I Went Walking

Song Meaning

The narrator invites us to imagine absurdities – a sheep in a pork pie hat, a lemming in black – before grounding the surreal in a specific, real-world location: St. Marks Place. This sets up a contrast between the fantastical and the mundane, hinting that the truly strange might be found not in imagination, but in everyday encounters. The opening questions create a sense of playful disorientation, drawing the listener into a world where the expected rules don't apply. This disorientation quickly shifts to a confrontation with social judgment. The narrator recounts being called a "square" by someone who values superficial markers of identity like "buttons or spike my hair." The narrator dismisses these as meaningless, asserting that "lines been drawn they don't mean a thing" after experiencing more significant things. This highlights a core tension between external conformity and internal authenticity, with the narrator firmly on the side of the latter. The lyrics then pivot to a critique of a perceived underground scene, labeling its adherents "sorry junkie-beatnicks." The narrator suggests their attempts at being "profound" and "underground" are hollow, claiming they haven't "noticed anything since 1963." This implies a weariness with performative rebellion and a belief that true insight comes from a deeper, perhaps more personal, form of observation rather than adherence to a trend. The final vignette about a girl the narrator wanted to know, who then insisted "I had to go," adds a layer of poignant, unfulfilled connection. The narrator's emphatic "I didn't want to go no!" reveals a deep-seated desire for connection that is repeatedly thwarted. The simple, declarative "I went walking" that concludes the song suggests a solitary, perhaps resigned, response to these encounters with absurdity, judgment, and missed opportunities.