Take a Walk Lyrics

[Verse 1]
All these kinds of places make it seem like it's been ages
Tomorrow, some new building will scrape the sky
I love this country dearly, I can feel the ladder clearly
But I never thought I'd be alone to try

Once, I was outside Penn Station selling red and white carnations
We were still alone, my wife and I
Before we married, saved my money, brought my dear wife over
Now I work to bring my family stateside

[Pre-Chorus]
But off the boat, they stayed a while, then scattered across the coast
Once a year I'll see them for a week or so at most


[Chorus]
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)

[Verse 2]
Practice isn't perfect, but the market cuts a loss
I remind myself that times could be much worse
My wife won't ask me questions, there's not so much to ask
And she'll never flaunt around an empty purse
Once, my mother-in-law came just to stay a couple nights
Then decided she would stay the rest of her life
I watch my little children play some board game in the kitchen
And I sit and pray they never feel my strife

[Pre-Chorus]
But then my partner called to say the pension funds were gone
He made some bad investments, now the accounts are overdrawn

[Chorus]
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)

[Bridge]
Honey, it's your son, I think I borrowed just too much
We had taxes, we had bills, we had a lifestyle to front
And, tonight, I swear I'll come home and we'll make love like we're young
Tomorrow, you'll cook dinner for the neighbors and their kids
We can rip apart those socialists and all their damn taxes
But see I am no criminal, I'm down on both bad knees
I'm just too much a coward to admit when I'm in need

[Chorus]
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (Oh)

How to Format Lyrics:

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  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
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About

Genius Annotation

The first single off of Passion Pit’s 2nd full length album Gossamer sees frontman Michael Angelakos exploring new themes in his music. Whereas the subsequent tracks dive into Angelakos' personal struggles, Take a Walk opens the album with an anecdote about the struggles of his ancestors.

In an interview with TimeOut magazine, Angelakos said of Take a Walk:

I didn’t even really want it to go on the record. But I found it interesting because it talked about, like, my genetics before going into myself and my life. These are all true stories; this is my grandfather and so on. It was about how they dealt with strife, and obviously the way I’ve dealt with strife was extraordinarily unhealthy, and that’s the point.

He also stated to MTV News:

As Angelakos said, the song is really about his family; each verse is about a member of his family at one point in their lives — from an immigrant selling flowers outside Penn Station to a well-heeled (though financially strapped) member of society. And, in a way, the song is also about him.

It’s about very specific family members, the male hierarchy, and how the men in my family have always dealt with money. I’ve always been really fond of a lot of my family members and not so fond of others. All these men were very conservative; socially very liberal but for some reason, they all came here for capitalism, and they all ended up kind of being prey to capitalism. And I’m not making any political statements or anything, but it’s ironic and it’s sad.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Passion Pit say about "Take a Walk"?
Genius Answer

In a 2015 interview with Pitchfork, Angelakos talks about the song being featured in the Taco Bell commercial:

“That [Taco Bell commercial] was for no money… Taco Bell puts so much money into bands that go on the road because they have an awesome music program. I was like, “OK, their food is whatever.” I don’t eat fast food. I told them that. But the program is actually legitimately about music, so I was like, “This is going to end up being like the fuckin' theme song for Taco Bell, but I get people’s attention and then they’re going to listen to this other stuff that’s not associated with Taco Bell.” And by the way, I wasn’t so emotionally attached to that song [“Take A Walk”]. I didn’t want it to be on the record. It’s my least favorite Passion Pit song—and not because of the Taco Bell thing.”

In the 2012 interview with CBS, he also addresses his opinion on the controversy on music being used on commercials:

“This is totally a different age. A lot of older artists are adamantly against the usage of their music in commercials. They can actually afford to turn that down. What does Taco Bell have to do with three of my family members struggling financially…I have no idea,” Angelakos continued, referencing the song’s bleak lyrical content. “But, it’s not about that. It’s not about promoting celebrities or giant corporations or anything like that. It’s just airtime…It’s an amazing opportunity. And, honestly, you take what you can get. I say no to about 90 percent of the offers, but we just want people to hear the music at end of the day."

What did the artist say about this song?
Genius Answer

On Michael Angelakos' 2017 Reddit AmA post, he said:

it’s just a weird character study that went almost too far, i have no idea. but i like that it’s so uncharacteristic of me. each verse, well, including the bridge, is about a male figure in my family, and the common thread is immense financial and familial pressure, and how money seems to have always ruined everything. you need it, but it’s very clearly the corruptive element.

Does this track have any RIAA certifications?
Genius Answer

Yes. “Take a Walk” was certified 2x platinum by the RIAA on October 30th, 2020.

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