Songfacts®:

• One of the earliest White Stripes songs, "Screwdriver" dates back to when the band formed in 1997. The group was a married couple: Jack and Meg White. Both had day jobs - Jack had an upholstery business and Meg was a bartender. Jack was also a musical savant who could play just about any instrument, so he taught Meg how to play drums. When they came up with "Screwdriver" and a few other songs, it looked like their musical pairing just might work. It did, but their marriage did not. By the time "Screwdriver" was released on their debut album in 1999, they were separated as a couple. When their next album, De Stijl, was issued in 2000, they were divorced. Their music only got stronger; The White Stripes became one of the most popular rock bands of the '00s and stayed together until 2011.
• According to the White Stripes FAQ, Jack White devised the lyric when he was working up the song with Meg and spotted a screwdriver in the room. He thought about what he would do with it if he was angry; how he's use it to protect himself:
  
  I'm not just gonna stand there grinnin'
  I'm not the one who's sinnin'
  Screwdriver...
• The White Stripes played "Screwdriver" on their first late-night TV show appearance when they performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, June 7, 2001. Late shows suited them well; they became a favorite of Conan O'Brien.