Known for honest, self-reflective songs as well as captivating lyrical works of fiction and an intimate live show, Shauf is considered one of the most intriguing emerging songwriters around.
His release, The Bearer of Bad News, explores themes of uncertainty, curiosity and spirituality. “I think spirituality is a part of life whether you are religious or not, even if you’re just superstitious. You can’t really get away from the fact that we don’t know everything.” The unsettling stories told on The Bearer of Bad News came as Shauf wrote both at home and on the road. Musically, the record took shape in a modest home studio in his parents’ basement in Regina, Canada, where Shauf spent 4 years recording and producing each song himself. “Spending all this time allowed me a lot of freedom in the ways I arranged the songs. I could work on a drum part for a whole day, or play piano for 2 hours without figuring anything out and be okay with that.”
Bearer is 11 songs built from the sounds of a weathered piano, the warm tone of his guitar’s aged strings, and a clarinet. Shauf is one-of-a-kind voice and dark, literate storytelling.
Wendell Walker
Andy Shauf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'd stain our teeth in the summertime
And with lips of purple, the winter would roll
Past the boarded windows into our souls
And shake our weary bones
Now this past winter was the coldest in years
It's hard to explain if you've never lived here
But it locks your doors and starts your mind
And breaks your weary heart
Now Wendell Walker was a man of God
But he didn't care much for his sober mind
And when the cold mixed in he was turned around
Heard the voice of God and the angels sound
A message just for him
My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man
Now Wendell Walker was a friend of mine
But he married too young in the summertime
Their hearts weren't ripe so they fell apart
And I found myself with a joyful heart
As our secret lives began
We found our moments in between the hours
When Wendell Walker drove his car to town
But one day he found a letter that I wrote for her
On the top of her dresser and in his winter mind
He heard the voice of God say
My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man
With the voice of the Lord ringing in his ears
And the note to his wife that confirmed his fears
He sat down on the edge of the bed
Read the letter again to see who'd sent it
But it was signed 'forever yours'
He stood up slow like he'd just been hit
Walked into the kitchen where his wife was sitting
He said, my mother called on the telephone
She says she needs some help so I'll be back in the morning
And he grabbed his heavy coat
My phone rang while I was watching the news
She said the house was ours to cure these winter blues
So I made my way, and we turned the blinds
And Wendell walked in just in time
To see our secret die and say
My son, my son I'm gonna have to cut you down
He pointed his rifle to my eyes
But his hesitating hands
Were shaking from the cold
So I pushed his gun away
Just as he found his strength
And the bullet kissed her lips
And I cried
My god, my god what have I done?
And he reloaded his gun
And he put it in his mouth
And I stood in the room that I'd created
The song Wendell Walker by Andy Shauf is a tragic story of a man named Wendell Walker and the life he lived. The song is set in a small town where Wendell is a friend of the singer, and they enjoy their summers by staining their teeth. Wendell is introduced early as a man of God who is married but has his struggles with sobriety. The past winter is explained as the coldest in years, and it's inspired Wendell to start hearing the voice of God and angels. The message he receives is that his wife is the devil's child, and he must save her while he can by cutting down the singer. Wendell had found a letter from the singer to his wife that confirms the voice of God's message, and so he decides to kill the singer, but he misses and kills his wife instead.
The fallout of Wendell's actions leaves the singer in shock and disbelief. He knows the source of the tragedy that has resulted and the letter he had written to Wendell's wife. The song is emotionally charged, and the lyrics can be interpreted in various ways. It showcases the effects of uncontrolled fears and the devastating cost of misunderstandings.
