jim became the main lyricist for pennywise, after the death of bassist jason thirsk, who was responsible for encouraging the band's message of positive mental attitude and self-reliance. a ucla english major graduate, lindberg often cited american transcendentalist philosophers ralph waldo emerson and henry david thoreau as major influences on his lyrics. with song titles such as "my own way", "it's up to you", "date with destiny", and "my own country", lindberg's lyrics often reflected the transcendentalist credo to live one's life by their own rules and not adhere to the materialistic constraints of modern society or the constraints of authority.