Walk This Way
Run-D.M.C. ft. Aerosmith Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Backstroke lover always hidin' 'neath the cover
'Till I talked to my daddy he say
He said, you ain't seen noting
'Till you're down on a muffin
Then you're sure to be a-changin' your ways

I met a cheerleader, was a real young bleeder
All the times I can reminisce
Ah the best thing lovin' with her sister and her cousin
Started with a little kiss, like this

See-saw swingin' with the boys in the school
With your feet flyin' up in the air
Singin' hey diddle-diddle with the kitty in the middle
You be swingin' like you just didn't care

So I took a big chance at the high school dance
With a missy who was ready to play
Was it me she was foolin'?
'Cause she knew what she was doin'
Taught me how to walk this way
She told me to

Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Ah, just give me a kiss

Like this
School girl sadie with the classy kinda sassy
Little skirt climbing way up her knees
There was three young ladies in the school gym locker
When I noticed they was lookin' at me

I was a high school loser, never made it with a lady
Till the boys told me something I missed
Then my next door neighbour with a daughter had a favour
Took me just a little kiss, like this

See-saw swingin' with the boys in the school
With your feet flyin' up in the air
Singin' hey diddle-diddle with the kitty in the middle
You be swingin' like you just didn't care

So I took a big chance at the high school dance
With a missy who was ready to play
Was it me she was foolin'?
'Cause she knew what she was doin'
Told me how to walk this way
She told me to

Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, talk this way




Just give me a kiss
Like this

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in "Walk This Way" by Run-D.M.C. ft. Aerosmith describe the experiences and adventures of a young man navigating his way through different social situations. The first verse starts with the singer talking about a lover who always hides beneath the cover and how his father advised him that he hasn't seen anything until he's down on his luck. The second verse talks about how the singer met a cheerleader who he reminisces about being with her sister and cousin. The chorus talks about the chorus's love interest teaching him how to walk a certain way while eventually asking for a kiss. The last verse highlights the singer being a high school loser until his neighbor's daughter helped him out, and the chorus repeats the same message as before.


Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of someone exploring different social spheres and learning from each interaction they have. The song's context heavily draws from the time period it was released and speaks to the socio-political environment in which it was written.


Line by Line Meaning

Backstroke lover always hidin' 'neath the cover
A lover who loves from afar and avoids confrontation


'Till I talked to my daddy he say
Until I talked to my dad, who gave me some advice


He said, you ain't seen noting
He said that there are bigger things than what I'm currently experiencing


'Till you're down on a muffin
Until I'm in a difficult situation where I have to make a change


Then you're sure to be a-changin' your ways
I'll be motivated to change my ways when I'm in a difficult situation


I met a cheerleader, was a real young bleeder
I met a cheerleader who was young and naive


All the times I can reminisce
I have fond memories of the times we spent together


Ah the best thing lovin' with her sister and her cousin
The best thing was loving her sister and cousin too


Started with a little kiss, like this
Our love started with a simple kiss


See-saw swingin' with the boys in the school
Playing on the seesaw with my friends at school


With your feet flyin' up in the air
My feet were flying in the air while playing on the seesaw


Singin' hey diddle-diddle with the kitty in the middle
Singing a nursery rhyme about a cat sitting in the middle


You be swingin' like you just didn't care
We were swinging without a care in the world


So I took a big chance at the high school dance
I took a big chance by asking someone to dance with me at the school dance


With a missy who was ready to play
I danced with a girl who was ready for some fun


Was it me she was foolin'?
I wondered if she was leading me on


'Cause she knew what she was doin'
But it turned out she knew what she was doing


Taught me how to walk this way
She taught me how to live life a little more freely


She told me to
She taught me how to walk this way


Walk this way, walk this way
Live life a little more freely


Walk this way, walk this way
Live life a little more confidently


Walk this way, walk this way
Walk with a little more swagger


Walk this way, walk this way
Don't be afraid to do things differently


Ah, just give me a kiss
But before that, let's seal our newfound confidence with a kiss


School girl sadie with the classy kinda sassy
Sadie, a girl from school, had a classy yet sassy demeanor


Little skirt climbing way up her knees
She wore a short skirt that climbed up her knees


There was three young ladies in the school gym locker
I saw three girls in the school gym locker


When I noticed they was lookin' at me
And I realized they were checking me out


I was a high school loser, never made it with a lady
I was a loser in high school and never had any luck with women


Till the boys told me something I missed
Until my friends told me something I didn't know


Then my next door neighbour with a daughter had a favour
Then my neighbor, who had a daughter, did me a favor


Took me just a little kiss, like this
She gave me a little peck on the lips, like this


Walk this way, talk this way
Live life a little more freely and confidently




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Joe Perry, Steven Tyler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@nwilliams4714

One of the best collaborations of all time. They made each other’s music more relevant.

@michaelvaughn1707

This reminds me of Public Enemy and Anthrax collab 🤎💯💥👍

@Connect2discxnnect

@@michaelvaughn1707 /r/whoosh

@whatever85x

love when art is popping off in a great way

@LMH61

agreed, I wouldnt be interested in either of these groups if not for this collab!

@Ecthelion1967

It is on the same standard as the KLF.

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@juanjots

The metaphor in this video is epic. Rock and Hip-hop/Rap breaking the barrier that separates them!

@poloauz3446

I never realized that

@quasidiem99

The barrier has always been imaginary because everyone I knew in the 80s liked RUN DMC and Aerosmith, even before this song came out.

@noirfiddle7284

Much like Hip Hop was thirty years ago. Rock was invented by blacks and was  criticized as not being "real" music.  This was a legendary moment in music  history. It reignited Aerosmith's career.

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