This song was inspired by the history of prohibition and in particular a form of paralysis caused by drinking tainted medicines or bathtub gins etc during that time.
The best story and the one I probably had the most influence from comes from seeing an image from a Jamaican Ginger bottle with the name Walker's Pure Extract when studying jake leg and Jamaican Ginger. The idea of a product that may have been causing paralysis being called Walker's was too great to pass up in writing a song.
Camel, a character in Water for Elephants winds up getting Jake Leg so I had that extra push from that novel reading about what Jake leg was and of writing felt it was another important element in telling these stories.
Finally, this same story about the character Camel in Sara Gruen's book inspired my song Red Eyed, Red Light to close out the record. Red Lighting was a term for getting thrown off of a Circus Train in the middle of the night. More on that to come in the file on that song.
In the meantime, this link reads through the story about jake leg and walkers really well:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/jamaican-ginger-paralysis
Lyrics
Walkers pure extract our island ginger will give you back what you lack
And it's the only cure you'll need, we’ll have you stepping like a steed
If youre not happy bring it back
Walkers Pure Extract
Pick your poison wisely boys there's something going around
We thought we had it figured out till the USTD found
That we can get our kicks from this little bottle for the sick
But If they can make it hard to take morality will surely fill our cups, drink it up
Walkers pure extract our island ginger will give you back what you lack
And it's the only cure you'll need, we’ll have you stepping like a steed
If you're not happy bring it back
Walkers Pure Extract
Weights and measures how does it bil down
The bootleggers treasure finding ways to get around
Well slow the regulators up with a twist that will keep us in the mix
Jamaican red and sorghum will keep us running rum to Walker’s sick
That should do the trick!! Hahaha
Walkers pure extract our island ginger will give you back what you lack
And it's the only cure you'll need, we’ll have you stepping like a steed
If you're not happy bring it back
Walkers Pure Extract
Roll out the barrel place your bets
you can sing your sinners carol but you will have to pay your debts
Roll out the barrel carry them home
you can sing your sinners carol but you won't be walking home