Indie punk pioneer Jeff Rosenstock is a must-know name in the Long Island p… Read Full Bio ↴Indie punk pioneer Jeff Rosenstock is a must-know name in the Long Island punk scene. Hailing from Baldwin NY, he fronted the iconic ska-punk band The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, he toured the world with his critically acclaimed anti-capitalist punk collective Bomb The Music Industry!, carrying t-shirt stencils and spray paint to all-ages venues and house show basements in lieu of merch. He started the first donation-based record label, Quote Unquote Records, a full 2 years before Radiohead popularized the idea of pay-what-you-want music.

And through decades of solid output, rigorous touring, and unyielding punk ethos, he cemented himself as one of the most influential heroes of the DIY scene.

Rosenstock is a self-made artist who's built a bridge between enraged, angst-ridden political catharsis and hard-hitting depressive emotional introspection. His voice is loud, raspy, and on the cusp of anger, but underneath that lies enough nuance and subtlety to make his music fun and arresting all at once.

In just a couple of years, Jeff Rosenstock has gone from beloved underground punk mainstay to a DIY legend and one of the most acclaimed figures in modern punk.

I Don't Wanna Die
Jeff Rosenstock Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

junjo karen na kimi o kimochi yoku shitai
junjo karen na kimi o gucha gucha ni shitai
junjo karen na kimi o hundari kettari
junjo karen na kimi no shotai wa maho tsukai

I don't wanna die
I don't wanna die
I know I'm gonna die.

junjo karen na kimi to annin dofu tabetai
junjo karen na kimi to Weezer kikitai
junjo karen na kimi to shuriken nagetai
junjo karen na kimi no kakei wa maho tsukai

I don't wanna die
I don't wanna die
ai wa donnan dai

koi no jumon tonae naide yo
boku wa mo kimi no koto shika mienaku naru yo
JESUS!

YES YES YES YES YES
dakishimetai
dakishimetai
dakishimetai
kowareru hodo

oppekepe
oppekepe
oshibe to meshibe wa oppekepe

koi no jumon tonae naide yo (koi no jumon tonae naide yo)
rabu rabu shiru haranaide kure yo
boku wa mo hone ni naru made kisu shimakuru yo
JESUS!

YES YES YES YES YES
dakishimetai
dakishimetai
dakishimetai
kowareru hodo

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Rough translation:
I wanna make pure and sweet you feel good
I wanna get sloppy with pure and sweet you
I wanna mess up pure and sweet you
pure and sweet you are a sorceress

I don't wanna die x2
I know I'm gonna die

I wanna eat almond tofu with pure and sweet you
I wanna listen to Weezer with pure and sweet you
I wanna throw ninja stars with pure and sweet you
pure and sweet you hail from a lineage of sorcerers

I don't wanna die x2
What the hell is love?

don't cast a love spell on me
I already can't look at anything else but you

Yes x5
I want to hold you x3
until you break

It's no good!!
It's no good!!
I can't make it better!! Its no good!!

don't cast a love spell on me
Don't stick a love love sticker on me
I'm already going to smother you in kisses until I'm dead

Yes x5

I want to hold you x3
until you break

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jeff Rosenstock's song "I Don't Wanna Die" are filled with playful yet introspective verses. In the first stanza, he says "I wanna make pure and sweet you feel good," which in Japanese translates to "junjo karen na kimi o kimochi yoku shitai." He seems to be expressing his desire to connect with someone who is pure and untainted. However, the later lines, such as "junjo karen na kimi no shotai wa maho tsukai," suggest that this person he longs for is a sorceress of some sort, which can be interpreted as them having an almost supernatural allure that he can't resist.

The chorus of the song is where the lyrics become more straightforward. "I don't wanna die" is repeated twice, followed by "I know I'm gonna die." This can be seen as the singer grappling with his own mortality but also reaffirming his desire to live as fully as he can in the moment.

The second verse continues with the playful tone of the first, with lines such as "I wanna eat almond tofu with pure and sweet you" and "I wanna throw ninja stars with pure and sweet you." Again, this can be seen as the artist's desire to connect with someone in a fun and playful way, but the addition of the phrase "pure and sweet you hail from a lineage of sorcerers" brings back the theme of the person he's longing for having an almost otherworldly quality.

The bridge of the song, with the repetition of "Yes, I want to hold you until you break," seems to signify the singer's desire to connect with someone on a deeper level, to hold them tightly and truly experience them. He repeats this desire even as he recognizes that it could lead to heartbreak.

Overall, the lyrics to "I Don't Wanna Die" represent a playful yet introspective desire to connect with someone deeply, while recognizing the fragility of human life and the potential for pain that comes with love.

Line by Line Meaning

junjo karen na kimi o kimochi yoku shitai
I want to make pure and sweet you feel good

junjo karen na kimi o gucha gucha ni shitai
I want to get sloppy with pure and sweet you

junjo karen na kimi o hundari kettari
I want to mess up pure and sweet you

junjo karen na kimi no shotai wa maho tsukai
pure and sweet you are a sorceress

I don't wanna die

I know I'm gonna die.

I wanna eat almond tofu with pure and sweet you

I wanna listen to Weezer with pure and sweet you

I wanna throw ninja stars with pure and sweet you

junjo karen na kimi no kakei wa maho tsukai
pure and sweet you hail from a lineage of sorcerers

ai wa donnan dai
What the hell is love?