In the context of the album "The Wall" he's bulding an emotional wall around him closing him off emotionally and listing the things that made him this way. An overprotective mother helped him build that wall by putting fears into him and at the end of the song he says "Did it need to be so high" meaning the wall he built is so high that he doesn't let anyone in anymore.
@@thisguy8916 I don't think so. Roger Waters wrote nearly every song in the wall except comfortably numb. When the tiger broke free was the true story of the death of his dad in WWII. Another brick in the wall part 1 say "Daddy's flow cross the ocean... leaving just a memory. The snap shot in the family album. Daddy what else did you leave for me .. All in all it was another brick in the wall". After his father died he did not have a solid male influence so his mother was over protective. As meliplay points out, after the trial, he faces reality. His sentence was to be exposed before his peers. The poem at the end of the movie says a lot too. "One by one or in two, the one who really love you walk up and down out side the wall. (forgot the middle but then) some stagger and but but after all its not easy banging your heart against some mad buggers wall." Some people say that the story is Syd Barret's story but if so, I would guess it is more the comfortably numb area by Gilmore. The WWII themes preceeded that with Bring the Boys back home and Vera Lynn who was a singer that traveled to the front lines to sing to the troops.
@@Jimtheprogrammer I assumed it was about Barrett because of some media I saw/read referencing him coming in the studio & fucking with their heads by playing progressions differently while asking his bandmates why they couldn't 'get it' or something along those line... and something else about him having lived with his mother & in her house, until his passing; a gaunt, haunted-looking fellow Gilmour or someone encountered not long before he died. Thanks for the explanation.
Young mothers unconsciously put all of their fears suspicions biases etc. into the rearing of their kids. It's up to that child when they reach a certain age of maturity to try and navigate the well meaning but sometimes destructive upbringing they may or may not have received growing up. Though they are singing about a particular character in this album "The Wall", the song's meaning and interpretations are universal. Absolutely brilliant lyrics from one of the greatest lyricist in all of Rock, Roger Waters, who's also the co-lead singer on this piece, with David Gilmour.
He's also a genius with theme, so it's awesome how he wrote this with the up and down roll of a lullaby, and then they sang it with those soft voices. It captures the idea that the overprotection felt, at the time, more reassuring than dangerous. And then David's guitar cries, and Roger laments the scale of the wall.
The album was written basically about the lead singer's life. He was born just after WWII. His dad died in the war. He grew up during the Cold War. He was put in the oppressive British education system where you all wore a uniform and was expected to all act the same. His mother was overly protective and controlling. He was not coping well with this and became more of an introvert and started taking drugs. He built an emotional wall around himself to protect him basically from the world and from being hurt by it. He was basically doing insane. The one thing he liked was music and wanted to perform, but he was so messed up the manager had a doctor shoot him up with drugs just so he could perform a concert. He falls in love... or thought he was in love but when he was on tour he called up his home to find another man answering the phone. He snaps and goes through massive depression... just a really dark time in his life. He turns to anger and violence at times. It is hard to understand what is real and what is not at this point. He pictures himself on trial and is forced in the end to "tear down the wall".
I think a lot of people listening to this song don't pay enough attention to the lyrics, they just focus on a few lines, like the "ooh, babe, you'll always be a baby to me" part, and they take from that that it's a song about the virtue of motherhood or some such thing. But the mother in this song is obviously an overly protective, suffocating mother, as Roger Waters has expressed in past interviews. He said in an interview with Mojo magazine back in 2009, ""My mother was suffocating in her own way. She always had to be right about everything. I'm not blaming her. That's who she was. I grew up with a single parent who could never hear anything I said, because nothing I said could possibly be as important as what she believed. My mother was, to some extent, a wall herself that I was banging my head against."
And, that's why Roger Waters constantly uses the lyric Babe or Baby. This is a mother who doesn't ever let her child grow up; never let's him fly. Most people latch onto the lullaby tone of the song without listening to the lyrics.
But was she that way before her husband was killed in WW2? Watters himself constantly talks about and explores the death of his father in the war in so many Floyd songs. Maybe he should have been more understanding about what she was dealing with which was the same things he was dealing with.
