To be honest, I don't think this song is upbeat at all. I think, in classic Walkmen fashion, it sounds really powerful and uplifting, but the message is much darker, creating almost a painful iron that they're so beloved for.
To be honest, I don't think this song is upbeat at all. I think, in classic Walkmen fashion, it sounds really powerful and uplifting, but the message is much darker, creating almost a painful iron that they're so beloved for.
I think the song is about a man getting overwhelmed with pressure. He talks about having his hands full and going on this trip or vacation or something, but while he's on this trip, everything still feels stressful and ominous, and nothing really gets better. The lyrics suggest and interrupted sleep schedule ("slept through half a day", "sleeping in the sun"), and nervousness about the future ("footsteps in the hall", "there's thunder and there's lightning a hundred miles off"). The trumpets in the interlude and at the end further contribute to the irony when you look at the song this way, and you can almost hear the strain that the singer is under.
That's my take on it, anyway. I love the Walkmen, and it's entirely possible that I attribute more to them than they intend. But I'll be damned if they aren't one of the strongest lyrical bands around.
Woo hoo! the boys are back with a thunderous new album, and I got first post!
Love those mariachi trumpets! Great to hear an upbeat song from the Walkmen!
To be honest, I don't think this song is upbeat at all. I think, in classic Walkmen fashion, it sounds really powerful and uplifting, but the message is much darker, creating almost a painful iron that they're so beloved for.
To be honest, I don't think this song is upbeat at all. I think, in classic Walkmen fashion, it sounds really powerful and uplifting, but the message is much darker, creating almost a painful iron that they're so beloved for.
I think the song is about a man getting overwhelmed with pressure. He talks about having his hands full and going on this trip or vacation or something, but while he's on this trip, everything still feels stressful and ominous, and nothing really gets better. The lyrics suggest and interrupted sleep schedule ("slept through half a day", "sleeping in the sun"), and nervousness about the future ("footsteps in the hall", "there's thunder and there's lightning a hundred miles off"). The trumpets in the interlude and at the end further contribute to the irony when you look at the song this way, and you can almost hear the strain that the singer is under.
That's my take on it, anyway. I love the Walkmen, and it's entirely possible that I attribute more to them than they intend. But I'll be damned if they aren't one of the strongest lyrical bands around.