THE WALL
                            (Pink Floyd, 1979)
                            A Literary Analysis
                              by Ben Phillips


{ This was intended to (possibly) enlighten those familiar with the album
{ as to meanings they may have overlooked, and also to serve as an
{ introduction for those who have never heard it, or never payed attention
{ when they did.
{
{ For those familiar with the album, this text is a literary criticism of
{ its content.  For those who don't have the album almost memorized, it's
{ strongly suggested that you listen to it while you read.  The text was
{ written so that the bulk of the commentary comes during instrumental solos
{ and streams of sound effects, so one could (theoretically) read at a
{ comfortable pace while the album is playing without stopping and starting
{ the music.
{
{ The album is divided into four "sides".  It's suggested you stop the music
{ between each side in order to have time to read the comments between them.
{
{
{
{                               INTRODUCTION
{                                (skippable)
{
{ The Wall was first an album, then a cult film.  It is both a timeless rock
{ album (well, ok, there's a touch of not-quite-timeless disco/psychodelia
{ in places), and a story.  The story is told on both a literal level,
{ following the very believable, even typical, life of a modern rock star,
{ and a metaphorical level, following a scarred and imbittered human being
{ who builds a wall out of hatred to hide himself from others, only to find
{ himself trapped by that wall and unable to escape.  Facts I bring up that
{ aren't apparent from the album's content were inferred from references
{ made either by the movie or interviews with the artists.  Interpretations
{ of the lyrics and music are, to be honest, just as likely to be my own 
{ speculation as they are original intent of the artist.  Judge for yourself.
{ Thanks go to John Parham for adding input on interpretation for the final
{ draft.
{
{ I still think of The Wall as being divided into four sides, since my
{ first copy was on two records (now it's sold as a 2 CD set).  Each of the
{ four sides is a little less than half an hour in length, so one side makes
{ for a pretty tolerable sitting time for those that aren't terribly thrilled
{ with this genre of music and would rather not sit through more than a
{ little at a time.  (Hi Mom.)  It makes for better effect, though, if you
{ can actually listen to the entire album, free of distractions.
{
{ SIDE NOTE:  The album centers around a fictional character, a rock star.
{ The band called Pink Floyd that wrote and performed the album contains no
{ member named either Pink or Floyd, this was just the name they chose for the
{ fictional character the album centers around.




                                      I


{ This song isn't on the album, but it appeared in the movie, and gives
{ some background on what happened to Pink's father.


WHEN THE TIGERS BROKE FREE

It was just before dawn
One miserable morning in black '44.
When the forward commander was told to sit tight
When he asked that his men be withdrawn.
And the generals gave thanks as the other ranks
Held back the enemy tanks for a while.
And the Anziel bridgehead was held for the price
Of a few hundred ordinary lives.

The kind old King George sent Mother a note
When he heard that Father was gone.
It was, I recall, in the form of a scroll
With the gold leaf laid on.
And I found it one day, in a drawer of 
Old photographs in the way.
And my eyes still grow dim
To remember His Majesty 
Signing in his own rubber snout.

It was dark all around, 
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free.
And no one survived from the
Royal Fusiliers Company C.
There were all left behind,
Most of them dead, the rest of them dying.

And that's how the high command
Took my Daddy from me.

{ Start the music here.  If you turn it up until you can hear flute music
{ playing softly, this is the minimum proper listening volume.


IN THE FLESH?

{ Chronologically, Pink isn't even born yet, but this song foreshadows his
{ birth, career, and an important central theme of the album.
{
{ This song is an overview of that theme:  the relationship
{ between the artist and the listener, especially at concerts.  The concept
{ of The Wall was first inspired by a comment Roger Waters, the main
{ songwriter of the album, made after a show.  He had a sensation of
{ artificiality about the entire experience, as though there were a wall
{ constructed between him and the audience.  No meaningful interaction could
{ take place across it, and when a band had reached a certain level of
{ popularity, they couldn't even physically cross that wall for fear of
{ being hurt by their fans.
{
{ The title of the song is a reference to the artificiality of performers in
{ concert, and the ironic contrast with the expectations of fans, who pay
{ big money to see performers live because of the thrill of seeing their
{ favorite star "in the flesh".  The title questions the genuinity of the
{ concert experience, as well as Pink's humanity once he reaches stardom (a
{ reference to the events in side IV).