And you got to realize if you read my post on top explain best I could about the wall. Yes but the mother is but mother says the child going in the wrong direction her husband Rodger Waters father Eric Fletcher Waters got killed in world war II so she sees only I bought of hate within him He hated school he hated all his girlfriends hey did his teacher hated everything that society had to offer him because he blame society for murdering his father in a war . His mother tried to give him love. He didn't want love to him love net nothing. And she tried to protect him from every little piece of dirt that's on the surface of the Earth.. but she didn't realize she couldn't protect him from himself. He rebelled against everything and society so unconsciously all these things his mother his teacher his school his girlfriend's is friends it was in the way, only he everything so we had to build a wall to keep everything and everyone else away and out. And a lot of kids went through this doing post world war 2.. it's not not understanding the meaning why his father died not understanding why was the world
Totally agree music that is coming out today is very negative and close minded the golden age of music is dead TOOL is probably the last band that makes you think.
Dude, you nailed exactly the way I think of pink floyd. Their songs get your mind thinking and many people can have many different interpretations of these lyrics.
You f***ing nailed it bud. Love your interpretation of this song. I've been a musician for 35 + years and this song ALWAYS hits a chord with me. Keep up the good work man. You have a talented ear! One Love, One Heart!
I was a senior in highschool when this came out. Was so excited when I bought the album! Rushed home, smoked a big ole joint, and listened all the way from beginning to end without stopping! Still blown away 40yrs later!!! 😃
This song is following the theme of pushing back against authority that is repeated in this album. One of my favorites from this album is ' Goodbye Blue Skies'
The song makes sense when you listen to the entire album. Each part of the story is layered on what came before it. It is a Rock opera. Best if listened to from start to finish. The movie is Excellent as well.
In 1979, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd wrote 'The Wall' album cos he was in a miserable place in his life at the time... his band was alienated from him, his personal life was shambles. Money & fame was not making him happy, and he wrote lyrics about his life experiences. Roger Waters was born in England, his father died in combat during World War II. He was born while England was being attacked by the nazis... Growing up in the university city of Cambridge in post WW II England, he had no father, a single mom who was overprotective and overbearing... he went to school where teachers seemed bitter and cynical, and he learned about the brutal war that ravaged Europe until 1945. He met Syd Barrett in school as a teen, and they became friends (Barrett was 1 yr younger than Waters) and the two bonded for years... they talked about forming a rock n' roll band. That happened in 1965, when Syd Barrett attended the same London university that Waters was in... it was Barrett who named the band Pink Floyd and wrote all their original songs... Unfortunately, Barrett indulged in using drugs like acid, and he declined from mental illness... he was out of Pink Floyd by 1968, replaced by David Gilmour, a friend from Cambridge... but that loss of Syd Barrett's friendship also inspired themes about madness. Hence, most of Roger Waters lyrics are about war, teaching, death, and madness... 'Mother' was written about his difficult relationship with his mom during his youth... 'The Wall' was made into a rather dark movie in 1982, starring Bob Geldof... who played the character 'Pink', a rock star who descends into madness and becomes a tyrannical figure. A few movie scenes were inspired by Waters' experiences w/ Syd Barrett.
Mother did it need to be so high? He is referring to the WALL.......which courses through their musical message; this is the backstory to the relationship between Roger Waters (bass player and lyricist) and his mother. The family suffered some tragedies which resulted in a level of overprotection which manifested in fears etc. Their albums are concept albums; they are a story which is why you need to listen to them in order to get the full message. Listening to Pink Floyd at random will not do you much good in terms of understanding their protracted messaging. THe Wall............The Dark Side of the Moon etc. etc.
@@stephaniegeer1691 I agree but I think for this generation to 'get' PF, it does help for them to know there is a thread woven through their music/albums rather than just randomly writing about 'whatever'......
In this context Roger Waters,the lyricist/singer, had a good relationship w/his mother but the thing is that he was a post ww2 child meaning she clinged onto him as the last thing she has of his father who died in the war. This is also can be applied to the government trying to protect you in their own self interest.It wasn’t a diss on his mom but more about the character development of “pink” the person this album is about.
yea you got it right. and it's about how good intentions can lead to limiting someone's true potential. that protection they are offering doesn't let them fly but they may be able to sing a little. that's true with most good intentions. people never think about the adverse affects of good intentions. people get hurt and die emotionally over that shit because people's excuse will always be good intentions. there are pros and cons to everything so when we intentionally be subjective to the positive with good intentions, it's a distraction to the literal hell that is coming soon because they refused to be objective and see things from all sides.. this is one of my favorite songs. people need to start waking up to the truth in things. good intentions will usually turn out not so good. it's usually the case. on the surface this song is about how great mothers are to protect their children from all the evils in the world. building up that wall so no bad can come in. but when we build that shit up too high, no good can come in either....
