The Scarecrow
Pink Floyd Lyrics


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The black and green scarecrow as everyone knows
Stood with a bird on his hat and straw everywhere
He didn't care
He stood in a field where barley grows

His head did no thinking
His arms didn't move except when the wind cut up
Rough and mice ran around on the ground
He stood in a field where barley grows

The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me
But now he's resigned to his fate




'Cause life's not unkind, he doesn't mind
He stood in a field where barley grows

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Pink Floyd's "Scarecrow" paint a haunting portrait of a solitary scarecrow standing alone in a barley field. The opening lines describe the scarecrow's physical appearance, with his black and green clothes and straw hat adorned with a bird. The scarecrow is portrayed as emotionless and indifferent, standing idly in a field where barley grows.


As the lyrics continue, the scarecrow is further characterized as lifeless, with no ability to think and only moving when the wind blows. The imagery of mice running around his feet adds to the sense of loneliness and desolation surrounding the scarecrow. In contrast to his own melancholy, the scarecrow is described as resigned to his fate, accepting of the life he leads in the field.


Overall, "Scarecrow" is a powerful meditation on isolation and acceptance, and the lyrics evoke a sense of both sadness and peace. The song serves as a haunting reminder of human loneliness and the desperate search for meaning and connection in a world that can often feel cold and uncaring.


Line by Line Meaning

The black and green scarecrow as everyone knows
This is a well-known image of a scarecrow that is made of black and green colors.


Stood with a bird on his hat and straw everywhere
The scarecrow stood wearing a hat with a bird fixture and with plenty of straw stuck to him.


He didn't care
The scarecrow did not have any feelings or emotions.


He stood in a field where barley grows
The scarecrow was standing in a field where the crop being grown was barley.


His head did no thinking
The scarecrow's head did not contain any intelligence or thought.


His arms didn't move except when the wind cut up
The scarecrow's arms did not move except when the wind blew hard.


Rough and mice ran around on the ground
The field was unkempt and rough, which allowed mice to run around freely on the ground.


He stood in a field where barley grows
The scarecrow remained standing in a field where the crop being grown was barley.


The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me
The scarecrow appears to be sadder than me.


But now he's resigned to his fate
The scarecrow has finally accepted his fate.


'Cause life's not unkind, he doesn't mind
The scarecrow has come to realize that despite a few unkind occurrences, life is not so bad and he is at peace with it.


He stood in a field where barley grows
The scarecrow remained standing in a field where the crop being grown was barley.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SYD BARRETT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

alakazam123

Early pink Floyd is much more fun than later. Roger waters is the worst thing to happen to floyd. Just listen to Piper vs the wall, Piper is fun and mysterious and playful and the wall is tedious and musically boring and takes itsself way too seriously. I like bits and pieces of later Floyd buy most waters stuff is crap imo.

My fave members in order;

1 - Syd Barrett
2 - Rick Wright
3 - Dave Gilmour
4 - Nick Mason
5 - Waters



Marcolongo Agustin

The black and green scarecrow as everyone knows
Stood with a bird on his hat and straw everywhere
He didn't care
He stood in a field where barley grows

His head did no thinking
His arms didn't move except when the wind cut up
Rough and mice ran around on the ground
He stood in a field where barley grows

The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me
But now he's resigned to his fate
'Cause life's not unkind, he doesn't mind
He stood in a field where barley grows



meet me in the bathroom

The black and green scarecrow
As ev'ryone knows
Stood with a bird on his hat
Ans straw everywhere
He didn't care...
He stood in a field where barley grows
His head did no thinking his arms didn't move
Except when the wind cut up rough
And mice ran around on the ground
He stood in a field where barley grows
The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me
But now he's resigned to his fate
'Cause life's not unkind
He doesn't mind
He stood in a field where barley grows.



All comments from YouTube:

Marisa Elene Nadieja*Music Composer Vocalist Artist

I love Early Pink Floyd. They were the very best of psychedelic music. This is such a beautiful video. I am a hardcore EARLY pink floyd fan.

alakazam123

Early pink Floyd is much more fun than later. Roger waters is the worst thing to happen to floyd. Just listen to Piper vs the wall, Piper is fun and mysterious and playful and the wall is tedious and musically boring and takes itsself way too seriously. I like bits and pieces of later Floyd buy most waters stuff is crap imo.

My fave members in order;

1 - Syd Barrett
2 - Rick Wright
3 - Dave Gilmour
4 - Nick Mason
5 - Waters

Always Learning

I totally agree. I wish there was a lot more of Syd available with really good quality. He was at least for a time so playful and gave it all so much life and imagination.

music amateur

@alakazam123 I slightly disagree, I'm a fan of both syd and Roger's stuff. Yes I do agree that early pink floyd is way WAY more fun to listen to and MUCH more catchy, but I really do love the artistic and the philosophical songwriting and musical creativity that came out of Roger in albums like Dark side- the wall. (My personal favorite is wish you were here). I really do love the stuff that came out before then in Atom Heart Mother, and Meddle. The only Pink Floyd era that I don't care much about is probably David Gilmore era (besides division bell) I wasn't a fan of projects like a momentary laps of reason.

alakazam123

@music amateur I see where you're coming from. I actually really enjoy wish you were here too. Its a good tribute to Syd. And the music on that album is great.

alakazam123

@music amateur I am being too hard on Waters.

10 More Replies...

Gerard Moza

This album makes me feel emotions that I experimented when I was a child, love it.

Mr. K F - Never Give Up

It's amazing. That's the genius of Pink Floyd, and Syd's unique musical talent. :)

gonzalo davila

Yes! For me is the best rock album in history. The world in the eyes of a child

gonzalo davila

Yes! For me is the best rock album in history. The world in the eyes of a child

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