Interpretations of Walkin' On The Sun The following are other people's interpretations/observations of "Walkin' On The Sun." I am so impressed with all of you folks! I would like to apologize if you had sent me your analysis and it did not show up here; you see, my email program screwed up sending many of my emails to a digital afterlife. Anyway, if you want to share your criticisms of this song or other, just shoot me an email. If you want to know Smash mouth's interpretation of this song--straight from the horse's smashed mouth, as they say--then click on this link.
TERRY GAMEL (Gamelot)
http://www.busprod.com/RGamel
Subject: Impressions of Walkin On The Sun
Date: 18 Nov 1997You said on your web page to reply if I thought you were being a prick by demanding good grammer in the song. I don't think so. I think too often the rest of the world sees people who listen to this "style of music" as punks who couldn't care less about any intelligence past what they hear in the songs.
I know I used to think that. Until very recently, I never listened to z104.5 (the Edge in my city). In fact, it was this song that got me hooked. It got stuck in my head so much after just hearing it once that I couldn't help but listen again. :)
One thing you mentioned on your page was a lack of understanding what the author meant by "Walkin On The Sun". From a Christian perspective, I guess one could argue that he's saying, pretty much, "go to hell" :) Still satirical, of course. Another possibility would be that it's like saying to a person "you don't belong on this planet" simply because fad is what everyone here looks for first. If you don't buy into every new fad, you don't belong on earth. You become so lame, you might as well .. be walkin on the sun :) No point in living if ya aren't with every new fad. Love the satire of this song, though I worry about some people taking it seriously.
ADRIAN PEARSON DUNSTON
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~apdunsto
Subject: Walking on the Sun
Date: 18 Nov 1997Hi, my name's Adrian. I'm a student at NC State. I was looking at your lyrical analysis, and the last verse bothered me. I thought I'd share a thought.
It ain't no joke when a mama's handkerchief is soaked
With her tears, because her baby's life has been revoked.Fads may seem like fun, but the world is real. People die. It ain't no joke
The bond is broke up, so choke up, and focus on the close up;
Media reference?
Mr. Wizard can't perform no godlike hocus-pocus.
No one can bring back the dead. Not even the old-school heroes.
So don't sit back, kick back, and watch the world get bushwhacked:
He's saying,"Get off your ass!" Shit's happening and if you just sit around following the fads like some idiot sheep, you're gonna get slapped hard.
News at 10:00, your neighborhood is under attack.
Another (bashing?) media reference and wake up call.
Put away the crack before the crack puts you away.
Some fads are dangerous. Don't die following a crowd. Crack is only a specific example.
You need to be there when your baby’s old enough to relate.
There is a generational reference, but he's basically saying to stay alive so that you can provide for your kids and later get to know them. Most kids past the age of 4 can "relate."
Those are my thoughts. I'm not a big SmashMouth fan, but I like this song. Thanks for your time.
BRIAN
Subject: Last verse of Walkin' on the Sun
Date: 5 Dec 1997Okay, c'mon buddy...this is easy. For a real challenge, you should try and figure out all the subtle/hidden references/messages in "Miss American Pie"... But I digress.
Anyhoo, I think the last verse in "Walkin' on the Sun" is all about the dismal plunge in the quality of parenting in this country in the last 40 years or so. Specifically, I think he is pointing out the rise of drug and gang violence as a result of this decrease.
The first and most obvious sign is when Greg Camp is quoted in that interview talking about the inspiration for the song, when he says "I was trying to be peaceful when all around me there were mothers on crack with kids in their arms."
The "baby's life has (literally) been revoked" in a drive-by or some other criminal escapade.
What is always a feature of the "News at 10:00"? Gang violence... a.k.a.: your local "neighborhood under attack."
This is a straight message to those mothers on the street: Preserve your maternal bond (the bond is broke). Put away the crack, and YOU NEED TO BE THERE.