I heard the words "Pink Floyd is my favorite band" and I did exactly that, I hit the subscribe button before even watching it, lol. Something about experiencing people listening to PF, when they truly appreciate them, that makes me happy. You clearly have excellent taste!!
It's never about being wrong about what you get or feel from song....that's the beauty of music. Your reaction may be nowhere near what the song writer is talking about, but the song means to you what it means to you...and that's exactly what most song writers will tell you they want to happen. Music is personal, both for them as the writer and for us as the listener. They write from their experiences, we listen from ours. Great reaction by the way. Love Floyd but I'm a die hard Led head so I'll be on the lookout for some more LZ from you guys. Happy Holidays!!
This is deep for a young mother, the need for protection can easely be overdone by a mother, not on purpose ofc. things must well thought out, it's a tough balance. Just remember, kids are very strong, we are fitted to survive even when it doesn't seem so.
i just lost my mother in early November and listening now to this song I have known since the 80s, I have a new opinion... children look to parents for answers. When parents weren't themselves provided those answers, what do they say? Do we now blame Mom or Dad for leaving unanswered questions? Many do. Empathy dictates that one must see the world from another's perspective. My mom had it rough and did her best by me. I must answer some questions myself. She gave me the strength to do so, and so I will. To recognize her sacrifices on my behalf, I will not blame her, I will HONOR her by doing what she was unable to. Show them luv people. They may never receive it as genuinely elsewhere.
The fear part is the mother saying things like, don't be too late because i don't want you walking home in the dark because of ect! That is a fear a mother unconsciously puts into a child....but really it's because as we know she cares deeply. Does this makes sense.👊🏻😎❤
I enjoyed listening to your interpretation of this song I liked that u went that deep 👍Pink Floyd is my all time favorite band! When I’m depressed Floyd pulls me thru! Merry Christmas 🎄 hope you reach your goal!
Time will have you thinking for sure, all the thousand channels out there all said the same, it's a universal thought and something really we all should think about.
I always thought of an over-protective mother who mistakenly thinks "keeping baby cozy & warm" is the way to protect their child from the harshness of life. Try listening to Lynayd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" for an example a healthier parent/child relationship.
My fav album the wall album, because of the whole album going together, not one particular song. They also made the wall album movie which is a masterpiece and explains a lot about his mental walls
I 100% recommend shine on you crazy Diamond 1-5 next. It’s the song that actually got me to love Pink Floyd. 13 minutes may seem long for a song but it goes by so fast, it literally is a vibe. And it has some of the best David Gilmour guitar
The wall is the barrier keeping him from experiencing life on his own. When the mom says " of course mommas gonna help build the wall" she is keeping him from life experience, by instilling fear of everything she don't control.
You got it. When I was your age and dating it was a chill song to show your girl she your momma now. She would massage my hair and I was cozy and warm. A beautiful song indeed That's the relationship mom's have with their sons. Girls watched, because they will soon be mother's to. Home feeling., Very intimate guys just enjoyed the attention. Axel Rose in sweet child of mine has something similar to this, music was harder but her hair covered over him gave him a sense of a warm place.
YOU ARE 100% CORRECT. I have an overprotective mother. MY father died in a car accident when I was a toddler and she became an overprotective mother. I am 46 and she won't stop. I tried contacting her a month ago and, nope she won't stop. We haven't talked in 3 years before. Every word of this song hits deep, because it's my life.
