Bishop, CA

A few things to note: The "mine" is the Pine Canyon Mine, once the world's largest producer of tungsten, just outside the town of Bishop. "Walla walla hey" is sort of a kids' call out; like something you sing in a song, or yell instead of just "hey". Hard to explain. It doesn't really mean anything and it may be unique to Americans. But it is interesting that it means something in Arabic, as the video has a scene showing Al Jazeera on the TV. You can see the scrolling Arabic text at the bottom of the screen. I think "lapse into a real boy" is a reference to "Pinocchio." Not the story, but the Disney movie, where his manifestation into a real boy occurs early in the plot, only to be cursed by his own humanity, and gives into vice. In terms of the song, it's likely a reference to the mine worker now being an alcoholic. The "real boy" mode is worse, hence the "lapse." Overall, I think the song is literal: about someone very angry and troubled who the author visited. The last lines are a realization by the author that the subject is a product of his environment, and it's not his fault that he's so awful.