Roger Waters was the main lyricist for the classic British rock band Pink Floyd. He, along with Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, formed the band in 1965 and released their first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967. In 1968, Syd Barrett was replaced by guitarist/singer David Gilmour. He and Gilmour were the main creative forces behind the albums Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here; Waters eventually became the primary songwriter, being the driving force behind Animals, and The Wall as well as the sole songwriter of The Final Cut. Waters became well-known for being an intense perfectionist and his controlling nature alienated the rest of the band. The Final Cut, released in 1983, was essentially a Roger Waters solo album "performed by Pink Floyd" as the credits stated. This would be the group's last album with Waters. David Gilmour decided to carry on with Pink Floyd and Waters, believing that Pink Floyd was a "non-entity" without him, sued the rest of the band to retire the Pink Floyd name. His lawsuit ultimately failed, and Pink Floyd released three more studio albums and two double live albums, without him.
The feud between David Gilmour and Roger Waters lasted for decades, and it wasn't until Live 8 in 2005 that they finally decided to set their differences aside and perform a brief set for the charity gig. This would be the last time that Pink Floyd would ever perform together in their "classic" lineup. Shortly after the show, there was much speculation that Pink Floyd would get back together for a full reunion tour, but Gilmour ultimately nixed the idea, stating that although the Live 8 gig was fun, the rehearsals were not.
Much to everyone's surprise, Gilmour and Waters reunited once again on July 11, 2010 for a charity performance for “The Hoping Foundation,” an organization that supports Palestinian refugee kids. At Ronnie Scott’s club in London, the duo performed four songs together: “To Know Him Is to Love Him” (a cover of the old Teddy Bear’s song), “Wish You Were Here,” “Comfortably Numb,” and finally (after a special request) “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.” Once again, just like after the Live 8 Reunion, speculation began regarding future reunions. No official Pink Floyd reunion has yet been set, but Gilmour did promise that he would join Roger Waters for one show on his 2010-11 “The Wall” tour, performing “Comfortably Numb.” Gilmour fulfilled his promise on May 14, 2011 in London.
Waters has so far released the following solo albums:
* Music from The Body soundtrack with Ron Geesin(1970)
* The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984)
* When the Wind Blows soundtrack with contributions from other artists as well (1986)
* Radio K.A.O.S. (1987)
* The Wall: Live in Berlin (1990)
* Amused to Death (1992)
* In the Flesh live (2000)
* Flickering Flame: The Solo Years, Vol. 1 (2003)
* Ça Ira (Opera) (2005)
*Is This the Life We Really Want? (2017)
*Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale (2018)
*The Lockdown Sessions (2022)
4:50 am
Roger Waters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over back packs on roof racks
Beyond the horizon
Where dream makers
Working white plastic processors
Invite the unwary
To reach for the pie in the sky
Go fishing my boy!
We set out in the spring
With a trunk full of books about everything
About solar devices
And how nice natural childbirth is
We cut down some trees
And we trailed our ideals
Through the forest glade
We dammed up the stream
And the kids cooled their heels
In the fishing pool we'd made
We held hands and we exchanged bands
And we practically lived off the land
You adopted a fox cub
Whose mother was somebody's coat
You fed him by hand
And then snuggled snuggled him down
By the grandfather bed while I wrote
And we grew our own maize
And I only occasionally went into town
To stock up on antibiotics
And shells for the shotgun that I kept around
I told the kids stories while you worked your loom
And the sun went down sooner each day
[Jade:] "Chapter six in which Eeyore has a birthday
And gets two presents."
[Child:] "Daddy...come on dad."
[Jade:] "Eeyore the old grey donkey stood by the side
Of the stream and he looked at himself in the water
'Pathetic' he said, 'That's what it is'
'Good morning Eeyore' said Pooh
'Oh' said Pooh, He thought for a long time
The leaves all fell down
Our crops all turned brown
It was over
As the first snowflakes fell
I realized all was not well in the camp
The kids caught bronchitis
The space heater ran out of diesel
One weekend a friend from the East
Brought his soul
Stole your heart
I said, fuck it then
Take the kids back to town
Maybe I'll see you around
I said, go then
She said, OK
And so...leaving all our hopes and dreams
To the wind and the rain
Taking only our stash
Left our litter and trash
And set out on the road again
On the road again
On the road again
[Child:] "Bye Bye Daddy, Bye Daddy
You can bring Pearl she's a darn nice girl
But don't bring Liza."
The lyrics of Roger Waters's song 4:50AM paint a vivid portrait of a young couple who leave civilized life behind in search of self-sufficiency and spiritual enrichment. The lyrics describe the couple's rural lifestyle, complete with encounters with nature and the struggle to survive. "As cars go by, I cast my mind's eye," the song begins, calling attention to the indifference of city dwellers who pass by without noticing the couple's world. The couple's need to make their way in the world is characterized by images of "working white plastic processors" and "dream makers." Despite these images, the song suggests that the couple's goal is not material wealth but spiritual fulfillment.