A Mom wants to protect their child and the child picks up on it. Overprotected.. Being a true parent is walking a fine line. Encourage their dreams while having that gut wrenching fear of scaring them. No matter how confusing I would not trade my son for anything. I’ll walk thru fire🔥🔥🔥
This song is beautiful and devastating. Excellent analysis of Pink Floyd lyrics by the way. "Deep as hell" indeed. I'm not a huge Dixie Chicks fan but Natalie maines from the Dixie Chicks did an absolutely incredible cover up this song A few years back. I would highly recommend a reaction to that as well and if not just give it a listen
This song was part of the soundtrack to the movie "The Wall" and signifies the lead character ("Pink") growing up with an overprotective mom after the death of his father in the war.....and the continued sense of isolation and abandonment he endures as he grows older.....the song was mostly a flashback to Roger Water's childhood!
To call this a part of a movie soundtrack strikes me as slightly odd. It was originally part of a 1979 concept album that was turned into a movie in1982. You're not wrong, it was part of that soundtrack, but that isn't where it first appeared.
@@jimwoodman8158 so true Jim. The Wall album from 1979 is an original work. It is not a soundtrack to anything. The movie that came out years later is an adaptation of the classic album, and this song is done quite differently in the movie. Not bad, just different.
Now that I am 31, this song hits different. Growing up my family got attacked and almost made me lose my life when I was 9. Out of that situation, my mom became very over-protective, with just reason but it happened as I was getting into the teen years and while my friends were doing normal teenage things, I wasn't allowed to do those things with them, I became socially anxious, shy, timid, dealt with depression my entire teenage life, felt rejected, left out of all these things all the other kids were doing, parties, I got bullied for being a momma's boy... The result of all that was having to work on all these things later on in my adult life after I was independent. I have an ill relationship with my mom now because while I get this was her way of protecting me, it went to the opposite extreme of just that and affected me in so many other ways. So while this song is disguised as something that could be a lullaby, it speaks how that kind of parenting can be bad in some other way, contributing to building your own mental wall, that isolates you. I think it's normal for a parent to wish the best for their kids and do their best so they thrive in life. I am a father now, so I understand, but what's the balance of protecting your kids and guiding them, while also allowing them to develop their personality for themselves?
Love seeing you guys getting into Pink Floyd. If you really want your mind blown, react to the entire Animals album and make sure you do it in order cause the entire album tells a story. IMO, their best work hands down! Thanks for the share and continue to enjoy the musical journey that is Pink Floyd! - Mikey
Floyd always gets in your head an makes you think, ha. I'm a huge Floyd fan also, I started listening to them in 1978, when I was 14, there Legends, truly
Oh, I can't wait until you react to the studio version of Pink Floyd's "Dogs" and ......"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I - V) & (Parts VI - IX) These are long tracks but ya gotta do the studio versions...the one for "Dogs" has one with lyrics and that one is good. You want to hear this the way they did it in the studio where it is Pink Floyd perfect. Like I said, long tracks but this is Pink Floyd and when you hear it you'll know.
The song is just one part of an entire story from the album the wall, in this song the mother is overly protective to the point where she doesn’t let him “fly”, which is just one part of many that’s making him build an emotional wall around himself to escape from the outside world. It’s an album that actually should be heard in it’s entirety to really grasp the whole meaning. Dark side of the moon is another Floyd album that should be heard like that.
You're not wrong at all - you got the right gist - but there another level to this - in that "mama" is an overbearing, overprotective mother who is afraid to let her baby boy grow up to be a man - afraid he'll move on and leave her behind so she helps him build a WALL, around himself to keep him from any meaningful relationships or meaningful progress in the world. Hence the last line "did it need to be so high?" (meaning the wall). The Wall album as a whole is a concept album - story where each song is another chapter in that story. Here we have a mother who lost her husband in the war (WWII), and now projects all her fears and insecurities on her son, which stunts his ability to grow into a healthy normal member of society. He essentially becomes a nervous awkward shut-in. Hence some of the lines from the song Comfortably Numb - feelings of anxiousness and unease to be in public.
Well said young man I understand were your coming from, Pink Floyd, led Zeppelin are thought provoking bands - in a beautiful way, keep up the good work, you two make a beautiful couple, much love.
You guys reaction was right.... for you. I always took this song in the context of the album, The Wall....and the line, "Mother is just a waste of time?" always kinda summed it up for me. I think anyones reaction to this song is right for them because everyone has a mother and everyone mostly shares similar experiences as well as having individual experiences with their moms. That --to me-- was PF intent when they wrote this.
