need.
A requirement or desire to depend on someone.
As a favor to me.
Do me a favor, for my benefit.
Warm and sated.
Feeling comfortable and satisfied.
The walls get interesting.
When left with nothing to do, even the mundane becomes intriguing.
Don't know what they're saying.
Unable to understand or communicate effectively.
Perhaps they're listening.
Others may be paying attention, even if you are not aware of it.
So I stopped talking to hear the pins drop.
Silence or stillness can reveal important information or insights.
I'm in the back room so I won't hear you knock.
Intentionally isolating oneself to avoid unwanted interactions.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Michael
god damd blake, this is possibly your freakin masterpiece, i just listen to every word over and over
David Michael
im aware the guys in the band will never see this, which kinda sucks, cos id love to just know they know im blown away by this track in partic, after being a huge fan for 30 years, somehow i uncovered this little gem, cos i always come back to dear you. i dont care about all your other bands. kinda liked jets to brazil. but its always jawbreaker is ground zero for me
David Michael
and the band, you guys are fucking astonishing. adam and chris are fucking brilliant as you blake
David Michael
i just want to turn the volume up to tears but its 6 50 am and i live in a old peoples building
pr0nfarr
I can't watch you all the time,
much as I would like to;
as I think I ought to...?
yael bisiesto
Fuck yeag