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)
Not Now John
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Fuck all that, fuck all that)
Got to compete with the wily Japanese
There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees
(Fuck all that)
So fuck all that, we've gotta get on with these
(Gotta get on with these)
Mind gone, silicon
Stroll on what bomb?
Get away, payday
Make hay, break down
Need fix, big six
Click, click
Hold on, oh no
Bingo (bingo)
Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry
Make 'em dance in the aisles
Make 'em pay, make 'em stay
Make them feel okay
Not now John, we've got to get on with the film show
(Gotta get on, gotta get on)
Hollywood waits at the end of the rainbow
(End of the rainbow)
Who cares what it's about as long as the kids go
(As long as the kids go)
So, not now John, we've gotta get on with the show
(Gotta get on, gotta get on)
(Gotta get on, gotta get on, gotta get on)
Hang on John I've gotta get on with this
(Gotta get on, gotta get on)
Don't know what it is, but it fits on here like, sss
Come at the end of the shift, we'll go and get pissed
But not now John, I've gotta get on with this
(Gotta get on with this, gotta get on)
Hold on John, I think there's something good on
I used to read books but
Could be the news or some other abuse
Could be reusable shows
Fuck all that, we've gotta get on with these
Gota compete with the wily Japanese
(Gotta get on, gotta get on)
No need to worry about the Vietnapeace
Gota bring Russian Bear to his knees
(Gotta get on)
Well, maybe not the Russian Bear, maybe the Swedes
We showed Argentina, now let's go and show these
(Gotta get on, gotta get on)
Make us feel tough and wouldn't Maggie be pleased?
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
(Na, na, na, na, na, na, na)
(One, two, Free Four)
(One, two, Free Four)
S'cusi, dov'è il bar? (What?) (gotta get on)
Se parakalo, pou einai to bar?
S'il vous plaît, où est le bar? (Say it in English, fairy)
Oi, where's the fucking bar John? (Oh, now you're talking)
(Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the day) (gotta get on, gotta get on)
Down (gotta get on)
Go, Maggie
(Gotta get on, gotta get on)
Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, now
The opening lines of the song "Fuck all that we’ve got to get on with these, Got to compete with the wily Japanese, There’s too many home fires burning, And not enough trees, So fuck all that, We’ve go to get on with these" in Pink Floyd's song "Not Now John" seems to be a commentary or a satirical take on the 1980s economic state of the West, especially in comparison with Japan. Japan was outperforming the West in trade, manufacturing and technology, and the lyrics suggest that instead of worrying about environmental issues or home fires burning, the West needed to get on with competing against the Japanese. The lyrics, "Can't stop, lose job, mind gone, Silicon, what bomb, Get away, pay day, Make hay, break down, need fix, Big six, Clickity click, Hold on, Oh no, Bring bingo!" seem to reflect the changing work culture of the times and the fear of being left behind.
The song's title, "Not Now John," is likely a reference to the arguments and bickering going on in the world at the time, echoing Pink Floyd's ongoing theme of conflict and division. The song also seems to criticize the entertainment industry for caring only about making money and not about the content or meaning of their productions. The line "Who cares what it's about, As long as the kids go?" reflects this.
Line by Line Meaning
Fuck all that we've got to get on with these
We can't waste our time on things that don't matter
Gotta compete with the wily Japanese
We need to step up our game and match their success
There's too many home fires burning
People are focused on petty issues instead of important ones
And not enough trees
We're destroying the environment and not doing anything about it
Can't stop!
We need to keep moving forward
Lose job!
We can't afford to waste time or money
Mind gone!
We're losing our sanity from stress and pressure
Silicon!
Technology is taking over our lives
What bomb?
We're ignoring important issues that require immediate attention
Get away!
We need to escape the pressures of life
Pay day!
We need money to survive and take care of our families
Make hay!
We need to work hard and seize opportunities
Break down!
We're losing control and can't keep it together
Need fix.
We're addicted to something and can't function without it
Big six.
We're up against powerful people or entities
Clickity click.
We're being monitored and controlled by technology
Hold on!
We need to stay strong and not give up
Oh no,
We're encountering unexpected problems or setbacks
Bring bingo!
