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)
To The Windward Isles
Roger Waters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the Windward Isles
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
It comes today
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
The wind of change blows this way
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Blows this way
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
In Sante Domingo and elsewhere
To slaves of sugar and despair
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Silver, sugar, indigo
Make even the wisest man "idiot!"
Make even the wisest man "idiot!"
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
Bring freedom to the
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Colonies
Act on principle
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
Equality, fraternity and
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Liberty
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
Are
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Not just words after all
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
But
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Sugar is sweet
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
And
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Coffee is strong
Hope goes down with the sun
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
And
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
The sun goes down behind
CONDORCET & MARIE MARIANNE
Mountains of silver
Valleys of sugar
And shiploads of indigo
Make even the wisest man "idiot!"
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Make even the wisest man "idiot!"
MARIE MARIANNE
So come ye ships
Across the sea
Let's case into the deep
This shame and misery
In Paris they condemn our rage
Condorcet stands his ground and says:
CONDORCET
My friends if we believe in freedom
Then we must unlock this cage
COMPANY
Vive Condorcet, hear him scold them,
The frigid reactionary old men
Good God above it's over
Enough is enough
Enough, enough, enough
To the Windward Isles
Revolution has arrived
They will only free us when
They need us to fight for them
CONDORCET & MARIE MARIANNE
Cast into the deep sea
This shame and this misery
Silver, sugar and indigo
Make even the wisest man "idiot!"
CHORUS
Make even the wisest man "idiot!"
COMPANY
"Idiot!"
The song "To The Windward Isles" by Roger Waters talks about the times of slavery in Sante Domingo and elsewhere. The revolutionary slave, along with the chorus speaks about the wind of change blowing in the direction of the Windward Isles, and bringing freedom to the slaves of sugar and despair. The mention of silver, sugar, indigo, and coffee are a reference to the products that were extracted from the colonies and determined the economy of those places. The song speaks about equality, fraternity, and liberty, which are not just words but a principle that the people of the Windward Isles should act upon.
The lyrics of the song are written in a poem-like form where the chorus repeats certain lines throughout the song. The mention of Condorcet, a French philosopher and Marie Marianne, a figure of the French Revolution, is to show their contribution to the cause of freedom and liberation.
The chorus "Make even the wisest man 'idiot!'" is repeated throughout the song, indicating that slavery reduces the humanity of an individual and their intellect. The song talks about how colonialism thrived on the exploitation of the slaves of the colonies, and unless the people of the Windward Isles fight for their freedom as a revolution, they will not be able to break free from the shackles of slavery.
Line by Line Meaning
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE
A voice speaking for the slaves and oppressed people of the Windward Isles
To the Windward Isles
Addressing the Windward Isles
REVOLUTIONARY SLAVE & CHORUS
Voice and choir together
It comes today
Revolution is here, now
The wind of change blows this way
Change and revolution are coming to the Windward Isles
Blows this way
The change is happening now
In Sante Domingo and elsewhere
In various parts of the Windward Isles
To slaves of sugar and despair
For the slaves who work on the sugar plantations and are in despair
Silver, sugar, indigo
The main products of the Windward Isles and their economy
Make even the wisest man 'idiot!'
The lure of wealth can make even wise people do foolish things
Bring freedom to the
Bring freedom to the Windward Isles
Colonies
The Windward Isles, as it was a collection of colonies under European powers
Act on principle
Act on principle, not just words
Equality, fraternity and
Key principles of the French Revolution
Liberty
Freedom
Are
Exist
Not just words after all
These principles are real and should be acted upon
Sugar is sweet
Sugar is sweet (a reference to the sugar plantations)
And
Also
Coffee is strong
Coffee is strong (another reference to the products of the Windward Isles)
Hope goes down with the sun
Hope often fades away as night falls
The sun goes down behind
The sun sets behind
Mountains of silver
The rich silver mines of the Windward Isles
Valleys of sugar
The sugar plantations and their valleys
And shiploads of indigo
Indigo, another valuable product of the Windward Isles that was transported by ship
So come ye ships
Addressing the ships that transport goods to and from the Windward Isles
Across the sea
Across the Atlantic Ocean
Let's case into the deep
Let's throw this shame and misery into the deep sea
This shame and misery
The oppression and suffering of the slaves and oppressed people
In Paris they condemn our rage
The French authorities disapprove of the revolution in the Windward Isles
Condorcet stands his ground and says:
Condorcet, a French philosopher and supporter of the revolution, holds his position and speaks up for freedom
My friends if we believe in freedom
Condorcet's message to his friends who believe in freedom
Then we must unlock this cage
We must help the oppressed people of the Windward Isles gain their freedom from their oppressors
Vive Condorcet, hear him scold them
Long live Condorcet, listen to him strongly rebuke their oppressors
The frigid reactionary old men
A derogatory reference to the European rulers who oppose the revolution
Good God above it's over
The oppression and suffering is over
Enough is enough
We have had enough of the suffering and oppression
To the Windward Isles
Addressing the Windward Isles once again
Revolution has arrived
The revolution has come to the Windward Isles
They will only free us when
Our oppressors will only free us when
They need us to fight for them
When they need us to fight for their own interests, not ours
Cast into the deep sea
Throw away
Silver, sugar and indigo
The valuable resources the Windward Isles are best known for
Make even the wisest man 'idiot!'
These resources, and the wealth they create, can make even the wisest men do foolish things
Make even the wisest man 'idiot!'
Repeating the chorus
'Idiot!'
Final word of the song, capturing the sense of foolishness and oppression
Contributed by Olivia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.