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 Echoes Never Fade From That Fusillade
Roger Waters Lyrics
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The echoes never fade from the fusillade
Lafayette fired upon
An unarmed crowd, six thousand strong
The fragile ship of State
Sinks beneath the waves
The crashing sea of blood
Drowns out the sound of the parade
They piled up the dead
The dead whose only crime had been
To dream of freedom
The dead who'd never get to see
The King would be restored instead
"The Echoes Never Fade From That Fusillade" is a powerful song by Roger Waters that tells the story of a tragic event that occurred during the French Revolution. The ringmaster in the song is speaking about the echoes that linger on after the tragic shooting that took place in 1791, when Lafayette fired upon an unarmed crowd of 6,000 people. The incident took place on the Champ de Mars, and the song depicts the aftermath of the tragedy. The ship of state that had been fragile before, completely sinks beneath the waves, representing the collapse of the French government. The sound of the parade is drowned out by the crashing sea of blood that is left behind.
The camps du Mars were "tidied up" after the event, and the dead were piled up. These were the people who had dreamed of freedom and who had been killed for it. The song speaks poignantly of the fact that they would never get to see the king of France who would be restored instead. The song highlights the terrible price that was paid for the French Revolution, as the people fought for their freedom.
Overall, "The Echoes Never Fade From That Fusillade" is a powerful reminder of the cost of freedom and the sacrifices that have been made throughout history to achieve it.
Line by Line Meaning
The echoes never fade from the fusillade
The traumatic memory of the gunfire never diminishes
Lafayette fired upon
Lafayette's army attacked the people
An unarmed crowd, six thousand strong
The crowd was defenseless and numbered six thousand
The fragile ship of State
The government was unstable and vulnerable
Sinks beneath the waves
The government collapses
The crashing sea of blood
The violence and bloodshed dominates
Drowns out the sound of the parade
The celebratory atmosphere is silenced by the violence
The tidied up the Camps du Mars
The authorities cleaned up the aftermath
They piled up the dead
The corpses were left in heaps
The dead whose only crime had been
The victims did nothing wrong
To dream of freedom
They only wanted to be free
The dead who'd never get to see
The deceased weren't able to witness
The King would be restored instead
The monarchy would be reinstated
Contributed by Caroline K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.