Green Day and Saint Jimmy – Who is the famous Saint Jimmy we hear about so often?
Last Updated on: 26th July 2023, 05:32 am
The American Idiot album took the world by storm, as the highly anticipated album release saw Green Day telling the story of Billie Joe Armstrong, and his issues throughout primarily his childhood. And featured throughout, is Saint Jimmy.
We hear of a character called “Saint Jimmy” in various tracks, as well as a self-titled song. But who really is he?
Let’s take a look and see if we can work it out!
Saint Jimmy’s coming down across the alleyway
Saint Jimmy is an alter ego of character Jesus Of Suburbia, introduced early in the album. First seen changing from Jesus Of Suburbia to Saint Jimmy in the music video for Jesus Of Suburbia, its unclear whether Saint Jimmy is an alter ego or a split personality.
In a conversation that takes place in the video, his mother makes the statement: “What are you? Jesus nailed to that couch, suffering for my sins? And I’m the loser?” This is another reference to the character of Jesus of Suburbia.
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Song lyrics written in the form of diary entries, the song Saint Jimmy deals with the initial development of this persona and his arrival in the city, as described in the song lyrics “Saint Jimmy’s coming down, across the alleyway/ Upon the boulevard like a zip gun on parade.” describing what’s happening after he left in the song Jesus Of Suburbia.
The song continues to describe his involvement with crimes; drug use, vandalism, petty theft and all-round violence. Jimmy is across the rest of the album.
He meets “Whatsername” who he gets into a relationship with, Jimmy expresses how he feels about her in Shes A Rebel and Extraordinary Girl.
His strong feelings for Whatsername create an inner conflict with his new lifestyle and his responsibilities. In Letterbomb, Whatsername reminds Jimmy about the fact he used to fight for city and he needs to keep doing so.
In Homecoming we hear the end Saint Jimmy, “Jimmy died today, he blew his brains out into the bay” Describing the possible suicide Saint Jimmy has caused and killed himself and the Jesus Of Suburbia.
And there we have it, Saint Jimmy is the alter ego of troubled Jesus Of Suburbia, who left his home life to start a new one but ended in his suicide.
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