Another Brick In The Wall
- Korn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leaving just a memory
A snapshot in the family album
Daddy, what else did you leave for me?
Daddy, whatcha 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
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers, leave them kids alone
Hey, teachers, leave those kids alone
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers, leave them kids alone
Hey, teachers, leave those kids alone
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
I don't need no arms around me
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 you were all just bricks in the wall
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
The song Another Brick In The Wall is a protest against the rigid education system and the negative impact it had on children. It begins with the singer talking about his father who has left him and the family with nothing but memories and questions about what he has left behind for them. The repetitious lyrics "All in all it was just a brick in the wall" highlight how the singer feels like just another brick in the wall or a small, insignificant part of a larger system.
The second half of the song becomes more pointed in its critique of education. The lines "We don't need no education" and "No dark sarcasm in the classroom, teachers, leave them kids alone" express the singer's frustration with the education system's inability to cater to individual needs, personal growth or creativity. The repetition of "All in all you're just another brick in the wall" illustrates how the system expects students to conform and fall into line rather than carve out their own path in life.
The final verses of the song take a more desperate tone. The singer expresses how he doesn't need anyone or anything to console him or help him. He has seen the writing on the wall, or he has realised the bleak future that awaits him with the current education system. The song ends on a somber note with the singer saying goodbye to the world, the people and the system that he feels has failed him.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy's flown across the ocean
Daddy has left and gone far away
Leaving just a memory
He has left only a memory behind of himself
A snapshot in the family album
Like a photograph in a family album, he is now just a memory
Daddy, what else did you leave for me?
What other legacy or inheritance did he leave for his child?
Daddy, whatcha leave behind for me?
A more casual way of asking what he left for his child
All in all it was just a brick in the wall
In the grand scheme of things, his role or memory was insignificant
All in all it was all just bricks in the wall
Similarly, the overall impact of each individual is insignificant
We don't need no education
The artist is rejecting the idea that formal education is necessary
We don't need no thought control
The artist is rejecting the idea that one's mind can or should be controlled
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
The artist is rejecting the use of sarcastic or negative remarks in an educational setting
Teachers, leave them kids alone
Teachers should not interfere with or try to control their students
Hey, teachers, leave those kids alone
A more forceful way of reinforcing the idea that teachers should not interfere with their students
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
Like the previous line, individuals are insignificant in the grand scheme of things
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
The singer is specifically addressing the addressee as another insignificant individual
I don't need no arms around me
The singer does not need physical comfort or support from others
I don't need no drugs to calm me
The artist does not need any medication or substance to relax or calm down
I have seen the writing on the wall
The artist has seen and understood what is going on
Don't think I need anything at all
The singer believes they do not need anything or anyone else
No, don't think I need anything at all
A reaffirmation of the previous line
All in all it was all just bricks in the wall
Like the previous instances, this line reinforces the idea of individual insignificance
All in all you were all just bricks in the wall
Like the previous instances, this line is addressing a specific addressee as an insignificant individual
Goodbye cruel world
The artist is saying goodbye to the world
I'm leaving you today
The singer is departing this life
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Repeating the goodbye as a final farewell
Goodbye, all you people
The singer is addressing anyone who may hear this as a final farewell
There's nothing you can say
There is no way for anyone to persuade the singer to change their mind
To make me change my mind
The singer is resolute in their decision to leave this life
Goodbye
A final farewell
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@warpcrafter
The riff in the original conveys sadness and resignation. In Korn's version, it dredges up tons of pain and rage.
@HigherLove70
It just goes deeper, and tells the truth. You are absolutely on the money.
@Apophistechnologies
I think that both riffs represent their respective generations. And, you're 100% right. I grew up listening to the original Pink Floyd version, and this is one of the only remakes that I truly enjoy as much as the original songs. As the original was the boomer generation (Roger Waters wrote a lot of songs about how ww2 affected him, and the alienation of being on a stage, instead of a close quarters club, performing) and Korn's version is representative of GenX... hence the rage and pain in the music... I wonder what the Millennial and GenZ versions will sound like...
@zekie106
best comparison ive seen in the comment section
also speaks of this generation... we are certainly more vocal than the previous generations (that's why old people see young people as rude)
@thesenate3068
@Zekie You're right, and that's because in this day and age, the status quo, both politically and economically, leaves a lot to be desired, regardless of one's political stance.
@farva37
💯
@PrisonbreakSPNheroes
I am 1000% in love with the original, but there is something about the way Jonathon Davis performs this vocal. It just hits so well!
@homerogarza3060
Yes yes
@user-tp5yb4hr4w
Now I'm coming from the perspective of first hearing this song from this artist, and then listening to the old version, and the old version didn't have any feeling I was looking for.
This version however, really hits the mark of the feeling and the song, and that ending, sounds like he just offed himself.
Goodbye cruel world, there's nothing left to see, goodbye goodbye goodbye.....
At least that's what I would say if I was to off myself, and I've had a few of those episodes in my life, so I would know those lyrics very well.
@dimethaltryptamine1
If i'd never hear Roger Waters do the vocals I'd agree but as it is this is a great redo but Roger kills anyone doing the vocals on this song man, imho