So ya 
Thought ya 
Might like to 
Go to the show
To feel the warm thrill of confusion, 
That space cadet glow.
Tell me, is something eluding you, sunshine?
Is this not what you expected to see?
If you want to find out what's behind these cold eyes,
You'll just have to claw your way through this disguise.

{ Pink shouts angry commands at the stage help.  He'll be directing
{ the course of the rest of this song.
{
{ And here we hear a plane going down:  Pink's father.  This segues 
{ (violently) into Pink's birth.


THE THIN ICE

Mama loves her baby, and Daddy loves you too.
And the sea may look warm to you baby,
And the sky may look blue.
Ooh, babe.
Ooh, baby, blue.
Ooh, babe.

{ The unsure tone of "may look" is cynicism on how happy the baby's life is
{ going to be:  hard to say if it's the cynicism of Pink's mother, or Pink
{ himself, or even the songwriter as narrator.  Could be any or all of those.

If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life,
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear stained eyes,
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you,
As you claw at the thin ice.

{ "A million tear stained eyes" -- all of the people Pink is going to hurt
{ during the course of his life.  He'll feel guilty about doing so, but hold
{ those feelings of guilt inside until they finally rise up and pass judgement
{ on him at the end of the album.
{
{ "slip out of your depth and out of your mind" -- the process of cracking
{ through the thin ice is the moment when you can no longer hide in civility
{ (the "depth" you hide in when you have emotions you don't wish to show) and
{ logic ("mind"); when emotions, whether yours or someone else's, burst forth
{ from hiding and force you to reckon with them.


ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, Part 1

{ The "Brick" songs are the closest thing to a title song the album has.
{ The metaphoric Pink is building a wall around himself to shield himself
{ from pain, and the bricks in the wall are experiences that hurt him
{ emotionally.
{
{ Here, Pink is old enough to have learned the truth about his father.

Daddy's flown across the ocean,
Leaving just a memory.
A snapshot in the family album,
Daddy, what else did you leave for me?
Daddy, what d'ya leave behind for me?
All in all it was
Just a brick in the wall.
All in all it was
All just bricks in the wall.

{ In the live concert performance of The Wall, a physical wall was built
{ during the course of the show, seperating the audience from the stage.
{ It was built from large (something like 4x4x6 ft.) concrete bricks, and
{ the band members would play on top of the bricks as it was being built.
{
{ If you listen closely, you can hear a moan of agony in the background,
{ seguing to angry yelling at/in a schoolyard of children...


THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES

(Schoolmaster:  "You!  Yes, you!  Stand still, laddie!")

When we grew up and went to school,
There were certain teachers 
Who would hurt the children any way they could.
By pouring their derision upon anything we did
Exposing every weakness 
However carefully hidden by the kids.

But in the town it was well known, 
When they got home at night,
Their fat and psychopathic wives 
Would thrash them within inches of their lives.

{ This may be a rumor the kids liked to whisper about the school master.


ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, Part 2

We don't need no education,
We don't need no thought control.
No dark sarcasm in the classroom.
Teacher, leave them kids alone.
Hey, Teacher, leave them kids alone!
All in all it's
Just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're
Just another brick in the wall.

{ A lot of people who have never heard of this album will recognize this
{ song.  After over a decade of producing meaningful, innovative music, 
{ this was Pink Floyd's first big radio hit.  Most of the people who
{ heard it, just as they do today, didn't really understand what it meant
{ in the context of the album, but they thought it was pretty cool to talk
{ about hating education and stuff.
{
{ This song is an expression of Pink's anger toward a particular schoolmaster
{ who marred his self-esteem.  In the album art, the schoolmaster is
{ the grey professor with spectacles and a pointer.  If this song makes a
{ commentary of any kind on education as a whole, it's a comment on the
{ disciplinarian approach of the British school system.  And that might not
{ even apply to the one in place today.
{
{ For all you non-guitar heads out there:  this is a really cool solo.  Viva
{ David Gilmour!

(Schoolmaster:  "Wrong!  Do it again!"
"If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?"
"You!  Yes, you behind the grandstand!  
Stand still, laddie!")


