What does Walkin' on the Sun mean?

Smash Mouth: Walkin' on the Sun Meaning

Album cover for Walkin' on the Sun album cover

Song Released: 1997


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Walkin' on the Sun Lyrics

It ain't no joke I'd like to buy the world a toke
And teach the world to sing in perfect harmony
And teach the world to snuff the fires and the liars
Hey I know it's just a song but it's spice for the recipe
This is a love attack I know it...

  1. anonymous
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    Feb 7th 2020 !⃝

    According to interviews, this song was written in response to the Rodney King beating court hearing and decries the acquittal of the 4 cops who attacked King on camera.

    On a broader level, the song speaks to the commodification of American counterculture, where the sincere activism of the 60s has been reduced to a mere commercial trend by the late 90s to be peddled to the next generation ("And their kids were hippie chicks, all hypocrites").

    Here, the singer pleads with this generation to make some attempt at sincere activism by likening it to an infomercial pitch, ("Allow, if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive") since consumerism seems to be the only language they understand.

  2. anonymous
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    Apr 3rd 2012 !⃝

    The hippies had it right, but the society condemed them. As they grew older they realized that no one wanted to listen to them. (pot smokers) Some stuck with it and some did not(stay with the clique). Their kids are six to eight years old before they begin to understand anything, this is the time to make your impression on them.(chorus)If you miss the opportunity when they are most impressionable, you have burned it(you may as well be walking on the sun). In the 80's and 90's if you have not set your kids on the right path, they think that what they are wearing is who they are. They wear hip shirts and shoes but they don't have any idea why! They missed it (shuned) by their parents!Or some of the hips that stuck with dope, accelerated to shit like crack and aborted their pregnancies, and God ain't here to help, you have to live with it, your choices! What the song is saying, is that people that smoke have a better understanding of life and if they repell the clique, their kids wind up with a simalar outlook. I think the social acceptance of Marijuana is partly what the song is about, meanwhile, skip the crack!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  3. anonymous
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    Sep 26th 2011 !⃝

    "So don't delay act now supplies are running out"

    Fads come and go.

    "Allow if you're still alive six to eight years to arrive"

    There's always something new around the corner.

    "And if you follow there may be a tomorrow"

    If you conform and join in on the fads early, you will be alright.

    "But if the offer is shun you might as well be walkin' on the sun"

    If you are late to join the fad, you may find yourself spending unnecessary money for things you honestly don't care about.

    Here's a basic example of what this song is saying: The iPad is so popular it has become a fad and everyone is buying it. But for those who are late to join in on the fad will get screwed, as the iPad2 is just around the corner.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 18th 2008 !⃝

    Walkin on the sun is a great song. It was written mostly about the hippie movement but it has some great messages in it. One of the lines in the song is: "Put away the crack before the crack puts you away" which means stop doing crack before it kills you. Even the chorus has a message: "But if the offers shun, you might as well be walking on the sun" which means if your not following the fads your screwed.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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