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.
Little Paper Birds
Wussy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But there you were sleeping in your clothes.
In bed with your arithmetic,
Your hair had grown so long in your repose.
There among the broken glass
Were annuals and little paper birds
Faded in the sunlight of the million ways
It's alright. It's alright.
The days all run together in an angry pack,
And now they're catching up.
I finally got your letter,
And your punctuation hit me like a truck.
She'll be coming down the mountain in a minute now
To take us underground.
To infiltrate the borders
And pray to Jesus
When the devil's not around.
It's alright. It's alright.
We've got all night.
The opening lines of the song "Little Paper Birds" by Wussy introduce the audience to a heartbreaking scenario. The singer shares that they never expected to be in this situation, but they are there. They see their lover sleeping in their clothes, hair unkempt and tangled. Laid out on their bed is a pile of papers and their arithmetic, symbolizing the mundane and routine nature of their life. Amid this scene is broken glass and little paper birds, possibly representing the shattered dreams and hopes of the person. The singer is unable to find the right words to describe this situation, and the old memories and nostalgia are washed away with the passage of time. The phrase "It's alright. It's alright" sounds like a way of comforting oneself, trying to pretend everything is fine, even if it isn't.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about receiving a letter from his beloved, and how the perfect punctuation of the sentence "hit him like a truck." From here, the lyrics take a slightly surreal and cryptic turn. The audience is introduced to various images like “she'll be coming down the mountain in a minute now, to take us underground." Perhaps this represents death, the end of life, or moving to an unknown space. Nevertheless, the following lines "To infiltrate the borders and pray to Jesus when the devil's not around" create an enigmatic and mysterious atmosphere, leaving the audience with a lot to decode.
Overall, "Little Paper Birds" gives us a glimpse of brokenness and despair. The scene described in the beginning depicts the mundane and uneventful life that the lovers are leading. The little paper birds and broken glass on the table may symbolize hope and dreams shattering. The later part of the song makes one feel like change is imminent, but the kind of change is left undetermined, which in turn adds a more dynamic and varied understanding to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Never thought it'd come to this,
I never imagined things would turn out this way,
But there you were sleeping in your clothes.
You were unexpectedly found asleep in your clothes.
In bed with your arithmetic,
With your work, your calculations that consumed your life,
Your hair had grown so long in your repose.
As you slept, your hair grew increasingly long, indicating the time spent withdrawing from the outside world.
There among the broken glass
Lying on the floor among broken glass,
Were annuals and little paper birds
There were yearly publications and small origami birds,
Faded in the sunlight of the million ways
They had faded for various reasons under the bright daylight,
That I can't find the words
There are no words to describe my grief and confusion.
It's alright. It's alright.
It's okay to feel this way.
The days all run together in an angry pack,
The days blend together in a chaotic manner, consumed by frustration.
And now they're catching up.
Now, the chaotic days are starting to catch up with us.
I finally got your letter,
I ultimately received the letter you sent me,
And your punctuation hit me like a truck.
The significance of your punctuation had a powerful impact on me.
She'll be coming down the mountain in a minute now
She'll be arriving shortly, descending from a mountain or high place
To take us underground.
To take us to a subterranean location.
To infiltrate the borders
To enter or cross boundaries without detection,
And pray to Jesus
To pray to Jesus for protection and guidance,
When the devil's not around.
When the devil is absent, leaving them vulnerable.
It's alright. It's alright.
It's all going to be fine.
We've got all night.
We have an entire night for healing and recovery.
Contributed by Mateo F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.