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.
What You Wish For
Guster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To everything gray
And all that I saw
Just kept going on and on
Sweep all the pieces under the bed
Close all the curtains and cover my head
And what you wish for
Won't come true
Are you?
If this serenade
(Repeat after me just a little bit closer)
Is not what you want
(And do what I say caught up in a lie)
It just how it is
(It won't change a thing got a little bit colder)
It keeps going on and on
Come out come out wherever you are
Would you do it all over
Right from the start?
And what you wish for
Won't come true
You aren't surprised love
Are you?
And what you wish for
Won't come true
You aren't surprised love
Are you?
Once had this dream
Crashed down in Oz
Not black and white
But where the colors are
I never dreamed that
I could let it go
And I will get
What I deserve
Sweep all the secrets
under the bed
Open the curtains
forget what I said
And what you wish for
Could come true
You act surprised, love
Are you?
The song “What You Wish” by Guster depicts the struggle of the singer with the bitter reality of life when things do not go as expected. The song is about waking up to a life that appears gray and mundane with no end in sight. The repetition of “going on and on” is used to emphasize the dullness and monotony of life. This is evident when the singer mentions sweeping all the pieces under the bed and covering his head, as if to escape from the harsh reality of life. However, the song goes deeper than that. The singer is trying to come to terms with the fact that what he wishes for may not come true. Hence, he poses a question to his love, “you aren’t surprised love, are you?” indicating that he has come to terms with the possibility that life may not turn out the way he wants it to be.
As the song progresses, the singer begins to question his past actions, wondering if his love would do it all over right from the start. This shows that the singer is coming to terms with the consequences of his actions and that perhaps he has come to regret some of them. The singer then goes on to say that he had a dream that crashed down in Oz, which refers to the movie, The Wizard of Oz. This may suggest that the singer had a dream that was as impractical as the yellow brick road that led to Oz, and now that dream has crumbled. However, the singer believes that he will get what he deserves, and he goes on to say that he will sweep all his secrets under the bed, open the curtains, and forget what he said.
Overall, the lyrics emphasize the importance of acceptance and moving on, even when things do not go as planned. This is especially relevant in today’s world, where the pandemic has disrupted our lives and our plans.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up today
The singer woke up and started his day.
To everything gray
The singer saw his day as dull and dreary as everything he saw was gray.
And all that I saw
The singer saw everything around him and did not like what he saw.
Just kept going on and on
The things he was seeing did not change and just continued without stopping.
Sweep all the pieces under the bed
The singer wants to avoid dealing with his problems and instead hide them under the bed.
Close all the curtains and cover my head
The singer wants to avoid the world and the problems in it by hiding in his own space.
And what you wish for
The things you want in life.
Won't come true
The things you want in life will not necessarily come true.
You aren't surprised love
The singer is asking if the listener is surprised that not everything they want in life will come true.
Are you?
A question to ask the listener if they understand that some wants in life may not come true.
If this serenade
The song the singer is singing.
(Repeat after me just a little bit closer)
A lyrical direction for the listener to follow along with the song.
Is not what you want
If the song is not what the listener wants.
(And do what I say caught up in a lie)
If the listener is following along with the song and believes in something that is not true.
It just how it is
This is the way things are, and sometimes things do not go as expected.
(It won't change a thing got a little bit colder)
Things may not change, so one must adjust to the situation and may even become a little colder as a result of the experience.
It keeps going on and on
Life keeps moving forward, and things do not wait for anyone.
Come out come out wherever you are
An invitation for the listener to become active instead of passive in their own lives.
Would you do it all over
Asking the listener if they would change their choices and decisions if they could do it all again.
Right from the start?
Asking if they would change any decisions or actions from the beginning.
And what you wish for
The things you want in life.
Won't come true
The things you want in life will not necessarily come true.
You aren't surprised love
The singer is asking if the listener is surprised that not everything they want in life will come true.
Are you?
A question to ask the listener if they understand that some wants in life may not come true.
And what you wish for
The things you want in life.
Won't come true
The things you want in life will not necessarily come true.
You aren't surprised love
The singer is asking if the listener is surprised that not everything they want in life will come true.
Are you?
A question to ask the listener if they understand that some wants in life may not come true.
Once had this dream
The singer once had a vision of what they desired.
Crashed down in Oz
The dream was crushed, and things did not go according to plan.
Not black and white
The situation is more complicated than it seems.
But where the colors are
There are many different aspects that need to be considered in the situation.
I never dreamed that
The singer never thought that they could let go of their dream.
I could let it go
The singer was able to let go of their dream.
And I will get
The singer is still optimistic that they will succeed and get what they deserve.
What I deserve
The singer believes that they deserve the things they want in life.
Sweep all the secrets
The singer wants to hide their problems and secrets under the bed.
under the bed
A place of hiding and secrecy.
Open the curtains
The singer wants to face the world and the many issues in it.
Forget what I said
The singer wants to move on from what has been said and done in the past.
And what you wish for
The things you want in life.
Could come true
It is possible that the things you wish for in life may come true.
You act surprised, love
The singer is asking if the listener is surprised that things may go well and their wishes may come true.
Are you?
A question to ask the listener if they understand that some wants in life may come true.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM S. GARDNER, BRIAN A. ROSENWORCEL, RYAN MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Little Nubear
Woke up today
To everything gray
And all that I saw
Just kept going on and on
Sweep all the pieces under the bed
Close all the curtains and cover my head
And what you wish for
Won't come true
You aren't surprised love
Are you?
If this serenade
(Repeat after me just a little bit closer)
Is not what you want
(And do what I say caught up in a lie)
It just how it is
(It won't change a thing got a little bit colder)
It keeps going on and on
Come out come out wherever you are
Would you do it all over
Right from the start?
And what you wish for
Won't come true
You aren't surprised love
Are you?
And what you wish for
Won't come true
You aren't surprised love
Are you?
Once had this dream
Crashed down in Oz
Not black and white
But where the colors are
I never dreamed that
I could let it go
And I will get
What I deserve
Sweep all the secrets
under the bed
Open the curtains
forget what I said
And what you wish for
Could come true
You act surprised, love
Are you?
JP7137042
This is such a tremendous and underrated band. Catchy songs, smart and thoughtful lyrics combine with wonderful harmonics to grab the ear and never let go.
Bob
Guster has got me through some hard times in life. Can't ever thank ya'll enough. If i put my headphones it takes me away
Lewis MX
Life as a house brought me here. Love that movie and this song.
Chris P
I once talked to Adam and said "I started following you when I saw Life as a House" and he told me they rarely hear that. Good to know I wasn't the only one.
Angelina Frenken
I love this song !! It gives me such a happy feeling ! And it never gets old . I literally heard this since I was 9 years old and here I am still loving it 😄 ! It’s so beautiful
TheEndTrend
So nostalgic...reminds me of the early 2000's. Happy, yet kind of sad too.
Shelly Reed
Omg this song takes me way back to an authentic me!I have missed this band!I'll be listening again.💗😍👌
bridge4
I love where this album takes me. pure brilliance.
Matthew Minard
YES YES YES !!!! I girl stole this CD from me about a year after it came out. I FOUND IT! Thank you for posting this whole album is excellent.
Angelina Frenken
That girl must be a real witch for stealing this 😂