The band's first lineup was Craig Wedren (vocals and guitar), Chris Matthews (guitar), Stuart Hill (bass) and Mike Russell (drums). In this incarnation, the band released two singles and one album (Curse, Spells, Voodoo, Mooses, 1989) before being signed by the Dischord label. Three albums were then released (Ten-Spot, 1990, Funeral at the Movies, 1991, and Get Your Goat, 1992), before the band gained greater exposure by touring with Fugazi and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Nathan Larson (guitars) and drummer Adam Wade replaced Matthews and Russell in 1994, immediately prior to a major-label contract with Epic with whom Pony Express Record was released in 1994. The album's angular, mathematical post-modernism earned it an intense cult-like following, marking the record as one of the most original punk albums to ever be released on a major label.
Over the next few years, Wedren successfully battled Hodgkin's Disease, Larson recorded an album with side project band Mind Science of the Mind and Wade left the group. His replacement was Kevin March, formerly drummer with Dambuilders.
Another album, 50,000 B.C. was released in 1997. The band also worked on music for soundtracks including First Love, Last Rites and High Art.
1998, the same year in which the band appeared on several tracks for the film Velvet Goldmine, saw Larson's departure and the subsequent demise of the group, which split that year. Wedren pursued a solo career, including an appearance on the Down to You soundtrack with Didn't Mean to Do You Harm, and contributed backing vocals to Verve Pipe's 1999 eponymous album.
Both Larson and Wedren have gone on to create highly-regarded film-music. Wedren also makes solo music, and has recently released his debut album, "Lapland", in 2005. Larson has formed a new band called Hot One.
X-French Tee Shirt
Shudder To Think Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw you screaming at the top floor
Big window crash, I'm deaf
So what'd you have to do that for? Him?
In giving it up
You chew a little foil
You can't return to us
You chew a little foil
You can't return to what
To what, to what, to what, to
Giving it up and chewing on foil
Have in common?
Bags are packed and out back out
Hold back the road that goes
So that the others may do
That you let me in just to
Pour me down their mouths
Hold back the road that goes
So that the others may do
That you let me in just to
Pour me down their mouths
Hold back the road that goes
So that the others may do
That you let me in just to
Pour me down their mouths
The lyrics of "X-French Tee Shirt" by Shudder To Think are cryptic and open-ended, leaving much to interpretation. The song appears to be about someone who is moving too quickly, recklessly causing destruction in their wake. The singer witnesses a scene where the person in question is shouting and causing a commotion in a high-rise building, resulting in a window breaking. The singer is left deafened by the noise and wonders why this person had to do something so destructive. The line "Him?" is ambiguous and may refer to the person causing the destruction or someone else entirely.
The chorus, "You chew a little foil, you can't return to us, to us, to us," is enigmatic and difficult to decipher. The mention of chewing foil could either be a reference to drug use or a metaphor for something else entirely. The repetition of "to us" suggests a longing for someone to return or reconnect with the singer and others, but the reason for their absence or disconnection is unclear.
The second verse seems to suggest that the person causing destruction has left town or moved on, "bags are packed and out back out." The lines "Hold back the road that goes so that the others may do that you let me in just to pour me down their mouths" are enigmatic but seem to suggest a person who has been used or taken advantage of by others. The repetition of "hold back the road that goes" adds to the sense of something being held back or restrained.
Overall, "X-French Tee Shirt" is a song full of cryptic lyrics that leave much to interpretation. While the song appears to be about reckless behavior and the aftermath of destructive actions, the meaning is open to personal interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Say what? You move very fast
What are you talking about? You're moving quickly
I saw you screaming at the top floor
I saw you shouting from the highest level
Big window crash, I'm deaf
The sound of a large window breaking has made me temporarily deaf
So what'd you have to do that for? Him?
Why did you make that noise? Was it for him?
You chew a little foil
You nervously bite on a piece of aluminum foil
You can't return to us
You are unable to come back to our group
To us, to us
We are saddened that you cannot return to us
Giving it up and chewing on foil
Have in common?
Is there a connection between giving something up and nervously chewing on aluminum foil?
Bags are packed and out back out
Your baggage has been packed and removed from our presence
Hold back the road that goes
So that the others may do
That you let me in just to
Pour me down their mouths
Prevent others from doing the same thing you allowed me to do - harm them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADAM WADE, CRAIG WEDREN, NATHAN LARSON, STUART HILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Krung0401
Without question, the most criminally underrated record of the 1990's. Bar none.
@strace67
+Krung absolutely
@schwarzblatt
This band is too good. May have been overlooked for that reason. It's over a lot of heads.
@gregtheelder6313
Are you drunk?
@RichardGrijalva
Yup. And they were amazing to watch play live. The way they could deconstruct a rock song and rebuild it into something totally original is unmatched. Shudder to Think were D.C. punk rockers that could rip shit up, start anew, and make you feel pleasantly awkward in the process.
@ilikecheese1970
Krung one of my favorites from the 90's. It's beautifully ugly. I get why it wasn't for everyone and why it was so good for those that got it.
@TheArtofGuitar
I remember working at a CD store and playing this song. This is back when you'd just take chances on new bands. I think I played this track 100 times and sold many of their CD's as a result. :)
@analoguebirds
I tried the same with the first Tortoise and Watts "Tug Boat o Ball Hog". Didn't work, mainly because my boss didn't like me playing that stuff :-D
@joshkirkwood8945
That is awesome. People don't normally like good music
@joshkirkwood8945
I waited 17 years to see tortoise live. So after the show I interviewed them backstage . As a music fan and reporter, I must say it was awesome. They are great guys, very sharing with their beer and cigarettes