This song is one of many bricks the main character stacks up early in life that he uses to build his psychological wall and hide from the world. The point is if one looks for excuses not venture out and challenge the world, they can always be found. Using motherly love as a liability is quite pathetic. And through the first half of the album "Pink" has grasped every shred of excuse to avoid even the merest of unpleasantness of life. What I find I find interesting is that the Floyd and Roger in particular are always tapping into that verisimilitude. Here a young adolescent starting his song with a simple acoustic guitar writing a very simple tune about his fears; his part being sung by Roger as "Pink". David Gilmour voices the mother. And then Rick Wright's keyboards come in and then Gilmour's solo. "He play[s] a mean guitar."
Two key phrases in the song; "Mother will help you build The Wall" ... and then the last phrase; "Mother did it need to be so high?" This is about an Over Protective mother of a person building his own emotional Wall around him and how his mother is contributing to that. Hence the concept of the album The Wall.
Daaaamn my guy you getting it!!! I love the way you explained that early part. It’s about what it means to YOU!! Similar to what I take from it but it’s all about what you get from it. It’s your experience, or maybe you hate it. Either way is cool
Definitely try PF's Great Gig In The Sky if you haven't already, it so eloquently and clearly expressed the 5 stages of death/grief without the use of actual words
You all need to watch the Pink Floyd movie, "The Wall". Talk about deep. And, most all of the music from the "Wall", album is in the film. It's a real head trip. Excellent.
Sometimes it's best to listen through a song without trying to immediately analyze the lyrics. It's like trying to discuss a book after reading a couple of chapters. You also lose the musical nuances... Something Pink Floyd excels in.
This is not a positive song.. it's actually quite sad. It's simply about Pink's mother being way overprotective after her husband died in war.. she then had the responsibility of taking care of him alone. She contributed to her son's isolation by adding more bricks to the Wall that he was building up inside.. "Mother did it need to be so high?"
It's really just a fairly simple song about the complicated relationship you can have with your mother, and how she can do good while still doing damage. Of course it's all within the context of the message of The Wall itself, which is about disconnection and putting up barriers.
I saw several reactions for this song and for not knowing the movie and not knowing the history of Roger Waters, Reckless has a pretty good interpretation. It was pretty much being smothered by a mother that is someone your love and loves you with the best intentions. Awesome job.
I love this song and Dirty Girl on the album... they bring up the primal programming and human frailties that can surface in any person given the right circumstances.
In the live versions, it a call-and-reponse song. Roger sings/ calls and David responds (as mother, like when he sings "hush now baby....). Also, Pink Floyd's Wall and Dark side albums are concept albums meaning each song bleeds into the next song. Thats why many songs end ebrubtly, your supposed to listen to the next song. Listening to the whole ablum in order paints a more complete idea/ concept.
In the context of the album "The Wall" he's bulding an emotional wall around him closing him off emotionally and listing the things that made him this way. An overprotective mother helped him build that wall by putting fears into him and at the end of the song he says "Did it need to be so high" meaning the wall he built is so high that he doesn't let anyone in anymore.
And later in the album he comes back to that with the trial and he says there must have been a door there in the wall when I came in.
I wonder if this applies to Syd Barrett...
@@thisguy8916 I don't think so. Roger Waters wrote nearly every song in the wall except comfortably numb. When the tiger broke free was the true story of the death of his dad in WWII. Another brick in the wall part 1 say "Daddy's flow cross the ocean... leaving just a memory. The snap shot in the family album. Daddy what else did you leave for me .. All in all it was another brick in the wall".
After his father died he did not have a solid male influence so his mother was over protective. As meliplay points out, after the trial, he faces reality. His sentence was to be exposed before his peers. The poem at the end of the movie says a lot too.
"One by one or in two, the one who really love you walk up and down out side the wall. (forgot the middle but then) some stagger and but but after all its not easy banging your heart against some mad buggers wall."
Some people say that the story is Syd Barret's story but if so, I would guess it is more the comfortably numb area by Gilmore. The WWII themes preceeded that with Bring the Boys back home and Vera Lynn who was a singer that traveled to the front lines to sing to the troops.
@@Jimtheprogrammer I assumed it was about Barrett because of some media I saw/read referencing him coming in the studio & fucking with their heads by playing progressions differently while asking his bandmates why they couldn't 'get it' or something along those line... and something else about him having lived with his mother & in her house, until his passing; a gaunt, haunted-looking fellow Gilmour or someone encountered not long before he died. Thanks for the explanation.