We need to change the subject and find something positive to focus on
Make 'em laugh
We need to entertain people and distract them from their problems
Make 'em cry
We need to evoke emotion and connect with people
Make 'em dance in the aisles
We need to create a fun, lively atmosphere
Make 'em pay
We need to make money off of people
Make 'em stay
We need to keep people coming back
Make 'em feel okay
We need to help people feel better about themselves and their lives
Not nah John
We're ignoring distractions and focusing on what's important
We've got to get on with the film show
We need to keep the entertainment going
Hollywood waits at the end of the rainbow
There's fame and fortune to be had if we keep going
Who cares what it's about
We don't need to worry about the quality of our work, as long as it's popular
As long as the kids go?
We don't care about the content of the entertainment as long as people pay for it
Hang on John
We're focusing on something important
I've got to get on with this
We're prioritizing our work and responsibilities
I don't know what it is
We're not sure what we're doing, but we have to do it anyway
But it fits on here like
We're making things work even if they don't make sense
Come at the end of the shift
We'll take a break when we're done working
We'll go and get pissed
We'll blow off steam and relax
Hold on John
We're having an important realization
I think there's something good on
There's potential for something great
I used to read books but
We're not making time for things we used to enjoy
It could be the news
We're getting our fix of current events
Or some other amusement
We're finding distractions wherever we can
It could be reusable shows
We're watching reruns because we don't have anything better to do
No need to worry about the Vietnamese
We're moving on to new enemies
Got to bring the Russian Bear to his knees
We need to defeat Russia and show our dominance
Well, maybe not the Russian Bear
We're not sure who our enemy is
Maybe the Swedes
We're looking for any excuse to go to war
We showed Argentina
We already defeated one enemy
Now let's go and show these
We need more enemies to defeat
Make us feel tough
We want to feel strong and powerful
And wouldn't Maggie be pleased?
We want to impress our leader
S'cusi dove il bar
Excuse me, where is the bar?
(What?)
Se para collo pou eine toe bar
s'il vous plait ou est le bar
Excuse me, where is the bar?
(Say it in English!)
Oi, where's the fucking bar John?
Hey, where's the bar?
(Oh, now you're talking!)
Oh! Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the day
We're expressing a sense of national pride and confidence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: George Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flacidhouse350
Smooth is not a quality denoting strength. Watch the recording of Darkside of the Moon. Waters runs him through several mediocre solos to get to the good ones. Gilmour is bitching and saying "Isn't that good enough?"
The truth about those solos is that they are made by what happens around them. It's the chords and arrangements that make them sound so good. That's why Gilmour's solos never sound as good without Waters.
Solos wandering around the blues scale are not exploratory. Wright is a slouch. It's his defining characteristic. Listen to live versions of those songs Water did without Wright. Their better.
Nobodies Home is a better keyboard performance than anything Wright ever recorded. If people prefer Wright so Much why is the album he was fired on widely considered their best?
You don't know what a virtuoso is. Wright has shoddy technique.
Not Now John is Better than anything off animals and just abut every one on Darkside.
Waters is by far the most accomplished Musician in Pink Floyd.
I scoff at your scoff.
@bluorangefyre
This song gets way too overlooked when people talk about the best Pink Floyd songs ever. This is up there.
@williamkayaian7268
I love it
@iamthemiracle81
A hidden gem
@davidpowell3239
Liz Truss thinks so 🤣🤣
@rafaelgallego1483
Así es yo creo que es una de las mejores canciones del grupo
@emcee7670
Living in Burlington, VT the summer it came out, I could hear it unadulterated on a Canadian radio station CHOM, 97.7 in Montreal. Startling, right, making you wonder why we retain the quaint and antiquated rules for public airwaves that we've had for, I would suggest, too long.
@penalopeanne9079
40 years old and counting... Still a masterpiece
@luizsa8300
That old guy at the beginning was in The Wall movie .He played the schoolteacher with the “psychopathic wife” from The Happiest Days of our Lives.
@maxeh9879
Or more descriptively, the school teacher who was well known in the town for getting home at night and having a fat and psychopathic thrash him within inches of his life.
Ooooooooooh
@matchstick7642
I think it’s supposed to be the same character