4:33 AM
Roger Waters Lyrics


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So I stood by the roadside
The soles of my running shoes gripping
The tarmac like gunmetal magnets
Fixed on the front of her Fassbinder face
Was the kind of a smile
That only a rather dull child could have drawn
While attempting a graveyard in the moonlight
But she was impressed
You could see that she thought I looked fine
And when she turned sweeter
The reason, between you and me, was
She'd just seen my green Lamborghini
[RW:] "I think it was the Lamborghini."
So we went for a spin in the country
To feel the wind in our hair
To feel the power of my engine
To feel the thrill of desire

And then in the trees I heard a twig snap
Warning lights flashed on my map
I opened my eyes and to my surprise
There were Arabs with knives at the front of the bed
Right at the front of the bed
Oh my God, how did they get in here
I thought we were safe home in England
She said, come on now kid, it was wrong what you did
You've got to admit it was wrong what you did




You've got to admit it was wrong
[Jade:] "Oh god....Jesus..."

Overall Meaning

The song Running Shoes by Roger Waters is a story about a man who impresses a woman with his fancy car and goes on a spin with her. As they drive deeper into the country, they get lost and eventually pull over into a secluded wooded area. Suddenly, the man hears a twig snap and realizes that they are not alone. As the story unfolds, we learn that the man had stolen the Lamborghini, and now the people who owned it were after him. The woman tries to reason with him, telling him that stealing the car was wrong, and he should admit to his mistake.


The song is a commentary on the shallowness of materialism and how it can lead to one's downfall. The singer is consumed by his desire for material possessions and fails to realize that stealing someone's car is wrong. He puts himself and the woman in danger as a result of his actions. The woman represents the voice of reason and tries to reason with him, but he is too blinded by his desire for the car. The song is a cautionary tale, warning against the dangers of materialism and the need to take responsibility for our actions.


Line by Line Meaning

So I stood by the roadside
The persona in the song is describing a situation where they were standing on the side of the road.


The soles of my running shoes gripping
The soles of the persona's running shoes are holding onto the surface of the road tightly.


The tarmac like gunmetal magnets
The surface of the road is attracting the persona's running shoes like metal attracts a magnet.


Fixed on the front of her Fassbinder face
The persona in the song is looking directly at the front of the face of the person they are describing.


Was the kind of a smile
The person being described had a smile on their face.


That only a rather dull child could have drawn
The smile on the person's face was drawn in a way that suggested that someone with little artistic talent or creativity drew it.


While attempting a graveyard in the moonlight
The smile on the person's face was drawn in a way that suggested they were trying to draw a scene of a graveyard at night.


But she was impressed
The person being described was impressed by the persona's appearance.


You could see that she thought I looked fine
It was apparent from the person's reaction that they found the persona to be attractive.


And when she turned sweeter
As the conversation continued, the person being described became more pleasant.


The reason, between you and me, was
The persona is about to reveal why the person being described became more pleasant.


She'd just seen my green Lamborghini
The reason why the person being described became more pleasant is that they had just seen the persona's expensive, luxurious car.


So we went for a spin in the country
The persona and the person being described went for a drive in the countryside.


To feel the wind in our hair
The persona and the person being described went for a drive to experience the sensation of wind blowing through their hair.


To feel the power of my engine
The persona and the person being described went for a drive to experience the power of the engine in the car.


To feel the thrill of desire
The persona and the person being described went for a drive to experience the sense of excitement and desire that comes with such experiences.


And then in the trees I heard a twig snap
The persona heard a twig snap coming from the trees nearby.


Warning lights flashed on my map
Warning lights appeared on the persona's map or dashboard, indicating that something was wrong.


I opened my eyes and to my surprise
The persona opened their eyes and was surprised by what they saw.


There were Arabs with knives at the front of the bed
The persona saw Arabs holding knives at the front of their bed.


Right at the front of the bed
The Arabs with knives were directly at the front of the bed where the persona and the person being described were located.


Oh my God, how did they get in here
The persona was shocked and frightened by the sight of the Arabs with knives in their room.


I thought we were safe home in England
The persona thought that they were safe in their home country of England.


She said, come on now kid, it was wrong what you did
The person being described scolded the persona for something they did that caused a dangerous situation to arise.


You've got to admit it was wrong what you did
The person being described insisted that the persona take responsibility for their actions and admit that what they did was wrong.


You've got to admit it was wrong
The person being described continued to insist that the persona admit their wrongdoing.


Oh god....Jesus...
The person being described expressed shock and fear about the situation with the Arabs and their knives.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

@mr.blue7357

Roger Waters Musical Genius

@mr.blue7357

The King of Concept Albums

@D7niel1

Gran Canciòn, Gran Disco

@brianbucher6683

Genius

@Asafelobo

love it

@michaelkatz715

I just love this guy.

@williamglenn777

Takes the prize for most amazing line ever: “Fixed on the front of her Fassbender face was the kind of a smile that only a rather dull child would have drawn while attempting a graveyard in the moonlight.”

@monicastocco1468

1:38 wow .... Roger 💋

@kemcloudking4919

There seems to be very few of us......and them

@jerogutierrez1816

Minute 2:04 to 3:00 pure magic!

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