MOTHER

{ While you've got the album art out, Pink's mother is the one with a 
{ wall for her arms.  If you look carefully, you can see a little Pink 
{ head poking out from behind it.  Pink is imbittered at his mother's 
{ overprotectiveness.  Pink is imbittered at a lot of things.

Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?
Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Ooh, ah.  
Mother, should I build a wall?

Mother, should I run for president?
Mother, should I trust the government?
Mother, will they put me in the firing line?
Ooh, ah. 
Is it just a waste of time?

{ Sometimes, for example in the movie, that last line magically changes to:
{ "Mother am I really dying?"

Hush, now, baby, baby, don't you cry.
Mama's gonna make all of your nightmares come true.          { ??
Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you.
Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing.
She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing.
Mama's gonna keep baby cozy and warm.
Ooh, baby,
Ooh, baby,
Ooh, baby,
Of course Mama's gonna help build the wall.

{ The reference to flight is an important one that will recur more later,
{ when the metaphorical Pink is entirely walled in.  The idea is that if he
{ could fly, he could simply escape his prison and be free.  Efforts to
{ fly in a literal sense could represent his drug use, or simply any effort
{ made to achieve happiness.  All we know is that he never truly succeeds.

Mother, do you think she's good enough 
For me?
Mother, do you think she's dangerous 
To me?
Mother, will she tear your little boy apart?
Ooh, ah. 
Mother, will she break my heart?

Hush, now, baby, baby, don't you cry.
Mama's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you.
Mama won't let anyone dirty get through.
Mama's gonna wait up until you get in.
Mama will always find out where you've been.
Mama's gonna keep baby healthy and clean.
Ooh, baby,
Ooh, baby,
Ooh, baby, 
You'll always be baby to me.

Mother, did it need to be so high?


                                   END SIDE I

{ If it's disturbing to you that someone could be so hateful to his 
{ school and his mother, remember that Pink is a realistic, sympathetic,
{ and in ways quite despicable, person.  This is all part of the beauty of 
{ the way the album was written.  Nobody ever said Pink was supposed to 
{ be your hero.




                                       II


GOODBYE BLUE SKY

"Look, Mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky."

{ Here we swing back to the war theme begun with the death of Pink's father

Did did did did you see the frightened ones?
Did did did did you hear the falling bombs?
Did did did did you ever wonder why we had to run 
For shelter on the promise of a brave new world 
Unfurled beneath the clear blue sky?

Did did did did you see the frightened ones?
Did did did did you hear the falling bombs?
The flames are all long gone but the pain lingers on.
Goodbye blue sky.
Goodbye blue sky.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.


EMPTY SPACES

{ Now Pink is married, and we begin the tale of his rocky relationship with
{ his wife.  She would be the fiery-haired, snakelike entity with the huge
{ eyes in the album art.
{
{ Between Pink's rock star lifestyle and all of his personal problems (hinted
{ at during the course of the album are heavy drug use and wife beating, for
{ example), it's not a terrible stretch to picture his marriage hitting a 
{ snag or two.  This song is Pink's dooming realization of the hopelessness 
{ of the communication problem the two of them are having -- the one that
{ would foreshadow, facilitate, and exacerbate all the problems ahead of it.

What shall
We use
To fill 
The empty
Spaces
Where
We used to talk?

How shall I
Fill
The final
Places?  

How should I
Complete
The wall?


YOUNG LUST

I am just a new boy, a stranger in this town.
Where are all the good times?  
Who's gonna show this stranger around?

{ With his wife at home, Pink is out playing shows and living it up with the
{ groupies.  Notice how concerned he seems about his marriage difficulties
{ here.

Ooh, I need a dirty woman.
Ooh, I need a dirty girl.

Found some woman just standing in the rain
Make me feel like a real man
Take this rock 'n' roll refugee
Ooh, babe, set me free.

Ooh, I need a dirty woman.
Ooh, I need a dirty girl.

{ Really, Pink is concerned, but he doesn't consider himself to have time to
{ deal with it.  So, just like with a lot of things, he'll hide his feelings
{ until something cracks the ice and causes them to explode:  a drama played
{ out in the next song.  But for now, he's immersed in escapism.
{
{ Roger Waters (the songwriter) was asked once if this song was written with
{ the intent in mind to use the kind of sarcasm that was used so heavily
{ in many other places in the album to imply that there was in fact
{ something wrong with living this way.  Waters reacted with some
{ hostility, and viciously denied this idea.  The interviewer, amusingly
{ enough, backtracked and said he had always thought of the song as "kind of
{ an anthem", and then that was the end of the discussion.

