Prior to the release of his 1989 debut album March, Penn performed the song "This & That" with his band The Pull on a 1987 episode of Saturday Night Live. Before that, he was a member of the Los Angeles band Doll Congress and had appeared as an extra on a few television series, including St. Elsewhere.
March, particularly the first single, "No Myth," brought Penn attention, as well as the 1990 MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. Penn's follow-up albums Free-for-All (1992), Resigned (1997) and MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident (2000) weren't able to match the success of March, although critics praised his songcraft.
Penn met fellow singer-songwriter Aimee Mann in the late 1980s, and during the recording of her album I'm With Stupid (to which Penn contributed vocals), the two struck up a friendship, which blossomed into romance and their 1997 marriage. Together with manager Michael Hausman they formed United Musicians, which is based on the idea of allowing artists to keep copyright ownership of their works and to assist with their promotion and distribution. Penn and Mann live in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. They have no children, but Penn has a son from a previous marriage.
He moved into film scoring after repeated requests from director Paul Thomas Anderson, who had apparently listened to Free-for-All extensively while writing his first feature Hard Eight and wanted Penn to score the film. Penn also scored Anderson's follow-up Boogie Nights (in which he appeared briefly as a recording engineer), The Anniversary Party, Melvin Goes to Dinner and the documentary The Comedians of Comedy.
His fifth album, Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947, was released August 2, 2005, on Mimeograph Records (Penn's own label) and SpinART Records. Penn has said that the album, which may be the first of two parts, is set after World War II and involves "the trauma that a war brings to a person's psychology." [1]
Penn's music "Walter Reed" was used in the fifth episode of House MD's third season, "Fools For Love".
Walter Reed
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the 1:15.
For platform and for passerby
It's the same routine.
I'm ranting while I'm raving,
There's nothing here worth saving.
Tell me now, what more do you need?
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything.
Well there's a few things I gotta say
And make no mistake, I'm madâ?¦
'Cause every good thing I've had
Abandoned me.
All I want to do is hide.
It's graduation day
And everything I learned inside
Didn't seem to pay.
I've had my fill of palm trees
And lighting up Grauman's Chinese.
Tell me now, what more do you need?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight.
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything
And there's a few things I gotta say.
Make no mistake, I'm mad.
'Cause every good thing I had
Abandoned me.
A sad and lonesome me.
I'm the walking wounded
And I'd say it to your face
But I can't find my place.
So tell me now, what more do you need?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight.
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything
And there's a few things I gotta say.
Make no mistake, I'm mad
'Cause every good thing I had
Abandoned me.
A sad and lonesome me.
A sad and lonesome me.
A sad and lonesome me.
The lyrics of "Walter Reed" by Michael Penn seem to be a lament from a person who has lost their drive and motivation to fight for anything. The first verse describes the singer's frustration with the routine of daily life, as they watch people and luggage load up on a train. They believe that there is nothing worth saving in this world, and they are disillusioned with what they see around them.
The chorus is a plea to be taken to Walter Reed, which is a United States Army Medical Center located in Maryland. It seems that the singer has reached a point where they have lost their desire to live or fight for anything, and they want to be treated at a hospital where they can get some help. The bridge of the song reveals that the singer is a graduate who has learned a lot but no longer finds it useful. The final verse is a confession of defeat, as the singer feels like they are lost and do not know where they belong.
Overall, the song seems to be about someone who has given up on life and is asking for help to find their way back to a purpose-filled existence. It is a cry for help and an acknowledgment that something has gone terribly wrong in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
I count the cases piled up high
I see so many people in need of medical attention.
For the 1:15.
For the scheduled arrival of the train.
For platform and for passerby
Everyone is immune to this sight, even those from the platform or just passing by.
It's the same routine.
This situation has become commonplace.
I'm ranting while I'm raving,
I'm going crazy with worry and expressing my anger aloud.
There's nothing here worth saving.
I don't see anything worth saving or changing about this situation.
Tell me now, what more do you need?
What more do I need to do for you to understand that I need help?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight.
Take me to Walter Reed Medical Center tonight, I need their help.
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
I don't have the strength or will to keep fighting anymore.
Over everything.
There is nothing in my life that I still want to fight for.
Well there's a few things I gotta say
There are some things that I need to say that have been weighing on me.
And make no mistake, I'm madâ?¦
I want you to know I'm incredibly angry about my situation.
'Cause every good thing I've had
All the good things that I've ever had in my life.
Abandoned me.
Have left me alone and stranded.
All I want to do is hide.
I don't want to face the world anymore, I just want to disappear.
It's graduation day
Today is symbolic of something good, like a graduation.
And everything I learned inside
But what I've learned on the inside (through my experiences) hasn't helped me.
Didn't seem to pay.
Hasn't helped me out at all.
I've had my fill of palm trees
Living in a nicer climate or wealthier place won't make my problems disappear.
And lighting up Grauman's Chinese.
I don't need the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, I need medical help.
I'm the walking wounded
I'm suffering from medical issues that aren't visible on the outside.
And I'd say it to your face
I would tell you how I'm feeling upfront and honestly.
But I can't find my place.
I don't know where I belong anymore, I feel lost.
A sad and lonesome me.
I feel very sad and alone in my situation.
A sad and lonesome me.
I feel very sad and alone in my situation.
A sad and lonesome me.
I feel very sad and alone in my situation.
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bloodybagal
[Verse 1]
I count the cases piled up high
For the 1:15
For platform and for passerby
It's the same routine
I'm ranting while I'm raving
There's nothing here worth saving
[Chorus]
Tell me now, what more do you need?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything
Well there's a few things I gotta say
And make no mistake, I'm mad
'Cause every good thing I've had
Abandoned me
[Verse 2]
All I want to do is hide
It's graduation day
And everything I learned inside
Didn't seem to pay
I've had my fill of palm trees
And lighting up Grauman's Chinese
[Chorus]
Tell me now, what more do you need?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything
Well there's a few things I gotta say
And make no mistake, I'm mad
'Cause every good thing I've had
Abandoned me
A sad and lonesome me
[Bridge]
I'm the walking wounded
And I'd say it to your face
But I can't find my place
[Chorus]
Tell me now, what more do you need?
Take me to Walter Reed tonight
Baby I've lost the will for fighting
Over everything
Well there's a few things I gotta say
And make no mistake, I'm mad
'Cause every good thing I've had
Abandoned me
[Outro]
A sad and lonesome me
A sad and lonesome me
A sad and lonesome me
@LordJashin
House has the best soundtracks. Thanks to that unbeleviably good show, I have found many new songs and bands to listen. Greetings from Finland.
@mathies3797
12 years later and i just watched the episode with that song, cheers
@bernienull
Me too.....
@sneakyreaper9152
Same
@jakecarlo9950
Cheers Finland, from Baltimore. Stay safe out there brother.
@im.claire
Same!!!!
@lbkapwee1086
House brought me here.. Beautiful ♥️
@rayhan8980
Same..was watching house..heard the song..one of the most favourites since then..!
@mirshodruziev8098
Me too 🖤
@brianmcalpine3948
Yeah I was watching house and I loved the sound of this and typed in ‘graduation day song house’ and ended up here :D