McComas later attended college, but soon dropped out to move to Nashville, Tennessee. McComas briefly signed to Mercury Records, before he landed a deal with Lyric Street in 2001, charting the singles "Night Disappear With You" and "I Could Never Love You Enough". In 2003, he landed his first Top 10, "99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before)" and the follow up "You're in My Head", a #21 hit on the country charts. Another single for Lyric Street, "The Middle of Nowhere", fell short of the Top 40, and Lyric Street dropped him not long afterward. He later signed to Katapult Records, where he released Back Up Again, his second album.
Wake Up Little Susie
Brian McComas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up little Susie, wake up
We both fell sound asleep
Wake up little Susie and weep
The movie's over, it's four o'clock
And we're in trouble deep
Wake up little Susie
Wake up little Susie
Well, what are we gonna tell your momma
What are we gonna tell your pa
What are we gonna tell our friends when they say ooh la la
Wake up little Susie
Wake up little Susie
Well I told your folks that we'd be in by ten
Well Susie baby looks like we goofed again
Wake up little Susie
Wake up little Susie
Yeah we gotta go home
Oh come on girl
We gotta get home now
Yeah wake up little Susie, wake up
Wake up little Susie, wake up
The movie wasn't so hot
It didn't have much of a plot
We fell asleep, our goose is cooked
Our reputation's shot
Wake up little Susie
Wake up little Susie
Wake up little Susie, yeah we gotta go home
Yeah we gotta go home
Come on girl get up
We gotta go home
Wake up girl
Ah man I can't find my keys
I hate when that happens
Wake up, wake up
Get up girl
Alright
Well that oughta wake her up, uh huh
The song “Wake Up Little Susie” by Brian McComas is a story about a pair of teenagers named Susie and her male companion who fall asleep at the movies and end up sleeping through the entire night. The song opens with the male voice pleading with Susie to wake up, reminding her that they have fallen asleep at the theater and it's already four in the morning. They are in trouble because they were supposed to be home by 10 pm. They are worried about what they are going to say to Susie’s parents, her friends, and their own.
There is a sense of urgency in the voice of the male singer, who sounds frazzled and anxious. When he tells Susie to wake up for the third and final time, the male singer sounds a bit exasperated. In the end, the song ends on a humorous note with the male singer convincing Susie to wake up by flustering her by pretending to lose his car keys. Overall, the song is a classic example of the teenage angst in the 50s and 60s and how social norms were strictly enforced during that era.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up little Susie, wake up
The singer is urging Susie to wake up.
Wake up little Susie and weep
The singer wants Susie to wake up and cry because they are in trouble.
The movie's over, it's four o'clock
The movie they watched is done, and it is now 4am.
And we're in trouble deep
The artist and Susie are in a lot of trouble.
We gotta go home
The artist and Susie need to leave and return home.
What are we gonna tell your momma
The singer is asking Susie what they will say to her mom when they return home late.
What are we gonna tell your pa
The singer is asking Susie what they will say to her dad when they return home late.
What are we gonna tell our friends when they say ooh la la
The artist is asking Susie what they will say to their friends when they catch them returning home late.
Well I told your folks that we'd be in by ten
The artist had promised Susie's parents they would be home by 10pm.
Well Susie baby looks like we goofed again
The artist admits that they made a mistake and are in trouble again.
The movie wasn't so hot
The movie they watched was not very good.
It didn't have much of a plot
The movie they watched did not have much of a story.
Our reputation's shot
The singer and Susie's reputation is now ruined.
Oh come on girl
The singer is urging Susie to hurry up.
Yeah wake up little Susie, wake up
The singer is once again urging Susie to wake up.
Ah man I can't find my keys
The artist cannot find their keys.
I hate when that happens
The artist is expressing their frustration at not being able to find their keys.
Well that oughta wake her up, uh huh
The singer believes that their previous actions should have woken Susie up.
Contributed by Lillian O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.