The couple's rural lifestyle is described as idyllic, filled with "books about everything," "natural childbirth," and "fox cubs." Waters contrasts the couple's simple life with the consumerist culture they abandon in search of self-reliance. He portrays the couple's decision to leave town as a choice between adopting a new way of life and continuing to live in a spiritually empty society. The contrast between the simplicity of the couple's rural existence and the hustle and bustle of urban life is further emphasized by the contrast between the "fishing pool" they create and the "backpacks on roof racks" of the passing cars.
Overall, the song is an homage to the simple life and a call to resist the consumerist pressures of modern society. The couple's decision to live off the land is a rejection of the values that drive so much of contemporary life, but it is also a path to greater fulfillment and spiritual richness. The song suggests that, despite the hardships that the couple faces, their life in the wild is ultimately more rewarding than any other lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
As cars go by I cast my mind's eye
Watching the cars pass by, I let my mind wander
Over back packs on roof racks
I notice the backpacks tied to the top of cars
Beyond the horizon
I imagine what lies beyond the unseen horizon
Where dream makers
In the place where people's dreams are made
Working white plastic processors
People working machines that make dreams come true
Invite the unwary
These dream makers entice those who are unguarded
To reach for the pie in the sky
The dream makers encourage to believe and aim for their highest goals
Go fishing my boy!
I encourage and advise my son to go fishing for a break and relaxation
We set out in the spring
We started our journey in the beginning of spring
With a trunk full of books about everything
We carried a lot of reading material about everything related to our trip
About solar devices
One of the books we carried was about solar-powered equipment
And how nice natural childbirth is
Another book was about the pleasant experience of natural childbirth
We cut down some trees
We chopped down some trees
And we trailed our ideals
We followed our personal beliefs and principles
Through the forest glade
While in the forest clearing
We dammed up the stream
We blocked the stream of water with a dam we built
And the kids cooled their heels
The children relaxed and cooled off their feet by standing in the water pool we created
In the fishing pool we'd made
The kids were in the pond created for fishing
We held hands and we exchanged bands
We got married and exchanged rings
And we practically lived off the land
We lived our lives primarily dependent on the land
You adopted a fox cub
You took a young fox as a pet
Whose mother was somebody's coat
The mother fox was killed to use her fur coat
You fed him by hand
You personally fed the baby fox with your own hands
And then snuggled snuggled him down
You cuddled the fox and helped him fall asleep
By the grandfather bed while I wrote
You laid the fox by the grandfather's bed while I wrote
And we grew our own maize
We raised our own corn
And I only occasionally went into town
I visited the town only when I had to
To stock up on antibiotics
I only visited the town to buy medicine
And shells for the shotgun that I kept around
And to buy shotgun shells which I always carried
I told the kids stories while you worked your loom
I shared stories with the children while you weaved textiles
And the sun went down sooner each day
As days passed, the sun began setting earlier each day
"Chapter six in which Eeyore has a birthday
I begin to tell an excerpt from a story during storytelling moment
And gets two presents."
The character in the story receives two gifts
"Daddy...come on dad."
My child asks me to stop telling the story
"Eeyore the old grey donkey stood by the side
I continue to tell a story about a character named Eeyore
Of the stream and he looked at himself in the water
Eeyore was glancing at his reflection in the water
"'Pathetic' he said, 'That's what it is'"
Eeyore despised his reflection
"'Good morning Eeyore' said Pooh
Another character named Pooh greets Eeyore
'Oh' said Pooh, He thought for a long time
Pooh took a long time to think about what to say
The leaves all fell down
Autumn arrived, and the leaves had fallen
Our crops all turned brown
Our harvest of crops had declined and turned brown in color
It was over
Our initial journey had come to an end
As the first snowflakes fell
We were greeted by the first snowflakes of winter
I realized all was not well in the camp
I understood that something was not right in our camp
The kids caught bronchitis
The children got bronchitis
The space heater ran out of diesel
Our space heater stopped working due to a lack of diesel
One weekend a friend from the East
One weekend, a friend from the east came to visit
Brought his soul
He brought his insides, his soul
Stole your heart
He won your affection or love
I said, fuck it then
I got fed up and decided
Take the kids back to town
To go back to the town with the children
Maybe I'll see you around
I made no promises, maybe I would see you later
I said, go then
I gave my consent to leave
She said, OK
You agreed and said okay
And so...leaving all our hopes and dreams
We are now departing, leaving behind our accomplishments and aspirations
To the wind and the rain
We are leaving our aspirations to be governed by nature
Taking only our stash
We only took our collected supplies
Left our litter and trash
We left behind our waste behind
And set out on the road again
We started our journey once again
On the road again
We are once again setting out on our journey
On the road again
Chanting as we set out on our journey again
"Bye Bye Daddy, Bye Daddy
Children saying goodbye to their father
You can bring Pearl she's a darn nice girl
The children request that their father bring Pearl, who is nice
But don't bring Liza."
But they don't want him to bring Liza
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind