She comes in colors everywhere;
She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
She comes in colors everywhere;
She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
Have you seen her dressed in blue
See the sky in front of you
And her face is like a sail
Speck of white so fair and pale
Have you seen the lady fairer
She comes in colors everywhere;
She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
She's A Rainbow video
- Released December 23, 1967
- John Paul Jones, before his days with Led Zeppelin, arranged the strings of this song during his session days.
- The vibrant piano work was performed by Nicky Hopkins who played piano on The Who's debut LP, My Generation. He also recorded with most of the top British acts of the Sixties, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks, and on solo albums by John Lennon, Jeff Beck, and others. He also helped define the "San Francisco sound", playing on albums by Jefferson Airplane, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Steve Miller Band. He briefly joined Quicksilver Messenger Service and performed with Jefferson Airplane at the Woodstock Festival.
Nicky Hopkins played on this 1967 Cat Stevens release which reached #2 on the charts.
- The song, "She's a Rainbow" was used in a 1999 iMac Commercial, advertising its availability in several colors.
- The lyrics in the chorus were borrowed from the song "She Comes in Colors" by Love.
The song, "She Comes in Colors"
- This song, and the album, Their Satanic Majesties Request, was inspired by The Beatles album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was inspired by the Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, which was inspired by The Beatles, Rubber Soul.
Deanna Halsall (artist) She's a Rainbow
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ruby Tuesday
She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter, if it's gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows...She comes and goes
Good-bye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I'm gonna miss you
Don't question why she needs
to be so free
She'll tell you it's the only
way to be
She just can't be chained
to a life where nothing's gained
and nothing's lost
at such a cost
"There's no time to lose"
I heard her say
Catch your dreams before
they slip away
Dying all the time...
Lose your dreams and you
will lose your mind
in life unkind?
Good-bye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I'm gonna miss you...
- Released January 13, 1967
- According to Keith Richards in a 1971 Rolling Stone interview he wrote the song in a Los Angeles hotel room in early 1966 about a groupie he knew; he has also stated that it was about Linda Keith, his girlfriend in the mid-1960s.
- Written by Keith and Brian Jones in January 1967, "Ruby Tuesday" was Keith's swansong to Linda Keith. "It was probably written about Linda Keith not being there," Keith told MOJO magazine in 2003. "I dunno, she had pissed off somewhere. It was very mournful, very, very Ruby Tuesday, and it was a Tuesday." Linda was now one of Jimi Hendrix's more high-profile girlfriends. She was also a major catalyst to Jimi's career, after watching one of Jimi's shows in Manhattan, New York on June 23, 1966, she brought him back to England, where he was a smashing success. She even gave Jimi one of Keith's guitars with left-handed strings. But, Keith bore Hendrix no animosity.
- The relationship began to sour for the couple in the Spring of 1966, after Keith purchased his home, Redlands. "It was a very big turn-on," said Linda about Redlands, "but it was pretty near the end of our relationship and I don't have good memories of having good times at Redlands."
- A restaurant was started in the same name by Sandy Beall and four college buddies from the University of Tennessee who hatched the idea in 1971.
- Multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones plays recorder, and the double bass is played by both bassist Bill Wyman (pressing the strings against the fingerboard) and Keith Richards (bowing the strings). The piano is played by Jack Nitzsche.
- Ruby Tuesday is the title of an animated movie musical in the works that will be based on the music of the Rolling Stones.
- The Marvel Comics character Ruby Thursday is named after the song.
- Ruby Tuesday is also the name of an actress who acted in this 1968 film, She-Devils on Wheels. The film is about an all-female motorcycle gang, called 'The Maneaters' who hold motorcycle races, as well as terrorize the residents of a small Florida town, and clash off against an all-male rival gang of hot-riders.
Yesterday don't matter, if it's gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows...She comes and goes
Good-bye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I'm gonna miss you
Don't question why she needs
to be so free
She'll tell you it's the only
way to be
She just can't be chained
to a life where nothing's gained
and nothing's lost
at such a cost
"There's no time to lose"
I heard her say
Catch your dreams before
they slip away
Dying all the time...
Lose your dreams and you
will lose your mind
in life unkind?
Good-bye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I'm gonna miss you...
- Released January 13, 1967
- According to Keith Richards in a 1971 Rolling Stone interview he wrote the song in a Los Angeles hotel room in early 1966 about a groupie he knew; he has also stated that it was about Linda Keith, his girlfriend in the mid-1960s.
- Written by Keith and Brian Jones in January 1967, "Ruby Tuesday" was Keith's swansong to Linda Keith. "It was probably written about Linda Keith not being there," Keith told MOJO magazine in 2003. "I dunno, she had pissed off somewhere. It was very mournful, very, very Ruby Tuesday, and it was a Tuesday." Linda was now one of Jimi Hendrix's more high-profile girlfriends. She was also a major catalyst to Jimi's career, after watching one of Jimi's shows in Manhattan, New York on June 23, 1966, she brought him back to England, where he was a smashing success. She even gave Jimi one of Keith's guitars with left-handed strings. But, Keith bore Hendrix no animosity.
- The relationship began to sour for the couple in the Spring of 1966, after Keith purchased his home, Redlands. "It was a very big turn-on," said Linda about Redlands, "but it was pretty near the end of our relationship and I don't have good memories of having good times at Redlands."
- A restaurant was started in the same name by Sandy Beall and four college buddies from the University of Tennessee who hatched the idea in 1971.
- Multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones plays recorder, and the double bass is played by both bassist Bill Wyman (pressing the strings against the fingerboard) and Keith Richards (bowing the strings). The piano is played by Jack Nitzsche.
- Ruby Tuesday is the title of an animated movie musical in the works that will be based on the music of the Rolling Stones.
- The Marvel Comics character Ruby Thursday is named after the song.
- Ruby Tuesday is also the name of an actress who acted in this 1968 film, She-Devils on Wheels. The film is about an all-female motorcycle gang, called 'The Maneaters' who hold motorcycle races, as well as terrorize the residents of a small Florida town, and clash off against an all-male rival gang of hot-riders.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Paint it, Black
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby it just happens every day
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hmm, hmm, hmm,...
I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
Yeah!
- Released May 7, 1966
- The song title is often given as "Paint It Black", this variant having appeared on some reissues and compilations. Keith Richards has said that the song was not intended to have a comma in its title, and that this was added by the record label.
- " I see a red door and I want it painted black" The significance of a red door on churches has ancient origins: The red door on a chapel symbolized the blood of Christ, and other martyrs, to signify that the ground beyond the door (inside the church) was holy, and a sanctuary from physical and spiritual evils.
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby it just happens every day
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hmm, hmm, hmm,...
I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
Yeah!
- Released May 7, 1966
- The song title is often given as "Paint It Black", this variant having appeared on some reissues and compilations. Keith Richards has said that the song was not intended to have a comma in its title, and that this was added by the record label.
- " I see a red door and I want it painted black" The significance of a red door on churches has ancient origins: The red door on a chapel symbolized the blood of Christ, and other martyrs, to signify that the ground beyond the door (inside the church) was holy, and a sanctuary from physical and spiritual evils. In Ireland, front doors are painted red to ward-off ghosts and evil spirits.
In early America a red door was a sign of "welcome." When people traveled by horse and buggy they had to stop often. If they came upon a house with a red door it was a sign they would be able to spend the night. There is even rumor that a red front door was used in the underground railroad as a sign for slaves traveling north that the house was a safe house.
In Scotland, it is believed when you paid off your mortgage you painted your door red. - "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black" = A funeral procession. - "With flowers and my love both never to come back. I see people turn their heads and quickly look away. Like a new born baby it just happens every day." The song's protagonist is in obvious mourning. The death is unexpected and likely happened to someone very young and wild. - "I look inside myself and see my heart is black. I see my red door and it has been painted black. Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts. It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black." The protagonist feels a deep sense of guilt and may be responsible for the death. It very well could be a crime and the protagonist knows he/she has to leave or they will be caught.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Play With Fire
Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes
And the chauffeur drives your car
You let everybody know
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Your mother she's an heiress, owns a block in Saint John's Wood
And your father'd be there with her
If he only could
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Your old man took her diamond's and tiaras by the score
Now she gets her kicks in Stepney
Not in Knightsbridge anymore
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Now you've got some diamonds and you will have some others
But you'd better watch your step, girl
Or start living with your mother
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
- Released March 1965
- "Play with Fire" is credited to Nanker Phelge, a pseudonym giving credit to each member of the band, even though it was the result of a session between lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards.
- An unreleased version of the song, entitled "Mess with Fire", was also recorded. It featured a much more upbeat, soul-oriented feel with a vengeful Brian Jones substituting the less polished "Play With Fire" version on the single to embarrass other members of the group.
