The Trial
Roger Waters Lyrics

Good morning, Worm, your honor
Addressing the judge, who is a worm in his eyes.

The Crown will plainly show
The prosecution has solid evidence.

The prisoner who now stands before you
Referring to himself as a prisoner on trial.

Was caught red-handed showing feelings
He was caught exhibiting emotions, which was not allowed in his society.

Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The emotions exhibited were typical of humans, which was unacceptable in his world.

This will not do
Displaying emotions is an offense in his society.

Call the schoolmaster
Blaming the education system for what he sees as a moral failure.

I always said he'd come to no good
The accused was always bound for trouble in his eyes.

In the end, your Honor
Addressing the judge at the end of his speech.

If they'd let me have my way
If he were in charge, he would handle the situation differently.

I could have flayed him into shape
He would have used violence to make the accused conform.

But my hands were tied
He was not in a position of power to act as he wished.

The bleeding hearts and artists
He sees those who value emotions as weak - 'bleeding hearts'.

Let him get away with murder
Emotional expression is equated to criminal behavior in his eyes.

Let me hammer him today
He wants to teach the accused a lesson through punishment.

Crazy
The accusation against him is that he's 'crazy', which he is owning proudly.

Toys in the attic, I am crazy
He is making light of the accusations against him, implying they're trivial and childish.

Truly gone fishing
He is not present, disconnected from reality.

They must have taken my marbles away
His insanity is blamed on someone else taking control of his life.

Toys in the attic, he is crazy
Referring to the accused as 'crazy'.

Call the defendant's wife
Bringing personal matters into the trial unnecessarily.

You little shit, you're in it now
Addressing the accused in a derogatory way - he thinks he's won.

I hope they throw away the key
He wants the harshest punishment for the accused possible.

You should've talked to me more often than you did
Blaming the accused for not communicating with him enough.

But no! You had to go your own way
The accused's individuality and healthy expression of emotions is unacceptable to him and his society.

Have you broken any homes up lately?
No matter what the crime is being accused, the singer sees all negative behavior as interconnected.

Just five minutes, Worm, your Honor
Asking for more time to address the judge.

Him and me alone
The artist is taking the conversation in an even more personal direction than before.

Baaaaaabe
Flirtatious behavior and pet names are being used inappropriately.

Come to Mother, baby
The singer is seeking a deep emotional connection with the accused.

Let me hold you in my arms
The singer wants to exert personal control over the accused, using language to suggest a physical embrace.

My Lord, I never meant for him to get in any trouble
The artist's intention isn't to get the accused punished - or is it?

Why'd he ever have to leave me?
The accused's personal decisions outside of his relationship are being blamed for a larger moral failing.

Worm, your Honor, let me take him home
The artist's moral failing is being masked by seemingly offering personal rescue - even though this is inappropriate.

Over the rainbow, I am crazy
Referring to himself as 'crazy'.

Bars in the window
Feeling confined and trapped, becoming increasingly agitated.

There must have been a door there in the wall
Feeling cut off from reality.

When I came in
Feeling out of place and disconnected.

The evidence before the court is incontrovertible
The prosecution has irrefutable evidence of the crime.

There's no need for the jury to retire
The verdict is obvious to the prosecution - they don't need time to deliberate.

In all the years of judging I have never heard before
Calling on his lengthy experience to make his point seem more significant.

Of someone more deserving of the full penalty of the law
Presenting the accused as a monstrous figure who deserves the harshest possible punishment.

The way you made 'em suffer
Blaming the accused for the suffering of others due to his emotional expression.

Your exquisite wife and mother
Bringing in familial relationships unnecessarily.

Fills me with the urge to defecate
The artist is disgusted with the accused to the point of having physical feelings of nausea.

Since, my friend
Addressing the accused in a sarcastic way, implying they aren't true friends.

You have revealed your deepest fear
Being emotional reveals a person's true weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

I sentence you to be exposed before your peers
Punishment through public humiliation is the artist's preferred means of discipline.

Tear down the wall
The metaphorical 'wall' of emotions and personal expression is being called on to be destroyed in favor of a more rigid society.