“Honey it's your son I think I borrowed
just too much
We had taxes, we had bills, we had a lifestyle of fun
And tonight I swear I'll come home and we'll make love like we're young
Then tomorrow you'll cook dinner for the neighbours 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
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk”
We had taxes, we had bills, we had a lifestyle of fun
And tonight I swear I'll come home and we'll make love like we're young
Then tomorrow you'll cook dinner for the neighbours 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
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk”
Take
a Walk – Passion Pit
On first listen to Take a Walk it’s hard to understand exactly what this song is
about. I read an interesting article where Michael Angelakos, Passion Pit’s
lead singer, was nervous to release this song as a single because he thought it
would be interpreted as political statement. Rather, he says, Take A Walk is about three generations
of his family at different and rather difficult times of their lives. After I
listened to this song a few more times I begun to hear the struggles in the
stories of these men. One of the stories stood out to me – it’s the story that
I chose for the above excerpt of the song – and, one very specific line caught
my attention over and over again:
I'm just too much a coward to admit when
I'm in need
Yes, that line. Read it again.
I'm just too much a coward to admit when
I'm in need
I'm
just too much a coward to admit when I'm in need
This could be one of the most significant
lines I have ever heard in a song. I think nearly everyone would be able to admit
they have done this. They have acted like nothing is wrong in their lives
because they were ashamed or afraid of the backlash they would receive, because
our society still connects being in need with being weak.
I’ve done this on so many occasions I have
lost count of the number of times I could have used some help. I’ll share with
you the most recent time I needed help but didn’t get some. I was in San
Francisco and struggling with the death of a new friend. It was a really bizarre
situation, being away from home with people I hardly knew and dealing with such
an emotional burden. I felt like I had no one to talk to and I wanted to be
alone – but that didn’t mean that I was okay. I didn’t want to admit that I was
still struggling while I watched my fellow travellers move on and enjoy their
trip. I also knew that when I left San Francisco and got back to the comfort of
my own home I would be fine. But there were 48 hours or so where I spend a good
deal of time in the hotel room alternating crying and sleeping and feeling at a
very low point of my life.
When I think back on this time, and other
times I never asked for help, I guess I felt like I could handle it myself and
I felt like my problem wasn’t really a big deal. But sometimes, no matter how
big or small, you need someone else’s help. I wish it weren’t a thing to have
to put aside your tough guy persona to ask for help, and I wish it didn’t feel
like others were judging your weaknesses for admitting you have a problem. But
then I think this idea is just in our own heads – that we feel like people will
judge, when in reality they won’t, they will just help. And they won’t let you
take the walk alone.
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