- Lyrically the song is a diatribe -- and a pretty subtle and understated one, especially as Stones songs go -- against rich bitches, to be blunt, out to impose their neuroses on louts from lower classes, such as the Stones, one presumes. The resentment against people who strut their diamonds and chauffeur-driven cars is palpable, although in actual fact the Stones reached an income level in the mid-'60s which allowed them to flaunt such accouterments themselves.- The only Stones to appear on the track are Jagger and Richards. The rest, including Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, had already left the studio for the night. Richards performed the song's acoustic guitar opening while Jagger handled vocals and tambourine (enhanced using echo chamber). Phil Spector provided the song's bass as well as a tuned-down electric guitar. Jack Nitzsche provided the song's distinctive harpsichord arrangement and tamtams.
And the chauffeur drives your car
You let everybody know
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Your mother she's an heiress, owns a block in Saint John's Wood
And your father'd be there with her
If he only could
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Your old man took her diamond's and tiaras by the score
Now she gets her kicks in Stepney
Not in Knightsbridge anymore
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Now you've got some diamonds and you will have some others
But you'd better watch your step, girl
Or start living with your mother
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
- Released March 1965
- "Play with Fire" is credited to Nanker Phelge, a pseudonym giving credit to each member of the band, even though it was the result of a session between lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards.
- An unreleased version of the song, entitled "Mess with Fire", was also recorded. It featured a much more upbeat, soul-oriented feel with a vengeful Brian Jones substituting the less polished "Play With Fire" version on the single to embarrass other members of the group.
- Lyrically the song is a diatribe -- and a pretty subtle and understated one, especially as Stones songs go -- against rich bitches, to be blunt, out to impose their neuroses on louts from lower classes, such as the Stones, one presumes. The resentment against people who strut their diamonds and chauffeur-driven cars is palpable, although in actual fact the Stones reached an income level in the mid-'60s which allowed them to flaunt such accouterments themselves.- The only Stones to appear on the track are Jagger and Richards. The rest, including Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, had already left the studio for the night. Richards performed the song's acoustic guitar opening while Jagger handled vocals and tambourine (enhanced using echo chamber). Phil Spector provided the song's bass as well as a tuned-down electric guitar. Jack Nitzsche provided the song's distinctive harpsichord arrangement and tamtams.
Gov't Mule version "Play With Fire"
Friday, February 20, 2009
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm drivin' in my car,
And a man comes on the radio,
And he's tellin' me more and more,
About some useless information,
Supposed to fire my imagination.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm watchin' my TV,
And that man comes on to tell me,
How white my shirts can be.
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no girl reaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm ridin' round the world,
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that,
And I'm tryin' to make some girl,
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on a losing streak.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no, I can't get no,
I can't get no satisfaction,
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction
- Released June 6, 1965
- The lyrics of the song include references to sexual intercourse, and the theme of anti-commercialism caused the song to be "perceived as an attack on the status quo, for the song was about the rampant commercialism the Stones had seen in America."
- The lyrics outline the singer's irritation with the increasing commercialism of the modern world, where the radio broadcasts "useless information" and a man on television tells him "how white my shirts can be - but he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me."
- "And I'm tryin' to make some girl, who tells me baby better come back later next week 'cause you see I'm on a losing streak." This verse is in reference to not getting any "girl reaction" which was fairly controversial in its day, interpreted by some listeners (and radio programmers) as meaning a girl willing to have sex. Particularly shocking to some people was a reference to a girl having her period (being "on a losing streak")
- The title line, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, is an example of a double negative resolving to a negative, a common usage in colloquial English.
- The riff came to Keith Richards in a dream one night in May 1965, in his motel room in Clearwater, Florida, the fifth stop on the Rolling Stones' third U.S. tour. He woke up, grabbed a guitar nearby and taped the music racing through his head on a handy cassette machine. Richards played the run of notes once, then fell back to sleep. "On the tape," he said later, "you can hear me drop the pick, and the rest of the tape is snoring." Reference
- Rolling Stone magazine placed "Satisfaction" in the second spot on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time.
- "Satisfaction" was the first Stones single to hit Number One in both Britain and America.
- [Mick] Jagger suggested in 1995 that [Keith] Richards unconsciously got the title hook for "Satisfaction" from a line in Berry's 1955 single "30 Days" ("I don't get no satisfaction from the judge"). "It's not any way an English person would express it," Jagger noted. "I'm not saying that he purposely nicked anything, but we played those [Chuck Berry] records a lot." Reference
- In 2006 "Satisfaction" was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
- The song's success boosted sales of the Gibson fuzzbox so much that the entire available stock sold out by the end of 1965.
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm drivin' in my car,
And a man comes on the radio,
And he's tellin' me more and more,
About some useless information,
Supposed to fire my imagination.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no satisfaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm watchin' my TV,
And that man comes on to tell me,
How white my shirts can be.
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no satisfaction,
I can't get no girl reaction.
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.
