All Fall Down
All Fall Down
Missing Persons Lyrics
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I won't be fooled by a cheap cinematic trick
It must have been just a cardboard cut out of a man
Top forty, cast off from a record stand
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
I don't know could've been a lame jogger maybe
Or someone just about to do the freeway strangler baby
Shopping cart pusher or maybe someone groovy
One thing's for sure, he isn't starring in the movies
'Cause he's walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, only a nobody walks in LA
Walkin', walkin', walkin'
Nobody's walkin', walkin', walkin'
Nobody's walkin', walkin', walkin'
Nobody's walkin', walkin', walkin'
You won't see a cop walkin' on the beat
Nobody's walkin', walkin', walkin'
You only see 'em drivin' cars out on the street
Nobody's walkin', walkin', walkin'
You won't see a kid walkin' home from school
Nobody's walkin', walkin', walkin'
Their mothers pick 'em up in a car pool
Nobody's walkin', walkin'
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Could it be that the smog's playing tricks on my eyes
Or is a roller skater some kind of headphone disguise
Maybe somebody who just ran out of gas
Making his way back to the pumps the best way he can
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA
Walkin' in LA
Walkin' in LA, only a nobody walks in LA
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
Walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin'
Walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin'
Walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin'
Walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin'
Walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin', walkin'
Nobody walks in LA
The song "Walking in L.A." by Missing Persons is a commentary on the car culture of Los Angeles. The lyrics describe the experience of walking in a city where virtually no one walks and the only people on foot are considered to be "nobodies." The singer speculates about the various reasons someone might be walking, from joggers to the "freeway strangler." The chorus repeats the observation that "nobody walks in LA," emphasizing the isolation that comes with living in a city where everyone drives.
The singer's skepticism of the Hollywood facade is highlighted by the line "I won't be fooled by a cheap cinematic trick." The cardboard cut-out of a man mentioned in the first verse represents the superficiality of celebrity culture and the commercialization of art. The singer contrasts this with the reality of life on the streets of Los Angeles, where people are relegated to the margins if they aren't part of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
Overall, "Walking in L.A." is a critique of the dehumanizing effects of car culture and the societal values propogated by the film industry. It suggests that meaningful human connection and the diversity of urban life is only possible when people are able to move through their environment at a slower pace, on foot.
Line by Line Meaning
Look ahead as we pass, try and focus on it
I am observing everything that is passing by while focusing on my surroundings
I won't be fooled by a cheap cinematic trick
I am immune to scripted Hollywood film-type illusions
It must have been just a cardboard cut out of a man
That figure must have been a fake model made out of cardboard or a material resembling it
Top forty, cast off from a record stand
A popular musical artist that was discarded or considered no longer relevant
I don't know could've been a lame jogger maybe
That person could be someone that's just jogging very slowly or does not look impressive
Or someone just about to do the freeway strangler baby
It could be someone who is a potential danger and might suffocate others somewhere around the freeway
Shopping cart pusher or maybe someone groovy
That person could be someone who is pushing a cart or someone cool
One thing's for sure, he isn't starring in the movies
He is definitely not a movie star or an actor
You won't see a cop walkin' on the beat
Police officers do not usually walk and patrol city streets
You only see 'em drivin' cars out on the street
Police officers are usually seen driving their cars on the streets
You won't see a kid walkin' home from school
Children don't typically walk back home from school
Their mothers pick 'em up in a car pool
Parents usually pick their kids up in a carpool after school
Could it be that the smog's playing tricks on my eyes
Maybe the polluted air in Los Angeles is affecting my vision and perception
Or is a roller skater some kind of headphone disguise
Is that person on roller skates trying to hide their face with headphones?
Maybe somebody who just ran out of gas
Perhaps that person's car has run out of fuel
Making his way back to the pumps the best way he can
They are trying to walk back to the gas station in the best way possible
Nobody's walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'
No one is walking in Los Angeles, ever
Lyrics © MUSIC & MEDIA INT'L, INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TERRY BOZZIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Timothy Wilson
I believe that this is the best new wave album I have ever heard in my life and I am 54 years old
Ken Conley
I fell the same way and I'm the same age.
Tommy Allen
So much great music in the 80's, but something about Missing Persons, they had a unique magic about them that no one else had.
Darnell Major
Couldn't agree with you more! We can always call them a New Wave band but Missing Persons was a breed of their own!
Angie Perlaki
this lp got me thru high school...when your backs against the wall and no one hears your call, you gotta fight for yourself... made me realize I can only depend on me in the end... God Bless MP
Albon Forbes
Where Eagles Dared... MP achieved... The Album is Magnificent
Jerry Vivanco
YES!!!! Finally.......someone else gets it!!! AMAZING album!
BADASS group!
James T Callahan
For anyone from New Jersey I used to listen to this album at North End Beach in Long Branch. A friend at college (Berklee College of Music) turned me on to it at the end of my first year, Spring 1984, when it came out. This music takes me back forever to that incredible time in my life. It’s the soundtrack of my summers in the mid-to late 80’s.
yoshluv7
I need this CD, I had it on cassette back in the day!!
Ken Conley
Same, I used to play the cassette on my long lonely drives to Mammmoth lakes, California 6hrs from Los Angeles. I would repeat it all the way there.this was back in 1987.I was 19 years old.