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 Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking Part 11
Roger Waters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pulls across to greet a fellow rolling stone
Puts his bike up on it's stand
Leans back and then extends
A scarred and greasy hand...he said
He said, how ya doin bro?
Where ya been?
Where ya goin'?
In some strange Californian handshake
And breaks the bone
"Have a nice day, hehe"
A housewife from Encino
Whose husband's on the golf course
With his book of rules
Breaks and makes a 'U' and idles back
To take a second look at you
You flex your rod
Fish takes the hook
Sweet vodka and tobacco in her breath
Another number in your little black book
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
Oh babe, I must be dreaming
I'm standing on the leading edge
The Eastern seaboard spread before my eyes
Jump, says Yoko Ono
I'm too scared and too good looking, I cried
Go on, she says
Why don't you give it a try?
Why prolong the agony all men must die
Do you remember Dick Tracy?
Do you remember Shane?
"And mother wants you."
Could you see him selling tickets
Where the buzzard circles over
"Shane."
The body on the plain
Did you understand the music Yoko
Or was it all in vain?
"Shane..."
The bitch said something mystical
(Herro)
So I stepped back on the kerb again
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
Oh babe, I must be dreaming again
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
The lyrics in Roger Waters's song The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking Part 11 depict the experiences of a hitchhiker as he meets different people along the way. The first verse talks about an encounter with a biker who greets the singer and asks about his travels before crushing his hand in a handshake. This image may reflect the dangers of hitchhiking and the possibility of meeting with dangerous strangers. The second verse portrays a woman who idles her car to take a good look at the singer after seeing him walking on the road. She later becomes just another number in his little black book. These contrasting but connected encounters reflect the dichotomy of the pros and cons of hitchhiking.
In the chorus, the singer sings about the pros and cons of hitchhiking, suggesting that there are advantages and disadvantages to this mode of transport. He repeatedly questions whether he is dreaming, implying that the experiences he's had might be surreal and hard to believe. The song's bridge features a reference to Yoko Ono, asking the singer to take the leap of faith and jump from the edge while he is hesitant as he is "too scared and too good looking”. The song ends with repeated lines of the chorus, emphasizing the notion that there will always be both good and bad experiences with hitchhiking.
Line by Line Meaning
An angel on a Harley
A biker pulled over to meet another biker
Pulls across to greet a fellow rolling stone
Parked his bike to talk to the other person
Puts his bike up on it's stand
He park his motorcycle in a stand
Leans back and then extends
He relaxes a little before speaking
A scarred and greasy hand...he said
He had a rough looking hand and then spoke
He said, how ya doin bro?
He greeted him and asked how he was
Where ya been?
He asked where the other biker has been
Where ya goin'?
He asked where the other biker was headed
Then he takes your hand
He shook his hand
In some strange Californian handshake
A bizarre way of shaking hands
And breaks the bone
The handshake was so powerful it caused harm
"Have a nice day, hehe"
He made a sarcastic comment after the handshake
A housewife from Encino
A married woman in the town of Encino
Whose husband's on the golf course
Her husband was playing golf
With his book of rules
He had a strict set of guidelines
Breaks and makes a 'U' and idles back
She made a u-turn and drove back
To take a second look at you
She wanted to look at the person again
You flex your rod
The biker showed off his fishing pole
Fish takes the hook
He caught a fish with his rod
Sweet vodka and tobacco in her breath
The woman had alcohol and cigarette fumes on her breath
Another number in your little black book
He added her name and number to his contacts
These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking
The song is discussing the advantages and disadvantages of hitchhiking
Oh babe, I must be dreaming
The singer is unsure if what's happening is real or not
I'm standing on the leading edge
The artist is standing at the edge
The Eastern seaboard spread before my eyes
The view of the Eastern seaboard is in front of them
Jump, says Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono encourages the singer to jump
I'm too scared and too good looking, I cried
The singer is too scared to jump, but also too attractive to die
Go on, she says
Yoko encourages him again
Why don't you give it a try?
She suggests for him to try
Why prolong the agony all men must die
She questions why to delay the inevitable
Do you remember Dick Tracy?
She asks if he recalls the fictional detective Dick Tracy
Do you remember Shane?
She asks if he recalls the movie character Shane
"And mother wants you."
A reference to unspecified obligations associated with his mother
Could you see him selling tickets
A rhetorical question about what Shane would become if he lived in modern day
Where the buzzard circles over
A specific location where Shane could sell tickets
"Shane."
A reference to the movie character again
The body on the plain
A dead body in a large open area
Did you understand the music Yoko
She asks if the singer comprehended her music
Or was it all in vain?
She questions if it was all for nothing
"Shane..."
Another reference to the character from the film
The bitch said something mystical
Someone said something mysterious
(Herro)
Possible misheard word
So I stepped back on the kerb again
The singer went back to the curb
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
d c
2021. Still the most beautiful thing ever written.
Krzysztof Tomecki
2022...
❤ from Poland...
Florisvaldo Dias
eu adoro essa música, Roger Waters é muito bom, sem comentários
Giuseppe Brogna
Questo brano è da brividi. Grande, Roger!
usandthem73
a true legend in his own life time.
Lou Cataldo
Ditto.
Henk Emperor
Hi Roger, I love your music, you’re a great musical talent, am 70 of age but your music is beyond of age, thank you for all your contributions
Gossamer
He's not here
david shaw
Long live Roger Waters 🤘🏻
Leo Lopez
This is a much more scaled down 2000 version of the original "Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking" Tour from 1984 and this has only this one song. On July 31st 1984 Roger Waters gracefully performed his amazing mega show (full album) at the Montreal Forum, his band had Eric Clapton on guitar, also Tim Renwick, Ray Cooper and Snowy White. Sadly, he did not film this show or others he did like MSG NYC but I have good memories from it. This 2000 tour is a far cry from the '84 shows but at least gave newer fans a taste of that album live or on DVD.