During the mid 90s Anohni started solo; after originally producing songs with Blacklips Performance Cult and other late-night cabarets she had a number of songs to work with. In 1995 she assembled a backing group—the self-styled Antony and the Johnsons—and began to focus on the musical side of her performances. The group built up a cult following at hip New York clubs such as the Kitchen and Knitting Factory. Anohni then received a NYFA for “performance art/emergent forms” which she used to record the Johnsons' debut album “Blue Angel”, that remained unreleased until Current 93 leader David Tibet signed Antony and the Johnsons to his Durtro label. The cast list of musicians on the album, released under the title "Antony and the Johnsons" in 1998, included Baby Dee (harp), Francois Gehin (bass), Todd Cohen (drums), Charles Neilson (guitar), and a number of string and woodwind players. This album later were reissued in 2000 and in 2004 by Secretly Canadian.
This collection of modern torch songs highlighted Anohni's soulful, multi-octave vocals and the Johnsons' graceful chamber pop arrangements, reaching a peak on "Cripple And The Starfish" and "Divine", the latter a tribute to the late transvestite movie star. Further recordings by Antony and the Johnsons emerged in the early years of the new millennium, including "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy" and a shared EP “Live at St. Olave's” with Current 93, recorded live at Saint Olave's Church in London, England.
In early 2001 released 3 song EP "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy", included covers of Mysteries of Love (Appeared originally on the film Blue Velvet) and Soft Black Stars.
Split EP included two new songs from the Johnsons, the first being You Stand Above Me, only one minute and thirty-six seconds long but containing all the melancholy and drama one would expect from the Johnsons. The other new track was The Lake which was an 1827 poem written by Edgar Allan Poe beautifully adapted to song. The Johnsons appear with Current 93 again on a 7”, with side B including the song Virgin Mary. This was limited to 500 copies, both released May 12th, 2003. By now the line-up of the Johnsons featured Todd Cohen, Jeff Langston (bass), Jason Hart (piano), Julia Kent (cello), Joan Wasser (violin), and Maxim Moston (violin).
It was around this time that Lou Reed heard the “I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy” EP. Reed then recruited Anohni for her album The Raven for guest vocals and took her on tour in 2003 which meant that Anohni appeared on Lou’s live album Animal Serenade. With the band now attracting wider attention, Anohni and the Johnsons signed to US based label Secretly Canadian. Secretly Canadian then reissued the band's debut to a wider audience in the USA.
The Lake was released the following year through the new label. It’s another 3 song EP including "The Lake" - Lou Reed appeared on Fistful of Love with guest vocals and guitar. The Horror Has Gone seems to be Anohni expressing the end of a depressing phase in her life, a positive lyrical change from her debut style.
In February 2005 Antony and the Johnsons released their second full length, I Am A Bird Now. It has guest appearances from Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Lou Reed and Boy George. It went on to receive great critical acclaim in the UK and won Anohni the Technics Mercury Music Prize for 2005.
In 2006 Anohni appeared in the Leonard Cohen tribute concert and subsequent film "I'm Your Man." Her performance of "If It Be Your Will" is perhaps the highlight of the film.
The 5-song Another World EP was released on October 7, 2008. As promised, it shows a mixture of continuation of earlier songs' atmosphere as well as more experimental work. Antony and the Johnsons' third album, "The Crying Light", was released on January 19, 2009. This was followed by "Swanlights" in October, 2010. Both of these latter albums are less melodic and more experimental in nature the Anohni's earlier work and have met with critical acclaim yet little commercial success.
http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/
Shake That Devil
Antony and the Johnsons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shake that dog out of the tree
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog out of the tree
Shake that dog right out of me
That dog, that dog
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog right out of me
That dog, that dog
That bird came at me with a knife
Told me she wanted my life
Shake that bird out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that bird right of me
That bird, that bird
Shake that bird out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that bird right out of me
That bird, that bird
That pig took everything I had
That pig made me feel so bad
Shake that pig out of the bush
Now let's give that pig a push
Shake that pig right out of me
That pig, that pig
Shake that pig out of the bush
Now let's give that pig a push
Shake that pig right out of me
That pig, that pig
Shake that devil
That dog had his way with me
That dog, that dog
Shake that dog out of the tree
That dog, that dog
Shake that dog, shake that dog
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog out of the tree
That dog had his way with me
That dog, that dog
That bird came at me with a knife
That bird, that bird
Told me she wanted my life
That bird, that bird
Shake that bird, shake that bird
Shake that bird out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that bird right out of me
That bird, that bird
That pig took everything I had
That pig, that pig
That pig made me feel so bad
That pig, that pig
Shake that pig, shake, shake that pig
Shake that pig out of the bush
Now let's give that pig a push
Shake that pig right out of me
That pig, that pig
Shake that dog, shake it, shake it, shake that dog
Shake that dog out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that dog right out of me
That dog, that dog
The lyrics of this song appear to be a cry for help or a plea for salvation from something that has caused harm or pain to the singer. The repeated refrain "Shake that dog out of the tree" seems to suggest the need to rid oneself of something unwanted or harmful, possibly a person or a situation. Each verse introduces a different animal, a dog, a bird, and a pig, and describes the harm they have caused the singer. The use of animals, especially the dog, is interesting as it adds an extra layer of meaning, implying that the singer has been treated as a lower creature, or perhaps even been bitten by them.