When I'm ridin' round the world,
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that,
And I'm tryin' to make some girl,
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on a losing streak.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.
I can't get no, I can't get no,
I can't get no satisfaction,
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction
- Released June 6, 1965
- The lyrics of the song include references to sexual intercourse, and the theme of anti-commercialism caused the song to be "perceived as an attack on the status quo, for the song was about the rampant commercialism the Stones had seen in America."
- The lyrics outline the singer's irritation with the increasing commercialism of the modern world, where the radio broadcasts "useless information" and a man on television tells him "how white my shirts can be - but he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me."
- "And I'm tryin' to make some girl, who tells me baby better come back later next week 'cause you see I'm on a losing streak." This verse is in reference to not getting any "girl reaction" which was fairly controversial in its day, interpreted by some listeners (and radio programmers) as meaning a girl willing to have sex. Particularly shocking to some people was a reference to a girl having her period (being "on a losing streak")
- The title line, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, is an example of a double negative resolving to a negative, a common usage in colloquial English.
- The riff came to Keith Richards in a dream one night in May 1965, in his motel room in Clearwater, Florida, the fifth stop on the Rolling Stones' third U.S. tour. He woke up, grabbed a guitar nearby and taped the music racing through his head on a handy cassette machine. Richards played the run of notes once, then fell back to sleep. "On the tape," he said later, "you can hear me drop the pick, and the rest of the tape is snoring." Reference
- Rolling Stone magazine placed "Satisfaction" in the second spot on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time.
- "Satisfaction" was the first Stones single to hit Number One in both Britain and America.
- [Mick] Jagger suggested in 1995 that [Keith] Richards unconsciously got the title hook for "Satisfaction" from a line in Berry's 1955 single "30 Days" ("I don't get no satisfaction from the judge"). "It's not any way an English person would express it," Jagger noted. "I'm not saying that he purposely nicked anything, but we played those [Chuck Berry] records a lot." Reference
- In 2006 "Satisfaction" was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
- The song's success boosted sales of the Gibson fuzzbox so much that the entire available stock sold out by the end of 1965.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Two Suns in the Sunset
In my rear view mirror the sun is going down
Sinking behind bridges in the road
And I think of all the good things
That we have left undone
And I suffer premonitions
Confirm suspicions
Of the holocaust to come
The rusty wire that holds the cork
That keeps the anger in
Gives way, and suddenly it's day again
The sun is in the east
Even though the day is done
Two suns in the sunset
Could be the human race is run
Like the moment when the brakes lock
And you slide towards the big truck
"Oh no!"
You stretch the frozen moments with your fear
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
And you'll never hear their voices
"Daddy, Daddy!"
And you'll never see their faces
You have no recourse to the law anymore
And as the windshield melts
And my tears evaporate
Leaving only charcoal to defend
Finally, I understand the feelings of the few
Ashes and diamonds
Foe and friend
We were all equal in the end
- Released April 2, 1983
- "The sun is in the east, even though the day is done" Is a metaphor for the glowing fireball of a nuclear explosion.
- The Final Cut's main proponent was Roger Waters, previously a chair of the youth branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Cambridge. "Two Suns in the Sunset" was his view on the world's end, thermonuclear war, which would ultimately end in nuclear winter.
- Towards the end of the song, we hear the same passing car and radio sound effects that we heard at the start of the album. This cyclical effect was also heard on some of the band's previous albums, for example the use of "Outside the Wall" on The Wall and the heartbeat on The Dark Side of the Moon.
- "Finally, I understand the feelings of the few" Is a reference to anti-war organizations who have a strong following of activists, albeit a temporary interest for many.
- "Foe and friend, we were all equal in the end" This is rather interesting considering this is the final song by the original band with Roger Waters. It not only represents the end of human life as we understood it, but could it also represent the all-knowing end of an iconic band? The creative conflicts between Roger Waters and the rest of the band had grown incessantly bitter by the production of this album, so I find it rather compelling the band chose this song to end their outstanding career together.
Sinking behind bridges in the road
And I think of all the good things
That we have left undone
And I suffer premonitions
Confirm suspicions
Of the holocaust to come
The rusty wire that holds the cork
That keeps the anger in
Gives way, and suddenly it's day again
The sun is in the east
Even though the day is done
Two suns in the sunset
Could be the human race is run
Like the moment when the brakes lock
And you slide towards the big truck
"Oh no!"
You stretch the frozen moments with your fear
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
And you'll never hear their voices
"Daddy, Daddy!"
