Poor Mans Jim Jones
Jonathan Randol Lyrics
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Choking back my medicine and I suppose
That everytime I change my cloths
Skin and bones all exposed
And everytime I go thru those
Changes well I guess you know
This poison as it stains my throat
Leaves me with this same old coat
Stops the freezing
Cold that chills my meat and bones
Oh poor mans jim jones.
Poor mans jim jones
Poor mans, jim jones
Be sure and take your vitamens and
Pack your cloths
Still wondering what's up with you
You've been around the block and you've
Seen everything I'll ever do
There's nothing new
No alibi to misconstrue
No made up lies to hide the truth
Not one single thing to block this view
This beautiful view
Poor mans jim jones
Poor mans jim jones
Poor mans, jim jones
Forward all my letters and
Unlock the doors
Cuz everytime I try to go
I realize the whole damn show
Is only what you make it so
I take it and I drink it slow
Poor mans, jim jones
Takes me by these empty hands and
Shows me the road
Cuz everytime I let you go
I let you in and then I know
That there is just one way to show
Me what you see and what you know
Poor mans jim jones
Poor mans jim jones
Poor mans jim jones
The song "Poor Mans Jim Jones" by Jonathan Randol explores the struggles of addiction and the feeling of being trapped. The lyrics suggest that the persona is addicted to a substance that is harmful to their health, as they "choke back [their] medicine" and suffer from "skin and bones all exposed." They also express the feeling of being stuck in a vicious cycle, as every time they try to change, they end up back where they started with the same "coat that never even stops the freezing cold."
The repeated phrase "poor mans Jim Jones" refers to the infamous cult leader who convinced his followers to commit mass suicide by drinking poison. The persona may be comparing the destructive nature of addiction to a cult, as it can also be all-consuming and lead to a loss of control.
The second verse suggests a sense of resignation, as the persona acknowledges that they have "been around the block" and "seen everything [the other person] will ever do." They also suggest that there is no point in trying to hide the truth or come up with excuses, as there is "not one single thing to block this view." The third verse implies that the persona is seeking a way out but is held back by their addiction, as it is "only what you make it so."
Overall, the song "Poor Mans Jim Jones" highlights the struggles of addiction and the feeling of being trapped in a vicious cycle. It suggests that overcoming addiction requires a change in perspective and a willingness to confront the truth.
Line by Line Meaning
Poor mans, jim jones
A reference to Jim Jones, the infamous cult leader, suggesting that the singer is a poor imitation or follower of him
Choking back my medicine and I suppose
Taking my medication despite its unpleasant taste
That everytime I change my cloths
The singer is constantly changing and evolving
Skin and bones all exposed
The artist is vulnerable and exposed, physically and emotionally
And everytime I go thru those
The process of changing is difficult and uncomfortable for the artist
Changes well I guess you know
Acknowledging that others may see and understand the singer's changes
This poison as it stains my throat
The singer's medication is unpleasant and harmful to their body
Leaves me with this same old coat
Despite the artist's changes, they still carry the same burdens and struggles with them
That never even
The coat (burdens) never
Stops the freezing
Can't stop the coldness and emptiness
Cold that chills my meat and bones
The coldness is deeply ingrained in the singer's physical and emotional being
Be sure and take your vitamens and
A reminder to take care of oneself and prioritize health
Pack your cloths
Be prepared for anything that may come up
Still wondering what's up with you
The singer is trying to understand someone or something that is confusing them
You've been around the block and you've
The person or thing has a lot of experience or knowledge
Seen everything I'll ever do
The artist believes they are predictable and unoriginal
There's nothing new
Everything has been done before, nothing is truly original
No alibi to misconstrue
The singer has no excuses for their actions or behavior
No made up lies to hide the truth
The singer is honest and straightforward
Not one single thing to block this view
There's nothing preventing others from seeing the artist clearly
This beautiful view
The artist is hopeful and optimistic despite their struggles
Forward all my letters and
Sending out communications to others
Unlock the doors
Be open and receptive to new experiences
Cuz everytime I try to go
The artist is attempting to leave something behind
I realize the whole damn show
The singer comes to the realization that everything is a performance or show
Is only what you make it so
Others are responsible for creating their own realities
I take it and I drink it slow
The singer is accepting and experiencing the present moment fully
Takes me by these empty hands and
The artist is being led by someone or something greater than themselves
Shows me the road
Guiding the artist towards their path or purpose
Cuz everytime I let you go
The singer is trying to distance themselves from something or someone
I let you in and then I know
By trying to leave, the singer is actually allowing something/someone to become more important to them
That there is just one way to show
There is only one true way of expressing oneself or living their life
Me what you see and what you know
The artist is seeking to understand something or someone better
Contributed by Hunter D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lostsoulrunner92
My mom was very young when her mother was approached by jim jones and offered refuge and support in jonestown if she wanted to find a new job. My grandmother had just lost her job as a nurse due to sexual harassment (they fired her, not the doctor), and she was at a very low point, she looked Jim in the eye and told him "Thank you, but that sounds very ridiculous, maybe when you have a hospital system set up and stability, but I'll look for work elsewhere, rather than fancy promises. Your community sounds very strange."