The emotion of this song is conveyed through the raw, impassioned vocals of Antony Hegarty, the lead singer. His voice is simultaneously beautiful and haunting, conveying the pain and desperation of the lyrics. The song's minimalistic instrumentation, consisting mostly of piano and percussion, creates a sense of tension and urgency that perfectly compliments Antony's vocals. The repeated, frenzied call to "shake that dog" and the other animals out of the singer's life, pushes the song towards a cathartic climax.
In summary, Shake That Devil is a powerful song that explores the human desire to escape pain and suffering. The use of animal imagery adds a layer of symbolism to the lyrics, and Antony Hegarty's emotional vocals and minimalistic instrumentals create a sense of desperation and urgency.
Line by Line Meaning
That dog had his way with me
I was powerless against this dog's actions.
Shake that dog out of the tree
I need to rid myself of the negative effects caused by this dog.
Shake that dog right out of me
I need to completely remove the impact this dog has had on me.
That bird came at me with a knife
I have been threatened and felt endangered by this bird.
Told me she wanted my life
This bird has made it clear that they wish me harm.
Shake that bird out of the tree
I need to remove this bird from its position of power.
So that everyone can see
I want others to witness my liberation from the bird's hold on me.
Shake that bird right out of me
I need to free myself entirely from the bird's control.
That pig took everything I had
This pig has taken away everything that once brought me joy.
That pig made me feel so bad
This pig has caused me great emotional distress.
Shake that pig out of the bush
I need to locate this pig and remove it from hiding.
Now let's give that pig a push
It's time for me to take action and push this pig away for good.
Shake that devil
I need to rid myself of all negative and harmful entities in my life.
Shake that dog, shake it, shake it, shake that dog
I am determined to completely remove the negative effects of this dog's actions.
Contributed by Alice J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ElisavetSchina
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog out of the tree
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog out of the tree
Shake that dog right out of me
That dog, that dog
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog out of the tree
Shake that dog right out of me
That dog, that dog
That bird came at me with a knife
Told me she wanted my life
Shake that bird out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that bird right of me
That bird, that bird
Shake that bird out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that bird right out of me
That bird, that bird
That pig took everything I had
That pig made me feel so bad
Shake that pig out of the bush
Now let's give that pig a push
Shake that pig right out of me
That pig, that pig
Shake that pig out of the bush
Now let's give that pig a push
Shake that pig right out of me
That pig, that pig
Shake that devil
That dog had his way with me
That dog, that dog
Shake that dog out of the tree
That dog, that dog
Shake that dog, shake that dog
That dog had his way with me
Shake that dog out of the tree
That dog had his way with me
That dog, that dog
That bird came at me with a knife
That bird, that bird
Told me she wanted my life
That bird, that bird
Shake that bird, shake that bird
Shake that bird out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that bird right out of me
That bird, that bird
That pig took everything I had
That pig, that pig
That pig made me feel so bad
That pig, that pig
Shake that pig, shake, shake that pig
Shake that pig out of the bush
Now let's give that pig a push
Shake that pig right out of me
That pig, that pig
Shake that dog, shake it, shake it, shake that dog
Shake that dog out of the tree
So that everyone can see
Shake that dog right out of me
That dog, that dog
@thirdeyevizionary8729
Current Joys brought me here! I gotta say i love this so much!
@fredxmusic
Just INCREDIBLE. Thank You Antony !!! Please a new album !!!
@TheTombo10
Just appreciate what Antony has given us
@martin1226
Wow. This dude/gal has mad talents. What a voice. It's like Elvis, Etta James and Roy Orbison mixed into one amazing creature. My ears rejoice...
@jhali
Antony Hegarty has this lost child look, so sublime and mystifing his voice is.
@Betameche
He explained his dream about this all EP during is concert in Porto, it was beautiful! Antony is a genious
@bearshaped
I love this, it stole the show for me when i saw them live back in May. His voice is sublime live, better than on record. I was blown away :-)
@SamSarracino
Listening to this in 2020. Same place where I discovered it about 10 years ago.
@annajohanneful
i really do like antony and the johnsons, i think they are amazing.. The lyrics, and especially Anton's voice.
@ninodemuria
I just love it, don't have enough words to express what I feel.