What was Roger trying to say in Animals?

I actually think we may be on to something rather good here.

I think it could be more specifically the pressure to do as the label says... play in stadiums, plug the hits, pose for magazines etc.

Maybe fame, success, money... whatever it is that is keeping Pink Floyd together at this point.

I think the 23rd Psalm might be the sheep's reaction to what is going on in the business... they begin to see they have been cheated, and take it out on the dogs by turning against them (punk movement, anyone?).

Perhaps if they manage to see through the facade and actually have a human connection with the band, the dog's ego is destroyed and there is a brief moment of peaceful contact between the dogs and the sheep (POTW2). "Bury my bone" is a pretty sexual image though.

I guess the dogs would be inside, operating the machine. And the sheep outside, living in the houses in the distance, consuming the fruits of labour. They're both hidden from each other, but the pig is keeping a careful eye on both of them.

Very, very interesting interpretation.

Roger divided the human race into 3 types of people:
Pigs - Greedy, control-freaks
Dogs - Easily duped into following anyone in command, faceless henchmen
Sheep - Don't care of what happens to them

A single minded look at life isn't it.

I've never attempted to slavishly assign a meaning to every line in Animals, but generally, I imagine it as
Dogs: The Corporate climbers. Stabbing each other in the back to get their next promotion. Also, the criminal element.
Pigs: Politicans. (primarily lawyers) Corporate CEO's.
Sheep: the rest of us common shmucks, at the mercy of the dogs and pigs.

I like the reference to the music industy analogy..

Dogs: The bands
Pigs: The recoring industry
Sheep: The audience.

Yeah, it doesn't quite fit in with every single part of the lyrics (no specific interpretation seems to), but it's thought-provoking nonetheless.

I think Animals is about a bunch of animals.

Now I'm jut speculating here.. but..

Perhaps .

Dog's refers to creatures that have been doestictated as human companious for about 20,000 years..

Pigs is refering to domesticated farm animals used as a primary food sourse for such things as ham and bacon.

Sheep is in reference to a domesticated farm animal that can provide food as well as materials for the production of textiles..

I may be out on a limb here though.

Now that's just plumb crazy.

It's a way to look at the album but i don't think it's meant that way.I

orwell was not an anarchist, he was socialist-democratic, oh and i dont think he would've been a cop at one time in his life if he were anarchist, and animal farm wasn't generalising, its characters were based on specific historical figures (e.g. trotsky, stalin, hitler, the russian people themselves, etc.) Next time get the facts straight...