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.
Snow Charges
Jeff Rosenstock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the south corner of Bushwick, on the residential side
And I'm afraid I'll slip.
Most days when it's cloudy and all nights I stay inside
But it's 2:30 on New Years' Day and outside it's looking bright
And I could use some chips and a bottle of soda
For my quest to rescue Zelda.
Trying to be brave, I touched the puddle to my tongue
And within a millisecond the bottom of my face went numb
And no one on the street knew anything was wrong.
So I tried to wave my arms to find that they were frozen too
And I tried to run away, my legs felt like they were stuck in clue
And I started to hear a storm.
Through my ears poured freezing rain
And it froze my freezing brain.
A handful of neighbors gathered underneath the awning
of the laundromat 200 feet from the front door of my building
And it smacked my like a pinball
And it crushed me like a wrecking ball
I was swallowed by a cold duvet
And the kids are gonna have a snow day.
I couldn't bear to find out how the story was gonna end
So I closed my eyes and went to sleep and no one found me dead
'Cause everybody stayed inside 'til March.
And a patch of flowers grew out of the concrete where I lied
Some boy picked a dandelion to give to a girl he liked
And she gave him a kiss that warmed his lonely heart.
Now they hold each other tight
And stay in on winter nights.
The lyrics of Jeff Rosenstock's song Snow Charges vividly describe a dangerous and isolating experience of going out on a snowy day. The singer leaves his house to buy snacks for his video game, The Legend of Zelda. He describes a patch of icy ground shimmering under the sky on the residential side of Bushwick and his fear of slipping on it. Despite his apprehension, he dares to touch the puddle to his tongue, and his face goes numb within a millisecond. He tries to wave his arms, run away, and find shelter under the awning of a laundromat, but he can't move his frozen body. He hears a storm and feels as if he is swallowed by a cold duvet.
The song suggests a connection between physical and emotional isolation, as the singer feels abandoned and invisible in the freezing landscape. He imagines that no one on the street knew anything was wrong, and he fell asleep because he couldn't bear to find out how the story was going to end. The song ends on an unexpected note of hope, as the personification of nature softens the concrete and allows a patch of flowers to grow. A boy picks a dandelion to give to a girl he likes, and she gives him a kiss that warms his lonely heart. It implies that amid the desolation and danger, there is still beauty and the possibility of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a patch shimmering under the sky
There's a small area covered by snow shining under the sky
On the south corner of Bushwick, on the residential side
It's located on a residential street corner in Bushwick
And I'm afraid I'll slip.
The singer is anxious about walking on the snow
Most days when it's cloudy and all nights I stay inside
The singer usually spends most days indoors when the weather is gloomy
But it's 2:30 on New Years' Day and outside it's looking bright
Despite the time, the weather is clear, and it's New Year's Day
And I could use some chips and a bottle of soda
The singer wants some snacks and drinks for his Zelda game session
For my quest to rescue Zelda.
The singer is planning to spend his time playing the game Zelda
Trying to be brave, I touched the puddle to my tongue
The singer tries to be brave and touches his tongue to the snow to test its temperature
And within a millisecond the bottom of my face went numb
The snow was so cold that the singer's face got numb within a second
And no one on the street knew anything was wrong.
The people passing by didn't notice the singer's discomfort
So I tried to wave my arms to find that they were frozen too
When the singer tried to move, he realized that his arms were also numb from the cold
And I tried to run away, my legs felt like they were stuck in clue
The singer's legs felt stiff, and he could barely run away
And I started to hear a storm.
The singer experiences hallucinations and hears a storm
Through my ears poured freezing rain
The singer thought that freezing rain poured into his ears
And it froze my freezing brain.
The singer's brain felt numb due to the cold and the hallucinations
A handful of neighbors gathered underneath the awning
Some of the singer's neighbors gathered under a laundromat awning for shelter
of the laundromat 200 feet from the front door of my building
The nearest laundromat is two hundred feet away from the singer's building
And it smacked my like a pinball
The cold hit the singer hard, like a pinball hitting a bumper
And it crushed me like a wrecking ball
The cold feeling overwhelmed the singer, like being hit by a wrecking ball
I was swallowed by a cold duvet
The singer felt like he was wrapped by a cold blanket which swallowed him entirely
And the kids are gonna have a snow day.
The kids will have a day off school due to the snow
I couldn't bear to find out how the story was gonna end
The singer couldn't imagine how something so scary would end
So I closed my eyes and went to sleep and no one found me dead
Instead of waiting for the storm to pass, the singer decides to rest, and no harm is done
'Cause everybody stayed inside 'til March.
The neighbors stayed indoors until March when the weather improved
And a patch of flowers grew out of the concrete where I lied
Nature took over where the singer rested, and flowers started blooming
Some boy picked a dandelion to give to a girl he liked
A boy found a dandelion and gave it to a girl he had a crush on
And she gave him a kiss that warmed his lonely heart.
The girl kissed the boy, and that gesture filled the boy's heart with love and warmth
Now they hold each other tight
The couple is now romantically involved
And stay in on winter nights.
The couple spends their winter nights indoors together
Contributed by Julian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.