NOFX is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, forme… Read Full Bio ↴NOFX is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, formed in 1983 and will officially permanently disband in October 2024. The original lineup included singer/bassist Fat Mike, drummer Erik Sandin, and guitarist Eric Melvin. Since 1991, the lineup has remained the same, with El Hefe playing guitar and trumpet. They have released 14 full-length studio albums, 15 EPs, 2 live albums, and many 7" singles. The group has sold over 6 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful independent acts of all time.

The band's sound is diverse, utilizing elements of skate punk, hardcore punk, reggae, and other music genres. Their lyrics generally satirize issues such as politics, society, various subcultures, racism, the music industry, and religion, often using a large amount of comedy.

NOFX's first recording was a demo from 1983, produced by The Germs drummer Don Bolles, which did not sell any copies. They released their self-titled debut EP on Mystic Records in 1985, which was later re-released in 1992 as part of the Maximum RocknRoll CD. For a year, Erik Sandin left the band and was replaced by Scott Sellers, then Scott Aldahl. Dave Allen was in the band for about four months, until he died in a car accident. In 1986, the band released So What if We're on Mystic!. Dave Casillas joined the band on second guitar in 1987 and was featured on the EP The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This!, attacking the PMRC's call for censorship of music. The original cover was an edited S&M photo, but the re-released version was changed to a photo of Eric Melvin.

Eric Sandin returned and they recorded Liberal Animation in 1988 (before Dave was replaced by Steve) with Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. Although the title and some lyrics mocked vegetarianism and animal rights, Fat Mike says that he became a vegetarian after he wrote Liberal Animation. 'If a big enough animal had a chance it would eat you up!' The album was re-released in 1991 on Gurewitz's label Epitaph. Dave then left the band and was replaced by Steve Kidwiller. NOFX had signed to Epitaph by 1989, releasing their second album, titled S&M Airlines. 1990 saw the release of Ribbed. By 1991, Aaron Abeyta (aka El Hefe), joined to round out the group. White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean was released in 1992, which originally had the title White Trash, Two Kikes, and a Spic. The original title was changed because Eric Melvin's grandmother was upset about the racial epithets.

It was not until the 1994 release of Punk in Drublic that the band had a commercial breakthrough, with the album going gold. In the same year, pop punk entered the mainstream with the success of The Offspring's Smash and Green Day's Dookie.

In 1996 they released Heavy Petting Zoo, which wasn't very popular among its fans because it showed a different sound in some tracks. Their 1997 record So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes was faster, with more ska and reggae, and was well received by the public, although its title shocked everybody because it seemed as it was going to be their last album. They soon stated it wasn't true.

In 1999, the band released The Decline, a fiery and pessimistic social commentary. Having a duration of 18 minutes and 23 seconds, it is nearly the longest punk song to date, second only to "Yes Sir, I Will" by Crass, which spans more than 22 minutes.

The coming of a new century marked the end of NOFX in Epitaph Records. In 2000 they released Pump Up the Valuum, which in many people's opinion is a good record but still is missing something.

In 2003, NOFX released War on Errorism, and launched their anti-George W. Bush campaign. Fat Mike organized the website Punkvoter.com, compiled two chart-topping Rock Against Bush compilations, and kicked off a Rock Against Bush United States tour. The band has released many EPs (i.e. Fuck the Kids, The Longest Line) on Fat Mike's own label Fat Wreck Chords. In February 2005, they launched the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a subscription-based service which saw the release of one new EP almost monthly, from February 2005 to March 2006 (a total of 12 releases). The cover art for these EPs were chosen from fan-submitted entries. The first 3000 subscribers to the club received all of their records on colored vinyl. Fat Wreck Chords later released full sets of the EPs.

On March 14, 2006, an EP entitled Never Trust a Hippy was released. The EP was followed on April 18 by the album Wolves in Wolves' Clothing. On September 12, 2006, the video game EA Sports NHL07 was released, featuring the title track of the latter album on its soundtrack.

The band recorded three nights of shows in San Francisco, California for the live album, They've Actually Gotten Worse Live! that was released on November 20, 2007.

NOFX aired in 2008 a reality show on Fuse TV called NOFX: Backstage Passport, chronicling their recent worldwide tour full of mishaps and fun stuff.

NOFX released their eleventh full length, Coaster, on April 28, 2009.

NOFX released their twelfth full length, Self/Entitled, on September 11th, 2012.

Official site: http://nofxofficialwebsite.com

Mr. Jones
NOFX Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My name is Mr. Jones
I get inside your bones
I know how to make you tweak
You soon will be my freak

Because I know what you need
I control your mind
I roll up your sleeves

I make ties that bind, I've got you

You'll soon be begging on your knees
You've got the disease
All your money belongs to me
You've got the disease

I can't seem to live without you
Without you what's the point
I wasn't born with a silver burnt spoon
Do I still have any choice?
(No)

Because I know what you need
I control your mind

I roll up your sleeves
I make ties that bind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to NOFX’s song Mr. Jones describe the addiction and control that drug dealers have over their customers, who are referred to as “freaks”. The song speaks from the perspective of Mr. Jones, the drug dealer who takes advantage of his customer’s addiction and manipulates them into doing his bidding. He claims to know what the customer needs and controls their mind through their addiction, further referencing his control with the line “I roll up your sleeves, I make ties that bind.”

The song also touches on the desperation that can come with addiction, with the line “You’ll soon be begging on your knees.” The chorus repeats the phrase “You’ve got the disease”, emphasizing the idea that addiction is a sickness that can take hold of someone and control every aspect of their life, including their finances.

Overall, the song serves as a warning against the dangers of drug addiction and the control that dealers have over their customers. The lyrics paint a dark and gritty picture of the world of addiction and drug dealing, with an unsettling twist of the drug dealer reveling in his power over his customers.

Line by Line Meaning

My name is Mr. Jones
I am the embodiment of addiction, the voice inside your head that tells you to satisfy your craving at any cost.

I get inside your bones
I infiltrate every aspect of your being, and once I take hold, it's nearly impossible to shake me loose.

I know how to make you tweak
I am the master of the cravings that keep you coming back, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you hooked.

You soon will be my freak
Once I have you under my spell, you'll be completely at my mercy, fully in the grip of your addiction.

Because I know what you need
I am intimately familiar with your deepest desires and weaknesses, and I'll use them against you to keep you addicted.

I control your mind
I am the puppet master, pulling the strings of your thoughts and behaviors to keep you trapped in my clutches.

I roll up your sleeves
I will make you do things you never thought possible to get your fix, and I'll push you to your absolute limits.

I make ties that bind, I've got you
Once I have you in my grip, it's almost impossible to get free. I've formed a bond that's too strong to break.

You'll soon be begging on your knees
You'll be so desperate for me that you'll do anything to get your fix, no matter how humiliating or degrading it may be.

You've got the disease
Addiction is a sickness, and once it takes hold of you, it can be nearly impossible to shake it.

All your money belongs to me
Your addiction will consume every aspect of your life, including your financial resources. You'll do whatever it takes to get your fix, even if it means going broke.

I can't seem to live without you
Addiction has become such a core part of my identity that I don't know who I am without it. I'm completely consumed by my own addiction.

Without you what's the point
Without my addiction, life feels empty and meaningless. I'm willing to sacrifice everything to feed my habit.

I wasn't born with a silver burnt spoon
My life has been marked by hardship and struggle, and addiction has provided a temporary escape from the difficulties of reality.

Do I still have any choice?
Addiction has robbed me of my agency and free will, and I feel powerless to resist its pull.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERIC SCOTT MELVIN, MIKE BURKETT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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