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)
The Ballad of Bill Hubbard
Roger Waters Lyrics
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collect the pay books; and when I left Bill Hubbard in no-man's-land.
"I was picked up and taken into their trench. And I'd no sooner taken
two or three steps down the trench when I heard a call, 'Hello Razz,
I'm glad to see you. This is my second night here,' and he said 'I'm
feeling bad,' and it was Bill Hubbard, one of the men we'd trained
in England, one of the original battalion. I had a look at his wound,
rolled him over; I could see it was probably a fatal wound. You could
I'd gone about three shell holes, traversed that, had it been...had
there been a path or a road I could have done better. He pummeled
me, 'Put me down, put me down, I'd rather die, I'd rather die, put me
down.' I was hoping he would faint. He said 'I can't go any further,
let me die.' I said 'If I leave you here Bill you won't be found, let's
have another go.' He said 'All right then.' And the same thing
happened; he couldn't stand it any more, and I had to leave him
there, in no-man's-land."
I don't mind about the war, that's one of the things I like to watch, if it's a war going on, 'cause then I know if our side's winning,
if our side's losing...
The Ballad of Bill Hubbard is a poignant song that tells the story of one of the many tragic incidents of the First World War. The lyrics are based on the real account of an encounter Roger Waters' grandfather, Pte. William "Bill" Hubbard, had with his comrade in the battlefield. In the song, the singer describes two haunting moments during his time at war: one was when he had to collect pay books, which served as a painful reminder of the human cost of war, and the other was when he left his comrade Bill Hubbard in no-man's-land.
The song describes the encounter between the singer and Bill in the trenches. Bill was one of the men they had trained in England, and he was now lying grievously injured. Despite the singer's desperate attempts to carry Bill to safety, he was unable to do so due to the barrage of enemy shelling. Bill begged the singer to leave him behind as he couldn't take the pain anymore. After repeated attempts to move forward, the singer was forced to turn back, leaving Bill to his fate in no-man's-land.
The Ballad of Bill Hubbard is a moving tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in the First World War. Its haunting narrative and sombre melody capture the horrors and inhumanity of war, and the price that ordinary soldiers like Bill Hubbard had to pay for the actions of those in power. The lyrics are a testament to Roger Waters' skill as a songwriter and his ability to evoke powerful emotions through his music.
Line by Line Meaning
Two things that have haunted me most are the days when I had to collect the pay books; and when I left Bill Hubbard in no-man's-land.
The singer recalls two events that have affected him the most - having to carry out a difficult task of collecting pay books and abandoning his comrade Bill Hubbard in a place with no-man's-land, which is a source of discomfort.
I was picked up and taken into their trench. And I'd no sooner taken two or three steps down the trench when I heard a call, 'Hello Razz, I'm glad to see you. This is my second night here,' and he said 'I'm feeling bad,' and it was Bill Hubbard, one of the men we'd trained in England, one of the original battalion. I had a look at his wound, rolled him over; I could see it was probably a fatal wound.
The singer recollects how he met Bill Hubbard, one of his comrades, in a trench during the war, when he was picked up and escorted by another troop. Bill had been there for two nights and was suffering from an injury so severe that the singer immediately knew that it was a fatal wound.
You could imagine what pain he was in, he was dripping with sweat; and after I'd gone about three shell holes, traversed that, had it been...had there been a path or a road I could have done better.
The singer describes how Bill's condition was so bad that he was sweating profusely in extreme pain. When carrying him, the singer had to cross three shell holes and some uncharted terrain, which made it difficult to carry Bill, and he wished there was a path or road to make it easier.
He pummeled me, 'Put me down, put me down, I'd rather die, I'd rather die, put me down.' I was hoping he would faint. He said 'I can't go any further, let me die.' I said 'If I leave you here Bill you won't be found, let's have another go.' He said 'All right then.' And the same thing happened; he couldn't stand it any more, and I had to leave him there, in no-man's-land.'
The artist recalls how Bill pleaded with him to let him die, but the artist kept on urging him to keep moving. The artist had to leave Bill behind as he could not go any further and it was an agonizing decision since he knew that leaving him in no-man's-land meant he would not be easily found.
I don't mind about the war, that's one of the things I like to watch, if it's a war going on, 'cause then I know if our side's winning, if our side's losing...
The artist expresses his indifferent feelings towards war, finding it entertaining to watch only because it helps him determine if their side is winning or losing, that his focus is exclusively on the outcome, without any regard to the human cost of war.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind