George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943 in Great Bookham, Surrey, United… Read Full Bio ↴George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943 in Great Bookham, Surrey, United Kingdom) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer.

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)

Flickering Flame
Roger Waters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When my neurons conspire to direct my thoughts
Away from divorce and competitive sports
Back to the place where all rivers run to the sea
Then I shall be free
Yes I shall be free

On a see-saw in a strange land
The jackdaw sat on the Cardinal's hand

And the fiddlers played
And the planners plan what would be
On a back seat in a court room
Sat Molly Malone and Leopold Bloom
Until the police came down with a new broom
And swept them clean

Like Geronimo
Like Quinn the Eskimo
Like the Blackfoot
And like the Arapaho
Like Crazy Horse
I'll be the last one to lay down my gun

On the open road in a bar room
A pick up band plays a new tune
When the coloured girls sing
I feel my heart boom
When a new song hits the right note
When a clearing sky saves an old boat
When an insight strikes the mote
From mine own eye

Like Geronimo
Like Quinn the Eskimo
Like the Blackfoot
And like the Arapaho
Like Crazy Horse
I'll be the last one to lay down my gun

Just out of sight
Beyond the next range
I'll feel the heat of a flickering flame

On an African Plain by a thorn tree
My old friend Philippe is waiting for me
Que cera, cera
What ever will be will be
When a friend dies and the tears rise
From that deep well that never runs dry
And the women break their bracelets
And the men take their whisky outside

In a pied-a-terre on the rue St Denis
The red velvet curtain pulls back to reveal
The place where the dark side meets the angel in me
The angel in me

When my synapses pause in my quest for applause
When my ego lets go of my end of the bone
To focus instead on the love that is precious to me

Then I shall be free
I shall be free

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Flickering Flame" describe a journey through different places, times and emotions. The song's stream-of-consciousness style takes the listener from introspection to observation, from personal dilemmas to larger patterns of history and society. The first stanza depicts a moment of mental clarity, where the singer abandons mundane concerns and feels a sense of liberation. The second stanza mentions several figures from Native American and Irish culture who resisted colonization and are associated with heroic or folktale qualities. The third stanza celebrates the power of music to evoke emotional responses, from heartbeats to epiphanies. The fourth stanza mentions a friend who passed away and the rituals of mourning, as well as a vision of reconciliation between the dark and the light in the singer's mind. The last stanza speaks of letting go of ego and seeking love as a source of freedom.

The song was written by Roger Waters in 2002, and appeared in his second solo album, "Flickering Flame: The Solo Years, Volume 1". The album is a retrospective of Waters' work after leaving Pink Floyd, and includes some new tracks such as this one, as well as re-recorded versions of older material. The title "Flickering Flame" was taken from a line in Waters' song "Lost Boys Calling", which was featured in the movie "The Legend of 1900". The album cover features a photo of Waters holding a match, with a montage of his face in different poses superimposed on it.

Line by Line Meaning

When my neurons conspire to direct my thoughts
When my brain cells work together to take my mind away from negative influences

Away from divorce and competitive sports
Away from marital separation and the unhealthy competitive nature of sports

Back to the place where all rivers run to the sea
Back to a peaceful place from where everything flows smoothly

Then I shall be free
Then I shall experience freedom

On a see-saw in a strange land
In an unfamiliar place where things are unstable

The jackdaw sat on the Cardinal's hand
A bird sitting on the hand of a high-ranking Catholic religious leader

And the fiddlers played
Music being played on the fiddle

And the planners plan what would be
And those in charge make decisions for the future

On a back seat in a court room
Sitting in the rear of a courtroom

Sat Molly Malone and Leopold Bloom
Two fictional characters sitting together

Until the police came down with a new broom
Until the arrival of the police who make changes

And swept them clean
And cleared them away

Like Geronimo
The person being akin to a persistent warrior

Like Quinn the Eskimo
The person being similar to an elusive figure

Like the Blackfoot
The person being like a Native American tribe known for their competitiveness

And like the Arapaho
The person being like a Native American tribe known for their negotiating skills

Like Crazy Horse
The person being like a Native American war leader known for his courage and bravery

I'll be the last one to lay down my gun
I'll be the last one to give up

On the open road in a bar room
Inside a tavern while traveling

A pick up band plays a new tune
A makeshift band plays a new song

When the coloured girls sing
When women of color start singing

I feel my heart boom
I feel my heart beating fast

When a new song hits the right note
When a new song is played perfectly

When a clearing sky saves an old boat
When bright, clear weather saves a rickety or old boat from crashing

When an insight strikes the mote
When a realization removes a small obstacle

From mine own eye
From my personal experience

Just out of sight
Just outside of what is visible

Beyond the next range
Past the next turning point

I'll feel the heat of a flickering flame
I'll feel the warmth of a small, unstable fire

On an African Plain by a thorn tree
On a flat, sprawling area in Africa beside a prickly plant

My old friend Philippe is waiting for me
An old friend named Philippe is waiting to meet me

Que cera, cera
Whatever will be, will be

What ever will be will be
What is going to happen will happen

When a friend dies and the tears rise
When a close acquaintance passes away and sadness wells up

From that deep well that never runs dry
From within that limitless source of pain

And the women break their bracelets
The women mourned by taking off their bracelets.

And the men take their whisky outside
The men go outside for a drink

In a pied-a-terre on the rue St Denis
In a small temporary dwelling on rue St Denis

The red velvet curtain pulls back to reveal
The revealing of a luxury red velvet drape as it pulls back

The place where the dark side meets the angel in me
The place where my good and bad sides coexist

When my synapses pause in my quest for applause
When my brain cells stop seeking validation and recognition

When my ego lets go of my end of the bone
When I stop being too possessive of something

To focus instead on the love that is precious to me
To concentrate instead on my loved ones

Then I shall be free
Then I shall experience freedom

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROGER WATERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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