Ooh, I need a dirty woman.
Ooh, I need a dirty girl.

{ If you didn't know, that sound is how phones ring in the UK.

(Man: "Hello?"

Operator:  "You have a collect call for Mrs. Floyd from Mr.
Floyd.  Will you accept the charges from the United States?"
[click]  "He hung up.  This is your residence, right?  I
wonder why he hung up.  There must be someone else there
beside your wife to answer."

Man:  "Hello?"

Operator:  "This is United States calling.  Are we reach-
ing...?"  [click]  "See, he keeps hanging up.  That's a man
answering.")

{ It looks like Pink finally broke down and gave his wife a call.  Evidently
{ she wasn't expecting this:  she forgot to tell her lover not to answer the
{ phone.  Now Pink (in the movie) is sitting in a chair, staring glassy-eyed
{ in shock at a television set, oblivious to what's on it.  (Pink will soon
{ take a distinct disliking to television sets).  A groupie has let herself in
{ to the house where he's staying and is wandering around.  


ONE OF MY TURNS

{ Apparently one of his wife's idiosyncracies is to write off Pink's fits of
{ rage as something not worth notice, just one of his turns.  So the title
{ is sarcasm of a deadly sort, which, just like everything Pink is about to
{ say to the groupie, is really (in Pink's mind) directed at his wife.

("Oh my God, what a fabulous room.  Are all these
your guitars?  This place is bigger than our apartment! 
Uh, can I get a drink of water?  You want some?  Hunh?  Oh,
wow, look at this tub!  You wanna take a bath?  What are
you watchin'?  Hello!  Are you feeling OK?")

Day after day, love turns grey,
Like the skin of a dying man.
And night after night, we pretend it's all right,
But I have grown older, and you have grown colder,
And nothing is very much fun anymore.
And I can feel
One of my turns coming on.
And I
Feel
Cold as a razor blade,
Tight as a tourniquet,
Dry as a funeral drum.

Run to the bedroom,
In the suitcase on the left, 
You'll find my favorite axe.
Don't look so frightened, 
This is just a passing phase,
One of my bad days.
Would you like to watch TV,
Or get between the sheets,
Or contemplate the silent freeway?
Would you like something to eat?
Would you like to learn to fly?
Would ya?
Would you like to see me try?

{ Here we can hear things smashing as Pink hurls dishes and various other
{ things at the girl.  The flying reference is important -- apparently his
{ wife has belittled his talk of "flying" that way in the past, and this hurt
{ him enough that he's bringing it back up in this fit of rage.  At
{ the same time, this indicates a view of suicide as an attractive method
{ of finally achieving happiness.

Would you like to call the cops?
Do you think it's time I stopped?
Why are you running away?


DON'T LEAVE ME NOW

{ With the groupie gone, he feels lonely now, and to a profound degree since
{ he knows he has lost his wife.  Highlighting all of this is his own guilt 
{ over the way he has treated her; he tortures himself with lonely musings,
{ then flays himself with self-accusations about why he thinks he needs his
{ wife.

Ooh, babe, don't leave me now.
Don't say it's the end of the road.
Remember the flowers I sent.
I need you, babe,
To put through the shredder in front of my friends.
Oh, babe,
Don't leave me now.
How could you go?
When you know how I need you
To beat to a pulp on a Saturday night.
Oh, babe, don't leave me now.
How can you treat me this way?
Running away.
Ooh, babe,
Why are you running away?


ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, Part 3

{ Here we witness the beginning of Pink's love affair with the television
{ set.  But more importantly than that, we're watching the final severing
{ of his desire to make amends with his wife, or for that matter, anyone
{ else.

I don't need no arms around me.
And I don't need no drugs to calm me.
I have seen the writing on the wall.
Don't think I need anything at all.
No!  
Don't think I need anything at all!
All in all it was
All just bricks in the wall.
All in all it was
All just bricks in the wall.


GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD

{ Having severed the last thing that held him to a meaningful existence, the
{ wall is ready to be completed.  Pink has grown tired of living, tired of
{ struggling, and is ready to finally give up completely on the last person
{ left to give up on -- himself.  In the concert performance, the entire wall
{ was complete at this point except for a single brick, and the singer
{ (Waters) stood in the hole where the brick would go and sang this song
{ until the last brick sealed him in.

Goodbye cruel world,
I'm leaving you today.
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

Goodbye all you people,
There's nothing you can say
To make me change my mind.
Goodbye.


                                   END SIDE II

{ It was said by one critic that someone should have made the band stick to
{ a single-length album, ending it here instead of continuing on to
{ the other two sides.  That would make Pink's suicide a success, and give
{ us one of the most depressing albums ever created.
{
{ As it is, however, we can assume that the suicide was unsuccessful.
{ Perhaps it wasn't a suicide at all, but simply the afterthought of the
{ wall's completion:  a severance from all meaningful ties with others.
{ Either way, side III is without a doubt the most beautiful part of the
{ album, the relatively free-associative musings of someone trapped by 
{ his own hatred.  The music is slower paced, and the tone is quiet 
{ and sad.  A lot of people who love the album tend to think of songs from
{ side III as the quintessential parts of The Wall.




                                       III


HEY YOU

{ For the first time, Pink feels trapped by the wall, and the callousness it
{ represents.  This song gives us the first vivid image of the people 
{ outside of it, and of Pink calling out to them.

Hey you, out there in the cold,
Getting lonely, getting old,
Can you feel me?

Hey you, standing in the aisles,
With itchy feet and fading smiles,
Can you feel me?

Hey you, don't help them to bury the light.
Don't give in without a fight.

Hey you, out there on your own,
Sitting naked by the phone,
Would you touch me?

{ naked by the phone -- may be a metaphor for baring feelings to
{ others but never really growing close to the people you're sharing them
{ with.

Hey you, with your ear against the wall,
Waiting for someone to call out,
Would you touch me?

Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?
Open your heart, I'm coming home.


...But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high, as you can see.
No matter how he tried, he could not break free,
And the worms ate into his brain.

{ The worms are used as a symbol in several places in the album.  They seem to
{ represent fears.  They'll develop more in side IV.
{
{ Here, Pink is kept from breaking free of his wall by his fear of losing the
{ security it represents.

Hey you, out there on the road,
Always doing what you're told,
Can you help me?

Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?

Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all.
Together we stand, divided we fall. 

{ Notice the implications of that last line with respect to the next song.


IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?

Is there anybody out there? (X4)

{ For most of side III, you'll hear a TV playing constantly as the backdrop
{ to what's going on.  Pink's will has degenerated to the point that he watches
{ television even though he's still very frustrated with it (as he'll 
{ mention).
{
{ This song is the outcry of someone who has taught himself that there is
{ no one to talk to, and no one he can trust with his feelings.


NOBODY HOME

Got a little black book with my poems in,
Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in.
When I'm a good dog they sometimes throw me a bone in.

{ He feels trapped by the position he's in as a performer.

I got elastic bands keeping my shoes on,
Got those swollen hand blues,              { Reference to a drug side effect.
I got thirteen channels of shit on the TV to choose from.
I got electric light, and I got second sight.
I've got amazing powers of observation.
And that is how I know
When I try to get through on the telephone to you,
There'll be nobody home.

{ He's trying to call someone he cares for that doesn't want to speak to
{ him -- conceivably his wife.

I got the obligatory Hendrix perm
And the inevitable pinhole burns
All down the front of my favorite satin shirt.
I got nicotine stains on my fingers,
I got a silver spoon on a chain.
Got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains.

{ He feels like his songs are the only thing that will remain of him after
{ he's gone.

I got wild staring eyes,                    { Probably also a drug effect.
And I got a strong urge to fly...

{ Flying probably isn't suicide here, but it is still happiness; his 
{ definition of happiness changes over time.

But I got nowhere to fly to.

Ooh, babe, 
When I pick up the phone,
There's still nobody home.

I got a pair of Gohill's boots,
And I got fading roots....


VERA

{ Vera Lynn was a singer who lived sometime toward the beginning of the 
{ 20th century.  She probably sang songs either to or about soldiers.

Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?
Remember how she said that 
We would meet again 
Some sunny day.

Vera!  Vera!
What has become of you?

Does anybody else in here
Feel the way I do?


