Cleaver and Walker began playing together in 2001 as a result of Cleaver’s stage fright when asked to perform a brief run of solo shows. The duo’s first performance was largely unplanned and yet went without incident.. so they agreed to continue and expand. Mark Messerly joined in 2002 as bassist and utility man, and Dawn Burman joined on drums shortly thereafter. The four-piece has released three full-length albums and one EP on their native Cincinnati’s Shake It label. Klug joined the band shortly after Burman's departure in early 2009.
The band is known for its use of "an army of alternately droning and jangling guitars" (Uncut 6/09) to offset the traditional three-minute pop format. Lyrics are typically split evenly between Cleaver and Walker.
Their work has met with critical praise from Rolling Stone and SPIN, both of which gave the band’s second and third albums four stars each, in addition to favorable reviews from Village Voice, NPR, Washington Post, Uncut, and many other press outlets. The “Dean of American Critics” Robert Christgau placed the band’s first two albums (Funeral Dress and Left for Dead) on his Best of the Decade list, and their third album (Wussy) ranked tenth in his best of 2009 Dean’s List.
Jonah
Wussy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stars that cover you.
How they burn out one by one
Until another day is through.
You came by when I was sleeping
To unveil your newest plan.
We could get to know each other
In the back seat of your van tonight.
Chorus:
Angels sing around you
In a chorus all night long,
And you transcribe their expressions
In the morning with a song about it.
A little swallowed hole and spat back
Up on solid ground.
I?m the Jonah at the party
And you?re nowhere to be found.
So it?s you and me St. Patrick?s day
And our unlikely plan.
We could get to know each other
In the backseat of your van tonight.
REPEAT CHORUS x2
The opening lines of Wussy's "Jonah" create a dreamlike quality as the singer speaks of the stars that cover someone, burning out one by one until another day is through. It's clear that the singer is thinking about someone else and perhaps has some feelings for them. The next verse describes how the person came by when the singer was sleeping and unveiled their newest plan - which turns out to be getting to know each other in the back seat of their van tonight. The chorus speaks of angels singing around the person all night long, and how the singer transcribes their expressions in the morning with a song about it.
The second verse of "Jonah" adds a little more detail to the relationship between the singer and the other person. The singer describes themselves as the Jonah at the party while the other person is nowhere to be found. The two end up spending St. Patrick's Day together, and the singer describes their plan to get to know each other in the back seat of their van again.
Overall, "Jonah" is a song about the excitement and anticipation of a burgeoning romance. The dreamlike quality of the opening lines, the poetic description of the angels singing around a person, and the repeated plans to get to know each other better in the back seat of a van all contribute to the feeling of youthful energy and the thrill of the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I like to think about
Reflecting on the stars that shine above you
The stars that cover you.
The beauty of the stars above that shine upon you
How they burn out one by one
Watching as the stars disappear one-by-one
Until another day is through.
Until the day comes to an end and the stars vanish
You came by when I was sleeping
Appearing when the artist was deep in slumber
To unveil your newest plan.
Revealing a new proposal to the singer
We could get to know each other
Suggesting to become more acquainted with one another
In the back seat of your van tonight.
With the intimacy of a car ride in the night
Angels sing around you
Referencing a divine presence that surrounds the subject
In a chorus all night long,
A singing that doesn't end throughout the night
And you transcribe their expressions
Documenting the presence and atmosphere with art
In the morning with a song about it.
Expressing it all through a beautiful composition the following day
A little swallowed hole and spat back
To be left feeling neglected and out of place
Up on solid ground.
After feeling misplaced, to return to a state of balance
I'm the Jonah at the party
Feeling left out and out of sync with the rest of the group
And you're nowhere to be found.
Feeling abandoned by the subject of the song
So it's you and me St. Patrick's Day
Spending the holiday together
And our unlikely plan.
To carry out the unconventional proposal
We could get to know each other
Becoming more familiar and close
In the backseat of your van tonight.
Through a car ride in the evening, as intimate as two people can get
REPEAT CHORUS x2
The chorus is repeated twice more to drive home the story of the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
YourIdontknow
Jonah
a song by Wussy (lyrics)
Sometimes I like to think about
The stars that cover you
How they burn out one by one
Until another day is through
You came by when I was sleeping
To unveil your newest plan
We could get to know each other
In the back seat of your van tonight
Angels sing around you
In a chorus all night long
And you transcribe their expressions
In the morning with a song about it
A little swallowed whole
And spat back up on solid ground
I’m the Jonah at the party
And you’re nowhere to be found
So it’s you and me St. Patrick’s Day
And our unlikely plan
We could get to know each other
In the backseat of your van tonight
Angels sing around you
In a chorus all night long
And you transcribe their expressions
In the morning with a song about it
Halcyon Neumann
played with these guys years ago at the Adelphi in Hull been a massive fan ever since great band
Terrence Daugherty
My god Lisa is a great singer! I can't think of any other singer in music right now I'd rather be hearing than her.
ohioquakerman
Love this song.....
Laura Hambleton
'Our unlikely plan...'