And you'll never see their faces
You have no recourse to the law anymore
And as the windshield melts
And my tears evaporate
Leaving only charcoal to defend
Finally, I understand the feelings of the few
Ashes and diamonds
Foe and friend
We were all equal in the end
- Released April 2, 1983
- "The sun is in the east, even though the day is done" Is a metaphor for the glowing fireball of a nuclear explosion.
- The Final Cut's main proponent was Roger Waters, previously a chair of the youth branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Cambridge. "Two Suns in the Sunset" was his view on the world's end, thermonuclear war, which would ultimately end in nuclear winter.
- Towards the end of the song, we hear the same passing car and radio sound effects that we heard at the start of the album. This cyclical effect was also heard on some of the band's previous albums, for example the use of "Outside the Wall" on The Wall and the heartbeat on The Dark Side of the Moon.
- "Finally, I understand the feelings of the few" Is a reference to anti-war organizations who have a strong following of activists, albeit a temporary interest for many.
- "Foe and friend, we were all equal in the end" This is rather interesting considering this is the final song by the original band with Roger Waters. It not only represents the end of human life as we understood it, but could it also represent the all-knowing end of an iconic band? The creative conflicts between Roger Waters and the rest of the band had grown incessantly bitter by the production of this album, so I find it rather compelling the band chose this song to end their outstanding career together.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Take all your overgrown infants away somewhere
And build them a home a little place of their own.
The Fletcher Memorial Home for incurable tyrants and kings.
And they can appear to themselves every day
On closed circuit T.V.
To make sure they're still real,
It's the only connection they feel.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Reagan and Haig
Mr. Begin and friends
Mrs. Thatcher and Paisley
Mr. Brezhnev and party
The ghost of Mccarthy
The memories of Nixon
And now adding color a group of anonymous Latin
American meat packing glitterati"
Did they expect us to treat them with any respect
They can polish their medals and sharpen their
Smiles, and amuse themselves playing games for a while
Boom boom, bang bang, lie down you're dead.
Safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye
With their favorite toys
They'll be good girls and boys
In the Fletcher Memorial Home for colonial
Wasters of life and limb
Is everyone in?
Are you having a nice time?
Now the final solution can be applied
- Released April 2, 1983
- The title of the song takes its' name from Roger Water's father, Eric Fletcher Waters.
- This song is a bitter and unforgiving rant against the post-war figures Roger Waters felt was indirectly responsible for his father's death. These are the people he felt sent his father to die, people who had nothing to do with the conflict, and people who really wanted no part of fighting. These were the people Roger Waters felt treated life as something that can be replaced as though it was meaningless and trivial.
- "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome (Ronald) Reagan and (Alexander) Haig." Represents the conservative United States government.
- "Mr. (Menachem) Begin and friends" Represents the State of Israel.
- "Mrs. Thatcher and Paisley" Represents campaigns for a conservative Great Britain.
- "Mr. Breshnev and party" Represents the Communist Party.
- "The ghost of McCarthy" Represents "McCartyism," hatred, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.
- "The memories of Nixon" Represents corruption of power.
- It is interesting how the song ends with this very sentence, "Now the final solution can be applied" The last stanza asks if all of the above representatives are in the Fletcher Memorial Home and that the "final solution" could then be applied to them. Does Waters mean "exterminate" them, as Hitler did in the same war that was responsible for the death of his father?
And build them a home a little place of their own.
The Fletcher Memorial Home for incurable tyrants and kings.
And they can appear to themselves every day
On closed circuit T.V.
To make sure they're still real,
It's the only connection they feel.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Reagan and Haig
Mr. Begin and friends
Mrs. Thatcher and Paisley
Mr. Brezhnev and party
The ghost of Mccarthy
The memories of Nixon
And now adding color a group of anonymous Latin
American meat packing glitterati"
Did they expect us to treat them with any respect
They can polish their medals and sharpen their
Smiles, and amuse themselves playing games for a while
Boom boom, bang bang, lie down you're dead.
Safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye
With their favorite toys
They'll be good girls and boys
In the Fletcher Memorial Home for colonial
Wasters of life and limb
Is everyone in?
Are you having a nice time?
Now the final solution can be applied
- Released April 2, 1983
- The title of the song takes its' name from Roger Water's father, Eric Fletcher Waters.
- This song is a bitter and unforgiving rant against the post-war figures Roger Waters felt was indirectly responsible for his father's death. These are the people he felt sent his father to die, people who had nothing to do with the conflict, and people who really wanted no part of fighting. These were the people Roger Waters felt treated life as something that can be replaced as though it was meaningless and trivial.
- "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome (Ronald) Reagan and (Alexander) Haig." Represents the conservative United States government.
- "Mr. (Menachem) Begin and friends" Represents the State of Israel.
