Originated from a surf rock group called the Crossfires, the Turtles delved into many genres such as breezy pop, psychedelic music, and folk rock. A precursor to the bubblegum pop of the late 60s and early 70s as well as a foil to the more self-consciously hip and "serious" acts of the era, the Turtles produced at least a dozen memorable, radio-friendly chart singles. Yet they remain best known for 1967's "Happy Together", which was their only chart-topping single.
The Turtles wound down their career in 1970.
The two prominent singers - Howard Kaylan ("Eddie") and Mark Volman ("Flo" a.k.a. "Phlorescent Leech") - collaborated with Frank Zappa for a short but very intensive period of one and a half years (between 1970-72) and were the cornerstone of what was known to be the Zappa "Vaudeville" band; two of the most famous achievements of that period being the albums Fillmore East – June 1971 and 200 Motels, the soundtrack of the film by the same name.
The Walking Song
The Turtles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Misty street calling me, get dressed and walk around.
In the square, standing there girl so sad, what's the matter?
She said
oh, oh dear sir the world has got me down,
and folks preach happiness when there's none to be found.
I type and answer phones to earn my meager pay,
to keep me alive so I can waste another day.
I sadly turned and walked away. For there was nothing I could say.
Walking on, noonday sun Dusty road to town,
Saddened by the girl that I had chanced to come upon,
Then I'd seen a limousine, a rich old guy, mean of eye,
He said,
"Oh bah hum bug you can't understand,
the world is one big bank you must steal what you can,
because it's fools like you who waste their precious time by
walking in the sun instead of trying to make a dime."
The words he spoke turned my world grey,
could everybody feel this way?
As if in answer down the road a lovely girl picked flowers of gold
She smiled sweetly and gave one to me
and said
Please kind sir don't look so down,
For in this hard world love still abounds,
and hand in hand friends of beauty can lie
on clover beds neath a blanket of sky.
IN THE LAST VERSE EACH OF THE 3 CHORUSES ARE RESUNG
LIKE A ROUND
"OH DEAR SIR," AND "OH BAH HUMBUG" AND "OH PLEASE KIND SIR", ETC.
THESE ARE ALL SUNG AGAINST EACH OTHER.
The Walking Song by The Turtles is a song that describes a man's journey as he walks around town questioning the world and reflecting on the people he meets along the way. The song starts with the man waking up at dawn and feeling the misty street calling out to him. As he walks, he comes across a sad girl in the town square who tells him that the world has got her down, and she is tired of people preaching happiness when there is none to be found. She talks about her struggles to earn a meager pay to survive another day. The man feels helpless and walks away, saddened by the girl's situation.
As he continues walking, he encounters a rich old man in a limousine who tells him that life is all about stealing what you can and making a dime. This conversation leaves the man feeling even more dejected and questioning whether everyone feels this way. However, his mood changes when he meets a lovely girl who gives him a flower of gold and tells him that love still abounds in a hard world. She invites him to lie on a clover bed beneath a blanket of sky with friends of beauty, hand in hand.
The Walking Song highlights the themes of sadness, helplessness, and hope in a world that can seem bleak and daunting. The song's message is that while there will always be people who are selfish and pessimistic, there will also be those who hold onto hope and spread love in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Bacon Fried, Squinty eyed, moments of the dawn.
I woke up early and groggy and smelled breakfast cooking.
Misty street calling me, get dressed and walk around.
The foggy morning street beckoned me to take a walk.
In the square, standing there girl so sad, what's the matter?
I saw a sad girl standing alone in the town square.
She said
oh, oh dear sir the world has got me down,
and folks preach happiness when there's none to be found.
The girl told me that she was feeling hopeless despite hearing constant messages of happiness.
I type and answer phones to earn my meager pay,
to keep me alive so I can waste another day.
The girl explained that she works a mundane job just to survive without any real sense of purpose or fulfillment.
I sadly turned and walked away. For there was nothing I could say.
Feeling helpless, I walked away from the sad girl without any solution to offer her.
Walking on, noonday sun Dusty road to town,
Saddened by the girl that I had chanced to come upon,
As I continued my walk, I felt saddened by my encounter with the sad girl.
Then I'd seen a limousine, a rich old guy, mean of eye,
He said,
"Oh bah hum bug you can't understand,
the world is one big bank you must steal what you can,
because it's fools like you who waste their precious time by
walking in the sun instead of trying to make a dime."
I encountered a wealthy man who had a negative attitude towards those who don't prioritize wealth and material gain.
The words he spoke turned my world grey,
could everybody feel this way?
The man's words made me feel disheartened and I wondered if everyone shared his views.
As if in answer down the road a lovely girl picked flowers of gold
She smiled sweetly and gave one to me
and said
Please kind sir don't look so down,
For in this hard world love still abounds,
and hand in hand friends of beauty can lie
on clover beds neath a blanket of sky.
A beautiful girl appeared and gave me a golden flower, reminding me that love and beauty still exist in the world, despite its hardships.
Contributed by James A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marilyn Slutsky
The Turtles never perform this song on their annual "Happy Together" tours - too bad! It's always been my favorite Turtle song. Flo and Eddie are still goin' strong!
barry leeper
I saw Flo and Eddie live back in the 1970's in Harrisburg, Pa. they played second, I think, then Uriah Heep were the main act.
betabloca
Underated band
johnmillercpainc
Sometimes the back side of a popular single can be a great song as well. That is the case here. I believe that The Walking Song was the back of She'd Rather Be With Me. Thanks for posting it.
Paul Lea
Totally agree, I had the 45 ''She'd rather be with me'' B\W ''The walking song'' & it' double ''A'' side, two great songs on a 45. It often didn't happen like that, the Beatles did it plenty of times though.
Paul Hann
Absolutely right. Two superb tracks for the price of one !!
Nicolas Paparelli
coisa linda da porraaa
barry leeper
I saw these guys back in the mid 1970's, but by then the Turtles disbanded and had only two original members. They were known as "Flo and Eddie", not a bad band.
Carson Nelson
Underrated as heck.
This is why I don't care for compilation albums, they steer toward "hits" and always miss great songs like this.
ModBopBeat
Which is why it should be an international LAW that every band release a deep cuts compilation! :)