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.
Peel it the Fuck Down
Jawbreaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to "Peel it the Fuck Down" by Jawbreaker are filled with vivid imagery and introspective musings about the self. The singer begins by describing a dream that he had about his mother. In the dream, she was a stranger on the street, and they both averted their eyes. This seems to suggest a sense of distance or disconnection from the singer's familial relationships.
The next lines describe the singer's physical appearance and his sense of being trapped or confined. He sits in a bucket seat, feeling angry and unable to escape his own thoughts. The metaphor of a car door that he can't reach suggests a feeling of being locked inside his own mind. He pleads with the listener not to close the door on him, as he needs the light to sleep.
In the following lines, the singer continues to describe his surroundings and his thoughts. He sees shadows on the ceiling, feels toothpaste on his teeth, and tries to read books that he can't seem to comprehend. He also has strange, surreal experiences, such as counting strange men and mixing toys from different sets. Throughout these experiences, he seems to be searching for some kind of meaning or connection, but ultimately feels trapped in his own mind.
Overall, "Peel it the Fuck Down" is a haunting and introspective song that explores feelings of isolation and disconnection. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery and powerful metaphors, offering a window into the complex inner world of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Met my mother in a dream. She was just a stranger on the street.
In my unconscious state, I envisioned meeting my mother who appeared to me as a random person walking down the road.
We averted eyes. Time will vindicate us all some day. Some, anyway.
We avoided looking at each other, but in due time, justice will be served for both of us. At least to some extent.
Why is my face so wide? Cheek to cheek is almost chin to eye. I'm in a bucket seat.
I wonder why my face is so big that my cheeks almost touch my eyes. It's uncomfortable sitting in this confined car seat.
Anger is a car door I can't reach. Don't close the door on me.
My anger is like a car door that I can't even get to. So please don't shut me out.
I need the light to sleep. Your shadow on the ceiling. Toothpaste on my teeth.
I require some light to be able to sleep, but your shadow on the ceiling disturbs me. I just brushed my teeth and can still taste the toothpaste in my mouth.
There's books but I can't read. Lay back and count the strange men. Mix toys from different sets. Lick felt tips, get them wet.
Even though there are books around me, I cannot read them. Instead, I lie down and count the unfamiliar men passing by. I play with different toys and moisten the felt tips by licking them.
The AFX is broken. God damn that closet door. Every night it's war.
The AFX is not functioning, and the closet door frustrates me to the point of cursing. Every night feels like a battle.
Who will get there first? This is a waking dream. Sometimes I greet my nightmares with relief.
The question of who will arrive first remains. I experience a state of being awake but unsure if it's a dream or reality. Occasionally, I find comfort in my nightmares.
So I walk with that first step. One leg holds its own or else it dies. Still, it tries.
I take a step forward, knowing that it's a crucial one. If one of my legs doesn't perform, it could lead to its failure. Nevertheless, it continues striving.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
peavey stacks
this is one of my favorite Jawbreaker songs. underrated
Alexander Arnaud
Love this song, the Bivouac era was top notch
flopimus
reminds me of tryin'a go to sleep when i was a kid, and being afraid of the unknown in the dark.
Andrew Kekos
Rated R.
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Andrew K Best H
Rated L