The Walkmen is an American indie rock band, with members based in New York … Read Full Bio ↴The Walkmen is an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon (guitar, piano), Walter Martin (organ/bass), and Matt Barrick (drums)—and two from The Recoys, Peter Matthew Bauer (bass/organ) and Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar). All but Bauer attended St. Albans in Washington, D.C. The band are currently on hiatus, with Leithauser, Bauer and Martin all pursuing solo careers, and Barrick joining Fleet Foxes in a touring and session capacity

They prefer the sound of vintage musical instruments, particularly the upright piano, and have often recorded at Marcata Recording, a recording studio built in Harlem in 1999 by the three former members of Jonathan Fire*Eater and later relocated to upstate New York.

Each of the members of The Walkmen grew up in and around the Washington, D.C. area, played in many of the same bands from early in their careers, and even attended the same Washington-area high school. The bandmates eventually moved to Harlem and became a part of the burgeoning New York City rock scene.

The band was formed in 2000 following the breakup of two separate bands: Jonathan Fire*Eater, whose members included Martin, Maroon and Barrick, and The Recoys, whose members included Leithauser and Bauer. The three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater, which had recorded for Dreamworks Records, had money left over from that past recording contract and used the remaining funds to construct a rehearsal space in uptown New York. The rehearsal space featured a 24-track recording studio and was dubbed Marcata Studios.

The newly-formed band, who wished to distance themselves from the garage rock sounds of previous bands, released a self-titled EP of songs in 2001 on Startime International, a small Brooklyn-based record label.[4] Shortly after release of the EP, which featured an eccentric blend of upright pianos and other vintage instruments, The Walkmen made their official live debut with a performance at Joe's Pub in the East Village.

The 2002 debut album Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, released by Startime, was well received by critics. The album was noted for its innovative approach to atmosphere and instrumentation, with sparse bass and drums complemented by plinking piano, jangly guitars and Leithauser's unique vocal stylings. Two of the songs on the album, "The Blizzard of '96" and "That's the Punchline," were adaptations of tracks meant for The Recoys' unreleased full-length album.

My Old Man
The Walkmen Lyrics

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Here we are, come see us driving in your car.
In the morning's dim, break it off with him.
You said something there. Something throws me from my chair.
I refuse to talk this hour, 'cause I don't need this now.
You're a sure thing, but I know
I don't need this now.

You're an old friend we both know

I could take you out.
And last night I did something that I don't wanna hear.
Bring your sister out, we'll be leaving now.
And I punched upset, and it's buzzing in my ear.
Bring your sister out, we'll be leaving now.

You're a sure thing but I know
You can count me out.
You're an old friend. We both know
I could take you out.

I see it now. I see it slow, I see it now. I see it now.

Here we are, come see us filing in my car and take a spin
Break it off with him.
He says something there. Something throws me from my chair.
Bring your sister out, we'll be leaving now.

You're a sure thing but I know
You can count me out.

You're an old friend. We both know
I could take you out.

Overall Meaning

The Walkmen's song "My Old Man" seems to be about a complicated and possibly toxic relationship, with the singer torn between their attraction to someone and their knowledge that being with them is not a healthy choice. The first verse suggests that the singer has some history with the person they are addressing, who is currently in a relationship with someone else ("break it off with him"). The person has said something that has upset the singer, but they are refusing to engage with them further, as they believe it will only make things worse. The repetition of "I don't need this now" seems to be a way for the singer to assert their own power and control in the situation, even if it means ending the conversation abruptly.

The second verse introduces a new element to the story- the singer did something "last night" that they are not proud of, and they don't want to hear it mentioned. They invite the other person's sister along for the ride, possibly as a way to diffuse tension or distract themselves from their own feelings of guilt or shame. The repeated line "we'll be leaving now" emphasizes the urgency and unpredictability of the situation, as if anything could happen once they hit the road.

The final verse brings the story full circle, with the roles reversed- it is now the singer's car they are piling into, and the suggestion of violence (a punched upset) adds a darker tone to the already fraught dynamic between the characters. The singer seems to be a mix of emotions- they can see the situation for what it is ("I see it now") but they are still unable or unwilling to fully extricate themselves from it.

Overall, the lyrics suggest a complicated and possibly unhealthy relationship between two people who are drawn to one another despite knowing better. It is a song that captures the tension and drama of situations where emotions run high and rational thinking is hard to come by.

Line by Line Meaning

Here we are, come see us driving in your car.
We're in the car and you can come along for the ride.

In the morning's dim, break it off with him.
Break up with your current partner in the morning.

You said something there. Something throws me from my chair.
You said something surprising that made me feel shocked.

I refuse to talk this hour, 'cause I don't need this now.
I'm not going to talk right now because I don't want to deal with this situation at the moment.

You're a sure thing, but I know I don't need this now.
I know I can rely on you, but I don't want to deal with this right now.

You're an old friend we both know I could take you out.
We've known each other for a while and I could take you on a date or spend time with you.

And last night I did something that I don't wanna hear. Bring your sister out, we'll be leaving now.
I did something regretful last night and don't want to talk about it. Let's leave with your sister.

And I punched upset, and it's buzzing in my ear. Bring your sister out, we'll be leaving now.
I'm upset and my ears are ringing from the altercation. Let's leave with your sister.

You can count me out.
I'm not interested in this anymore.

I see it now. I see it slow, I see it now. I see it now.
I finally understand what's going on, and it's become clear to me.

Here we are, come see us filing in my car and take a spin Break it off with him. He says something there. Something throws me from my chair. Bring your sister out, we'll be leaving now.
We're now in my car and taking a ride. Break up with him. Something he says upsets me. Let's leave with your sister.

You're a sure thing but I know You can count me out. You're an old friend. We both know I could take you out.
You're reliable but I'm not interested. We've known each other for awhile and could go out together.

Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: JAMES HAMILTON LEITHAUSER, MATTHEW FREDERICK BARRICK, PAUL C MAROON, PETER M BAUER, WALTER R MARTIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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