Listen V: Foo Fighters’ “Walk”

Last October 4, 2025, I saw the Foo Fighters, my all-time favorite band, at the Singapore Grand Prix. That was the second time I saw the Foos, but the show was an entirely different beast because I was nearest the Padang Stage, and it was the most cleansing and thrilling two hours of my entire life. I lost my voice after the show because I was singing and screaming my heart out. (In fact, I’m still recovering from muscle pain and a sore throat, and that explains my ten-day absence from The Diary. Sign of aging, guys.)

One of my favorite parts of the show is when they played “Walk”, my favorite cathartic Foo Fighters song and my third favorite Foo Fighters song ever. And the weird thing is that I was expecting to cry buckets while singing along. But surprisingly, after crying for a few seconds, I felt an entirely different emotion.

“Walk” is the third single from the Foo Fighters’ seventh studio album (and one of my favorite albums of all time), Wasting Light. And oh, I vividly remember waiting in anticipation for that album in 2011. I was a senior college student, and I was going through one of my worst mental health crises of my life. One of the few things I held on to during that dark time was the release of Wasting Light. And on April 12, 2011 (release day), I couldn’t find a single physical copy in local record stores, so I listened to the entire album on their website. (They uploaded it days before release day due to an album leak, and then I bought the actual album a month later.)

How was my first time listening to Wasting Light? It was a rollercoaster of emotions. The first track, “Bridge Burning”, is a ferocious soundtrack for cutting ties, and the second-to-last track, “I Should Have Known”, is a depressing song of regret. But my definite favorite from the album is the final one, “Walk”, because it was the most moving and motivating track for me.

In the first few seconds of the song, strangely, I was already crying. In those seconds, I couldn’t help but imagine newly-sparking stars in the vast, dark space. I was truly in the dark before I listened to Wasting Light (notably, “Walk”), and the Foo Fighters helped me see with their light and music.

And then my hero, Dave Grohl, started singing:

A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
To whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return

I think I lost my way. I felt that. I truly did. But thanks to the band, I’m getting good at starting over. Then I cried further when I heard the chorus.

Learning to walk again
I believe I’ve waited long enough
Where do I begin?
Learning to talk again
Can’t you see I’ve waited long enough?
Where do I begin?

After hearing the song’s chorus, hearing the most uplifting rock instrumentals, and absorbing the most encouraging lyrics I have ever heard, I knew I had found the best cathartic Foo Fighters song besides “Best of You.” “Walk’s” instrumental has the band’s signature quiet-loud song dynamic, and even without the lyrics, it lifts my spirits up. It sounds like the perfect rock soundtrack for renewal and keeping yourself alive through joy and suffering. The motivating lyrics and the way Dave Grohl sang them with passion from start to finish (one of my favorite vocal performances from him, in my opinion) just make the already-powerful instrumental more intense.

I truly feel that I found “Walk” at the right time in my life when I needed healing and catharsis. The chorus itself is already healing my soul. But which part of the song takes my healing to a higher level? It’s the bridge. For me, it sounds like a prayer. And even though I’m not the most religious Catholic in the world, I would sometimes pray most parts of “Walk’s” bridge to God.

To keep alive, a moment at a time
But still inside, a whisper to a riot
To sacrifice, but knowing to survive
The first to climb another state of mind
I’m on my knees, I’m praying for a sign
Forever, whenever, I never wanna die
I never wanna die, I never wanna die!
I’m on my knees, I never wanna die!
I’m dancing on my grave, I’m running through the fire
Forever, whenever, I never wanna die!
I never wanna leave, I’ll never say goodbye!
Forever! Whenever! Forever! Whenever!

My anxiety and depression whisper to me that I should die, but I scream back at them, “I never wanna die!” That line is one of my defiant statements against my mental illnesses. I admit that sometimes, I still dwell in the dark. But thanks to “Walk”, I know when I should stop dwelling in the dark, and I know the words to say when certain parts of my brain are being cruel to me.

Anyway, like I said, I only prayed those lines to God sometimes. Fast forward to May 2025, when I started praying to God regularly and more wholeheartedly, and a part of my simple yet important prayer to Him is the most important line from “Walk” (in my humble opinion):

To keep alive, a moment at a time

For me, that’s what the song is about: “To keep alive, a moment at a time.” I should keep myself alive for the good moments, but I should also keep myself alive through the bad ones. Even if bad moments are unavoidable, if I don’t keep myself alive, how can I experience more happy moments (especially with my loved ones)? If I don’t keep myself alive, how can I be there for the ones who need me? And if I don’t keep myself alive, how can I achieve my dreams? I want and need to keep myself alive for myself, my loved ones, and my dreams.

I repeat:

To keep alive, a moment at a time

Fast forward to my second Foo Fighters show at the Singapore Grand Prix last October 4, I expected myself to cry buckets during “Walk”. But instead of crying during the entire song, I cried for a few seconds, and then I snapped out of it and sang the lyrics with anger. Yes, that’s what I felt: anger. I was angry at all the losses in my life. I was angry at my unrealized plans. And most importantly, I was angry at my anxiety and depression for whispering to me things I shouldn’t hear. When they whisper that I should die, I scream back these words:

I never wanna die! I never wanna die!

And the wonderful thing is that, while I was at the barricade, I got to scream those cathartic words while seeing my favorite band in the world do what they do best: rock out. It was the best feel-good moment of my life so far.

Thank you, Foo Fighters, for the music that heals my heart and soul, especially “Walk”. And thank you for the best two hours of my life.

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Updated on October 14, 2025, October 26, 2025, and November 25, 2025.