Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Under Barrett's leadership, they released two charting singles and the successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind the band's peak success with the albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). The musical film based on The Wall, Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), won two BAFTA Awards. Pink Floyd also composed several film scores.
Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced two more albums—A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994)—and toured in support of both before entering a long hiatus. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a one-off performance at the global awareness event Live 8. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was based on unreleased material from the Division Bell recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release the song "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" in protest of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and these albums and Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums of all time. Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200, and five topped the UK Album Chart. Pink Floyd's hit singles include "See Emily Play" (1967), "Money" (1973), "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (1979), "Not Now John" (1983), "On the Turning Away" (1987) and "High Hopes" (1994). They were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, Pink Floyd were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd
Studio albums
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
More (1969)
Ummagumma (1969)
Atom Heart Mother (1970)
Meddle (1971)
Obscured by Clouds (1972)
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Wish You Were Here (1975)
Animals (1977)
The Wall (1979)
The Final Cut (1983)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
The Division Bell (1994)
The Endless River (2014)
1977--Pigs on the Wing
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you
We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Buggers to blame
And watching the pigs on the wing
This song is about the importance of human connections in a world that can feel apathetic and hopeless. The lyrics express the idea that even when things seem bleak, having someone to care about and who cares about you can provide comfort and meaning. The lines "If you didn't care/What happened to me/ And I didn't care for you" suggest a mutual lack of concern, but then the singer offers an alternative: "We would zig-zag our way/Through the boredom and pain/Occasionally glancing up through the rain." The image of zig-zagging suggests an aimless journey, but one that is not entirely without purpose because they have each other.
The lines "Wondering which of the/Buggers to blame/And watching the pigs on the wing" give the impression that the world is full of problems and villains, but instead of getting bogged down in blame and despair, the singer looks up at the sky and watches "the pigs on the wing." This could be a reference to the famous George Orwell novel "Animal Farm," in which pigs take over and become dictators. The idea of them being on a wing could represent the pigs having control, but also being isolated and removed from the troubles of the world below. Overall, the song tells us that even in a world of problems and uncertainty, the connection with others and the ability to appreciate small moments can help us through.
Line by Line Meaning
If you didn't care
In the case where your concern for me was negligible
What happened to me
You were indifferent to whatever befalls me
And I didn't care for you
While I didn't reciprocate your feelings either
We would zig-zag our way
We would move around aimlessly without any direction
Through the boredom and pain
Journeying through moments of monotony and suffering
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Pausing briefly to look beyond the storm clouds
Wondering which of the
Reflecting on which of the individuals
Buggers to blame
Should be held accountable for the situation
And watching the pigs on the wing
Observing the self-interested individuals in power who do not care about the struggles of those beneath them
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Lancaster
My era! And yes.... I had the 8-track player installed under the A.C.... kept a matchbook and my zigzags stuck underneath the tape... so that it didn't drag! I bet you younguns don't even know what I am talking about!
This is the best song pink floyd ever did... along with "Dogs"... listened to them every day (literally every morning with my buddy "Hutch") on my way to HIGH school... along with Led Zeppelin "Presence"... which was their finest work, also ("Achilles Last Stand" and "For Your Life" are Pages' finest hour)! Wish I had a dollar for every time I played those 4 songs...
Fuck the critics.
Noone will ever know what those albums did in my soul... Changed my heart forever!
I always wondered why they did not release this version of "Pigs on the Wing" on the "Animals" record? Now I know... jealousy... wrong lead guitar player... Why else would anyone EVER leave a lead that beautiful off of an album?!
Anyway.... when Hutch and I got to the prison (I mean the "school") each morning we would all sit and discuss Animals in the "smokeshack" between 1st and 2nd period classes... (we always skipped 1st period) That's right... we actually had a school board approved, designated smoking area at the school! Can you believe it?! We all smoked cigarettes between classes! Ahhhhh....nothing like that Marlboro light before D.E. class to get those virgin lungs climatized! There was no politically correct B.S. to deal with back then!
Don't get me wrong... life sucked... but just not quite as bad as it does now. At least the air back then was still only H20 (hold the aluminum, barium, and lithium micro particles)... and there was still no drug testing!
I remember... I remember... I remember... (Bob Seger moment)...
Bill Lancaster
@MetalGuruMessiah hey buddy! Thanx for the reply...
Yes... I did listen to almost ALL of your vids... and I loved the Song of seven vid especially! I loved the Kansas "Cheyenne Anthem" vid, too. Quite obscure, my friend... but those are the best songs, because you don't hear them as often. You are now in my faves and I will be a faithful follower of the joy that you exhibit in your production.
I knew when I saw this pink floyd vid that you and I were kindred spirits. I will comment often, and spread the word about your site. You have the best music vids on YT... Keep it up!
I told my wife yesterday.... that we were so lucky to have lived during the 60s, 70s, and 80s era... There will never be any other time on this green earth, that will produce music like that time. Unfortunately... I took the music for granted... I did not recognize how rare and special that era was...until it ended! There was so much creativity, that I just thought it was normal for music to be at that high standard!
I was wrong! The filler tunes were better than any music now!
Anyway... it is good to meet you, and I will be a frequent regular on your channel. P.S....I really loved the Al Stewart stuff, also! Thanx for all the hard work!
Laura Lynn Franco
My husband (who is now deceased) played this for me the night I met him. I instantly loved him and him me. This song will always remind me of him.
Schizophrenic Enthusiast
Aww you've brought a tear to my eye !
May he rest in peace :(
ReggieDunlop
Good stuff, your husband. I like to play music for people. Share it, see if it speaks to them. RIP, sir.
jupirer
God Love You , I know He did
Andy hall
I tried the same thing, but played "one of my turns"...no idea what her status is, but I'm quite sure she isn't watching me, and neither is your deceased love.
Mark Seax
A touching but wonderful memory of him.
Ethan Cowgill
I'd only heard the album version before this. This is the first time I heard the solo in between. Unbelievable... POWERFUL Pink Floyd!
Roger
Snowy White is a master of the guitar...cool stage presence also.
Juan Manuel Pigni
Uno de los solos más lindos y emotivos que escuché. Grande Snowy.
Dan
A great underrated song made even better by the solo.