The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is an American garage rock band, which was … Read Full Bio ↴The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is an American garage rock band, which was formed in New York in 1990. Singer Jon Spencer was previously the leader of the noise punk band Pussy Galore before hooking up with Judah Bauer (guitar) and Russell Simins (drums) to form the Blues Explosion, a band that was part of the 1990s alternative rock boom. This bass-less combo had their breakthrough in 1993 with the album "Extra Width" on Crypt Records. In 1994 "Orange", a more accessible album followed along with a growing base of fans.

1996 they released an album which is regarded as their masterpiece, "Now I Got Worry". An unwieldy mess of an album, Now I Got Worry, starts with a series of piercing screams and never stops confounding until the end. Featuring the legendary Rufus Thomas howling and barking on Chicken Dog, and The Dub Narcotic Sound System on Fuck Shit Up, Now I Got Worry was a glorious celebration of what an open mind(s) could do with white trash rock and roll.

Touring endlessly, JSBX gained a small but enthusiastic global audience. Subsequent albums were "Acme" (1998), "Xtra Acme USA" (1999), "Plastic Fang" (2002), "Damage" (2004) and the earlier "Crypt Style" (1992) and "Jon Spencer Blues Explosion" (1992).

Jon Spencer as well as the other members of the band had several side-projects. They recorded an album together with The Dub Narcotic Sound System. Jon Spencer played together with R.L. Burnside ("A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey"), David Holmes ("Bow Down to the Exit Sign"), The Honeymoon Killers ("Hung Far Low") and other artists. He is also a member of Boss Hog, along with his wife Cristina Martinez. Together with Matt Verta-Ray of Speedball Baby Spencer formed a rockabilly revival band called Heavy Trash which has released three albums. The band has also been associated in various ways with The Beastie Boys, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others.

On the Blues Explosion's album "Damage" (2004) they left out the "Jon Spencer" prefix of the band's name to show that they are a genuine band.

Skunk
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I′m so afraid
Thought they're gonna be angry
That grown up shit
Is a tougher than man
Bit to bit
Goin′ a little crazy
What if that's a woman
Now I'm afraid

Gonna be down worried
Never have to go wrong
Down to a patch
I just no good

I don′t believe, my baby
Keep looking for help
Too much evil
To nobody
Even if it is a woman
Oh, Lord
I′m so afraid

I'll tell you what′s wrong
Life stinks
And it's all my fault
I feel like a skunk
I feel like a skunk
I feel like a skunk

I feel like a skunk
I′m so afraid

Overall Meaning

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's song, Skunk, is a poignant and introspective track exploring the fear and anxiety one feels when faced with the unknown or the unfamiliar. The opening lines, "I'm so afraid / Thought they're gonna be angry / That grown-up shit / Is tougher than man" highlights the weight of adult responsibilities and how it can feel daunting and overwhelming. The following lines, "Goin' a little crazy / What if that's a woman / Now I'm afraid" suggests the fear of the feminine and the unknown, which ultimately leads to the singer's anxiety.

Throughout the song, the singer expresses a deep sense of unease, "Gonna be down worried / Never have to go wrong / Down to a patch / I'm just no good" and a feeling of helplessness, "I don't believe, my baby / Keep looking for help / Too much evil / To nobody / Even if it is a woman / Oh, Lord / I'm so afraid." The repetition of the phrase "I feel like a skunk" emphasizes the singer's feelings of self-disgust and alienation from their emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm so afraid
I am full of fear.

Thought they're gonna be angry
I fear that the people around me will become upset or angry with me.

That grown-up shit is tougher than man
I find the challenges of being an adult more difficult than I thought they would be.

Bit to bit, goin' a little crazy
I am slowly losing my mind bit by bit.

What if that's a woman? Now I'm afraid
I fear that a woman may cause me harm or threaten me.

Gonna be down worried, never have to go wrong
I am constantly worried and anxious and never seem to do things correctly.

Down to a patch, I just no good
I feel like I am stuck in a rut and cannot do anything right.

I don't believe, my baby, keep looking for help
I do not have faith in myself and keep searching for someone to assist or save me.

Too much evil, to nobody
There is too much wrongdoing and cruelty in the world and no one seems to care or do anything about it.

Even if it is a woman, oh, Lord, I'm so afraid
I am even afraid of women, and this fear is so great that it causes me to cry out to the Lord.

I'll tell you what's wrong, life stinks, and it's all my fault
I identify the root cause of my problems as my own doing, and find life to be unpleasant and disagreeable.

I feel like a skunk, I feel like a skunk, I feel like a skunk, I feel like a skunk, I'm so afraid
I feel like a repulsive, loathsome creature that everyone else despises, and this fills me with fear and dread.

Writer(s): Judah Bauer, Jonathan Kirk Spencer, Russell P Simins

Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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