Line by Line Meaning
Wendell Walker was a friend of mine
I had a friend named Wendell Walker
We'd stain our teeth in the summertime
We used to indulge in things that are harmful
And with lips of purple, the winter would roll
Winter had a negative effect on us
Past the boarded windows into our souls
Winter penetrated deep into our emotions
And shake our weary bones
Winter exhausted us mentally and physically
Now this past winter was the coldest in years
The recent winter was the coldest in years
It's hard to explain if you've never lived here
It's difficult to describe if you've never experienced it
But it locks your doors and starts your mind
Winter isolates you and makes you think
Thinking in circles just to pass the time
Winter makes you waste time thinking aimlessly
And breaks your weary heart
Winter weighs you down emotionally
Now Wendell Walker was a man of God
Wendell was religious
But he didn't care much for his sober mind
Wendell had problems with sobriety
And when the cold mixed in he was turned around
Winter worsened Wendell's condition
Heard the voice of God and the angels sound
He thought he heard messages from God
A message just for him
Wendell believed the message was for him alone
My son, my son, she is the devil's child
God warned Wendell about a woman he knew
Won't you save her while you can
God urged Wendell to save her from evil
Cut down the other man
God instructed Wendell to kill the man involved with her
But he married too young in the summertime
Wendell got married too early
Their hearts weren't ripe so they fell apart
Their marriage failed because they weren't mature enough
And I found myself with a joyful heart
I felt happy when their marriage ended
As our secret lives began
We started an affair
We found our moments in between the hours
We took advantage of any time we had alone
When Wendell Walker drove his car to town
Our affair was only possible when Wendell wasn't around
But one day he found a letter that I wrote for her
Wendell discovered a letter I wrote to the woman he loved
On the top of her dresser and in his winter mind
In his despair, he was very emotional and confused
He heard the voice of God say
Wendell believed he heard God's voice again
With the voice of the Lord ringing in his ears
Wendell believed he heard God's voice
And the note to his wife that confirmed his fears
Wendell read the letter that confirmed his suspicions
He sat down on the edge of the bed
Wendell felt overwhelmed and sat down
Read the letter again to see who'd sent it
Wendell repeatedly read the letter to confirm its contents
But it was signed 'forever yours'
The letter was signed in a way that gave Wendell false hope
He stood up slow like he'd just been hit
Wendell slowly stood up, feeling devastated
Walked into the kitchen where his wife was sitting
Wendell went to confront his wife
He said, my mother called on the telephone
He lied to his wife about having to visit his mother
She says she needs some help so I'll be back in the morning
He explained that he would be away overnight
And he grabbed his heavy coat
He prepared to leave immediately
My phone rang while I was watching the news
I received a call while watching television
She said the house was ours to cure these winter blues
The woman I was having an affair with invited me over
So I made my way, and we turned the blinds
I went to her house and we closed the blinds
And Wendell walked in just in time
Wendell arrived unexpectedly
To see our secret die and say
Wendell witnessed the end of our affair
My son, my son I'm gonna have to cut you down
Wendell was going to kill me
He pointed his rifle to my eyes
Wendell aimed his gun at me
But his hesitating hands
Wendell was uncertain
Were shaking from the cold
Wendell was physically affected by the cold
So I pushed his gun away
I managed to disarm Wendell
Just as he found his strength
However, he soon regained his composure
And the bullet kissed her lips
In his desperation, Wendell accidentally shot the woman
And I cried
I felt overwhelmed with emotion
My god, my god what have I done?
I was shocked and felt responsible for what had happened
And he reloaded his gun
Wendell prepared to shoot me again
And he put it in his mouth
Wendell contemplated suicide
And I stood in the room that I'd created
I stood in the room where everything had happened and felt responsible
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Andy Shauf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fernandaverdesoto1428
Wendell Walker was a friend of mine
We'd stain our teeth in the summertime
And with lips of purple, the winter would roll
Past the boarded windows into our souls
And shake our weary bones
Now this past winter was the coldest in years
It's hard to explain if you've never lived here
But it locks your doors and starts your mind
Thinking in circles just to pass the time
And breaks your weary heart
Now Wendell Walker was a man of God
But he didn't care much for his sober mind
And when the cold mixed in he was turned around
Heard the voice of God and the angels sound
A message just for him:
[Refrain]
"My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man"
[Verse 2]
Now Wendell Walker was a friend of mine
But he married too young in the summertime
Their hearts weren't ripe so they fell apart
And I found myself with a joyful heart
As our secret lives began
We found our moments in between the hours
When Wendell Walker drove his car to town
But one day he found a letter that I wrote for her
On the top of her dresser and in his winter mind
He heard the voice of God say:
[Refrain]
"My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man"
[Verse 3]
With the voice of the lord ringing in his ears
And the note to his wife that confirmed his fears
He sat down on the edge of the bed
Read the letter again to see who'd sent it
But it was signed 'forever yours'
He stood up slow like he'd just been hit
Walked into the kitchen where his wife was sitting
He said, "my mother called on the telephone
She says she needs some help so I'll be back in the morning"
And he grabbed his heavy coat
My phone rang while I was watching the news
She said the house was ours to cure these winter blues
So I made my way, and we turned the blinds
And Wendell walked in just in time
To see our secret die and say:
[Outro]
"My son, my son I'm gonna have to cut you down"
He pointed his rifle to my eyes
But his hesitating hands
Were shaking from the cold
So I pushed his gun away
Just as he found his strength
And the bullet kissed her lips
And I cried:
"My god, my god what have I done?"