FIREBLONDE
Subject: My analysis
Date: 13 Dec 1997It ain't no joke I'd like to buy the world a toke
toke=a clue mabey?And teach the world to sing in perfect harmony
get alongAnd teach the world to snuff the fires and the liars
stop whoever is creating troubleHey I know it's just a song but it's spice for the recipe
just because this is a song doesnt mean it doesnt try and proove a point. it isnt just the loud noise 'kids today' listen to.This is a love attack I know it went out but it's back
hey pay attention just because it isnt cool doesnt mean it isnt important.It's just like any fad it retracts before impact
be careful or youll miss the pointAnd just like fashion it's a passion for the with it and hip
if you like this youll be coolIf you got the goods they'll come and buy it just to stay in the clique
so market it and mabey you can make some bucks off of the mindless crowd of followersSo don't delay act now supplies are running out
sarcasmAllow if you're still alive six to eight years to arrive
youll get the point later if it hadnt killed you by thenAnd if you follow there may be a tomorrow
if you can get what im saying then you might know to stop hurting yourself and surviveBut if the offer is shun you might as well be walkin' on the sun
if you dont get this then oh well i might as well be arguing with a brick wallTwenty-five years ago they spoke out and they broke out
yes the hippiesOf recession and oppression and together they toked
they broke away from the croud but not knowing created another croud. (toked i believe is how everyone began doing drugs to rebel)And they folked out with guitars around a bonfire
just havin funJust singin' and clappin' man what the hell happened
where did the peace go?Some were spellbound some were hellbound
the war. some stayed at home and watched the maddness. some went to war.Some they fell down and some got back up and some
died and some became hippiesFought back 'gainst the melt down
who did just that. they tried to bring peace (i admit they were wrong in a few cases but they had a good idea)And their kids were hippie chicks all hypocrites
their kids became criticizers of the government also and were the rebels of the next decadesBecause fashion is smashin' the true meaning of it
fasion rules the world,you cant get away from itIt ain't no joke when a mama's handkerchief is soaked
a mom realizing the world she is living inWith her tears because her baby's life has been revoked
and how it is effecting her kid,who couldve been killed,stolen,or just turned rebel.The bond is broke up so choke up and focus on the close up
parent kid bonding isnt cool so get over it,go watch the news or get the point (think i hear sarcasm)Mr. Wizard can't perform no godlike hocus-pocus
what you grew up with isnt relavent any more. they cant help. everything changesSo don't sit back kick back and watch the world get bushwhacked
get UP and DO something about everything you complain about. it wont fix itself.News at 10:00 your neighborhood is under attack
like,hello,the problems are everywhere,even at homePut away the crack before the crack puts you away
drugs cant help. and fasion doesnt matter. break away from the croud and get a lifeYou need to be there when your baby’s old enough to relate
you need to be alive and know what you are doing before you can help your kid when it gets to where you are.this is just my thoughts on the song. i think almost everything everyone else said is true too. this is a great wake up call to our generation. :)
CHEATER HIJACKER
Subject: Parallel found in Walkin' On The Sun
Date: 17 Jan 1998This is the only song I have heard from Smashmouth so far, and I have no negative comments on your ability to find the meaning of their lyrics. I do however wish to share a parallel I have found in these lyrics to a current problem. I wrote a paper about the very problem of fashion destroying the true meaning of many types of rebellion. (This is why I was initially intrigued with this songs concept.) The fact is if you look at the clothing people in small towns are wearing today. This is in reference to the latest fad of wearing Tommy Hilfiger clothing and wearing their tote bags. I explained in my essay that this started as an urban movement against the rich. My hypothesis was based upon the way the clothing was worn, loose fitting and mostly dirty, and was actually insulting the people who wore these over expensive clothes. Unfortunatly, the fashion industry took control and crushed what could have been an urban revolution. If you go to most urban enviornments now most people their don't wear the clothing. Not only that but the advertisers on TV are now selling Tommy clothing specificly to children in small towns. This doesn't have everything to do with this great song, but I thought you might care about this amusing fact anyway. It turns out this fad shit is still happening. Oh well. We learn from history that we do not learn from history.
