The band consists of Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller on guitar and vocals and Brian Rosenworcel on percussion. Multi-instrumentalist and backup vocalist Joe Pisapia played with the band from 2003-2010. Luke Reynolds took Pisapia's place to tour with the band for their 2010 album, Easy Wonderful, and has remained with the band since. The band is noted for its catchy, poppy melodies, and the distinctive hand-drumming on percussion. They are also known for their humor, including a joke album released in 2003, The Meowstro Sings: Guster's Keep It Together, wherein the lyrics are replaced with (off-melody) meowing.
The band has released eight studio albums which are, in chronological order, Parachute, Goldfly, Lost and Gone Forever, Keep It Together, Ganging Up On the Sun, Easy Wonderful, Evermotion, and their most recent, Look Alive, which was released on January 18th, 2019. In addition, they have released a total of eleven live albums, spanning the years 2003-2015.
Overexcited
Guster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see kids from school, but I stare down at my feet
Sports on TV
They scream for victory
A few blocks down, there's Dawn, she's got spinach on her teeth
In between the front ones, just a little bitty leaf
And I try to speak
And I get overexcited
Can't do a damn thing about it
My god, we're shoulder to shoulder
Nice guy looking for a future lover
The pet shop's closed, too bad, 'cause animals like me back
We had a dog once, we all just called her Kat
Was mum's idea
She's got a great sense of humor
Later tonight, some soup, then I'll probably send a text
"Hey Dawn, it's Jim. Would you like to have some sex?
And if that's too weird
Maybe just a hot chocolate"
I get so overexcited
Can't do a damn thing about it
My god, we're shoulder to shoulder
Nice guy looking for a future lover
Future, future love
Future love
Future love
Future love
Hey, hey, hey
Future love
Future love
Future love
I get so overexcited
Can't do a damn thing about it
My god, we're shoulder to shoulder
Nice guy looking for a future lover
'Cause I'm bored, bored, bored
Everybody knows it's hard living with mother (and your father)
If you can even call this living
Here's the ride cymbal
Nothing makes a man feel more alive
Than when they're tanging the hump of the ride
Tang the hump
Everyone knows it's humpin' living on ride cymbals
If you can even call that drumming
The lyrics to Guster's song "Overexcited" take us through a young man's evening as he experiences a series of moments that leave him feeling anxious, nervous and overexcited. The song starts with the man at a pub on the corner of his street where he sees kids from school but avoids making eye contact with them. Sports are playing on the TV and the crowd seems enthusiastic about the game. As he looks around, he notices Dawn, a woman with spinach on her teeth, and gets nervous about speaking to her. Bracing himself, he tries to muster up the courage to make small talk, feeling overexcited and overwhelmed.
As the song progresses, we learn more about the man's life and his family. He reminisces about their dog, Kat, who they all just called Kat even though she wasn't a cat! He mentions his mother's great sense of humor, possibly as a way to escape his dull, uneventful life. Feeling restless and bored, he thinks about texting Dawn later that night and propositions her for sex, although he quickly realizes this may be too forward and then suggests getting hot chocolate instead.
The chorus repeats multiple times throughout the song, with the man feeling overexcited and unable to control his nerves and anxiety. He appears to be searching for someone to share his future with, hence the line "Nice guy looking for a future lover". Overall, the lyrics of "Overexcited" reflect the struggles of a young man finding his place in the world, attempting to connect with others despite his nerves and insecurities.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm halfway home, at the pub on the corner of the street
I'm wandering down the street, and I find myself at the pub on the corner near my home
I see kids from school, but I stare down at my feet
I recognize people from my past, but I become shy and avoid eye contact with them
Sports on TV
People are watching sports on TV in the pub
They scream for victory
The people watching the sports are very excited and cheering for their team to win
A few blocks down, there's Dawn, she's got spinach on her teeth
I see a woman named Dawn a little ways from me, but I notice some spinach stuck in her teeth
In between the front ones, just a little bitty leaf
The spinach is lodged tightly between two teeth
And I try to speak
I want to talk to Dawn
But Dawn makes me nervous
I feel anxious around Dawn and it's hard for me to talk to her
And I get overexcited
I become overly excited and anxious
Can't do a damn thing about it
I am unable to control my excitement
My god, we're shoulder to shoulder
We're standing close to each other
Nice guy looking for a future lover
I am hoping to find a romantic relationship in the future
The pet shop's closed, too bad, 'cause animals like me back
I pass by the closed pet shop and I'm disappointed because I like animals and they tend to like me back
We had a dog once, we all just called her Kat
My family used to have a dog that we nicknamed Kat
Was mum's idea
It was my mother's idea to get the dog
She's got a great sense of humor
My mother has a good sense of humor
Later tonight, some soup, then I'll probably send a text
Later tonight I plan on having some soup, and I might send a text message
"Hey Dawn, it's Jim. Would you like to have some sex?
I'm considering texting Dawn and asking if she would like to have sex
And if that's too weird
If it is too strange for me to ask about sex
Maybe just a hot chocolate"
Then maybe I will suggest meeting for a hot chocolate instead
Future, future love
I am hoping to find love in the future
Hey, hey, hey
An exclamation of enthusiasm
I'm bored, bored, bored
I am very bored
Everybody knows it's hard living with mother (and your father)
It is a widely known fact that living with parents can be difficult
Here's the ride cymbal
The sound of the ride cymbal playing begins
Nothing makes a man feel more alive
There's nothing like the feeling of being alive
Than when they're tanging the hump of the ride
Especially when playing the ride cymbal, where there's a certain point that produces a more satisfying sound
Tang the hump
Hit that sweet spot on the ride cymbal
Everyone knows it's humpin' living on ride cymbals
It's common knowledge that living through the highs and lows of life is like playing the ride cymbal
If you can even call that drumming
Some may not even consider playing the ride cymbal as drumming
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner, Brian Rosenworcel, Luke Reynolds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Guster
Find your future lover: http://www.withgusto.app/
Merlin Star
Hello Guster!! I was the one who visited you at the show in Atlanta. I wanted to drop by and say hello. I ran into your music a few years ago so you have been with me for some time....lol I know you have a crush** on me. LOL
Sleep
Wait this beautiful song was An ad for your dating app?
Guster
@Sleep Nah, we just decided to get extra-weird and turn the app from the video into a website.
Sherice
Wait is this actually a real dating app for fans of guster?
Sam Lewis
this song was so freaking weird when i first listened to it, but now i absolutely love it. somehow it is perfect guster.
Elise D
Guster is so painfully underrated
richcole99
You can say that again.
Ya' Hello? Tumor Time
They are no Blur nor Primus!
crowing
As a middle aged dude getting back into dating, this is closer to real than you would ever imagine.