The Final Cut
Released March 21, 1983

This album is often under-rated. Although Pink Floyd as a group virtually disappeared with the emergence of this album, the lyrical and thematical focus of Roger Waters was elevated to produce a highly bitter and emotional piece. You cannot help but to sympathize with Waters as he expresses his feelings of guilt and sadness toward his father's death.

Album Songs
(right-click on song and choose 'save target/link as' to download MP3):

"The Post War Dream"
"Your Possible Pasts"
"One of the Few"
"The Hero's Return"
"The Gunner's Dream"
"Paranoid Eyes"
"Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert"
"The Fletcher Memorial Home"
"Southampton Dock"
"The Final Cut"
"Not Now John"
"Two Suns in the Sunset"

Credits

Performed by Pink Floyd
David Gilmour
Nick Mason
Roger Waters
with
Michael Kamen: Piano, harmonium
Andy Brown: Hammond organ
Ray Cooper: Percussion
Andy Newmark: Drums on "Two Suns in the Sunset"
Raphael Ravenscroft: Tenor Sax
And the National Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted and arranged by Michael Kamen

Produced by Roger Waters
James Guthrie and Michael Kamen

Engineered by
James Guthrie and Andy Jackson
Assistant Engineers
Andy Canelle
Mike Nicito
Jules Bowen

Cover Design: Roger Waters
Photography: Willie Christie
Artwork: Artful Dodgers

Recorded in England at Mayfair, Olympic, Abbey Road
Eel Pie, Audio International, Rak, Hookend, and
The Billiard Room (July-December 1982).

Holophonics by Zuccarelli Labs Ltd. ©
Pink Floyd Management: Steve O'Rourke
Mastered by Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab

Special Thanks to Neal Wharton

For Eric Fletcher Waters 1913-1944

Lyrics

The Post War Dream

"...announced plans to build a nuclear fallout shelter at
Peterborough in Cambridgeshire..."
(change channels)
"...It was announced today
That the replacement for the Atlantic
Conveyor the container ship
Lost in the Falklands conflict would be
built in Japan, a spokesman for..."
(change channels)
"...moving in.
They say the third world countries
Like Bolivia, which produce the drug
Are suffering from rising violence...(fades)"

Tell me true, tell me why was Jesus crucified
Is it for this that daddy died?
Was it for you?
Was it me?
Did I watch too much TV?
Is that a hint of accusation in your eyes
If it wasn't for the nips
Being so good at building ships
The yards would still be open on the clyde
And it can't be much fun for them
Beneath the rising sun
With all their kids committing suicide
What have we done?
Maggie, what have we done?
What have we done to england?
Should we shout?
Should we scream?
What happened to the post war dream?
Oh maggie
Maggie, what did we do?

Your Possible Pasts

They flutter behind you, your possible pasts
Some bright-eyed and crazy
Some frightened and lost
A warning to anyone still in command
[Commander:] "Ranks, Fire!"
Of their possible future, to take care
In derilict sidings the poppies entwine
With cattle trucks lying in wait for the next time

Do you remember me?
How we used to be?
Do you thing we should be closer?

She stood in the doorway the ghost of a smile
Haunting her face like a cheap hotel sign
Her cold eyes imploring the men in their macs
For the gold in their bags or the knives in their backs
Stepping up boldly one put out his hand
He said, I was just a child then
Now I'm only a man

Do you remember me?
How we used to be?
Do you thing we should be close?

By the cold and religious we were taken in hand
Shown how to feel good and told to feel bad
Strung out behind us the banners and flags
Of our possible pasts lie in tatters and rags

Do you remember me?
How we used to be?
Do you thing we should be closer?

