According to Songfacts, Bonnette, who is also the lyricist of the band (with upright bass player Ben Gallant handling most of the production and some vocals as well) volunteered at a suicide prevention hotline for teenagers for eight years, and worked with homeless men and women in the Phoenix, Arizona area. These experiences gave him a sometimes bleak, but at moments, hopeful outlook on life, often reflected in the band's lyrics.
On Halloween 2005, Andrew Jackson Jihad covered Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea album in its entirety at CounterCulture Cafe.
Their biggest performance to date has been in their hometown with Flogging Molly and Authority Zero on St. Patrick's Day 2006.
On April 15, 2006, the band played as part of the 2006 New Times Music Showcase, nominated for Best Americana Band, and won a 2006 Best of Phoenix later that year.
Besides their local shows, where they have become arguably the most prominent representative in Arizona of the DIY ethic, they have also toured in clubs and basements across the Western United States, appearing at such venues as the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, CA. One show in Kimberly, Idaho saw the band in a cowboy bar and leaving the premises as soon as possible after the show.
Andrew Jackson Jihad also performed at St. Augustine, Florida's second annual Harvest of Hope Festival in 2010. They played a dual set with Bomb the Music Industry!
In 2016, the band officially changed their name from "Andrew Jackson Jihad" to AJJ (a moniker that many of their fanbase had been using to refer to them for several years). In a statement on the band's website, Bonnette wrote "1.) We are not Muslims, and as such, it is disrespectful and irresponsible for us to use the word jihad in our band’s name. 2.) We no longer wish to be a living reminder of president Andrew Jackson. Interesting historical figure as he was, he was an odious person and our fascination with him has grown stale."
A Song Dedicated to the Memory of Stormy the Rabbit
ajj Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have fled from my fortress
Foraging forests five footsteps in length
Fortitude found within 40oz bottles
Flowing like flies from your face
From your face!
My neighborhood is been filled brim with black cats
All the time
Every time
First we are babies
We're birthing and dying
And then we are children
We're playing and crying
And then we're teenagers
And smoking and fucking
But now we're all grown-up
And we're sadly sighing
And liking malarking
And licking our wounds
We've created by lusting
And lying, to ourselves
And to others
We're sadly sighing
We're sadly sighing
We're sadly sighing
We're sadly sighing
And I'd like to be, a big ball of meat
That bees can buzz all around and eat, when I die
So that I might be granted
One sense of purpose
The lyrics of AJJ's song A Song Dedicated to the Memory of Stormy the Rabbit are full of imagery and introspection. The first verse talks about the singer's attempt to escape from his own self-imposed limitations, referring to his home as a fortress and the length of his foraging limited to five footsteps. He finds solace in alcohol and describes it as pouring from his face, illustrating how it is his only release.
The second verse is a commentary on the different stages of life from birth to adulthood. It talks about how we start off as innocent babies, but life happens and we become jaded adults who are left licking our wounds from the mistakes we made. The repetition of "we're sadly sighing" conveys a sense of resignation to the inevitability of aging and hardship.
The final verse is an interesting reflection on death and purpose. The image of being a ball of meat that bees can buzz around and eat when the singer dies is a grotesque but vivid way of implying that he wants to be useful even after he passes away. It's a dark take on the idea of leaving a legacy that is both morbid and thought-provoking.
Line by Line Meaning
For four fortnights
For two months, I have been away from my home
I have fled from my fortress
I have left my safe space to explore the world
Foraging forests five footsteps in length
I am exploring the forests within close proximity
Fortitude found within 40oz bottles
I find courage in alcohol
Flowing like flies from your face
The alcohol helps me to forget my problems
From your face!
This line is repeated for emphasis
My neighborhood is been filled brim with black cats
My surroundings are filled with bad luck
And when I go driving they walk in my path
Bad things keep happening to me
All the time
It happens frequently
First we are babies
We start our lives as infants
We're birthing and dying
We are born and will eventually pass away
And then we are children
As we grow, we become children
We're playing and crying
We play and also experience sadness
And then we're teenagers
We transition to teenagers
And smoking and fucking
We start smoking and engaging in sexual activity
But now we're all grown-up
As adults, we have matured
And we're sadly sighing
We are unhappy with our lives
And liking malarking
We enjoy misbehaving
And licking our wounds
We are healing from our emotional wounds
We've created by lusting
Our past mistakes were caused by desire
And lying, to ourselves
We have been deceiving ourselves
And to others
We have been deceiving others
We're sadly sighing
We are still unhappy
We're sadly sighing
We continue to be unhappy
We're sadly sighing
We remain unhappy
We're sadly sighing
We are depressed
And I'd like to be, a big ball of meat
When I pass away, I want to become part of nature
That bees can buzz all around and eat, when I die
I want to be part of the cycle of life and be useful to other creatures
So that I might be granted
This is my hope for the future
One sense of purpose
I want to feel like I have achieved something meaningful in life
Writer(s): BONNETTE SEAN-CLAUDE VINCENT
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@projectemissary6378
Puttin dese for reference
[Intro]
For four fortnights I have fled from my fortress
Foraging forests five footsteps in length
Fortitude found within forty ounce bottles
Flowing like flies from your face
From your face
[Verse 1]
And my neighborhood it's been filled brim with black cats
And when I go driving they walk in my path
All the time
Every time
[Interlude: Vocalization]
[Verse 2]
First we were babies, we're birthing and dying
And then we were children, we're playing and crying
And then we're teenagers and smoking and fucking
But now we're all grown up and we're sadly sighing
And liking, malarking, and licking our wounds
We've created by lusting and lying
To ourselves and to others
[Interlude]
We're sadly sighing
We're sadly sighing
We're sadly sighing
We're sadly sighing
[Outro]
And I'd like to be
A big ball of meat
That bees can buzz around and eat when I die
So that I might be granted one sense of purpose
@eligiblbachelor
Got this song recommended to me by a random person on Animal Jam about 4 years ago, if ur reading this thank you stranger
@lebbuce2293
Why does the date this was posted say 100 years ago?
@eligiblbachelor
@@lebbuce2293 I’m a time traveler 🤫
@asheBradleysWeatherAt5
this is ironic because i first saw this band on an animal jam masterpiece like two years ago aha
@clarethecat5199
Yoo hello fellow AJ player :)
@sterilized
I recommended this to someone in 2017. on ajpw. wondering if it was u lol
@jenniefrost3074
This isn’t what I expected when I asked for my friends favorite song ;-;
@kaitschmidt9390
your friend has good taste.
@0blacklynx002
@@kaitschmidt9390 yep
@Err0r_n33d5_h3lp
I like your friend :)