Justin Osb… Read Full Bio ↴Susto is an American indie-rock band based in Charleston.
Justin Osborne needed a break. He'd been writing music and making albums since he was 15, and by the age of 26, he felt like he was spinning his wheels. He knew he needed a change, so he ended his old band Sequoyah Prep School and moved to Cuba. He thought he might be done with music for a while, but the songs just kept coming.
"I had this idea in my mind that I was going to try and join some kind of Latin American Leftist movement. I wanted to jump off a cliff," Osborne says. "Once I got there I immediately started hanging out with musicians and going to shows. I started showing them the songs from this project that was kind of just an idea in my head.
"They were like, 'man, don't throw away your passport, go home and continue to make music,'" he says. "I was encouraged by them to try again."
Osborne was already writing the songs for what would be SUSTO's 2014 self-titled debut when his producer Wolfgang Zimmerman introduced him to Johnny Delaware, a guitarist and songwriter who had moved to Charleston, South Carolina to make an album with the producer.
SUSTO is a Spanish word referring to a folk illness in Latin America that Osborne learned as anthropology student, meaning “when your soul is separated from your body,” and also roughly translates to a panic attack. For Osborne, the music of SUSTO was something he had to get out into the world.
SUSTO released their debut album independently and toured relentlessly to get the word out. They were an immediate hit in their hometown, packing venues, getting airplay at all the bars and even making a fan of Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell. "I got an e-mail from him, telling me he loved the record and wanted to meet with me and Johnny," he says. "That was actually the day I wrote my professor, and I said, ‘I'm not coming in.’"
The members of the live band that Osborne and Delaware recruited — Corey Campbell (guitar, keys, backing vocals), Jenna Desmond (bass), and Marshall Hudson (drums, percussion) contributed to SUSTO’s new album & I'm Fine Today, which will be released via Caroline. "We just wanted to go further. We started something with the first record, and we want to keep going in that direction," Osborne says of the album, which finds them taking the spacey country rock of their debut into the stratosphere, piling on layers of sighing keyboards, galloping rhythms and frayed, noisy guitar solos atop wistful melodies and lyrics that examine growing up and growing into yourself. “We put the first record out, and we worked hard, and it just feels like a good place to be,” he says, noting that while the first record focused on his own struggles, & I'm Fine Today is more concerned with looking at the world beyond the struggles in your head.
“I’ve learned to appreciate the fact that I just get to be here. It’s all perspective,” he says. “This album is about coming to terms with yourself and feeling okay with your place in the universe."
Get Down
Susto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, then other times I get up
Cause I′m on the ground
In the streets, in my hands, in my face
Yeah, the last time you came around
You took me by surprise when I found you
Had me on the ground
In the streets, in my hands, in my face
I don't know, I wanna go
I wanna feel your embrace
I been tryin′ to find
Someone else with a little piece of my mind
I know I see it in you
Ah, well sometimes I give up
Yeah, but other times I can't get enough
Cause I'm on the ground
In the streets, in my hands, in my face
I wanna know, I wanna go
I wanna feel your embrace
I been tryin′ to find
Someone else with a little piece of my mind
Let′s go, I see it in you
The song "Get Down" by Susto is a reflection of the ups and downs in life. The singer acknowledges that sometimes he gets down or feels low, while at other times, he feels up or motivated. The song portrays the idea of someone struggling to find their place in life and trying to make sense of it. The lyrics, "Cause I'm on the ground, in the streets, in my hands, in my face" describe how the singer feels like life is pushing him down and he is constantly trying to come back up.
The singer then talks about the last time someone came around, it surprised him, and he found himself on the ground again. But despite that, he still longs for that person's embrace. For him, the only way to find comfort is through that embrace. He admits to seeking someone who understands him, someone who can share his thoughts and feelings. He sings, "I been trying to find, someone else with a little piece of my mind." He finds that person in his lover and wants to be with her.
"Get Down" highlights the emotional rollercoaster that people go through while trying to find their place in life. It's a reminder that we all have low moments, but we have to keep pushing through until we find our footing.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, well sometimes I get down
There are times when I feel sad and discouraged.
Hey, then other times I get up
But there are other times when I feel motivated and energized.
Cause I′m on the ground
I am feeling low and defeated.
In the streets, in my hands, in my face
This feeling is all around me and is impacting every aspect of my life.
Yeah, the last time you came around
When you were last here with me,
You took me by surprise when I found you
You surprised me and I didn't know how to react.
Had me on the ground
You made me feel lower than ever before.
In the streets, in my hands, in my face
This feeling was all around me and I couldn't escape it.
I don't know, I wanna go
I'm confused and unsure of what to do, but
I wanna feel your embrace
I want to feel your comforting hug and support.
I been tryin′ to find
I have been searching and seeking for
Someone else with a little piece of my mind
Someone who understands what I am going through and can relate to me.
Let′s go, I see it in you
I think that person might be you, and I want to go towards you and see if you can help me.
Ah, well sometimes I give up
Sometimes, I feel like giving up and letting go of my struggles.
Yeah, but other times I can't get enough
But sometimes I am so motivated to overcome my challenges that I can't get enough of the fight.
I wanna know, I wanna go
I want to understand and get to the bottom of my feelings, so
I wanna feel your embrace
I want to feel the support and love that I believe you can offer me.
Writer(s): Christian Chidester, Dylan Kyle Dawkins, Robert Justin Osborne, Steven Walker
Contributed by Hannah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@milkywayan2232
Beautifully simple, insightful, powerful song that succinctly describes the human condition with impeccable orchestration that complements the lyrics.
I heard part of this song on WSGE in Gastonia (next to Charlotte) North Carolina on Monday 29 November 2021. I called the radio station to find out who it was.
Over the past four days I listened to this song, with and without the video, about 25 times. I just listened to the audio only this morning to complete my smarmy or sincere analysis. The lyrics hit me like they did the first day with an added bonus of not distracting from the tune’s dance ability.
Beautifully simple, insightful, powerful song that succinctly describes the human condition with impeccably timed orchestration that complement the lyrics.
For anyone who’s ever written anything, they realize to be this clear, brief, and vast in a three minute song takes incredible dedication and desire to communicate with their fellow beings. Now we can work on all the remedies for susto, eh SUSTO?
@pmc1649
Susto's music makes me really happy and brings me a lot of joy.
@NewWestRecords
SUSTO is REAL!!!!
@benjaminfrankliniii9857
So underrated
@Ksbweapon16
I just heard this today on my local radio station, and now I'm in love. Feels good discovering some new jams
@killzoltar
this band is infectiously good how do u not feel great after listening to this shit
@HeyLookAtTheMoon
This Texan digs some Susto
@andreasback4728
Brilliant, as always.
@milkywayan2232
Beautifully simple, insightful, powerful song that succinctly describes the human condition with impeccable orchestration that complements the lyrics.
I heard part of this song on WSGE in Gastonia (next to Charlotte) North Carolina on Monday 29 November 2021. I called the radio station to find out who it was.
Over the past four days I listened to this song, with and without the video, about 25 times. I just listened to the audio only this morning to complete my smarmy or sincere analysis. The lyrics hit me like they did the first day with an added bonus of not distracting from the tune’s dance ability.
Beautifully simple, insightful, powerful song that succinctly describes the human condition with impeccably timed orchestration that complement the lyrics.
For anyone who’s ever written anything, they realize to be this clear, brief, and vast in a three minute song takes incredible dedication and desire to communicate with their fellow beings. Now we can work on all the remedies for susto, eh SUSTO?
@CarolinaKingCrow
Amazing!
@Sara-G-C
I missed you guys!