Waltari is a musical group from Finland. Waltari is known for its diversity… Read Full Bio ↴Waltari is a musical group from Finland. Waltari is known for its diversity and combination of music styles, frequently combining punk, pop, heavy metal, rock, electronic, funk, progressive rock and rap. It is this diversity, as well as singer/bassist and band co-founder Kärtsy Hatakka's extremely distinctive voice, that gives Waltari its unique sound.

Most of the band's music is written by Hatakka. Waltari's lyrics often deal with personal feelings of anxiety, loneliness and the cruelty of the world, often with heavy irony and sarcasm.

The name Waltari is a reference to the popular Finnish author Mika Waltari, a favourite author of guitarist Jariot Lehtinen.

Waltari was formed in 1986 in Helsinki, Finland, by Kärtsy Hatakka (vocals and bass), Jariot Lehtinen (guitars) and Sale Suomalainen (drums). Sami Yli-Sirniö joined as second guitarist in 1989, a year after the release of their first EP, Mut Hei.

Their first album, Monk Punk was released in 1991. As the title suggests, this album was mostly punk. Their next album Torcha! (1992) and it was with this album that Waltari started blending various musical styles into the sound that would become their own.

After releasing a compilation of early work under the title Pala Leipää (1993), the band went on to release So Fine! (1994), an album similar to Torcha!. Their next album, Big Bang (1995) is to date their biggest success. The album concentrates on mixing techno with heavy metal.
In 1995 Roope Latvala (current second guitarist of Children of Bodom) joined the band, replacing Sami Yli-Sirniö. During this time, Hatakka was working with conductor Riku Niemi on a project combining heavy metal with classical music. This project eventually became known as Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep C. The show was performed in 1995, and the album was released in 1996.

The year 1997 saw Space Avenue, a more progressive work containing more electronic drums, as well as a collaboration with Apocalyptica. In 1998, in honour of the band's ten-year anniversary, the band released a compilation titled Decade.

In 1999 Hatakka was working on yet another metal/classical collaboration, and this gave rise to the stage show Evangelicum. This production differed from Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! in that it contained more than just music: the stage show contained music, ballet and a light show. An album of Evangelicum was not released.

Waltari's next album Radium Round (1999), featured a strong pop influence. After Radium Round, the band passed out of the public eye, working on less main-stream releases such as the Metal / Yoik crossover Channel Nordica (2000) and the punk EP Back To Persepolis (2001). However, these releases were very hard to obtain, and for a while Waltari only survived through its live shows. In 2001, the band's old guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö returned, and Roope Latvala left the band.
In 2004 Waltari came back with an all-new studio album, Rare Species. The album was well received by critics, and an extensive tour put Waltari back on the map.

Waltari released their newest album called "Below Zero" in fall of 2009.
1986
Helsinki, Finland
Kärtsy Hatakka
Jariot Lehtinen
Sami Yli-Sirniö
Sami Yli-Sirniö
Roope Latvala
Janne Parviainen
Mika Järvelainen
Ville Veikko Vehviläinen

Help
Waltari Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Help, I need somebody
Help, not just anybody
Help, you know I need someone
Help

When I was younger
So much younger than today
I never needed anybody's help in any way

But now these days are gone
I'm not so self-assured
Now I find I've changed my mind
And opened up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me?

And now my life has
Changed in oh, so many ways
My independence seems to vanish in the haze
But every now and then
I feel so insecure
I know that I just need you like
I've never done before

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me?

When I was younger, so much younger than today
I never needed anybody's help in any way
But now these days are gone
I'm not so self-assured
Now I find I've changed my mind
I've opened up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground

Won't you please, please help me
Help me, help me, ooh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Waltari's "Help" convey a sense of vulnerability and need, as the singer asks for assistance from someone else. The song begins with a plea for help, emphasizing a sense of urgency and desperation. The singer then reflects on their past, where they felt more self-reliant and did not require help from others. However, as they have aged, they have come to realize their need for others and how their independence has been diminished.

The lyric "my independence seems to vanish in the haze" conveys a sense of loss and confusion, and the singer's repeated request for help reinforces their sense of powerlessness. Finally, the singer acknowledges that they need the help of others, as the doors of their mind have been opened. The repetition of the lyrics at the end of the song emphasizes the singer's need for assistance.

Overall, the lyrics of "Help" convey a universal human experience of vulnerability and the necessity of reaching out for help when it is needed.

Line by Line Meaning

Help, I need somebody
I require assistance from someone.

Help, not just anybody
I don't need just any person to help me.

Help, you know I need someone
You are aware that I need somebody to help me.

Help
I am asking for help.

When I was younger
In the past, when I was young.

So much younger than today
Considerably younger than I am now.

I never needed anybody's help in any way
In the past, I never required help from anyone in any manner.

But now these days are gone
Those times have passed.

I'm not so self-assured
I am not as confident in myself.

Now I find I've changed my mind
I have altered my perspective.