Wingnut Dishwashers Union was sometimes a one human punk band, sometimes a … Read Full Bio ↴Wingnut Dishwashers Union was sometimes a one human punk band, sometimes a sprawling twelve piece orchestra, and always based straight outta Brattleboro, VT. The project lasted in one form or another from the demise of Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains in 2007 until songwriter Pat "The Bunny" moved from Vermont to Arizona to get off junk in December 2009. Since the beginning of 2011, he has played in a new Tucson-based band called Ramshackle Glory. He no longer performs as Wingnut Dishwashers Union.

Most recordings by this band are out of print. They are widely available to pirate online, which is openly encouraged by the band themselves. You can still get the full length, full band CD "Burn the earth! Leave it behind!" from the DIY Bandits at http://www.diybandits.com. You can order a really cheap solo CD of the first batch of Wingnut Dishwashers Union songs from the undercover label Rock-It Records by looking really carefully on http://www.plan-it-x.com. There are still copies of two different split seven-inches lying around, put out by http://www.craftyrecords.net and Triumph of Life Records if you can track them down.

An incomplete list of musicians that played with Wingnut Dishwashers Union during their career. Never shall they all be remembered! Pat "The Bunny" (guitar/vocals) Flash-C (trumpet/drums) Ian Skumfuk (washtub bass), Davis (drums), Mike (guitar/harmonica/piano/accordion/bass) Agatha (banjo) Matt (guitar/bass/trumpet/slide guitar/piano) Dallas (drums/bass) Jacob (guitar) Douglas (theramin) Alex (noisebox) Scott (guitar/drums) Kris (bass) Michael (clarinet) Adhi (saxaphone) Michael Jordan (drums) Thorin (guitar) Emily (cello) Niki (banjo)

alley cat
Wingnut Dishwashers Union Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tonight I'm an alley cat yeah,
More afraid of you than you are of me
But if you leave some food out on the porch,
I might stay till there's nothing left to eat
I could sit alone in a lunch room in high school
If I wasn't sitting alone at a punk show in Asheville

Tonight the upper left hand side of my chest

Has a hole as big as the one in my pocket
I mighta kissed you wearing a bulletproof vest
But hell, you kiss like a rocket

I'd be a teenage virgin jerking off in my bedroom
If I wasn't a 20 year old virgin that didn't have a bedroom

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Alley Cat" by Wingnut Dishwashers Union talk about feeling like an outcast, alone and vulnerable in the world. The singer identifies with an alley cat, who is afraid of humans, but is also drawn to their food. The cat represents the singer's own fear and loneliness, as it seeks comfort in whatever scraps it can scavenge. This is a metaphor for the singer's own struggles to survive in a society that doesn't seem to have a place for them.

The song also touches on themes of heartbreak, as the singer reveals that they have a hole in their chest as big as the one in their pocket. They may have tried to protect themselves from pain, but ultimately it's impossible to guard against everything. The mention of kissing someone with a bulletproof vest on suggests that the singer has been hurt before, and is now guarded in their relationships. The final line, where the singer says that they don't even have a bedroom, highlights the poverty and instability that they live with.

Overall, "Alley Cat" is a song about feeling lost, alone, and vulnerable in a world that seems hostile and uncaring. The singer struggles to find their place, but is also wary of getting hurt again. The song speaks to the experience of many young people who feel like they don't fit in, whether it's at school, at shows, or in society at large.

Line by Line Meaning

Tonight I'm an alley cat yeah,
Tonight I feel like a stray cat, wandering around and looking for scraps.

More afraid of you than you are of me
I feel intimidated by others and wish I had more confidence.

But if you leave some food out on the porch,
If someone were to offer me something to eat, I would stay and accept it.

I might stay till there's nothing left to eat
I would stick around as long as there is still something available to me.

I could sit alone in a lunch room in high school
I have experienced feeling alone and excluded in social settings before.

If I wasn't sitting alone at a punk show in Asheville
But even in a setting where I fit in more, such as a punk show in Asheville, I still feel isolated.

Tonight the upper left hand side of my chest
Currently, I feel a physical pain in my chest.

Has a hole as big as the one in my pocket
The pain I feel inside is comparable to the emptiness I feel in my wallet.

I mighta kissed you wearing a bulletproof vest
I was afraid of letting my guard down and becoming vulnerable in a romantic situation.

But hell, you kiss like a rocket
But in spite of my fear, I know that the other person is a good kisser.

I'd be a teenage virgin jerking off in my bedroom
If I didn't have my current experiences, I would be even more inexperienced and lonely.

If I wasn't a 20 year old virgin that didn't have a bedroom
But in reality, I am a 20-year-old virgin who doesn't even have a comfortable space to call my own.

Contributed by Hannah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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