One of the Few

When you're one of the few
To land on your feet
What do you do to make ends meet?
Teach
Make 'em mad
Make 'em sad
Make 'em add two and two
Make 'em me
Or make 'em you
Make 'em do what you want them to
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em cry
Make 'em lay down and die

The Hero's Return

Jesus, Jesus
What's it all about?
Trying to clout these little ingrates into shape
When I was their age all the lights went out
There was no time to whine and mope about
And even now part of me flies
Over dresden at angels one five
Though they'll never fathom it behind my
Sarcasm desperate memories lie
Sweetheart, sweetheart
Are you fast asleep?
Good
That's the only time that I can really speak to you
And there is something that I've locked away
A memory that is too painful
To withstand the light of day
When we came back from the war
The banners and flags hung on everyone's door
We danced and we sang in the street
And the church bells rang
But the burning in my heart
My memory smoulders on
Of the gunner's dying words
On the intercom
(gunner's words on intercom...)

The Gunner's Dream

Floating down
Through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now
But in the space between the heavens
And in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream
I had a dream

Goodbye Max
Goodbye Ma
After the service
When you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold november air
You hear the tolling bell
And touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream

A place to stay
[Bloke:] "Oi! A real one..."
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more
No-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue
Kicking in your door
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore
No-one kills the children anymore

Night after night
Going round and round my brain
His dream is driving me insane
In the corner of some foreign field
The gunner sleeps tonight
What's done is done
We cannot just write off his final scene
Take heed of the dream
Take heed

Paranoid Eyes

Button your lip
And don't let the shield slip
Take a fresh grip on your bullet proof mask
And if they try to break down your disguise with their questions
You can hide, hide, hide
Behind paranoid eyes

You put on your brave face and slip over the road for a jar
Fixing your grin as you casually lean on the bar
Laughing too loud at the rest of the world
With the boys in the crowd
You hide, hide, hide
[Man1:]"I'll tell you what
I'll give you three blacks
and play you for five..."
[Man2:]"Ta! You was unlucky there son."
[Man3:]"Time Gentlemen."
Behind petrified eyes

You believed in their stories of fame fortune and glory
Now you're lost in a haze of alchohol soft middle age
The pie in the sky turned out to be miles too high
And you hide, hide, hide
Behind brown and mild eyes
[Bloke:] "Oi!"

Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert

(Soft) [Man1:] "Oi, Get your filthy hands off my desert!"
[Man2:] "What 'e say?"
(explosion)
Brezhnev took afghanistan
And Begin took beirut
Galtieri took the union jack
And maggie over lunch one day
Took a cruiser with all hands
Apparently, to make him give it back

The Fletcher Memorial Home

Take all your overgrown infants away somewhere
And build them a home
A little place of their own
The fletcher memorial
Home for incurable tyrants and kings
And they can appear to themselves every day
On closed circuit TV
To make sure they're still real
It's the only connection they feel

Ladies and gentlemen
Please welcome
Reagan and Haig
Mr. Begin and friend
Mrs. Thatcher and Paisley
[Man:] "Hello Maggie."
Mr. Brezhnev and party
[Man:] (can't tell)
The ghost of McCarthy
And the memories of Nixon
And now adding colour
[Man:] "Who's the bald chap?"
A group of anonymous latin
American meat packing glitterati

Did they expect us to treat them with any respect?

They can polish their medals
And sharpen their smiles
And amuse themselves
Playing games for a while
Boom, boom
Bang, bang
Lie down you're dead

Safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye
Their favourite toy
They'll be good girls and boys
In the fletcher memorial home for colonial
Wasters of life and limb
Is everyone in?
Are you having a nice time?
[Man:] "??good day??"
Now the final solution can be applied

Southampton Dock

They disembarked in 45
And no one spoke
And no one smiled
There were too many spaces in the line
And gathered at the cenotaph
All agreed with hand on heart
To sheath the sacrificial knives
But now
She stands upon southampton dock
With her handkerchief
And her summer frock
Clings To her wet body in the rain
In quiet desperation
Knuckles White upon the slippery reins
She bravely waves the boys goodbye again

And still the dark stain spreads between
Their shoulder blades
A mute reminder
Of the poppy fields and graves
When the fight was over
We spent what they had made
But
In the bottom of our hearts
We felt the final cut

