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.
Shunt
Wussy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now you're asking for a man called horse
And I don't fit the bill
After stepping on a lockjaw nail
And remedy is bound to fail
If you don't take the pill
I wish my head had a tap
So I could shunt my fears away
I'm getting ready for a king-sized poke
About as funny as a punchline joke
I laugh until it hurts
I know you're hoping for a lead pipe cinch
But I've been looking for the right-sized wrench
To throw into the works
I wish my head had a tap
And I wish my mind had a drain
So I could shunt my fears away
The lyrics to Wussy's "Shunt" describe a situation where everything seems to be veering off course. The singer feels like they're being asked for something they can't provide ("And now you're asking for a man called horse / And I don't fit the bill"). They've suffered an injury ("After stepping on a lockjaw nail") and are facing a potential remedy that might not work if they don't comply ("And remedy is bound to fail / If you don't take the pill").
The singer expresses a desire to escape their worries and anxieties ("I wish my head had a tap / And I wish my mind had a drain / So I could shunt my fears away"). In the second verse, they seem resigned to undergo a painful experience ("I'm getting ready for a king-sized poke / About as funny as a punchline joke / I laugh until it hurts"), but also skeptical that things will go as planned ("But I've been looking for the right-sized wrench / To throw into the works").
Overall, the lyrics suggest a feeling of unease and uncertainty, as well as a desire to escape or avoid difficult situations. The metaphor of a shunt (a device used to divert the flow of a fluid) is used to express a need to redirect or alleviate emotional and mental pressure.
Line by Line Meaning
This expedition's gotten way off course
The situation has gone wrong and deviated from the planned course of action
And now you're asking for a man called horse
You are requesting for a person who can do something almost impossible or extraordinary
And I don't fit the bill
But I cannot be the person you are looking for
After stepping on a lockjaw nail
I am in discomfort and pain due to a serious injury
And remedy is bound to fail
A solution or cure will not work in this case
If you don't take the pill
Unless you take medication, the symptoms won't go away
I wish my head had a tap
I desire to have an outlet where my thoughts and worries could flow out
And I wish my mind had a drain
A mechanism where my negative and unwanted thoughts could be easily drained out
So I could shunt my fears away
By doing this, I could put my fears aside and not worry about them affecting me
I'm getting ready for a king-sized poke
I know I am about to face a huge challenge or obstacle
About as funny as a punchline joke
This situation is not at all amusing, and perhaps even very serious
I laugh until it hurts
To cope with the situation, I try to see humor in it and laugh, but it only makes me feel worse
I know you're hoping for a lead pipe cinch
I know you think this task or challenge is going to be easy, but it's not
But I've been looking for the right-sized wrench
I have been trying to find the right solution to this problem, but it has eluded me so far
To throw into the works
To make the situation more complicated, by adding another element of chaos
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.