prosncons

1- 4:30 AM (Apparently They Were Travelling Abroad)
Written: solo
Running Time: 3:12
Rating: *****
Comments: This song is not much on its own, but that holds true for the majority of songs on this album. However, the entire album together, which has been said to be just one long song with many different parts, this song serves its purpose. It begins the narrative, and introduces the beautiful and haunting melody that runs throughout this musical masterpiece.
Lyrics:

we were moving away from the border
looking for somewhere to sleep
the two of us sharing the driving
two hitch hikers slumped in the back seat
i sneaked a quick look in the mirror
she gave me a smile
i said "is anyone hungry?
should we stop for awhile?"
so we pulled off into a layby
her dress blew up over her head
i said "would you like to come with me?"
she said something foreign under her breath

and the sun shone down on her lovely young limbs
i thought to myself, she's much too good for him
i lay down beside her with tears in my eyes
she said...

Words: apparently they were travelling abroad and they picked up some hitchhikers...wake up, you're dreaming... what?...you're dreaming...we were moving away from the border...uh, what border?...have a nice day...uh...have a nice day

2- 4:33 AM (Running Shoes)
Written: solo
Running Time: 4:08
Rating: *****
Comments: This song continues the narrative from the first one, with a powerful burst of music. Roger starts this one off with a thorough belting out of strong lyrics. After the fast, strong music, it regresses back to the original melody, and leads right into the next song before the track ends. This may have been an editting mistake, but it doesn't matter as long as you're listening to the entire album together, which is really the only way to do it.
Lyrics:

so i stood by the roadside, the soles of my running shoes gripping
the tarmac like gunmetal magnets
fixed on the front of her fassbinder face was the kind of smile
that only a rather dull child could have drawn
while attempting a graveyard in the moonlight
but she was impressed, you could see that she thought i looked fine
and when she turned sweeter, the reason between you and me was
she'd just seem my green lambourghini
i think it was the moon gleaming

so we went for a spin in the country
to feel the wind in our hair
to feel the power of my engine
to feel the thrill of desire

and then in the trees, i heard a twig snap
warning lights flashed on my map
i opened my eyes and to my surprise...

...there were arabs with knives at the foot of the bed
right at the foot of the bed

oh my god, how did they get in here?
i thought we were safe home in england
she said, "come on now kid, it was wrong what you did
you got to admit it was wrong what you did
you got to admit it was wrong"

Words: oh god...jesus...

3- 4:37 AM (Arabs With Knives And West German Skies)
Written: solo
Running Time: 2:17
Rating: ****
Comments: This is such a beautiful song, although it is not one of the stronger ones on the album. You begin to understand the narrative here. The speaker is describing his dreams of a tortured sleep in the early morning. This song describes just some random thoughts that are going through his mind.
Lyrics:

sleep, sleep, i know that i'm only dreaming
through closed eyes i see west german skies on the ceiling
and i want to get back
to the girl with the rucksack
to feel her flaxen hair
i want to be there
see the sun going down
behind the krupps steelworks
on the outskirts of some german town

thank you, but...
this young lady and i will just finish this bottle of wine
it was kind of you, but...
i think we'll just say goodnight
goodnight

Words: leave her alone, get out, get out of my house!...guten abend meiner damen un herren ha ha ha ha, willkommen in konigsburg ha ha ha ha, wollen zie danzen mit mir oder drinken bier? ha ha ha ha...leave us alone...leave us alone...could i have the key to one four three please?...there you are...thank you, goodnight...hello, yes, i'd like to order breakfast please, i'd like coffee for two, and toast with marmalade...no, marmalade

4- 4:39 AM (For The First Time Today-Part 2)
Written: solo
Running Time: 2:02
Rating: ****
Comments: This is a short, simple, and beautiful song. The music varies between a couple different good melodies, and the saxophone speaks the words between the lines that Waters belts out.
Lyrics:

for the first time today
i held her naked body next to mine
in this hotel overlooking the rhine
i made her mine
ooh babe...ooh babe
come with me, and stay with me
please stay with me
stay with me
stay with me
stay with me
stay with me...stay with me

Words: uh, what time is it?...no...forget it

5- 4:41 AM (Sexual Revolution)
Written: solo
Running Time: 4:41
Rating: *****
Comments: This song is kind of an acquired taste. It doesn't sound too great at first, but after only a few listens, you can feel the power of it, and realise that this song is not only about sex.
Lyrics:

hey girl, take out the dagger
and let's have a stab at the sexual revolution
hey girl, let freedom from all be our rallying call
tomorrow lets make our new resolution
yeah, but tonight lie still
while i plunder your sweet grave
and remember:
only the poor can be saved

hey girl, as i've always said that i prefer your lips red
not what the good lord made, but what he intended
hey girl, don't point the finger at me
i am only a rat in a maze like you (only the dead go free)
so, please hold my hand
as we blunder through the maze
and remember:
nothing can grow without rain

(ooh shoo wop shoo wop ooh)
ooh...don't point (don't point) your finger (your finger) at me
i awoke in a fever
the bedclothes were all soaked in sweat
she said "you've been having a nightmare
and it's not over yet"
then she picked up the doggy in the window
the one with the waggly tail
and she put him to bed
between two bits of bread

6- 4:47 AM (The Remains Of Our Love)
Written: solo
Running Time: 3:09
Rating: ****
Comments: This great song is probably the worst on the album. It basically just serves as a transition between the first half of the narrative to the second. Basically, the dream shifts from one type of imagined lifestyle, the roaming hitch hiker's, to another, the settled family man. This gets a little confusing, but so are real dreams.
Lyrics:

i just cowered in the corner
my pyjama coat over my head
and she smiled as she finished her sandwich
and her cold eyes fixed me to my dark history
as she brushed the remains of our love from the bed
and when she had turned back the covers
when all of the prayers had been read
she said, "come on over here, you silly boy
before you catch your death of cold
i was only joking
let's leave behind the city grime
let's not compete it could be fine
in the country
couldn't it though? come on let's go"
i said "ok"

Words: are we going to go now?...where would you like to go, darling?...mmm, vermont, wyoming, yes...wyoming, huh huh...children...what?...we're going to wyoming...darling, which way is wyoming?...hook a right here...you're going the wrong way...i know that...i know, children, let's see how many volvos we pass on the way to our new life in the country...one...jay, don't do that, that's really negative

7- 4:50 AM (Go Fishing)
Written: solo
Running Time: 6:59
Rating: *****
Comments: This is one of the most unique songs ever written, a ballad of country life. The music varies between melodies, but keeps one strong tune running throughout. The singing ranges from soft murmuring to loud belting, and goes back and forth between levels of power. This song tells a sad story of its own within the greater sad story of this album. The end is one of the most powerful musical moments that Waters has written.
Lyrics:

as cars go by i cast my mind's eye
over back packs on roof racks
beyond the horizon, where dream makers
working white plastic processors
invite the unwary to reach for the pie in the sky
go fishing, my boy

we set out in the spring
with a trunk full of books about everything
about solar devices
and how nice natural childbirth is
we cut down some trees
and trailed our ideals
through the forest glade
we dammed up the stream
and the kids cooled their heals
in the fishing pool we made

we held hands and we
exchanged bands and we
practically lived off the land
you adopted a fox cub
whose mother was somebody's coat
you fed him by hand and then snuggled him down
in the grandfather bed while i wrote
and we grew our own maize
and i only occasionally went into town
to stock up on antibiotics
and shells for the shotgun that i kept around
i told the kids stories while you worked your loom
and the sun went down sooner each day

then the leaves all fell down
our crops all turned brown
it was over
as the first snowflakes fell
i realised all was not well in the camp
the kids caught bronchitis
the space heater ran out of diesel
one weekend a friend from the east
rot his soul, stole your heart

i said, "fuck it then
take the kids back to town
maybe i'll see you around" yeah, yeah!
yeah, i said, "go now!" she said, "o.k."

and so leaving all our hopes and dreams
to the wind and the rain
taking only our stash
left our litter and trash
and set out on the road again
on the road again...on the road again

Words: chapter six, in which eeyore has a birthday and gets two presents...daddy, come on dad...eeyore the old grey donkey stood my the side of the stream and he looked at himself in the water, "pathetic," he said, "that's what it is,"..."good morning, eeyore," said pooh, "oh," said pooh, he thought for a long time...bye bye, daddy...

8- 4:56 AM (For The First Time Today-Part 1)
Written: solo
Running Time: 1:38
Rating: *****
Comments: This reprise is even more beautiful than the first (or maybe the second). The lyrics are poetic and heart-braking, and carry the narrative on from the brief bizarre moment it had describing family life. The speaker is now back on the road, embittered by his lover having left him for another man. This is an example of how some aspects of dreams can carry on to new parts of the dream, even though the basic plot changes.
Lyrics

for the first time today
i feel it's really over
you were my everyday excuse
for playing deaf, dumb, and blind
and who'd have ever thought
that this was how it would end for you and me?
to carry my own millstone
out of the trees

and i have to admit
i don't like it a bit
being left here beside this lonesome road
(lonesome road)
(lonesome road)

9- 4:58 AM (Dunroamin, Duncarin, Dunlivin)
Written: solo
Running Time: 3:03
Rating: ****
Comments: This song starts out pretty weak, and doesn't get much better. Still, it has that same good melody that has been running and reprising itself throughout the album. The lyrics serve to reinforce the narrative, and give it that hitch-hiker twist. The song follows the speaker as he expresses his woes to the trucker who has picked him up from the side of the road, and ends with the trucker having his fill and kicking him off.
Lyrics:

i nailed ducks to the wall
kept my heart in dark ruins
i built bungalows all over the hills
dunroamin, duncarin, dunlivin
took my girl to the country
to sleep out under the moon
next thing, she's going crazy
she waits for the real mr. right to come
gently removing her heart
with his promises of real communication
who's always picking up the tab?
who built a bungalow for his mum and dad? me
who took you out to all the shows?
who worked his fingers to the bone? me
while you were asleep
who kept you in buttons and bows?
so you could encourage this creep

with his neat feet and his clean fingernails
with his wise, but twinkling eyes
he's a rock standing out in an ocean of doubt
and compromise
i'd like to go on with this bit of a song
describing this schmuck
i'd like to go on...
but i'm gonna throw up!

Words: hey kid, you looking for a lift? get on up here, how's it going good buddy?...women are like that kid, what the hell can you do?...i saw a program about that on tv...me! me! it was me, i did!...christ all those clothes...get moving, get off the road you goddamn faggot...not in my rig you don't boy...get the hell out of here!

10- 5:01 AM (The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking-Part 10)
Written: solo
Running Time: 4:36
RANKING: #5 *******
Comments: This is the best song on the album, and one of the greatest songs that Roger Waters has ever recorded. It'll have you moving the first time you hear it. The lyrics are awesome and funny, and the music is fast, up-beat, and powerful. You'll want to memorize the lyrics to this song right away just so you can sing along to them. This song culminates and sums up the concept of the entire album. It's just a really awesome track, with an intense fast melody, and an excellent instrumental featuring one of the greats, Eric Clapton, who plays guitar for every song on the album, yet really shines here.
Lyrics:

an angel in a harley pulls across to greet a fellow rolling stone (shoop shoop shoop)
puts his bike up on a stand, leans back and then extends
a scarred, and greasy hand
he says "how you doin', bro? where you been? where you going?"
then he takes your hand in some strange californian handshake
and breaks the bone

a housewife from encino, whose husband's on the golf course
with his book of rules (shoop shoop shoop)
breaks and makes a u and idles back to take a second look at you
you flex your rod
fish takes the hook
sweet vodka and tobacco in her breath!
another number in your little black book...

these are the pros and cons of hitch hiking
these are the pros and cons of hitch hiking
ooh babe, i must be dreaming...

i was standing on the leading edge
the eastern seaboard spread before my eyes
"jump" said yoko ono
"i'm too scared and too good looking" i cried
"go on" she said, "why don't you give it a try?
why prolong the agony? all men must die!"

do you remember dick tracy?
do you remember shane? (shoop shoop shoop)
could you see him selling tickets
where the buzzard circles over
the body on the plane?
did you understand the music, yoko
or was it all in vain?
bitch said something mystical
so i stepped back on the kerb again..woo!

these are the pros and cons of hitch hiking
these are the pros and cons of hitch hiking
ooh babe, i must be dreaming again
these are the pros and cons of hitch hiking...

Words: have a nice day...and mother wants you...shane...herro

11- 5:06 AM (Every Stranger's Eyes)
Written: solo
Running Time: 4:48
Other Versions: In The Flesh
Rating: *****
Comments: This is just a simple, beautiful song. The lyrics are easygoing and poetic, and the music that backs them up has a nice, comfortable melody. The song becomes more powerful at the end when Waters starts belting out the lyrics again, and adds new layers of emotion to the song. It takes a few listens to appreciate this song, but it is a fantastic work of lyric and music.
Lyrics:

in truck stops and hamburger joints
in cadillac limousines
in the company of has-beens
and bent-backs, and sleeping forms
on pavement steps
in libraries and railway stations
in books and banks
in the pages of history
in suicidal cavalry attacks
i recognise...
myself in every stranger's eyes

and in wheelchairs by monuments
under tube trains and commuter accidents
in council care and country courts
at easter fairs in seaside resorts
in drawing rooms and city morgues
in award winning photographs
of life rafts in the china seas
in transit camps, under arc lamps
on unloading ramps
in faces blurred by rubber stamps
i recognise...
myself in every stranger's eyes

and now, from where i stand
upon this hill i plundered from the pool
i look around, i search the skies
i shade my eyes, so nearly blind
and i see signs of half remembered days
i hear bells that chime in strange familiar ways
i recognise...
the hope you kindle in your eyes

it's all so easy now
as we lie here in the dark
nothing interferes, it's obvious
how to beat the tears
that threaten to snuff out
the spark of our love

Words: hello...you wanna cup of coffee?...i'm sorry, would you like a cup of coffee?...ok, do you take cream and sugar?

12- 5:11 AM (The Moment Of Clarity)
Written: solo
Running Time: 1:28
Other Versions: [partly] The Wall (film)
Rating: *****
Comments: This is the beautiful ending to this amazing album. Here is where everything makes sense, hence the title, as the narrative ends with the man waking up, and checking to see if his lover is still with him. Like the entire album, it works on several levels, and has a deeper meaning if you look more into it. But whatever meaning you think this song or album has, you cannot deny that it's a solid piece of good music.
Lyrics:

then the moment of clarity faded like charity does
sometimes
i opened one eye...
and i put out my hand just to touch your soft hair
to make sure in the darkness that you were still there
and i have to admit, i was just a little afraid
ooh yeah...but then...
i had a little bit of luck, you were awake
i couldn't take another moment alone

Released: 1984 by Columbia Records
Running Time: 42:09
Ranking: #2 out of 7 solo albums
Album Highlight: 5:01 AM (The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking-Part 10)
Album Weak Point: 4:47 AM (The Remains Of Our Love)
Average Song Rating: *****
Comments: Really just one long song with many parts, the songs of this album do not work on their own, with two exceptions (tracks 10 and 11), but together they form an incredible piece of music. The songs take you through a narrative account of one man's tortured sleep in the early hours of the morning, and while it takes a few listens to understand the stream of consciousness, once it's understood it's actually quite brilliant. It's a solid and terrific album.