Just go watch the movie, the wall.
Young mothers unconsciously put all of their fears suspicions biases etc. into the rearing of their kids. It's up to that child when they reach a certain age of maturity to try and navigate the well meaning but sometimes destructive upbringing they may or may not have received growing up. Though they are singing about a particular character in this album "The Wall", the song's meaning and interpretations are universal. Absolutely brilliant lyrics from one of the greatest lyricist in all of Rock, Roger Waters, who's also the co-lead singer on this piece, with David Gilmour.
He's also a genius with theme, so it's awesome how he wrote this with the up and down roll of a lullaby, and then they sang it with those soft voices. It captures the idea that the overprotection felt, at the time, more reassuring than dangerous. And then David's guitar cries, and Roger laments the scale of the wall.
There’s no such thing as the boogeyman… There’s just life, and what you make of it..
the song is prettry much the relationship between Roger Waters and his mother during and after ww2 losing his dad to the war
And mother isn't wrong.
Perfect explanation
The album was written basically about the lead singer's life. He was born just after WWII. His dad died in the war. He grew up during the Cold War. He was put in the oppressive British education system where you all wore a uniform and was expected to all act the same. His mother was overly protective and controlling. He was not coping well with this and became more of an introvert and started taking drugs. He built an emotional wall around himself to protect him basically from the world and from being hurt by it. He was basically doing insane. The one thing he liked was music and wanted to perform, but he was so messed up the manager had a doctor shoot him up with drugs just so he could perform a concert. He falls in love... or thought he was in love but when he was on tour he called up his home to find another man answering the phone. He snaps and goes through massive depression... just a really dark time in his life. He turns to anger and violence at times. It is hard to understand what is real and what is not at this point. He pictures himself on trial and is forced in the end to "tear down the wall".
I think a lot of people listening to this song don't pay enough attention to the lyrics, they just focus on a few lines, like the "ooh, babe, you'll always be a baby to me" part, and they take from that that it's a song about the virtue of motherhood or some such thing. But the mother in this song is obviously an overly protective, suffocating mother, as Roger Waters has expressed in past interviews. He said in an interview with Mojo magazine back in 2009, ""My mother was suffocating in her own way. She always had to be right about everything. I'm not blaming her. That's who she was. I grew up with a single parent who could never hear anything I said, because nothing I said could possibly be as important as what she believed. My mother was, to some extent, a wall herself that I was banging my head against."
And, that's why Roger Waters constantly uses the lyric Babe or Baby. This is a mother who doesn't ever let her child grow up; never let's him fly. Most people latch onto the lullaby tone of the song without listening to the lyrics.
But was she that way before her husband was killed in WW2? Watters himself constantly talks about and explores the death of his father in the war in so many Floyd songs. Maybe he should have been more understanding about what she was dealing with which was the same things he was dealing with.
Freudian nightmare exemplified
And you got to realize if you read my post on top explain best I could about the wall. Yes but the mother is but mother says the child going in the wrong direction her husband Rodger Waters father Eric Fletcher Waters got killed in world war II so she sees only I bought of hate within him
He hated school he hated all his girlfriends hey did his teacher hated everything that society had to offer him because he blame society for murdering his father in a war .
His mother tried to give him love. He didn't want love to him love net nothing. And she tried to protect him from every little piece of dirt that's on the surface of the Earth.. but she didn't realize she couldn't protect him from himself.
He rebelled against everything and society so unconsciously all these things his mother his teacher his school his girlfriend's is friends it was in the way, only he everything so we had to build a wall to keep everything and everyone else away and out. And a lot of kids went through this doing post world war 2.. it's not not understanding the meaning why his father died not understanding why was the world
WE NEED THIS KIND OF MUSIC TODAY
Totally agree music that is coming out today is very negative and close minded the golden age of music is dead TOOL is probably the last band that makes you think.
Dude, you nailed exactly the way I think of pink floyd. Their songs get your mind thinking and many people can have many different interpretations of these lyrics.
Thank you!!
That is the genius of Pink Floyd. They don't tell you what to think. They give you a sanctuary in which to contemplate your own thoughts.