BRING THE BOYS BACK HOME

Bring the boys back home.
Bring the boys back home.
Don't leave the children on their own, no no.
Bring the boys back home.

{ This song is another throwback to the war theme prevalent in the
{ album (which will become important later).  Pink is still
{ very bitter about the events surrounding his father's death.  That's
{ going to fester inside him and cause him to eventually become, in a
{ way, the thing he despises.
{
{ At this point in the movie, Pink has messed himself up on some drug or
{ another, and is discovered in a semi-conscious state just a few minutes
{ before he's scheduled for a show.
{
{ He's in a detached state mentally now as well as emotionally, and he's
{ either unable or unwilling to respond to any of the voices
{ swimming around his head (some real, some remembered or imagined).


COMFORTABLY NUMB

{ The record company representatives, upon seeing him in this state, go into a
{ panic and call in a quack physician, making it clear to him that Pink must
{ be mobilized immediately at any cost.

Hello, is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

C'mon, now,
I hear you're feelin' down.
Well, I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.

Relax, I need some information first.
Just the basic facts.
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain,
You are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move, but I cannot hear what you're saying.
When I was a child, I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I've got that feeling once again,
I can't explain, you would not understand,
This is not how I am.

I have become
Comfortably numb.

{ "This is not how I am" -- Pink speaks in this song about being someone
{ else; trapped in his wall, in his depression and anger, he isn't the
{ person he knows he should be, who he really is.
{
{ It's pretty debatable as to what exactly the doctor injected him with, but
{ in the movie it causes Pink's body to rot toward the end of this song, and
{ emerging from the bloated corpse like a moth from a cocoon is a new Pink,
{ the stony demagogue who was singing the first song on the album, "In The
{ Flesh?"

OK, just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more--
But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working.  Good!
That'll keep you going through the show.
C'mon, it's time to go.

There is no pain,
You are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move, but I cannot hear what you're saying.
When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse            {  happiness
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown.
The dream is gone.

I have become comfortably numb.


                                  END SIDE III

{ The record company is tampering with Pink as an artist, easing his
{ pain and numbing him to what's going on.  This can symbolize
{ corporate influence on popular music, and the tendency of the business end
{ of things to force artists to perform no matter how they actually feel
{ about what's happening.  Their feelings are "numbed" by the weight of the
{ money issues at stake.  Here, Pink is being made to go on despite
{ the fact that he's tired of being loved when he thinks himself to be
{ hateable.  He has finally broken down and had a crisis over this (and
{ overdosed on his drugs when he did), and now he finds out that he has to
{ go on stage in this state.  He is pushed to do so by the record company,
{ and indirectly, by the millions of adoring fans that are cheering for
{ him to appear.
{
{ Now is the time when Pink resolves to show the world, and specifically his
{ fans, how much he hates them all.  If he can drive them away from him,
{ he can retain his sanity and deal with the problems that have been hiding
{ inside him all along.
{
{ It's this part of the album that exemplifies the image in the album art,
{ of a wall formed not between the stage and the audience, but one formed
{ around the stage BY the audience; the concert arena is Pink's fortress.
{ He is trapped inside it just as those who love him are trapped outside of
{ it.  He'll form an army out of anger (represented by the marching hammers,
{ the expression of his fury through music), and he'll march mercilessly
{ on his fans.
{
{ The funny thing is, his fans are going to think this is all quite a lot
{ of fun.  People don't think very much about the feelings of the performers
{ they go to see.  Almost no matter what happens, they think everything is
{ a show there for their shallow amusement.  And just like the reverend
{ preaching to the congregation in _The Scarlett Letter_, Pink will tell
{ them outright that he despises them all, and they'll somehow find a way
{ to assume it's all part of the show.




                                      IV


THE SHOW MUST GO ON

{ The backing vocals here, as with many places in the album, are reminiscent
{ of older generations of music.  This gives the album its timeless feel,
{ which is important since it's partly an allegory about the music business,
{ and the problems pointed out are not new, and are not going away.

Ooh, Ma, ooh, Pa,
Must the show go on?
Ooh, take me home, take me home, take me home.
Ooh, let me go, let me go, let me go.

There must be some mistake,
I didn't mean to let them take
Away my soul.
Am I too old?  Is it too late?