And he reloaded his gun
And he put it in his mouth
And I stood in the room that I'd created
@shagunsharma3373
Wendell Walker was a friend of mine.
We'd stain our teeth in the summertime,
And with lips of purple, the winter would roll
Past the boarded windows into our souls
And shake our weary bones.
Now this past winter was the coldest in years.
It's hard to explain if you've never lived here,
But it locks your doors and starts your mind
Thinking in circles just to pass the time,
And breaks your weary heart.
Now Wendell Walker was a man of God,
But he didn't care much for his sober mind,
And when the cold mixed in he was turned around
Heard the voice of God and the angels sound
A message just for him:
My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man.
Now Wendell Walker was a friend of mine,
But he married too young in the summertime.
Their hearts weren't ripe so they fell apart
And I found myself with a joyful heart
As our secret lives began.
We found our moments in between the hours,
When Wendell Walker drove his car to town.
But one day he found a letter that I wrote for her
On the top of her dresser and in his winter mind
He heard the voice of God say:
My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man.
With the voice of the lord ringing in his ears
And the note to his wife that confirmed his fears,
He sat down on the edge of the bed
Read the letter again to see who'd sent it
But it was signed 'forever yours'.
He stood up slow like he'd just been hit.
Walked into the kitchen where his wife was sitting
He said, "my mother called on the telephone
She says she needs some help so I'll be back in the morning"
And he grabbed his heavy coat.
My phone rang while I was watching the news.
She said the house was ours to cure these winter blues.
So I made my way, and we turned the blinds
And Wendell walked in just in time
To see our secret die and say:
My son, my son I'm gonna have to cut you down.
He pointed his rifle to my eyes
But his hesitating hands
Were shaking from the cold.
So I pushed his gun away,
Just as he found his strength.
And the bullet kissed her lips
And I cried:
My god, my god what have I done?
And he reloaded his gun,
And he put it in his mouth.
And I stood in the room that I'd created.
@jerrymainus5836
This is still some of the most profound songwriting/storytelling I’ve ever heard in my life
@TheNoidleshow
this feels like a sliver into some other dimension we're not meant to be seeing. literally everyone is right in the pocket. as close to perfect as anything i've ever seen.
@GettingHyphy
"Right in the pocket" is such a cool and perfect way of describing this. Thank you!!
@jameswatters5748
I know it’s a year later, but fuck, what a great summary of this video. 😂
@beadlebob
This is a god damn masterpeice and I can't bear to listen to it more than once a month.
@Jme.Online
I agree. I must be going through something though, bc I want to listen to this on repeat atm... autumn blues?
@thereallevel27
As soon as the snow sets in, I come back for a listen
@anthonystaples4475
One of the most haunting and moving musical performances I have ever watched..I've been coming back for years
@jocelynnj5656
YouTube I can't believe you put an ad in the middle of this song! You have no soul!
@irockwithbillgates
Andy was kind enough to come back out for an encore. I don't know if he picked my request because of how loud I screamed it or what. "Wendell Walker!!!!!" This song has brought me great comfort(not alone) and the kindness people have showed me has been wonderful. I love you all and you are my heroes. Don't give up.