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)
Perfect Sense Part I
Roger Waters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he stared at the broken bone in his hand
The strains of a Viennese quartet
Rang out across the land
And the monkey looked up at the stars
And he thought to himself
Memory is a stranger
History is for fools
In a pool of holy writing
Turned his back on the garden
And set out for the nearest town
Hold on, hold on soldier
When you add it all up
The tears and the marrowbone
There's an ounce of gold
And an ounce of pride in each ledger
And the Germans killed the Jews
And the Jews killed the Arabs
And the Arabs killed the hostages
And that is the news
And is it any wonder
That the monkey's confused
He said Mama Mama
The President's a fool
Why do I have to keep reading
These technical manuals
And the joint chiefs of staff
And the brokers on Wall Street said
Don't make us laugh
You're a smart kid
Time is linear
Memory is a stranger
History is for fools
Man is a tool in the hands
Of the great God Almighty
And they gave him command
Of a nuclear submarine
Sent him back in search of
The Garden of Eden
In the opening lines of Perfect Sense Part I, the singer describes a monkey sitting on a pile of stones, examining a broken bone in his hand as a Viennese quartet plays in the background. The monkey reflects on the concept of memory, considering it a stranger and distancing himself from the notions of history as foolish. He washes his hands in a pool of holy writing, symbolizing the cleansing of the past and the desire for a new beginning.
The singer then moves to the idea that everything is connected and that even the concept of war and killing is a never-ending cycle. The monkey questions why he is forced to read technical manuals, and the joint chiefs of staff and Wall Street brokers dismiss him as a smart kid. The singer suggests that man is nothing more than God's tool to be manipulated, sending him to search for the Garden of Eden.
Throughout the song, Waters presents a bleak outlook on the state of the world and questions man's place in it. He suggests that memory and history are fickle things and that man is nothing more than God's toy. The song also highlights the vicious cycle of violence and the way in which humanity has never been able to break free from it.
Line by Line Meaning
The monkey sat on a pile of stones
The monkey was sitting on a pile of stones
And he stared at the broken bone in his hand
The monkey was staring at a broken bone in his hand
The strains of a Viennese quartet
The music playing in the background was from a Viennese quartet
Rang out across the land
The music was heard across the land
And the monkey looked up at the stars
The monkey looked up at the stars in the sky
And he thought to himself
The monkey was thinking to himself
Memory is a stranger
The monkey considered how memories can fade and become distant
History is for fools
The monkey didn't see the value in studying history
And he cleaned his hands
The monkey cleaned his hands
In a pool of holy writing
The monkey cleaned his hands in a pool of holy writing
Turned his back on the garden
The monkey walked away from the garden
And set out for the nearest town
The monkey walked towards the nearest town
Hold on, hold on soldier
A phrase meant to grab someone's attention
When you add it all up
When you consider everything that's happened
The tears and the marrowbone
All the sadness and sacrifice
There's an ounce of gold
There's something valuable
And an ounce of pride in each ledger
And something to be proud of in each account
And the Germans killed the Jews
The Germans killed Jewish people
And the Jews killed the Arabs
Jewish people killed Arabs
And the Arabs killed the hostages
Arabs killed hostages
And that is the news
This is what's happening in the world
And is it any wonder
Is there any surprise
That the monkey's confused
That the monkey is confused
He said Mama Mama
The monkey spoke to his mother
The President's a fool
The president is a fool
Why do I have to keep reading
Why do I have to keep reading
These technical manuals
These complicated instruction books
And the joint chiefs of staff
The leaders of the military
And the brokers on Wall Street said
The people working on Wall Street said
Don't make us laugh
They found it amusing
You're a smart kid
You're intelligent
Time is linear
Time only goes in one direction
Man is a tool in the hands
People are at the mercy
Of the great God Almighty
Of God
And they gave him command
They put him in charge
Of a nuclear submarine
Of a submarine that can launch nuclear weapons
Sent him back in search of
Sent him to find
The Garden of Eden
The place where Adam and Eve were created
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GEORGE ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind