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 โThe Hoping Foundation,โ an organization that supports Palestinian refugee kids. At Ronnie Scottโs club in London, the duo performed four songs together: โTo Know Him Is to Love Himโ (a cover of the old Teddy Bearโs song), โWish You Were Here,โ โComfortably Numb,โ and finally (after a special request) โAnother Brick in the Wall Part 2.โ 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 โThe Wallโ tour, performing โComfortably Numb.โ 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)
* รa Ira (Opera) (2005)
*Is This the Life We Really Want? (2017)
*Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale (2018)
*The Lockdown Sessions (2022)
Tide Is Turning
Roger Waters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rarely threw my hat into the crowd
I felt I had used up my quota of yearning
Used to look in on the children at night
In the glow of their Donald Duck light
And frighten myself with the thought of my little ones burning
But, oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
Satellite buzzing through the endless night
Exclusive to moonshots and world title fights
Jesus Christ imagine what it must be earning
Who is the strongest
Who is the best
Who holds the aces
The East
Or the West
This is the crap our children are learning
But oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
The tide is turning
Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
Now the satellite's confused
'Cause on Saturday night
The airwaves were full of compassion and light
And his silicon heart warmed
To the sight of a billion candles burning
Oo, oo, oo, the tide is turning
Oo, oo, oo, the tide is turning
The tide is turning Billy
I'm not saying that the battle is won
But on Saturday night all those kids in the sun
Wrested technology's sword from the hand of the war lords
Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
The tide is turning Sylvester
The tide is turning
"That's it!
Now the past is over but you are not alone
Together we'll fight Sylvester Stallone
We will not be dragged down in his South China Sea
Of macho bullshit and mediocrity"
The song "The Tide Is Turning" by Roger Waters & The Company is a powerful and insightful commentary on the state of the world in the late 1980s. The opening lines of the song reveal the personal struggle that many individuals face in trying to make sense of a chaotic and uncertain world. The singer confesses that he once believed the world was flat, indicating a limited perspective, and was afraid for the safety of his children. However, with the turn of the tide, he has gained a new sense of hope and purpose.
The song then shifts to a wider view of the world, with lines about satellite technology and the global struggle for power between the East and West. The singer is critical of the superficial concerns that dominate public discourse, such as who is the strongest or who holds the aces in the geopolitical arena, which is no way to educate the next generation. But, as the tide turns, the singer sees a glimmer of hope in the fact that people are beginning to come together for a greater cause. The line "The airwaves were full of compassion and light" reflects this growing trend of social awareness and activism.
The closing lines of the song are a call to action and a rejection of toxic masculinity and mediocrity. The singer asserts that the past is over, and it's time to stand together and fight against the forces that seek to tear us apart. The use of Sylvester Stallone's name is an interesting (if slightly random) choice, but it could be interpreted as a symbol of the hyper-masculine, hyper-violent culture of Hollywood action films that the singer seeks to reject.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to think the world was flat
I had narrow-minded views on the world
Rarely threw my hat into the crowd
I wasn't willing to take risks or put myself out there
I felt I had used up my quota of yearning
I felt like I had no more capacity for hope or ambition
Used to look in on the children at night
I used to check on my kids before I went to bed
In the glow of their Donald Duck light
Their night light was a Donald Duck character
And frighten myself with the thought of my little ones burning
I used to scare myself by worrying about their safety
But, oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
But now things are changing for the better
Satellite buzzing through the endless night
Satellites orbiting Earth through the night
Exclusive to moonshots and world title fights
Satellites were mainly used for space missions and international sporting events
Jesus Christ imagine what it must be earning
Jesus, that must rake in a lot of money
Who is the strongest
Who has more power
Who is the best
Who is better
Who holds the aces
Who has the upper hand
The East
Eastern countries like China, Japan, and Korea
Or the West
Western countries like USA and Europe
This is the crap our children are learning
This is what our kids are being taught, and it's not helpful
But oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
But things are changing for the better
Now the satellite's confused
Now that satellite is unsure
'Cause on Saturday night
Because on Saturday night
The airwaves were full of compassion and light
The radio waves were filled with empathy and positivity
And his silicon heart warmed
And his artificial heart was touched by it
To the sight of a billion candles burning
Seeing a billion lit candles was heartwarming
Oo, oo, oo, the tide is turning
Oo, oo, oo, things are changing for the better
The tide is turning Billy
Things are changing for the better, Billy
I'm not saying that the battle is won
I'm not claiming victory yet
But on Saturday night all those kids in the sun
But on Saturday night, all those carefree kids
Wrested technology's sword from the hand of the war lords
Took back technology from those who use it for conflict
Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
Things are changing for the better
The tide is turning Sylvester
Things are changing for the better, Sylvester
The tide is turning
Things are changing for the better
"That's it!
"That's it!
Now the past is over but you are not alone
The past is gone, but you still have support
Together we'll fight Sylvester Stallone
We'll fight against Sylvester Stallone's sexist and violent movies
We will not be dragged down in his South China Sea
We won't be sucked into his macho and shallow movies
Of macho bullshit and mediocrity"
Full of harmful masculinity and poor quality
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@darryl3422
This album should have been a big hit
@cbennett196631
I could do without Radio Waves and Sunset Stripโฆ
@darryl3422
@@cbennett196631 A Soul has no Eyes
@TerrencesClassicRockCorner24
@@cbennett196631Home and Four Minutes were useless and Get Back to Radio and Going to Live in L.A. should have been on the album and no dialogue
@robinkumar8128
Roger waters old songs raise some real concern
@Bez-qj2lm
For me Roger Waters is a genius.. always ahead of time.. I grew up with his music.. and still rocking
@allenirwin698
My mom turned me into pink Floyd and Roger waters fan she has great taste in music im 44 and still jamming to Roger.
@paullewis-cb9cm
The state of the world is heartbraking i feel sorry for our children i hope the tide will turn ๐
@junglemutha
Peace on Earth to all that walks this land โค
@SamtheAngelFox
The Tide needs to turn right now more than ever