What did Walt say?

Seth

Building off my previous post on the Lost season two premiere, “Man of Science, Man of Faith,” I’d like to open the floor (comments & trackbacks) for discussion of what Walt said to Shannon.

As I’d previously posited, Walt was speaking backwards as though he was projected (astral projection?) onto a screen. The whole scene was very Princess Leia in the palm of Luke’s hand.

Initially, I thought I heard him mention Locke’s name, but other people who are more fanatical than I am have done the work for me. Here are a few links to Walt’s dialogue in various playback states:

Walt forward
Walt backwards
Walt back-to-back (forward + backwards)
Whispers before Shannon sees Walt

My own hearing tells me he’s saying “Press the button. No, don’t press the button. The button’s bad.” as heard in the back-to-back version. His message is very rushed so as not to arouse suspicion, but whose? His captors? Desmond? Someone else?

You can follow discussion of this issue and the entire episode over at ABC’s official message boards or on Fark (if you’re brave). I’m also a big fan of TV Squad, who are doing a great job of covering Lost.

UPDATE: Another version of the forward loop sounds to me like “Press the button. The button’s bad.”

UPDATE II: An alternate hearing of the second phrase might be “Locke must be spared.”

UPDATE III: If you like what you read, or got something useful out of the links, please click on one of the text ads. Thanks!

UPDATE IV: I’m selling Dharma Initiative T-shirts!

UPDATE V: For those of you looking for Walt’s backwards message to Shannon on Lost: Abandoned, TV Squad has the mp3.

58 thoughts on “What did Walt say?”

  1. Buddy says:

    I heard press the button, the button’s bad. BUT I had read your post before I listened so it may be suggested.
    I’m feeling quite lame now about having never watched the show. I can’t remember the last time I watched network tv, whenever it was they weren’t making anything worth watching, but this seems kind if interesting.

  2. My husband and I listened to it over and over. We eventually heard “Press the button, love must escape” We think the button has something to do with the computer in the hatch.

  3. Joseph says:

    You guys should get your hearing examined… =)

    Isn’t it obvious he says “Press the button, Locke wasn’t scared”
    Especially since Locke stops Jack doing just that at the end.

  8. pottymouth says:

    Played forwards I hear “I have some milk money. Blah blah blah.” heh. Sher Walt. Go buy some milk.

    In reverse I hear “Push the button. Don’t put in the spare.” Sounds much clearer in the real version.

  9. KayBeeBayBee says:

    Press the button… that’s what I heard, however, the rest is still unintelligible to me. Knowing that others heard, “no button’s bad” or something similar I tried to hear that, but still couldn’t. I also didn’t hear Locke’s name.

  11. Michael says:

    I’m a producer for a radio station in Dallas. I’ve run Walt’s words through several filters and come up with “Don’t press the button, the button’s bad”. Even though you can’t really hear the “don’t” from the sounds I’ve downloaded… I think it’s there because I remember how Hurley said, Don’t blow the hatch, “the numbers are bad”. And the numbers are what Desmond typed in before he hit ‘execute’ at the beginning of the episode when the computer beeped at him.

  12. Joy says:

    Well it doesn’t make sense that he would say “Press the button, the buttons bad” But if he said “Press the button, Locke must be spared” or “DON’T press the button, the button’s bad” those make sense. But what makes sense in this show anyways? I LOVE IT 😀

  13. Bob Smith says:

    ok… backwards walt says “press the button, no one is there.” i played it over and over. it fits. there you go. now im gonna find out what it is forwards……………………………………LOST

  14. Bob Smith says:

    sweet new episode (2 of season 2)…and the others look scary……and what happended to jin? and did u see the preview to the next episode..it looks so cool!!!!!!!!!……………LOST

  18. Bob Smith says:

    ok… backwards walt says “press the button, no one is there.” its wrong its something else after “press the button.” idk what it is………………LOST

  25. RaChEl ! says:

    when u play it forward it sounds like press the button and then blah blah blah and then when u play it backwards it says dont press it ..?¿?

  27. Anne says:

    he was on the radio this am…and they asked him what he said…he said that he says Don’t push the button, the button’s bad

  34. Dan says:

    I absolutely heard, “Press the button” and then in a sorta Britsh-like accent “Locke must be spared.” That is what he’s saying without a doubt

  35. kerri says:

    I think the problem is that you all have poor speakers. He so obviously says, “push the button. the button’s bad”. but that doesn’t make sense w/out the “Don’t” in there first. Anyway, it’s pretty funny the things people come up with.

  36. KAL HAVA says:

    if u hear the sample of the of what shannon hears just before its say shannon u can hear it say”the eye of the island” then shannon and it has monster noises mixed in is well does this meen that the eye of the island my be the moster.

  37. Krissy says:

    if u guys would clear the wax out of your ears you”d hear “push the button locke is dead”. if you pay close attention you never see locke push the button do you? so locke could die if he pushes the button or anyone else does for any longer. maybe hes a ghost just staying with the bunch!

  38. Walt talking backwards on Lost: Abandoned

    What did Walt say? redux, I suppose.
    Via TV Squad, I’ve listened to a backward loop of Walt talking to Shannon. Here’s my very easily derived analysis.
    “They’re coming and they’re close.”
    I can’t tell whet…

  39. bobby says:

    u guys r all BUTTHEADS he says “PRESS the button, the button is bad” duuhh. i bet none of u noticed that locke is actually a dead man. it shows his body in the plane on episode 4 of first season!!!

  41. There is a well known illusion called the McGurk effect whereby what you hear actually changes based on how you see a person’s lips moving.

    Perhaps it would be clearer if we saw the video in reverse as well … or it could just make it more confusing 🙂

  42. Andrea says:

    Bobby – if you say that we can see Locke’s dead body in episode 4 I’d like to know exactley when and if you don’t have a still i’ll download and find myself. I need more details before I believe this baloney.

  46. Krissy says:

    i don’t remember seeing Lockes body in the plane in episode4! I’m goin back to see! Also Aime, I have no memory of locke EVER pushing the dang button! I mean i never miss the show and i still haven’t seen locke ever push the stupid button! And speaking of that computer did u see the episode tonite?
    hello?
    Hello?
    this is micheal. who is this?
    Dad?
    WHO IS DAD?

  47. fifu says:

    i think almost without a doubt that walt is saying ” press the button, no buttons bad” like go ahead and press the button, there is no button that is bad. i don’t hear anything else.

  48. it think some ideas are… press lockes buttons they taste like eggs… or mabey pass the cheese. im hungry. thats what i heard.
    i think the editors left out the don’t thats why were confused… but in reality i think he says… dont press the button the buttons bad

  50. weegie says:

    This kid is phsycic. first it was ‘dont open it’ now its ‘don’t push the button’ and then theres the ‘they’re coming’.

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