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Michael Penn - "Walter Reed" [mp3]
Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 [Amazon] |
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Tell me now, what more do you need? Take me to Walter Reed tonight Baby I've lost the will for fighting Over everything And there's a few things I gotta say Make no mistake, I'm mad 'Cause every good thing I had Abandoned me A sad and lonesome me I'm the walking wounded |
This song contains an extended metaphor that compares a dejected man frustrated by fighting with his partner to a wounded soldier. "Walter Reed" is an allusion to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is part of a health care system operated by the U.S. Army. A broken heart rarely requires hospitalization, so Michael's request to be taken to Walter Reed is hyperbolic.
As the title of the song encompasses the metaphor and the comparison is the foundation of the lyrics, the song can be considered a conceit.
The verb "abandon" generally has a person as its subject: people abandon places ("to abandon a sinking ship," "to abandon a decrepit building"), other people ("to abandon one's child"), things and thoughts ("to abandon a car," "to abandon the idea of writing a novel"), and themselves to feelings ("to abandon oneself to grief"). Things rarely abandon people, so "every good thing I had abandoned me" can be considered an example of personification. It is unlikely that each and every good thing Michael has ever had "abandoned" him, so this is another example of hyperbole.
These lyrics contain two examples of alliteration: "Make no mistake, I'm mad" and "walking wounded."
dictionary.com: metaphor dejected allusion hyperbole personification explicit alliteration
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