He looked very upset, but patted my mom on the head, and told my mom.
"I hope to see you all again sometime, so I can prove how well things will be, and to make your lives better."
He fully believed in himself, he knew what he was offering, and he knew how to make people, even suspicious ones, waver, and my mom wonders if she would have died had her mother not had a suspicious feeling about the strange man named Jim.
I will always wonder what would have happened, but, I know I most likely would not exist had my mother not escaped the devil's deal due to her mother.
@rebeccathistle5359
As my great-grandmother used to say, “My word and day…”
It seems fitting that this beast of an episode would be about one beast of a human being.
When Kevin mentioned in his Menendez Brother script that it was only his second-longest script to date, and that the longest script would be out soon, I could not have guessed that it would be about Jim Jones. Holy cow!
It’s always nice to hear Kevin’s writing on Casual Criminalist, as he has a great gift for balancing out facts with humor, because man…it’s hard to find humor in these sorts of situations.
To everyone involved in this episode, thank you for your dedication and your gifts. Even I, the neuro-spicy weirdo with a special interest in these types of stories, had to walk away from this episode a few times, because it really is that heavy. I can’t imagine working through and editing it, or researching it, or reading it on camera.
Thank you again to Simon and the team for bringing the truth of humanity to the surface so that we may, hopefully, learn from the past rather than repeat it.
@HappyBirddi
I got a fucking chill at that letter Leo got begging for him to take those people away from Jonestown. Like, I can't even imagine what was going through his head at that moment, realizing that he was basically standing in the middle of a lion's den or if he knew that there was now a bomb basically ticking down until absolute chaos blew up.
I did more digging as well into the aftermath since there's a lot of other details, but oh boy it's rough. You can just skip reading the rest, it's a lot.
When the US military arrived the next day, they entered an absolute horror show. A lot of the officers going through bodies got severe PTSD, I remember reading that one officer said he couldn't stomach looking at or drinking Koolaid after the event. Also, pretty infamously, Saturday Night Live aired a skit about Jonestown at the same time news was coming back from South America about the massacre, and because of the skit a lot of people didn't realize that the massacre was real until it was in the papers.
Jim Jones himself and the mistress mentioned didn't drink the poison, they died by gunshots; Jim shot his mistress and then himself, his body was sprawled out on the pavillon. Jim Jones also had several brief cases hidden in his own cabin filled with money that amounted to about $75,000 and a few other hidden bank accounts, which is pretty telling that he would've probably deserted Jonestown if the conditions allowed it.
As a note, how he managed to get his hands on so much cyanide, Jim Jones had a jeweler's license; jewelers use cyanide to clean gold and they need permits to buy it, so basically Jim stockpiled cyanide for years using a jeweler's license
Basically after this event, all of the branching People's Temples were shut down and all the money left over was given to the families of the victims. A lot of lawsuits followed this as well, though as Kevin said, not a lot of justice was served because the murderers pretty much killed themselves
The church recorded basically all of their sermons, and you can listen to them all online. I really don't recommend it, especially the death tape. Also because of the climate, many of the bodies decayed rapidly. About 250 of those victims are still unidentified to this very day because of the decomposition and due to their dental records basically not-existing or because they were just kids who were born in Jonestown and had no traceable records.
This whole story just hits different than 9/11 hit me when I really sat down and listened to it (I was too young to really remember it happening). Instead of a sudden explosion, this was a slow building tension that just slammed into me. Holy fucking shit this story is terrifying. All I can really say is that I hope the victims can rest in peace, and that we can take this as a cold reminder to be careful out there
@TheCasualCriminalist
Use my link https://ridge.com/criminalist to get up to 30% off through December 20th and enter free to win a Ridge bundle worth $4,000. Video Sponsored by Ridge.
@danielsantiagourtado3430
Love your content
@michaelmayhem350
I can't believe simon didn't get Kool-aid to sponser this one
@dsgdsg9764
I didn't finish the last casual criminalist because of Simon's flagrant love for capitalism and all things business it really offended me please do better about that I'm here for criminality and logistical side of it please keep it on topic
@dickpole156
$4000 bundle ??? That Ridge Wallet better be made of pure gold !
@michaelmayhem350
@@dsgdsg9764 don't worry mate if Simon even actually reads this comment he'll probably just block you.
@ThatWriterKevin
This was a nightmare to research and write, and I'm glad that Chris didn't include audio from the death tapes. I'm really happy with how this episode turned out, and most of all I'm happy that I was able to make Simon laugh at the end when it seemed like he was on the verge of tears. That said, I am shocked that he confused like the single most famous quote from Marx as being something that Spock would have said.
And don't forget you can get access to all of my uncut and uncensored scripts as well, including Brain Blaze intros Simon threw on the floor!
#edit: Woo, Cult of the Lamb meme!!!
@Xtianzzyzx
It was a beast to edit, but it must have been a much more terrifying beast to research and write! Amazing job mate
@furiouskaiser9914
Whole crew went beast mode on this one! 😅
Cheers!
@t1mm5r9
Kevin… I have no idea how you generate SO MANY scripts for all of Simon’s channel, but you sir are amazing!❤🎉🎉