- "Mrs. Thatcher and Paisley" Represents campaigns for a conservative Great Britain.
- "Mr. Breshnev and party" Represents the Communist Party.
- "The ghost of McCarthy" Represents "McCartyism," hatred, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.
- "The memories of Nixon" Represents corruption of power.
- It is interesting how the song ends with this very sentence, "Now the final solution can be applied" The last stanza asks if all of the above representatives are in the Fletcher Memorial Home and that the "final solution" could then be applied to them. Does Waters mean "exterminate" them, as Hitler did in the same war that was responsible for the death of his father?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Gunner's Dream
Floating down through the clouds
memories come rushing up to meet me now
in the space between the heavens
and in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream
I had a dream
goodbye Max
goodbye ma
after the service when you're walking slowly to the car
and the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
you hear the tolling bell
and touch the silk in your lapel
and as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
you take her frail hand
and hold on to the dream
A place to stay
enough to eat
somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
where you can speak out loud
about your doubts and fears
and what's more no-one ever disappears
you never hear their standard issue kicking in your door
you can relax on both sides of the tracks
and maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
and everyone has recourse to the law
and no-one kills the children anymore
and no-one kills the children anymore
Night after night
going round and round my brain
his dream is driving me insane
in the corner of some foreign field
the gunner sleeps tonight
whats done is done
we cannot just write off his final scene
take heed of his dream
take heed
- Released April 2, 1983
- The song starts with the sound of "the gunners dying words on the intercom" mentioned in the previous song on The Final Cut, "The Hero's Return". As the Gunner falls through the air (floating down through the clouds) he dreams of the perfect world, his heaven in which:
On both sides of the tracks,
And maniacs
Don't blow holes
In bandsmen by remote control
- "In the corner of some foreign field the gunner sleeps tonight" represents the gunner's death after he has fallen from his plane to the ground. This is preceded by the screaming of the word "Insane" which echoes the screaming of the falling pilot, this line also alludes to the poem "The War Sonnets: V The Soldier" by First World War poet Rupert Brooke which contains the lines "If I should die tonight, think only this of me/ That there is a corner of some foreign field, that is forever England."
"The War Sonnets: V The Soldier"
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her lights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
- The saxophone player in this song is Raphael Ravenscroft who is known as the saxophonist for the classic Gerry Rafferty song, Baker Street.
- A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunnerfighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. defending against enemy. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally unobstructed view toward the rear of the aircraft.
- An example of a tail gunner can be viewed during this scene from the venerable movie, The World According to Garp, when the bastard son, T.S. Garp, imagines himself as his father of whom he never met because he was a tail gunner in World War II.
memories come rushing up to meet me now
in the space between the heavens
and in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream
I had a dream
goodbye Max
goodbye ma
after the service when you're walking slowly to the car
and the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
you hear the tolling bell
and touch the silk in your lapel
and as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
you take her frail hand
and hold on to the dream
A place to stay
enough to eat
somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
where you can speak out loud
about your doubts and fears
and what's more no-one ever disappears
you never hear their standard issue kicking in your door
you can relax on both sides of the tracks
and maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
and everyone has recourse to the law
and no-one kills the children anymore
and no-one kills the children anymore
Night after night
going round and round my brain
his dream is driving me insane
in the corner of some foreign field
the gunner sleeps tonight
whats done is done
we cannot just write off his final scene
take heed of his dream
take heed
- Released April 2, 1983
- The song starts with the sound of "the gunners dying words on the intercom" mentioned in the previous song on The Final Cut, "The Hero's Return". As the Gunner falls through the air (floating down through the clouds) he dreams of the perfect world, his heaven in which:
. . . Old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears,
And what's more
No one ever disappears,
You never hear their standard issue
Kicking in your door
On both sides of the tracks,
And maniacs
Don't blow holes
In bandsmen by remote control
- "In the corner of some foreign field the gunner sleeps tonight" represents the gunner's death after he has fallen from his plane to the ground. This is preceded by the screaming of the word "Insane" which echoes the screaming of the falling pilot, this line also alludes to the poem "The War Sonnets: V The Soldier" by First World War poet Rupert Brooke which contains the lines "If I should die tonight, think only this of me/ That there is a corner of some foreign field, that is forever England."
"The War Sonnets: V The Soldier"
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her lights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
- The saxophone player in this song is Raphael Ravenscroft who is known as the saxophonist for the classic Gerry Rafferty song, Baker Street.
- A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunnerfighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. defending against enemy. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally unobstructed view toward the rear of the aircraft.
- An example of a tail gunner can be viewed during this scene from the venerable movie, The World According to Garp, when the bastard son, T.S. Garp, imagines himself as his father of whom he never met because he was a tail gunner in World War II.
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Big man, pig man, ha ha, charade you are
You well heeled big wheel, ha ha, charade you are
And when your hand is on your heart
You're nearly a good laugh
Almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin
Saying "keep on digging"
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find?
When you're down in the pig mine
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry.
Bus stop rat bag, ha ha, charade you are
You fucked up old hag, ha ha, charade you are
You radiate cold shafts of broken glass
You're nearly a good laugh
Almost worth a quick grin
You like the feel of steel
You're hot stuff with a hat pin
And good fun with a hand gun
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry.
Hey you Whitehouse, ha ha, charade you are
You house proud town mouse, ha ha, charade you are
You're trying to keep our feelings off the street
You're nearly a real treat
All tight lips and cold feet
And do you feel abused?
.....!.....!.....!.....!
You gotta stem the evil tide
And keep it all on the inside
Mary you're nearly a treat
Mary you're nearly a treat
But you're really a cry.
- Released February 2, 1977
- The (Three Different Ones) refers to James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mary Whitehouse. The pigs represent the people whom Roger Waters considers to be at the top of the social ladder, the ones with wealth and power; they also manipulate the rest of society and encourage them to be viciously competitive and cutthroat, so the pigs can remain powerful.
- The legendary inflatable Floyd pig was conceived by Roger Waters and originally designed by ERG of Amsterdam in December 1976 for the photo session at Battersea Power Station which spawned the "Animals" album cover. Roger suggested flying a large inflatable pig from the towers of Battersea Power Station. He wanted to do it for real...no photo trickery.
You well heeled big wheel, ha ha, charade you are
And when your hand is on your heart
You're nearly a good laugh
Almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin
Saying "keep on digging"
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find?
When you're down in the pig mine
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry.
Bus stop rat bag, ha ha, charade you are
You fucked up old hag, ha ha, charade you are
You radiate cold shafts of broken glass
You're nearly a good laugh
Almost worth a quick grin
You like the feel of steel
You're hot stuff with a hat pin
And good fun with a hand gun
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry.
Hey you Whitehouse, ha ha, charade you are
You house proud town mouse, ha ha, charade you are
You're trying to keep our feelings off the street
You're nearly a real treat
All tight lips and cold feet
And do you feel abused?
.....!.....!.....!.....!
You gotta stem the evil tide
And keep it all on the inside
Mary you're nearly a treat
Mary you're nearly a treat
But you're really a cry.
- Released February 2, 1977
- The (Three Different Ones) refers to James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mary Whitehouse. The pigs represent the people whom Roger Waters considers to be at the top of the social ladder, the ones with wealth and power; they also manipulate the rest of society and encourage them to be viciously competitive and cutthroat, so the pigs can remain powerful.
- The legendary inflatable Floyd pig was conceived by Roger Waters and originally designed by ERG of Amsterdam in December 1976 for the photo session at Battersea Power Station which spawned the "Animals" album cover. Roger suggested flying a large inflatable pig from the towers of Battersea Power Station. He wanted to do it for real...no photo trickery.
Although the image of a pig suspended between the huge chimneys possessed a great sense of mood..it was the pig itself which caught the headlines. The day of the shoot was fantastic with a dramatic sky. First, the 40 ft. pig was inflated, but this took so long that it was not actually launched all day. The group of 11 photographers and 3 film crews stood around all day. Reference
Sheep
Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away;
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air.
You better watch out,
There may be dogs about
I've looked over Jordan, and I have seen
Things are not what they seem.
What do you get for pretending the danger's not real.
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel.
What a surprise!
A look of terminal shock in your eyes.
Now things are really what they seem.
No, this is no bad dream.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to lie
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water.
Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.
Have you heard the news?
The dogs are dead!
You better stay home
And do as you're told.
Get out of the road if you want to grow old.
- Released January 23, 1977
- The song was originally titled "Raving and Drooling". (Or being insane)
- The sheep represent the lowest class of the social system, the proletariat. They are oblivious and exploited, "only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air".
- "Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away; only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air." This indicates the sheep are peacefully grazing - unaware that they are soon to be brought to a slaughterhouse.
- "You better watch out, there may be dogs about." They are warned of the presence of dogs, the iron-handed guardians of the system.
- "I've looked over Jordan, and I have seen things are not what they seem." is a reference to Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and has become an idiom for having an ecstatic vision, especially one involving death, particularly one's own. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites must cross the river Jordan to get to the "Promised Land" after their escape from Egyptian Slavery.
