Jump
I’m ancient enough to remember being a smol, excitable kid when "Jump" by Van Halen first hit MTV and the radio; it was my favorite song as a child. (Cue the jokes about me fossilizing in real time.) Back then, I was a literal-minded autistic child who took the command “jump” at face value, to my mother’s eternal irritation — which, frankly, was just a bonus.
My obsession with the song turned out to be oddly prophetic. David Lee Roth wrote it after seeing a TV news segment about a suicidal jumper. Instead of chronicling despair, he flipped it into an invitation — to take action, to choose life, to step forward into whatever might be next. The title line came from the idea that some random onlooker would yell “go ahead and jump,” and Roth decided to reclaim those words, to make them about courage instead of tragedy. That’s a hell of an alchemy.
For me, the connection goes deep. I’ve tried to kill myself more than once. I’ve survived traumas that could have kept me on that ledge forever. But here I am, in my 40s (August 2025), finally living, actually enjoying my life. This piece — a series of illustrations ending with me literally soaring alongside phoenixes — is my way of honoring that transformation. You can go through hell and still launch yourself toward something beautiful. Might as well jump.
My obsession with the song turned out to be oddly prophetic. David Lee Roth wrote it after seeing a TV news segment about a suicidal jumper. Instead of chronicling despair, he flipped it into an invitation — to take action, to choose life, to step forward into whatever might be next. The title line came from the idea that some random onlooker would yell “go ahead and jump,” and Roth decided to reclaim those words, to make them about courage instead of tragedy. That’s a hell of an alchemy.
For me, the connection goes deep. I’ve tried to kill myself more than once. I’ve survived traumas that could have kept me on that ledge forever. But here I am, in my 40s (August 2025), finally living, actually enjoying my life. This piece — a series of illustrations ending with me literally soaring alongside phoenixes — is my way of honoring that transformation. You can go through hell and still launch yourself toward something beautiful. Might as well jump.
I get up
And nothing gets me down
You got it tough
I've seen the toughest all around
And I know
Baby, just how you feel
You've got to roll
With the punches to get to what's real
Oh can't you see me standing here
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Oh can't you see what I mean?
Might as well jump. Jump!
Might as well jump
Go ahead, jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Ah-oh, hey you! Who said that?
Baby, how you been?
You say you don't know
You won't know until you begin
So can't you see me standing here
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Oh can't you see what I mean?
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Jump!
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Get it and jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!
-"Jump", Van Halen
And nothing gets me down
You got it tough
I've seen the toughest all around
And I know
Baby, just how you feel
You've got to roll
With the punches to get to what's real
Oh can't you see me standing here
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Oh can't you see what I mean?
Might as well jump. Jump!
Might as well jump
Go ahead, jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Ah-oh, hey you! Who said that?
Baby, how you been?
You say you don't know
You won't know until you begin
So can't you see me standing here
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Oh can't you see what I mean?
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Jump!
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Get it and jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!
-"Jump", Van Halen