JEFF HARRIS
Subject: Walkin' On The Sun
Date: 19 Jan 1998Your Smash Mouth Page is excellent; Not only are the graphics intense, but you're obviously an intelligent, artistic person who uses his brain! I liked your interpretation of the song Walkin' on the Sun, and think you're right on track, but as you suggest, the lyrics allow for a great deal of interpretation, and perhaps were even written so as to allow the listener to come to his/her own meaning(s). The song, in my opinion, is one of the greatest marriages of sound and lyrics to date, and it's quickly moving up my personal top ten list.
Here are my thoughts on the lyrics:
IT AINT NO JOKE, I'D LIKE TO BUY THE WORLD A TOKE
AND TEACH THE WORLD TO SING IN PERFECT HARMONYEveryone is so uptight in this day and age! We spend our time and energy chasing the truly unimportant things in life (money and material possessions and social status), while Love, Respect, Compassion, Mercy and Courtesy are put on the back burner, or forgotten totally. If we could all pause and take a "toke," (I personally think he IS referring to Marijuana here, but the word "toke," could be symbolic and represent nothing more than stopping to smell the roses and seeing what is really happening around us), we might perhaps see the errors in our ways and calm the hell down and stop the violence ("Pot Heads" are NOT violent people as a general rule). Singing in perfect harmony, to me, means understanding that we are all connected (in one way or another), but we're easily overpowered by our own greed, lust and selfishness. What a wonderful world it would be if we all worked together to make life pleasant for everyone, not just ourselves!
THE REMAINDER OF THE FIRST VERSE
To keep things simple, I'll just say that the lyrics suggest that there are too many sheep out there who don't have the slightest idea what's going on, but they want everyone to think that they do!
CHORUS
(This is satire of course.) Live for today, and roll with it. Society will teach you all you need to know to survive, and if you stand up for that which is "Good" or "Praiseworthy" or don't float in the wind of social opinion you'll get left behind and be regarded as "weird" or "lame." The last line of the chorus is not satire, and suggests that if you don't agree with the message of the song, then you might as well be dead, because you're missing the big picture or true meaning of life.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO...(ENTIRE SECOND VERSE)
They were on the right track during the hippie revolution towards love, peace, mind-expansion (not necessarily referring to using drugs to expand the mind) and anti-repression, but somewhere along the way they forgot what the hell they were even doing, and as a result, what could have been several steps in the right direction, were left behind, only to be remembered as a "fad."
IT AIN'T NO JOKE... (ENTIRE THIRD VERSE )
The Lyricist is now getting desperate to relay his point! If the first two verses didn't catch your attention then maybe the life of your own child getting taken will! "The bond is broke up, so choke up and focus on the close up" screams at me: "Hey you stupid bastard, you're going the WRONG WAY, wake the fuck up and see what's happening; This "shit" (for lack of a better word, and referring to the decay of honorable values and the direction we're 'walking' in) is REAL, this isn't a game. Get off your lazy ass and change the dumbass staring back at you from the mirror. This "shit" doesn't just happen in the ghettos of LA or New York or Russia or Bosnia, it's happening right now, in your own house, right under your nose and you're too naive to realize it. You can wake up now and realize your mistakes and wrong paths taken ("Crack," but this reference, to me, is specifically referring to crack and drug abuse, and symbolically referring to mistakes / wrong paths), and perhaps your example will empower your offspring to follow in your footsteps and reverse the trend, which is ultimately "The Human Predicament," or more specifically repeating the same mistakes over and over and learning nothing, thus, we'd be just as well off walking on the sun as we would be walking on earth in the wrong direction!
Perhaps the reason I've taken such a liking to these lyrics is because I believe very strongly in what he's saying (as far as the way I interpret the song), and I have to admit that I quite often walk in the wrong direction myself!