PROS &...

" Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking " is still the best album I have ever heard, for my regret Waters "my best" , added a sentence to the song which I never really understood why? /There were Arabs with knives at the side of the bed/ what does that really mean?

Some of my friends refused to listen to the album because of that sentence, I don't know, maybe they were right ! but I have always felt guilty when the tape reaches that place, What bad experience with Arabs did Roger waters have? Or is it just to please someone in particular, alas then that even the best of them is thinking that way, shouldn't be Roger...IT REALLY HURTS...:???:

That portion of Roger's life includes many times in which lyrics were written without any regard to a general sense of truth, he's made quite a few people hurt (There's a "I bought the final Cut and bought pissed off" thread here for a prime example).


Plus R. Wright.

I am not going to claim to be able to interperet the sequence that is occuring throughout pros and cons but I took it as an abstract occurence that would happen in a dream. Arabs with knives isn't a typical group an English man may find at the foot of his bed yet it may be something that symbolizes fear and lack of security in emotions. I don't think it was an ethnic prejudice Waters was displaying but possibly a portrayal of fear through people that the media or government portrays as violent or to be feared which translates into the protagonist's (waters) fear. Much like Waters comments "a gook on a bike" in ATD. Not actually a prejudice on Waters part but a comment on others narrowmindedness. I find pros and cons to be very intelligent in the way that Waters brings a dream to life... of course i could be completely off base here and im sure I will be made aware of my folly if need be.

File this under the same category that In the Flesh is under. Mentions of coons and queers and people with spots. Its not Roger talking, but rather a character. And Rog doesn't always agree with his characters.

Soloist,

You could do much worse than to read and believe what albatross and NNJohn have written. Being a fully paid-up member of a couple of the Roger(pink)-harangued groups myself, I can advise that you really shouldn't take things to heart where his more contentious lyrics are concerned

I totally concur with albatross' perspective - adding to it only to remind him and everyone that it may have had something to do with the time nearly all of Britain, with the notable exception of the government, being totally outraged at the public killing of a Saudi princess.

This could have lain dormant for some time in Roger's warped mind. Then again, I could be talking total bollocks. :smile:

Wouldn't be the first time...nor the last.

Floyd on!
Byron

I agree with Albatros, NNJ and BoAB (not thebit about you talking bollocks, the other stuff !).

Roger is, I believe, an egalitarian who despises injustice and prejudice. I feel he uses his music and lyrics to expose these failings.

Roger Waters takes things out of context so the listener must put it back in context, realizing his point.

ans thats why we love him so... or part of the reason.

Thanks all of you, very pleased to read you all, I knew your company at such site will be delightful...thanks and I will enjoy reading your posts all over the site.

And we all look forward to reading your comments and opinions as well Soloist.

Cheers

Simon

I don't know if this will help shed any light on anything at all, but since Pros and Cons is a dream, we might wonder how much control the character has over the imagery of the dream.

What I envision happening during this song is that the character has had a false awakening. Perhaps he woke up halfway very briefly, and went back into a dream--but since he has just been awake, there are elements of the waking world in it. He sees himself in his room, but there are unfamiliar elements--i.e. the "Arabs with knives." I have had false awakenings myself, and usually there is some sort of disturbing element when I realise that things are not as they should be (for example, one dream where I began to float to the ceiling and was nearly shredded by my ceiling fan--or so the dream went).

As for Mr. Waters' selection of what elements to put in the dream, perhaps it could've been better, but I doubt very much that it was intentionally meant as an insult against Arabs. Again I ask (and I think a discussion on this would be interesting both in light of the "Arabs" issue and also apart from it), how much control does this character have over the imagery of his dreams?

At a guess, I'd have to say none. I certainly can't control mine.

But the imagery is the dream, or vice versa, innit? ~

EEEKKKKK!! Looks at this place. The dude started out with asking about Arabs with Knives and here we are discussing about dreams !! :smile: I love this place for this very same reason. We get together to discuss stuff which other people might dismiss as absolute, sheer wate of time. Keep it up.

PS : Note how my post has ABSOLUTELY no connection with this topic at all :smile:

No seriously, I love "Pros and Cons"... at any rate I love it more than Radio K.A.O.S. I never liked that album. I wanna get ATD and In The Flesh

RW: I highly recommend ATD. Get it as soon as you can! (You'll find my other recommendation for you in another thread, but this is not the folder for it!)