The Dead Milkmen are a satirical punk rock band that formed in Philadelphia… Read Full Bio ↴The Dead Milkmen are a satirical punk rock band that formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band's best known lineup consisted of Joe Jack Talcum (Joe Genaro; guitar, vocals), Dave Blood (Dave Schulthise; bass), Dean Clean (Dean Sabatino; drums), and Rodney Anonymous (Rodney Linderman; vocals, synth). The original version of the band formed in 1980 around Genaro's songwriting (a predominantly acoustic and often satirical take on New Wave Punk Rock) when he was seventeen; Genaro produced several home tapes as The Dead Milkmen, sometimes with other members credited (occasionally bootlegs or mp3's of these tapes surface). In 1983, the band was re-formed with Schulthise and Sabatino, and lastly vocals were handed over to their friend Rodney Linderman, forming the classic line-up.

The Dead Milkmen's songs found moderate success on alternative and college radio stations. Videos, notably Punk Rock Girl, even found their way onto MTV in the late 1980s. Topics for their music include satire on the 1980s music scene, toxic waste, jellyfish afterlifes, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and cover bands.

Irreverent absurdity fueled their initial popularity, particularly among college DJs. However, this genre was somewhat abandoned with the 1992 release of Soul Rotation, a much more subtle album.

After the Dead Milkmen went on indefinite hiatus in 1994, Genaro and Sabatino formed a new band, Butterfly Joe. Sabatino was also in the punk rock bands Narthex, Big Mess Orchestra, and Hunger Artists. Genaro was in a band called Touch Me Zoo. Linderman was in a band called Burn Witch Burn. Schulthise left music in the early 1990s after developing tendonitis, preventing him from playing bass, and committed suicide in 2004.

The Dead Milkmen took the stage again for two consecutive nights in November 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia to play a show in memory of Dave Schulthise. Proceeds were donated to a variety of mental health organizations and to a Serbian monastery that Schulthise supported.

The band reunited in 2008 and released a new album (The King in Yellow) in 2011.

I Walk the Thinnest Line
The Dead Milkmen Lyrics

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I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
Between the light and dark sides of my mind
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
Between the good and bad sides of my mind

And when I'm bad I sit in a tree
And spit on people who walk under me
When I'm good I stay at home
I've got 29 kids all named Jerome

I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
Between the light and dark sides of my mind
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
Between the good and bad sides of my mind

And when I'm sad I go to a club
Drink enough beer to fill a bathtub
When I'm glad I make a wish
Find a wife who has read "My Little Fish"

I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
Between the light and dark sides of my mind
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
I walk the thinnest line
Between the good and bad sides of my mind

And when I'm bored I watch TV
A million things I want to see
To fill my mind on either side
Dear TV I want to take you for my bride

I walk the thinnest line

Overall Meaning

The Dead Milkmen's song "I Walk the Thinnest Line" is an introspective account of the human mind's duality. The song describes how the singer is constantly walking a tightrope between the light and dark, good and bad sides of their personality. It is an acknowledgement of how fragile the balance is between one's desires and their morals.

The first verse highlights the fact that the line between good and evil is so thin that one can easily cross over from one side to the other. The following verse tells us that when the singer is in a bad place, they act out in such ways that suggests they have a disdain for the people around them. When they are good, they fill the void with an overabundance of children, all named Jerome. This is a humorous way of saying that when they are fulfilling the 'good' side, they give in to an excess of everything. The third verse carries on with the same theme. The singer finds their self indulging too much in drinking when they are sad, but when they are happy, they wish for a life filled with people who share their love for reading.

The final verse brings to attention our relationship with technology, and how it becomes a source of comfort when we are bored. The singer confesses to wanting to be wedded to their TV, a further indication of being slave to their own desires. The repeated lines throughout the song remind us that at any given time, we are standing amidst the light and dark side of our own psyche, and that choosing one over the other only takes a single misstep.

Line by Line Meaning

I walk the thinnest line
I am constantly balancing between opposing forces

I walk the thinnest line
I am always balancing between two extremes

I walk the thinnest line
I am constantly on the edge of a delicate balance

Between the light and dark sides of my mind
I am balancing between positive and negative thoughts within myself

I walk the thinnest line
I am constantly balancing between opposing forces

I walk the thinnest line
I am always balancing between two extremes

I walk the thinnest line
I am constantly on the edge of a delicate balance

Between the good and bad sides of my mind
I am balancing between thoughts of morality

And when I'm bad I sit in a tree
When I am feeling negative, I tend to seclude myself from others

And spit on people who walk under me
I may act out in harmful ways towards others when I am feeling negative

When I'm good I stay at home
When I am feeling positive, I prefer to stay in a familiar and comfortable environment

I've got 29 kids all named Jerome
This line is nonsensical and likely represents the author's sense of eccentricity