Ooh, Ma, ooh, Pa.
Where's the feeling gone?
Ooh, Ma, ooh, Pa.
Will I remember this song?
Ooh, ah.

The show must go on.


IN THE FLESH?, Part 2

{ Pink is finally letting all of his hatred lash out at the crowd, for any
{ and every reason that pops into his head.

So ya 
Thought ya 
Might like to 
Go to the show,
To feel the warm thrill of confusion, 
That space cadet glow.
I got some bad news for you, sunshine.
Pink isn't well, he stayed back at the hotel,
And they sent us along as a surrogate band.
We're gonna find out where you fans really stand.

{ Pink isn't even pretending to be the same person he once was.

Are there any queers in the theater tonight?
Get 'em up against the wall!
Now there's one in the spotlight,
He don't look right to me!
Get him up against the wall.
And that one looks Jewish, and that one's a coon.      { coon -- black
Who let all this riffraff into the room?
There's one smoking a joint,
And another with spots!                { spots -- British slang for zits.
If I had my way  
I'd have all of you shot!


RUN LIKE HELL

{ The literal Pink is being chased by adoring fans through the corridors
{ backstage.  They loved his new show style so much they mobbed security
{ at the end of it and are hording madly after their idol.
{
{ The metaphorical Pink has had his army of anger, the marching hammers,
{ turn on him in revolt.  They're marching against him now, forcing him to
{ take refuge behind his wall.

Run, run, run, run...
You better stop and make your face up 
With your favorite disguise,
With your button-down lips and your roller-blind eyes,
With your empty smile and your hungry heart,
Feel the bile rising from your guilty past.
With your nerves in tatters as the cockleshell shatters,
And the hammers batter down your door,
You better run!

Run, run, run, run...
You better run all day and run all night
Keep your dirty feelings deep inside
So if you're takin' your girlfriend out tonight
You better park the car well out of sight.
Cause if they catch you in the backseat
Tryin' to pick her locks
They're gonna send you back to Mother 
In a cardboard box!
You better run!


WAITING FOR THE WORMS

{ Literal Pink holes himself up in a room where his fans can't find him
{ while the mob rushes by outside.
{
{ Metaphorical Pink is holed up behind his wall while the hammers march on him
{ outside.  The only things the wall can't keep out are the worms which crawl
{ beneath to get him.  They still represent fear, but this time the fear is
{ of being torn apart by his fans, and this has translated into anger and
{ more hatred toward them.  The worms march not only against Pink's enemies,
{ but also against Pink's friends, his fans, and against Pink himself.  Since
{ he can't control them, he's forced to march with them.

Eins!  Tzwei!  Drei!  Hammer!

{ "eins, tzwei, drei" -- German counting:  one, two, three

Ooh.  You cannot reach me now.
Ooh.  No matter how you try.
Goodbye cruel world, it's over, walk on by.

Sitting in a bunker, here behind my wall.
Waiting for the worms to come.
In perfect isolation, here behind my wall.
Waiting for the worms to come.

{ In his hatred, Pink has become
{ that which he has spent his life despising.

(Megaphone: Will the audience convene at one fifteen
outside Brixton Town Hall where we will be...)
Waiting (to cut out the deadwood).               { Nazi philosophy
Waiting (to clean up the city).
Waiting (to follow the worms).
Waiting (to put on a black shirt).               { Uniform, Fascist Italy
Waiting (to weed out the weaklings).             { Nazi philosophy
Waiting (to smash in their windows and kick in their doors)
Waiting (for the final solution to strengthen the strain).  { Nazi philosophy
Waiting (to follow the worms).
Waiting (to turn on the showers and fire the ovens).   { Holocaust reference
Waiting (for the queens and the coons and the Reds and the Jews).
                                              { gays, blacks, Russians, Jews
Waiting (to follow the worms).

Would you like to see 
Britannia rule again, my friend?
All you have to do is follow the worms.

Would you like to send 
Our colored cousins home again, my friend?
All you need to do is follow the worms.

{ Besides being a commentary on fascism itself, this song is representative of
{ the unfairness of letting celebrities walk all over the people around them,
{ and have their every whim satisfied.  Pink's prejudices and opinions are
{ corrupted and amplified by the amount of power he has, to a frightening
{ result.
{
{ The army is swelling now to immense proportions under Pink's command, and
{ is getting out of control.  Pink's life has spiralled downhill to the point
{ that he doesn't feel anymore like he's in control of what's going on.


