Green Day: J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva) Meaning

Song Released: 1995

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J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva) Lyrics

My friend drove off the other day
And now he's gone and all they say
Is you gotta live 'cause life goes on

But now I see I'm mortal too
I can't live my life like you
Gotta live it up while life goes on

And I think it's alright
That I...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   Mickydeman

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   May 3rd 2009 report

   This song, although obviously written about Jason Andrew Relva, sends a deep message to all of us... it tells us to live life to the fullest, to enjoy it and all the people and things in it to the fullest, because you never know when those things will be gone. one of my favorite quotes ever is from this song.... "You gotta live 'cuz life goes on" I think this just about sums up our mortality... how someday we all die and we gotta make the most of our few days here on this earth and with these people in our lives.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Sep 15th 2005 report

   This song is about Jason Andrew Relva, who died in a car accident...hence "my friend drove off the other day/ now he's gone and all they say..."
   
   This song is about his death being a wake-up-call to live life to the fullest while you are stil here.
   
   on Mike's forearm, he has a tatoo of a sword with a snake and it says "brother"....Jason Andrew Relva had the same tatoo

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jun 25th 2006 report

   jason andrew relva is not the name of the bassist for pennywise. The bassist for pennywise is named jason matthew thirsk. It's not about the pennywise bassist it's just about mikes friend who died in a car crash.
4. anonymous

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   Aug 29th 2014 report

   This song is about a friend of mike dirnts who died in a car accident "my friend drove off the other day, now hes gone and all they say..."
5. anonymous

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   Jul 17th 2013 report

   FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. This song is about a friend of Mike Dirnt's who was killed in a car crash. Mike wrote this song in remembrance of him.
6. LyricLover

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   Dec 15th 2010 report

   "J.A.R." is an acronym which stands for 'Jason Andrew Relva', a childhood friend of Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt. Jason Relva died at the age of 19 on April 18, 1992, of injuries sustained from a car accident ("My friend drove off the other day..."). Mike Dirnt wrote the song in remembrance of him.
7. anonymous

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   Aug 25th 2010 report

   His name was James Andrew Relva but they changed it to respect him
8. anonymous

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   Jul 21st 2009 report

   You idiots Jason Andrew Relva died in 1991 that penniweise bassist died in 1996 GET IT RIGHT NUTBAGS
9. anonymous

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   Aug 21st 2008 report

   The song is about Jason Andrew Relva. Jason's son, Timmy is now 16. Jason died of a car accident when Timmy was 3 months old. He misses not having his dad to talk to every day. I knew Jason. He was a good kid with a warm heart. His son is the same. Jason did play with the band before they became famous. They gave Timmy a guitar like his father's a few years ago. Timmy also plays guitar.
10. anonymous

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    Jul 23rd 2008 report

    It would matter when Jason Thrisk died if it was about him but it's about Jason Relva who died in 1992.
11. anonymous

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    Apr 7th 2008 report

    Okay to all the idiots that said it's about Jason Thirsk... you're retarded! It says Jason Andrew Relva in parenthesis next to the song title on their International Superhits album.
12. anonymous

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    Feb 26th 2008 report

    To the person 2 places above me. You sir are an idiot. The song was on the Angus soundtrack a movie released September of 95. Jason Thirsk did not die till July of 1996, I guess Mike Dirnt is psychic eh?
13. anonymous

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    Aug 25th 2007 report

    To the person directly above this, why would the song be about Jason Matthew Thirsk when the song title is "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)"?
14. anonymous

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    Jun 16th 2007 report

    The actual meaning of the song is about Jason, the bassist for Pennywise. They played bass together and the bands played together before Green Day went big.
    
    He died because of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Read the book Punk Rock Dad and it will tell you that. He wasn't a drummer either.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. Anonymous101

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    Mar 30th 2007 report

    This song WAS written about Mike Dirnt's close friend who died in a car crash!
16. anonymous

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    Oct 18th 2006 report

    The 4th person is way wrong. J.A.R. Was in fact written about jason andrew relva. Get it j.A.R. Mike wrote the mother loving song after he died in a car crash!
17. anonymous

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    Jun 21st 2006 report

    On July 29th, Jason Thirsk, the original bass player, songwriter & founding member of Pennywise died of what is considered to be a self-inflicted accidental gunshot wound-http://www.musiceffect.com/cemetery/jason_thirsk.html This site is a great source for music stories. Everyone is wrong about Jason being a drummer and how he died in a car accident. "My friend drove off the other day", just refers to how it was the last thing Mike Dirnt saw him do-drive away, before he heard of his good friend's death. They played bass together, that's why they were so connected.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
18. anonymous

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    Sep 6th 2005 report

    This was written after the death of Jason Andrew Relva, and it's basically about trying to live life to the fullest.

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