Walking Disaster by Sum 41

[rjakubovic9]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHx-xqs3hO8&ob=av2e


I haven't been home for a while,
I'm sure everything's the same:
Mom and Dad both in denial,
the only child to take the blame.
Sorry Mom but I don't miss you,
Father's no name you deserve.
I'm just a kid with no ambitions,
wouldn't come home for the world.

Never know what I've become,
the king of all that's said and done.
The forgotten son?
This city's buried in defeat,
I walk along these no name streets,
Wave goodbye to all,
as I fall...

At the dead end I begin
to burn the bridge of innocence.
Satisfaction guaranteed,
a pillow weight catastrophe.
On a mission, nowhere bound,
inhibitions underground,
A shallow grave I
have dug all by myself.

And now I've been gone for so long
I can't remember who was wrong.
All innocence is long gone.
I pledge allegiance to a world of disbelief where I belong.

A walking disaster,
the son of all bastards.
You regret you made me,
it's too late to save me.
(You regret you made me,
it's too late to save me.)

(And he said)
Far as I can tell,
it's just voices in my head.
Am I talking to myself?
'Cause I don't know what I just said.

(And she said)
Far is where I fell,
maybe I'm better off dead.
Am I at the end of nowhere?
Is this as good as it gets?

And now I've been gone for so long
I can't remember who was wrong.
All innocence is long gone.
I pledge allegiance to a world of disbelief where I belong.

A walking disaster,
the son of all bastards.
You regret you made me,
it's too late to save me.
(To save me, to save me, to save me...)

And now I've been gone for so long
I can't remember who was wrong.
All innocence is long gone.
I pledge allegiance to a world of disbelief where I belong.

A walking disaster,
the son of all bastards.
You regret you made me,
it's too late to save me.

I will be home in a while,
you don't have to say a word.
I can't wait to see you smile,
wouldn't miss it for the world.

I will be home in a while,
you don't have to say a word.
I can't wait to see you smile,
wouldn't miss it for the world.

[rjakubovic9]

The first verse of this angst-filled song captured my attention because it is written from a perspective very similar to Jamie Tyrone's. There is a clear parallel between major dysfunctions of both families: denial and misplaced blame. Both the lyricist and Jamie also seem to share a lack of ambition and respect for their parents, specifically the father. Jamie's choice to succumb to a lifestyle of women and excessive alcohol is represented in the lines "At the dead end I begin/To burn the bridge of innocence...On a mission nowhere bound/ Inhibitions underground/ A shallow grave I have dug all by myself." Jamie has all but given up on a conventionally successful future. He feels as though his life is coming toward a dead end, and makes the choice to slowly kill himself through his lifestyle choices. The Tyrone family's destructive tendency to aggressively blame themselves and each other for all of life's disappointments followed by immediate repression is demonstrated in "Walking Disaster" as well. The chorus describes a lack of innocence in the household and the inability to remember precisely who is to blame because of the betrayal and distrust woven through each unhealthy relationship. Mary Tyrone's voice can also be heard in the brief stanza that reads "(And she said) Far is where I fell/ Maybe I'm better off dead/Am I at the end of nowhere?/ Is this as good as it gets?" This female perspective is very similar to Mary's often masked feelings of hopelessness and discontent with her life's path. She, too, has experienced suicidal thoughts as a result. Further, the line "You regret you made me/ It's too late to save me" is repeated several times and can be read as Jamie's response to his parents. Mary has admitted to having resentful feelings towards Jamie due to the circumstances of the death of her late son, Eugene. Disappointment from both of his parents may have further pushed Jamie down his destructive path to a world he feels he cannot escape.