Know The Words "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind

"Jumper' comes from a story out manager told us about a high school friend of his who was gay," says lead singer Stephan Jenkins (far right), 34, of the band's fifth single of the debut disc, Semi Charmed Life. "He went to a conservative school in San Diego [with] all sons of military types. Being gay was just not acceptable. He offed himself- he jumped of a bridge."

But "Jumper" is also about Stephan's own difficult, often alienating childhood experiences. "My parents divorced, and that hurt me. We were poor and I went to a rich high school. I was dyslexic and had Attention Deficit Disorder, which I still have. So I carried all these things with me. One afternoon I had this epiphany. I said 'You know what? I don't have it all together. I come from stuff that was really difficult, and that's me. That's who I am.' I embraced that. There's a line in the song that says, 'Everyone's got to face down the deamons/Maybe today we can out the past away.' It's very much a song about putting the past away."