In 1995, Jeff Rosenstock began playing with Joe Werfelman together and started The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. By 1996, the two had spent time writing and finding members for their band. At this time they recorded The Arrogant Sons of Bitches Demo Tape on tape but never released it. At this time they also began playing shows in their friends' basements and bedrooms.
Patric Santiago and Chris Valentino joined the band and the Greatest Hits Tape (1996) was made to play the Rockfest, at a local church. They were denied and instead played a show in Jeff Rosenberg's backyard with members of Taking Back Sunday, Bomb the Music Industry!, The Matt Kurz One, and Sevenwiser.
In 1997, Chris Baltrus joined playing bass and Joe Vazquez to play drums after Patric Santiago left the band because of a conflict with other members of the band who break into his house to get amplifiers. His parents were furious and forced him to quit.
In 1998, Joe Vazquez was replaced with Bryan Cohen and ASOB records the Integrity Tape in Joe's garage. Dave Dickerman joined on trombone and Bryan Cohen left the band. They began playing places like Q-Zar, Scotty Dee's Coffee Shop, and an outdoor festival with Post-Emo Indie Rock innovators, Inside. John DeDomenici then stepped in on drums and the band began planning their first album. They payed $1000 for 12 songs.
Mike Costa replaced John DeDomenici on drums. They recorded Built to Fail which was planned to be released by Zach and Breaking the Law Records, however, due to conflicts the band decided to self release it.
In 1999, ASOB started branching out, playing shows with Channel 59, Sprout, Microwave Orphans, Who Cares, WCF, Edna's Goldfish, Catch 22, The Toasters, and Step Lively. Arty's Taxi's member, Eric Bucello who plays the trumpet, and subsequently joined the band. In August, the band recorded "Fuck You" for a Runaway Records compilation with the Jestrebzki Family. They also started work on their new full-length, Pornocracy.
By 2000, the band entered the studio and finished up in June. It featured JT from Sprout. Soon after, Chris Baltrus left the band for college and Joe Bove from Arty's Taxi joined. They played a CD release show with Racecar Breakup.
In 2001 ASOB recorded "Built to Fail Motherfucker" for a compilation and began touring that summer. Many members quit and the remnants of ASOB played a show in upstate New York on a driving range with a new band featuring members of Shabooti. Joe Rosenstock stated to his girlfriend, "If this band ever gets big, I want you to kill me." The band ended up being Coheed and Cambria.
Rosenstock began writing new material and was to open a show for Thursday, but it fell through. A new roster was drawn up that included Tim Ruggeri (Channel 59/WCF/Tall Hannds), Jon Rossman (Everyone Else), and Chris Taylor but this also fell through. Mike, Baltrus, Dave, and a few members of the High School Football Heroes and Premarital Sax play with ASOB.
In 2002, ASOB tried to re-record Built to Fail unsuccessfully. They recorded an Arrogant Sons of Bitches 7'' that was never released. They did a CD release show for All the Little Ones Are Rotting and played a battle of the bands at The Downtown winning fourth place. They landed a deal with Kill Normal Records. They also played a Halloween show and did ska covers of Taking Back Sunday songs.
A year later, in 2003, ASOB re-released their EP with videos, a live set, and much more. They opened for Bowling for Soup and Count the Stars. They toured out to the west coast, and JT from Sprout joined full time. They played outside of the Idaho Warped Tour, and the next day played inside a hip-hop tent electrically. They stayed on Warped Tour and played to 3000 people in New York. Joe Werfelman was kicked out of the band.
Three Cheers for Disappointment was finished being written and they recorded with AJ Quashee, but the recording didn't go well and was scrapped. Sean Qualls was auditioned on guitar. Joe Bove had a panic attack on stage and leaves bass, giving Sean the spot on bass.
Afterward, the band recorded some more and started working on releasing a "Complete Discography". The band later got on Streetlight Manifesto shows that feature Big D and the Kids Table.
The band finally began recording Three Cheers for Disappointment at Moontower Studios in Boston, Massachusettes with Steve Foote. After it was finished, the band booked a tour, ordered merch, talked to record labels, and replaced Sean Qualls with James Lynch on bass. The band took a break in September.
In October, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches played two last shows at Mr. Beery's - one all ages, one 18+. Shortly afterward, Jeff Rosenstock started Bomb the Music Industry!, Sean started Bashi-Bazouk, JT started his solo project, Mike Costa started his solo project and Dave registered to finally go to college.
