animals (thing)

If you didn't care what happened to me
And I didn't care for you
We would zig-zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Wondering which of the buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing

Despite the fame of the Dark Side of the Moon-era Pink Floyd, one album is continually passed over by would-be fans, critics and radio execs. Animals follows a theme inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm. The album contains 5 tracks, the first and last of which are quick, little love songs that Roger Waters wrote for his new wife (a rarity for Pink Floyd, just about the only band to never write songs about love and their relationships). The second and fourth tracks, Dogs and Sheep were not written with this theme in mind, but evolved into it after a little tweaking by Waters once the idea occurred to him. Each of the three middle tracks are supposed to epitomize the behaviour of one type of person: Dogs, Pigs or Sheep. While arguably one of the most self-indulgent albums of all time, it may also be one of the most brilliant.

The record received little radio play except on AOR (Album Oriented Rock) stations, due to the extreme length of the songs.

Pigs On The Wing (Part 1) - 1:25
Dogs - 17:08
Pigs (Three Different Ones) - 11:28
Sheep - 10:20
Pigs On The Wing (Part 2) - 1:25

Animals saw Pink Floyd relying more and more on Roger Waters for the musical and especially lyrical content of their albums. Animals began its life as a road piece, played during the Floyd's 1974 summer tour. The first major track was originally dubbed You Gotta Be Crazy and was written by David Gilmour and Waters, the only track not solely written by the increasingly dominating bandleader. It was originally written for inclusion on the Wish You Were Here album, but did not fit in well enough. When it was adapted to the Animals theme, it took on the guise of Dogs and told the story of the vicious, backstabbing aspect of humanity, those who will stop at nothing to achieve their corrupt and greedy aims. This song is a snarling condemnation of the Dog mindset, sung by a frustrated and bitter third person, broken up at times by airy organ solos, samples of a growling and howling pack of dogs and soaring, snarling guitar parts. Dogs features some of David Gilmour's most brilliant guitar work, a shame since it is rarely heard by any but the most dedicated Pink Floyd fans.

You've got to be crazy, you gotta have a real need
You gotta sleep on your toes when you're on the street
You've got to be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed
Then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight
You've got to strike when the moment is right without thinking
After a while you can work on points for style
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake
A sudden look in the eye, and an easy smile
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to
So that when they turn their backs on you
You'll get the chance to put the knife in
You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder
You know it's gonna get harder, harder and harder as you get older
Yeah and in the end you'll pack up, fly down south
Hide your head in the sand
Just another sad old man, all alone and dying of cancer
And when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown
And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone
And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around
So have a good drown as you go down all alone, dragged down by the stone
Gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused
Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise
If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this place
Deaf, dumb, and blind--you just keep on pretending
That everyone's expendable, and no one has a real friend
And it sems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner
Everything's done under the sun
And you believe at heart everyone's a killer
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

The next track, Pigs (Three Different Ones) features some of Pink Floyd's most biting and, above all, specific lyrics. This song condemns the greedy businessman and the corrupt politician, pigs to a man (or woman), in Waters' eyes. The first verse goes after the corporate pig, the man who will do anything to get ahead in business, to further his own aims, disregarding the effects on people and the environment. The second verse takes on the political pig, a woman Waters says represents Margaret Thatcher, the conservative former Prime Minister of England. Lastly, Waters takes on Mary Whitehouse, the then leader of the National Viewers and Listeners Association, and even refers to her by name. Whitehouse was a strong proponent of censorship and had even struck a blow at Pink Floyd, accusing them of promoting sex and drugs. The song features still more brilliant lyrics, bringing to mind some of the most vivid images of any Pink Floyd song to date and cutting brutally to the core of the Pig mindset. There is a portion in the middle that sounds for all the world like an oinking, squealing guitar, which, in fact, it is. Waters uses a talk box to give shape to the sound of the guitar, yet another example of the band's studio brilliance.

Big man, pig man, ha-ha, charade you are
You well heeled big wheel, ha-ha, charade you are
And when your hand is on your heart
You're nearly a good laugh, almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin saying "keep on digging"
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find, down in the pig mine?
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh, but you're really a cry
Bus stop rat bag, ha-ha, charade you are
You fucked up old hag, ha-ha, charade you are
You radiate cold shafts of broken glass
You're nearly a good laugh, almost worth a quick grin
You like the feel of steel
You're hot stuff with a hat pin, and good fun with a hand gun
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh, but you're really a cry
Hey you, Whitehouse, ha-ha, charade you are
You house proud town mouse, ha-ha, charade you are
You're trying to keep our feelings off the streets
You're nearly a real treat, all tight lips and cold feet
And do you feel abused? ! ! ! ! ! ! !
You've got to stem the evil tide and keep it all on the inside
Mary, you're nearly a treat
Mary, you're nearly a treat, but you're really a cry

Sheep began its life as Raving and Drooling and was written specifically for the band's concert tour. After undergoing the same reworking as Dogs, it told the story of the pliant, repressed masses. The song tells of how the Sheep are influenced by the Dogs and the Pigs until it reaches the middle of the song, at which point it delves into a twisted version of Psalm 23. Nick Mason, the band's drummer would perform this part during their live shows, but the studio version was done by an anonymous roadie. In it, the Sheep rise up against their leaders and stage a bloody revolution only to fall once more into the role of the meek and obedient sheep. Sheep was supposed to echo the state of England at the time and was Waters' view of the future if the country's conservative politics remained in the forefront.

Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air
You'd better watch out--there may be dogs about
I have looked over Jordan and I have seen--things are not what they seem
What do you get for pretending the danger's not real
Meek and obedient, you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors, into the valley of steel
What a surprise! A look of terminal shock in your eyes
Now things are really what they seem, no this is not a bad dream
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me down to lie
Through pastures green he leadeth me the silent waters by
With bright knives he releaseth my soul
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places
He converteth me to lamb cutlets
For lo, he hath great power and great hunger
When cometh the day we lowly ones
Through quiet reflection and great dedication
Master the art of karate, lo, we shall rise up
And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water
Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march
Cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream
Have you heard the news? The dogs are dead
You'd better stay home and do as you're told
Get out of the road if you wanna grow old

The album closes with Pigs On The Wing (Part 2), a lyrical variation on the opening track, which ties the album together quickly and tidily. Animals is an example of yet another brilliant Pink Floyd album cover, and is actually much better known than any of the songs on the album. The massive inflatable pig which, on the cover, floats ominously over the bleak Battersea Power Station, became a staple of the band's live shows for many years. It is even featured in the Homerpalooza episode of the Simpsons, though it is blasphemously made a part of Peter Frampton's live performance. While shooting the photo that would be come the album cover, the pig broke loose of its moorings and flew into the flight paths of planes landing at Heathrow Airport. It was reported by many an airline pilot, including one who was given a breathalyzer test. Despite all these difficulties, the final cover is legendary and easily one of the best album covers of all time, fitting for such a fabulous album.

You know that I care what happens to you
And I know that you care for me too
So I don't feel alone, or the weight of the stone
Now that I've found somewhere safe to bury my bone
And any fool knows a dog needs a home
A shelter from pigs on the wing