The Final Cut

Through the fish eyed lens
Of tear stained eyes
I can barely define
The shape of this moment in time
And far from flying high
In clear blue skies
I'm spiralling down
To the hole in the ground
Where I hide

If you negotiate the minefield in the drive
And beat the dogs
And cheat the cold electronic eyes
And if you make it past the shotguns in the hall
Dial the combination
Open the priesthole
And if I'm in I'll tell you wha...
(Explosion)
[Man:]"Woohoo"

There's a kid who had a big hallucination
Making love to girls in magazines
He wonders if you're sleeping
With your new found faith
Could anybody love him?
Or is it just a crazy dream?

And if I show you my dark side
Will you still hold me tonight?
And if I open my heart to you
And show you my weak side
What would you do?
Would you sell your story to rolling stone?
Would you take the children away?
And leave me alone
And smile in reassurance
As you whisper down the phone
Would you send me packing?
Or would you take me home?

Thought I oughta bare my naked feelings
Thought I oughta tear the curtain down
I held the blade in trembling hands
Prepared to make it, but
Just then the phone rang
I never had the nerve to make the final cut
[Man:] "Hello? Listen
I think I've got it.
Ok, listen its a haha!"

Not Now John

Fuck all that
We've got to get on with these
Got to compete with the wily Japanese
There's too many home fires burning
And not enough trees
So fuck all that
We've got to get on with these

Can't stop
Lose job
Mind gone
Silicon
??Stallon??
What bomb
Get away
Pay day
Make hay
Break down
Need fix
Big six
Clickity click
Hold on
Oh no
Bingo

Make 'em laugh
Make 'em cry
Make 'em dance in the aisles
Make 'em pay
Make 'em stay
Make 'em feel ok

Not now john
We've got to get on with the film show
Hollywood waits at the end of the rainbow
Who cares what it's all about
As long as the kids go
So not now John
We've got to get on with the show

Hang on John
I've got to get on with this
I don't know what it is
But it fits on here like this...
Come at the end of the shift
We'll go and get pissed
But not now John
I've got to get on with this

Hold on John
I think there's something good on
I used to read books but ????
It could be the news or
Some other abuse or
It could be reusable shows

Fuck all that
We've got to get on with these
Got to compete with the wily Japanese
No need to worry about the Vietnamese
Got to bring the Russian Bear to his knees
Well, maybe not the Russian Bear
Maybe the Swedes
We showed Argentina
Now lets go and show these
Make us feel tough
And wouldn't Maggie be pleased
Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!
One, two, three, four
[Man1:] "S'cusi dove il bar"
[Man2:] "What?"
[Man1:] "Se para collo pou eine toe bar
S'il vous plait ou est le bar"
[Man2:] "...say it in English!..."
[Man1:] "Oi', where's the fucking bar john?"
[Man2:] "Oh, now you're talking!"
Oh! Rule Britannia
Britannia rules the day
Down
Go, Maggie
Hammer, hammer, hammer, hammer, now

Two Suns In the Sunset

In my rear view mirror
The sun is going down
Sinking behind bridges in the road
I think of all the good things
That we have left undone
And I suffer premonitions
Confirm suspicions
Of the holocaust to come

The rusty wire that holds the cork
That keeps the anger in
Gives way
And suddenly, it's day again
The sun is in the east
Even though the day is done
Two suns in the sunset
Could be the human race is run

Like the moment when your brakes lock
And you slide toward the big truck
[Man:] "Oh, no."
And stretch the frozen moments with your fear
And you'll never hear their voices
[Child:] "Daddy, Daddy"
And you'll never see their faces
You have no recourse to the law anymore
(children screaming)

And as the windshield melts
And my tears evaporate
Leaving only charcoal to defend
Finally, I understand
The feelings of the few
Ashes and diamonds
Foe and friend
We were all equal in the end
[radio:] "...and now the weather.
Tomorrow will be cloudy with
Scattered showers from the east...
With an expected high
Of 4000 degrees Celcius"

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