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)
What God Wants Pt. 2
Roger Waters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you have faith in a golden way
If you do then we must come together this day
Come together as one united
Television audience
Brought together by the sound of my voice
United united financially united socially
Through the power of money
And the power of prayers
What God wants God gets God help us all
God wants dollars
God wants cents
God wants pounds shillings and pence
God wants guilders
God wants Kroner
God wants Swiss francs
God wants French francs
Oui il veut des francs francais
God wants escudos
God wants pesetas
Don't send lira
God don't want small potatoes
God wants small towns
God wants pain
God wants clean up rock campaigns
God wants windows
God wants solutions
God wants TV
God wants contributions
What God wants God gets God help us all
God wants silver
God wants gold
God wants his secret
Never to be told
God wants gigolos
God wants giraffes
God wants politics
God wants a good laugh
What God wants God gets God help us all
God wants friendship
God wants fame
God wants credit
God wants blame
God wants poverty
God wants wealth
God wants insurance
God wants to cover himself What God wants
God gets God help us all
In "What God Wants Pt. 2," Roger Waters presents a sharp critique of consumer culture and the ways in which money and material objects have become synonymous with divinity. The song opens with a series of questions about belief and faith in a better future, before introducing the idea of a "television audience" united by the sound of Waters's voice. This unity is framed in terms of financial, social, and spiritual connection, suggesting that the power of consumption is a force that transcends mere individual desire.
The remainder of the song offers a litany of different things that "God" supposedly wants - from money in various currencies, to mundane objects like windows and small towns, to more abstract concepts like pain and rock campaigns. The repetition of the phrase "What God wants God gets" underscores the notion of inevitability and power, while the final lines of the song present a stark contrast between friendship and blame, poverty and wealth, and the desire for protection on the part of the divine.
Overall, "What God Wants Pt. 2" is a trenchant criticism of modern society's obsession with material wealth and the effects of that obsession on human connections and spirituality. By presenting a series of seemingly arbitrary desires on the part of a deity, Waters raises questions about the nature of divinity and the ways in which religious belief can be shaped by social and economic factors.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you believe in a better day
Are you hopeful for the future?
Do you have faith in a golden way
Do you believe in a path to prosperity?
If you do then we must come together this day
If so, we must unite today
Come together as one united
Join forces as one
Television audience
Viewers at home
Brought together by the sound of my voice
Unified by my words
United united financially united socially
Connected financially and socially
United spiritually and all possible ways
Connected in every feasible manner
Through the power of money
Using the influence of wealth
And the power of prayers
And the influence of religion
God wants dollars
God desires money
God wants cents
God wants small change
God wants pounds shillings and pence
God desires British currency
God wants guilders
God wants Dutch currency
God wants Kroner
God wants Danish currency
God wants Swiss francs
God desires Swiss currency
God wants French francs
God wants French currency
Oui il veut des francs francais
Yes, he wants French francs
God wants escudos
God desires Portuguese currency
God wants pesetas
God wants Spanish currency
Don't send lira
No Italian currency
God don't want small potatoes
God doesn't care for trifles
God wants small towns
God wants something humble
God wants pain
God wants to inflict suffering
God wants clean up rock campaigns
God wants to promote a clean image of rock music
God wants windows
God desires computers with the Windows operating system
God wants solutions
God wants answers to problems
God wants TV
God wants television sets
God wants contributions
God wants donations
God wants silver
God wants silver material
God wants gold
God desires gold
God wants his secret never to be told
God has a secret that he doesn't want revealed
God wants gigolos
God wants male escorts
God wants giraffes
God desires giraffes
God wants politics, God wants a good laugh
God desires politics and wants to be amused
God wants friendship, God wants fame
God desires friendship and to be famous
God wants credit, God wants blame
God wants credit for good but also blame for bad
God wants poverty, God wants wealth
God wants both rich and poor
God wants insurance, God wants to cover himself
God wants protection for himself
What God wants God gets God help us all
God always gets what he wants, may God help us all
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GEORGE ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind