a requiem for the post war dream
                by Roger Waters




      4_1.  The post war dream
      4_2.  Your possible pasts
      4_3.  One of the few
      4_4.  The hero's return
      4_5.  The gunners dream
      4_6.  Paranoid eyes
      4_7.  Get your filthy hands off my desert
      4_8.  The fletcher memorial home
      4_9.  South ampton dock
      4_10. The final cut
      4_11. Not now john
      4_12. Two suns in the sunset

                               for Eric Fletcher Waters
                                              1913-1944




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 T.V.?
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 have we done?




They flutter behind you your possible pasts
Some brighteyed and crazy some frightened and lost
A warining to anyone still in command
Of their possible future to take care
In dereliet siding the poppies entwine
With cattle trucks lying in wait for the next time

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

By the cold and religions we were taken in hand
Shown how to feel good and told to feel bad
Tongue tied and terrified we learned how to pray
Now our feelings run deep and cold as the clay
And string 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 think we should be closer?




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




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
'cos that's the only time that I can really talk to you
And there is something that I've locked away
A memory that is too painful
To with stand the light or day

When we came back from the war the banners and
Flags hung on everyones door
We danced and we sang in the street and
The church bells rang
But burning in my heart
My memory smoulders on
Of the gunners dying words on the intercom




Floating down through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now
In the space between the heavens
And in the corner of some forign 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 kar drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream

A place to stay
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
And no one kills the children anymore

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




Button your lip don't let the shield slip
Take a fresh grip on your billet proof mask
And if they try to break down your disquise will
        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
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





Brezhnev took afghanistan
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




Take all your overgrown infants away somewhere
And build them a home a little place of their own
The fletcher memorial
Home for incurable tyran sand kings

And they can appear to the selves every day
On closed circuit T.V.
To make sure they're still real
It's the only connection they feel
"ladies and gentlemenes, please, welcome reagan and haig
Mr. Begin and friends, ms. Teatcher and paisley
Mr. Brezhnev and part
The ghost of mccarthy
The memories of nixon
And now adding colour a group of anonymous latin
American meat packing glitterati"

Did they expect us to treat them with any respect

They can polish their medal 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 a cold glass eye
With their favourite toys
They'll be good girls and boys
In the fletcher memorial home for colonial
Wasters of life and limo
Is every one in?
Are you having a nice time?
Now the final solution can happlied




They disembarked in 45
And no one spoke and no one smiled
There were too many spaces on the line
Gathered at the cenotaph
All agree with the hand heart
To sheath the sacrificial knifes

But now

She stands upon south ampton 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 boy's goodbye again

And still the dark stain spreads between
His shoulder blades
A mute reminder of the poppy fields and graves
And when the fight was over
We spent what thay had mack
But in the bottom of our hearts
We felt 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 shotgun in the hal
Dial the combination open the priest(?) hole
And if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall

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 fail
Could anybody love him
Or is it just a crazy dream
And if I show you my dark side
Will you still hold me to night
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
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




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 frees
So, fuck, all that
We're got to get on with these

Can't stop lose job mind gone silicon
What bomb get away pag dog make hay
Breakdown need fix big six
Clickity click hold on oh no brrrrrrrrrring bingo!

Make em laugh make em cry make em dance in the aisles
Make em pay make em stay make em feel O.K.

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

Hang on john
We've got to get on with this
I don't know what it is
But it fits on here like
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
Hoold 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 theat 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 kness
Well, maybe not the russian bear
Maybe the swedes
We showed argentina
Now eet's(?) go nad show these
Make us feel though
And wouldn't maggie be pleased
Nah nah nah nah nah nah!

S'cusi dove it bar
Se para collo pou eine foe bar
S'il vous plait ou est le bar
Oi where's the fucking bar john!




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

The wire that holds the cork
That kecjos(?) the anger in
Give way
And suddenly it's day again
The sun is in the east
Even though the day is done
Two suns in the sunset
Hmmmmmmm
Cold be the human race in run

Like the moment when the brakes lock
And you slide towards the big truck
You stretck the frozen moments with your fear
And you'll never hear their voices
And you'll never see their faces
You have no recourse to the law anymore
And as the windshield melts
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


ðÏÐÕÌÑÒÎÏÓÔØ: 6, Last-modified: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 09:07:50 GmT