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."
Bad Bad Things
ajj Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I killed your family
And now I am going to kill you too
I made your brother bleed
I made your father scream
And I made your mother say those things that she said to me
She said, "Do with me what you want, but please don't hurt my family, don't hurt my family
Take my pride, take my life, take my body but don't take the ones that are close to me.
Take my pride, take my life, take my body but don't take the ones that I love."
And I continued without mercy
So I looked into your eyes
And I saw a reflection
Of a coward that you and I both hate very much
And then I grabbed the knife
And I let the blood out of your throat
And I smashed those tiny mirrors inside of your skull
And I got to thinking
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
Might go to heaven, but probably not
The lyrics of AJJ's song "Bad Bad Things" are violent and disturbing, but like much of their work, they use the unsettling subject matter to explore deeper emotions and societal issues. The song is written from the perspective of a murderer who is recounting their violent acts to their victim before finally killing them. The opening line, "Do you remember me?" is a chillingly calm introduction to a confession of past crimes. The murderer then goes on to detail how they killed the victim's family, making them bleed, scream, and beg for mercy. The mother's plea to not hurt her family is particularly heart-wrenching, emphasizing the brutality of the murder.
As the song progresses, the murderer continues their rampage, looking into the victim's eyes and seeing their own reflection. This is a powerful moment of self-awareness and self-loathing, as the murderer recognizes their own cowardice and hate. And yet, despite this acknowledgement, they continue with the killing, finally slashing the victim's throat and smashing their skull.
The final lines of the song are particularly haunting, as the murderer wonders whether they will be punished for their actions. They contemplate the possibility of going to heaven, but ultimately dismiss it as unlikely. This suggests that while the murderer may have some small degree of remorse, they do not believe that redemption is truly possible for them.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember me?
The singer is asking if the person remembers them.
I killed your family
The singer reveals that they killed the person's family.
And now I am going to kill you too
The singer intends to kill the person as well.
I made your brother bleed
The artist harmed the person's brother.
I made your father scream
The artist caused the person's father to scream in agony.
And I made your mother say those things that she said to me
The singer forced the person's mother to beg for mercy, saying not to harm her family.
She said, "Do with me what you want, but please don't hurt my family, don't hurt my family
The person's mother pleaded with the singer not to harm her family, even if it meant doing whatever the singer wanted with her.
Take my pride, take my life, take my body but don't take the ones that are close to me.
The person's mother begged the artist to spare her family and take everything else instead.
Oh, do with me what you want, but please don't hurt my family, don't hurt my family
The person's mother repeats her plea to the artist not to harm her family.
Take my pride, take my life, take my body but don't take the ones that I love."
The person's mother specifically asks the artist not to harm the people she loves.
And I continued without mercy
Despite the person's mother's pleas, the singer continued to harm the family without mercy.
So I looked into your eyes
The artist looked into the eyes of the person they are about to kill.
And I saw a reflection
The singer saw a reflection of themselves in the person's eyes.
Of a coward that you and I both hate very much
The singer sees themselves as a coward and knows that the person they are about to kill harbors the same hatred towards them.
And then I grabbed the knife
The singer picked up a knife.
And I let the blood out of your throat
The artist killed the person by slitting their throat.
And I smashed those tiny mirrors inside of your skull
The artist metaphorically shattered the person's self-image and sense of identity.
And I got to thinking
After killing the person, the singer began to reflect.
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
The singer reflects on the possibility of not being punished for their crimes in the afterlife.
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
The artist repeats their thought about the possibility of going to heaven after death.
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
The artist repeats their thought once again.
If I don't go to hell when I die I might go to heaven
The artist continues to consider the possibility of not being punished for their actions.
Might go to heaven, but probably not
The singer recognizes that their chances of going to heaven are slim, given the horrific acts they have committed.
Contributed by Aaron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wormings7841
The rabbit is singing.
@chubledoobles4257
and with only four words you managed to make this song ridiculously funny, thank you so much
@wormings7841
@@chubledoobles4257 :)
@cleopreta1854
no, the rabbit is singing Pat The Bunny songs, not AJJ. Andrew Jackson's corpse is singing this.
@zaonth1414
it's probably the one from monty python's the holy grail
@0liv3rrr
I come back to comment everyday and it still makes no sense and so much sense at the same time
@papayadoodlez9994
That dude on the banjo is killing it
@govpancake1126
Dude I know right? I’m learning banjo right now and the stuff he’s doing is fucking insane. Randy’s House is an even crazier song
@firetarrasque4667
Banjo solos are the secret advantage folk punk has over every other kind of punk
@morailiette7868
PERIOD.