- "Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel. What a surprise! A look of terminal shock in your eyes." The awful truth suddenly dawns on them and with "terminal shock in (their) eyes" they realize that they are being led into the "valley of steel", which is a metaphorical phrase, because it also represents the high-rise buildings (hence the steel framework), home of the corporate world as well as the slaughterhouse.
- "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want He makes me down to lie through pastures green. He leadeth me the silent waters by..." This entire stanza is a mock biblical verse in which the sheep describe their dedicated belief in their master with "great power and great hunger." But in a humorous turnabout the sheep, "through quiet reflection and great dedication" master the art of karate and rebel against the dogs.
- Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream. Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream." This verse describes the sheep's revolt, as they fall "on his neck with a scream." They might have had enough but they are still undereducated and uncivilized as they are described as "demented avengers."
- "Have you heard the news? The dogs are dead!" The sheep, because of their strength in numbers, overpower and kill the dogs.
- Starting at 6:27 and ending at 7:08, a parody of Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd...") is spoken in the background by means of a vocoder, with the words changed to suit the subject of the song. Reference
- The lyrics spoken in the background are:
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as sung by Joan Baez (1969)
The traditional lyrics: (chorus in bold)
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air.
You better watch out,
There may be dogs about
I've looked over Jordan, and I have seen
Things are not what they seem.
What do you get for pretending the danger's not real.
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel.
What a surprise!
A look of terminal shock in your eyes.
Now things are really what they seem.
No, this is no bad dream.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to lie
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water.
Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.
Have you heard the news?
The dogs are dead!
You better stay home
And do as you're told.
Get out of the road if you want to grow old.
- Released January 23, 1977
- The song was originally titled "Raving and Drooling". (Or being insane)
- The sheep represent the lowest class of the social system, the proletariat. They are oblivious and exploited, "only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air".
- "Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away; only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air." This indicates the sheep are peacefully grazing - unaware that they are soon to be brought to a slaughterhouse.
- "You better watch out, there may be dogs about." They are warned of the presence of dogs, the iron-handed guardians of the system.
- "I've looked over Jordan, and I have seen things are not what they seem." is a reference to Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and has become an idiom for having an ecstatic vision, especially one involving death, particularly one's own. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites must cross the river Jordan to get to the "Promised Land" after their escape from Egyptian Slavery.
- "Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel. What a surprise! A look of terminal shock in your eyes." The awful truth suddenly dawns on them and with "terminal shock in (their) eyes" they realize that they are being led into the "valley of steel", which is a metaphorical phrase, because it also represents the high-rise buildings (hence the steel framework), home of the corporate world as well as the slaughterhouse.
- "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want He makes me down to lie through pastures green. He leadeth me the silent waters by..." This entire stanza is a mock biblical verse in which the sheep describe their dedicated belief in their master with "great power and great hunger." But in a humorous turnabout the sheep, "through quiet reflection and great dedication" master the art of karate and rebel against the dogs.
- Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream. Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream." This verse describes the sheep's revolt, as they fall "on his neck with a scream." They might have had enough but they are still undereducated and uncivilized as they are described as "demented avengers."
- "Have you heard the news? The dogs are dead!" The sheep, because of their strength in numbers, overpower and kill the dogs.
- Starting at 6:27 and ending at 7:08, a parody of Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd...") is spoken in the background by means of a vocoder, with the words changed to suit the subject of the song. Reference
- The lyrics spoken in the background are:
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me down to lie, Through pastures green, He leadeth me the silent waters by. With bright knives, He releaseth my soul. He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places. He converteth me to lamb cutlets. For lo! He hath great power and great hunger. When cometh the day we lowly ones, Through quiet reflection and great dedication, Master the art of karate, Lo! we shall rise up And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water."
- During the breakdown section, in-between the 2nd chorus and the synthesizer solo, various sound effects used in the middle section of "Dogs" are once again utilized in this section, including the repeated "Stone" line that was sung by David Gilmour and echoed to produce a dog like sound."Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as sung by Joan Baez (1969)
The traditional lyrics: (chorus in bold)
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Coming for to carry me home
A band of angels coming after me
Coming for to carry me home
(chorus)
Sometimes I'm up and sometimes I'm down
Coming for to carry me home
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Coming for to carry me home
(chorus)
The brightest day that I can say
Coming for to carry me home
When Jesus washed my sins away,
Coming for to carry me home.
(chorus)
If I get there before you do
Coming for to carry me home
I'll cut a hole and pull you through
Coming for to carry me home
(chorus)
If you get there before I do
Coming for to carry me home
Tell all my friends I'm coming too
Coming for to carry me home
(chorus)
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