In 2005, they finish Three Cheers for Disappointment and in 2006, the band plays three shows in the Northeast in support of it.
In 2007, they play their last show and officially break up.
In 2012, the Arrogant Sons of Bitches reunite for one last show at the Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York.
Piss Off
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i remember way back when, when i wanted you to be mine
and now that i kinda had you i wonder was it all a waste of time and did it
make sense jumping into something knowing that i'd get hurt
i don't know but my boss thinks not it makes me less productive at work
and all my friends told me look out, cause you were treating me like (shit)
i blame the whatevership's termination on why things are never fine
i dreaded this moment from the day that we met, we have to say goodbye
now all i do is drink and smoke with all my friends
i regret not moving on even though i said i did, yeah blah blah
how many times do i have to call you just because you called me first, you see
we're nothing together but a bunch of obligations, that just make me feel worse
and why was i the last to know you were riding some other guy
and why should i have even cared that night you said you cried
well my stomach threw up my daily nutrition and your anti morals robbed me blind
i loved you and you blew it and you broke your own heart
so eat this last goodbye
and all that money we blew on each other
did it mean so little that you could just find another
to replace me, whatever i mean, piss off, go to hell
when can I get over this, stop hating myself
and as the days go on i'll find someone better
i'll go it alone and brave the cold weather
through the blizzard like conditions screaming if i'm still alive
piss off, this is the last goodbye
this is the last goodbye [repeat]
The first verse of "Piss Off" by The Arrogant Sons of Bitches is about regret and second-guessing a past romantic relationship. The singer recalls when they wanted the person they are addressing in the song to be theirs, and at one point, they did, but now they wonder whether it was all worth it. The second verse references friends warning the singer about the problematic behavior of the person they were with, and the end of the relationship stemming from the "termination of the what(ever)ship," implying a lack of clarity or definition in the relationship. The chorus is aggressive, featuring the repeated phrase "piss off" and expressing the singer's anger and desire to sever ties with this person. The third verse is about the aftermath of the breakup, including drinking and smoking with friends and the pain of finding out the person was with someone else. The fourth verse highlights the financial cost of the relationship and the singer's bitterness toward the person who replaced them. The final verse is defiant, stating that they will move on and find someone better, despite adversity.
Overall, "Piss Off" is a song about a tumultuous romantic relationship that ultimately ends with the singer cutting ties with the person they were involved with. The lyrics have a strong emotional component, expressing regret, bitterness, and anger. The chorus's repetition of "piss off" adds to the intensity of the song and reinforces the idea of a final goodbye.
Line by Line Meaning
i remember way back when, when i wanted you to be mine
I recall a time when I was interested in being together with you.
and now that i kinda had you i wonder was it all a waste of time
Now that we had a relationship, I'm uncertain if that time was just a worthless experience.
make sense jumping into something knowing that i'd get hurt
Does it make sense to start a relationship knowing that it will lead to pain?
i don't know but my boss thinks not it makes me less productive at work
I'm not sure, but my boss believes that my relationship is affecting my performance at work negatively.
i swallowed my pride, and bit my tongue and tried to just deal with it
I attempted to deal with the situation by suppressing my feelings and ignoring the problem.
we have to say goodbye
Our relationship must come to an end.
i regret not moving on even though i said i did, yeah blah blah
I'm disappointed in myself for not really moving on after we broke up.
we're nothing together but a bunch of obligations, that just make me feel worse
Our relationship is just a bunch of duties that make me feel terrible.
and why was i the last to know you were riding some other guy
Why did I have to learn about you being intimate with someone else from someone else?
well my stomach threw up my daily nutrition and your anti morals robbed me blind
Finding out about your unfaithfulness made me sick, and I feel deceived by your lack of ethics.
i loved you and you blew it and you broke your own heart
I cared for you deeply, but you ruined our relationship, and it was ultimately your loss.
when can I get over this, stop hating myself
I'm struggling to move on from this and stop blaming myself.
and as the days go on i'll find someone better
As time passes, I'll likely find a better partner.
through the blizzard like conditions screaming if i'm still alive
I will persevere through this difficult time, even if it feels like I'm barely surviving.
this is the last goodbye
This is the final farewell.
Contributed by Jordyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.