STOP

Stop!  I want to go home.
Take off this uniform and leave the show.
I'm waiting in this cell because 
I have to know
Have I been guilty all this time?


THE TRIAL

{ The guilt from Pink's past has finally forced him to bring himself to a
{ mental trial.  The witnesses at the trial will be memories of things people
{ in his past have said about him:  the same evidence everyone uses to judge
{ themselves.  He'll be under the jurisdiction of the army he has committed
{ insubordination to:  the worms, who don't undertand the human feelings he's
{ acting upon.

[Prosecutor]  Good morning, Worm, Your Honor!
The Crown will plainly show 
The prisoner who now stands before you 
Was caught red-handed showing feelings.
Showing feelings of an almost human nature!  
This will not do.

Call the Schoolmaster!

[Schoolmaster]  I always said he'd come to no good 
In the end, Your Honor.
If they'd let me have my way, 
I could have flayed him into shape.  
But my hands were tied, 
The bleeding hearts and artists 
Let him get away with murder!
Let me hammer him today.

[Pink]  Crazy.  Toys in the attic, I am crazy.  
Truly gone fishing.
They must have taken my marbles away!

{ He's lost his marbles.
{
{ Pink wants to think he only hurt those he loved because he didn't realize
{ what he was doing.  He's pleading insanity to himself.

[Wife]  You little shit, you're in it now,
I hope they throw away the key.
You should have talked to me 
More often than you did.
But no!  You had to go your own way.
Have you broken any homes up lately?
Just five minutes, Worm Your Honor,
Him, and me, alone.

[Mother]  Babe!  Come to mother, baby,
Let me hold you in my arms.
M'lud, I never wanted him
To get in any trouble
Why'd he ever have to leave me?
Worm Your Honor, let me take him home....

[Pink]  Crazy, over the rainbow, I am crazy.
Bars in the window.
There must have been a door there in the wall
When I came in!

[Judge]  The evidence before the court is incontrovertible.
There's no need for the jury to retire.
In all my years of judging, I have never heard before
Of someone more deserving of the full penalty of the law!
The way you made them suffer,
Your exquisite wife and mother,
Fills me with the urge to defecate!
("Go, judge!  Sit on 'im!")
Since, my friend, you have revealed your deepest fear,
I sentence you to be exposed before your peers!
Tear down the wall!

{ Metaphorically, the judge has decided to defecate on Pink (a slang
{ reference to passing harsh judgement on him).  In the movie he actually
{ turns into a giant rear end and carries out this action...  which is pretty
{ grotesque, but I guess it serves the artist's purposes...
{
{ The judgement that Pink's mental mob is approving of so vocally is one that
{ turns out to be good for him.  In a literal sense, Pink has decided to make
{ himself contact those outside his wall, forcing himself to desert the
{ security of aloofness.  He has decided to stop running from his feelings,
{ hiding his emotions from others, and isolating himself from those who
{ would befriend him.  It is a harsh judgement; it subjects him
{ to a great deal of pain.  But because of the feelings that the worms
{ have so delightedly pointed out, Pink cannot continue as commander of his
{ army of hatred and anger.  He has betrayed their cause by finally refusing
{ to let go of his humanity; as such, they refuse to let him have his wall
{ of protection.
{
{ This is the part in the live performance where the huge wall was knocked
{ down from in front of the audience, exposing the stage again.  It was
{ a feat of engineering to build the wall in such a way so they could do
{ this without hurting anyone.


OUTSIDE THE WALL

All alone or in twos,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down
Outside the wall.
Some hand in hand,
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and the artists make their stand.
And when they've given you their all,
Some stagger and fall, after all, it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall.


                                 END SIDE IV

{ In the movie, there's an image of Pink as a child again, wandering through
{ the rubble of the fallen wall.  He finds an implement of war, a gasoline
{ bomb made from a bottle and a rag.  He pulls out the rag, dumps out the
{ gasoline, and starts playing with his new toy, the empty bottle.
{
{ The flute music, which you may recognize as the music at the album's
{ beginning, ends in some rapidly spoken words:  "Isn't this..."  Upon careful
{ listening, the rest of the statement can be heard at the album's beginning:
{ "...where I came in?"