@john nelson....word!
Yeah, it's like that with whatever lyrics or poetry; it has whatever value the reader/listener takes from it.
but may be about religion fear of hell and everything about this world that comes from religious parents ? just a thought
You f***ing nailed it bud. Love your interpretation of this song. I've been a musician for 35 + years and this song ALWAYS hits a chord with me. Keep up the good work man. You have a talented ear! One Love, One Heart!
I was a senior in highschool when this came out. Was so excited when I bought the album! Rushed home, smoked a big ole joint, and listened all the way from beginning to end without stopping! Still blown away 40yrs later!!! 😃
The messages in the song prepare baby for the world.
This song is following the theme of pushing back against authority that is repeated in this album. One of my favorites from this album is ' Goodbye Blue Skies'
One of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written.
Great song suggestion
I know that I have found a real PF aficionado when you suggested this song. Kee
@@LtDan-rk4si Absolutely!!
This song is another example of how Pink Floyd’s lyrics encourage listeners to think.
The song makes sense when you listen to the entire album. Each part of the story is layered on what came before it. It is a Rock opera. Best if listened to from start to finish. The movie is Excellent as well.
I remember when this came out and I played it for My Mother, She did get a kick out of the "Mother will always find out where you been" verse.
This album is a masterpiece, I suggest you react to it in the album order to get the full picture 🔥👌
In 1979, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd wrote 'The Wall' album cos he was in a miserable place in his life at the time... his band was alienated from him, his personal life was shambles. Money & fame was not making him happy, and he wrote lyrics about his life experiences.
Roger Waters was born in England, his father died in combat during World War II. He was born while England was being attacked by the nazis... Growing up in the university city of Cambridge in post WW II England, he had no father, a single mom who was overprotective and overbearing... he went to school where teachers seemed bitter and cynical, and he learned about the brutal war that ravaged Europe until 1945.
He met Syd Barrett in school as a teen, and they became friends (Barrett was 1 yr younger than Waters) and the two bonded for years... they talked about forming a rock n' roll band. That happened in 1965, when Syd Barrett attended the same London university that Waters was in... it was Barrett who named the band Pink Floyd and wrote all their original songs... Unfortunately, Barrett indulged in using drugs like acid, and he declined from mental illness... he was out of Pink Floyd by 1968, replaced by David Gilmour, a friend from Cambridge... but that loss of Syd Barrett's friendship also inspired themes about madness.
Hence, most of Roger Waters lyrics are about war, teaching, death, and madness... 'Mother' was written about his difficult relationship with his mom during his youth... 'The Wall' was made into a rather dark movie in 1982, starring Bob Geldof... who played the character 'Pink', a rock star who descends into madness and becomes a tyrannical figure. A few movie scenes were inspired by Waters' experiences w/ Syd Barrett.
You explained what the song is about very well I'm happy to have other people with music knowledge watching this channel!👍
Your conversation is exactly what Pink Floyd intended💗
Nothing like mom for comfort and support. Priceless. Lost mine 11 days after leaving for Basic Training in 1985.
Mom wont let the boy experience his own life, "She wont let you fly but she might let you sing"
Mother did it need to be so high? He is referring to the WALL.......which courses through their musical message; this is the backstory to the relationship between Roger Waters (bass player and lyricist) and his mother. The family suffered some tragedies which resulted in a level of overprotection which manifested in fears etc. Their albums are concept albums; they are a story which is why you need to listen to them in order to get the full message. Listening to Pink Floyd at random will not do you much good in terms of understanding their protracted messaging. THe Wall............The Dark Side of the Moon etc. etc.
This is true although you can ENJOY LISTENING to ANY Pink Floyd song at random,to truly understand their messages and meanings in order is best.✌
@@stephaniegeer1691 I agree but I think for this generation to 'get' PF, it does help for them to know there is a thread woven through their music/albums rather than just randomly writing about 'whatever'......
If you enjoyed this one then you will definitely enjoy Simple Man by Lynrynd Skynyrd and Civil War by Guns n Roses
In this context Roger Waters,the lyricist/singer, had a good relationship w/his mother but the thing is that he was a post ww2 child meaning she clinged onto him as the last thing she has of his father who died in the war. This is also can be applied to the government trying to protect you in their own self interest.It wasn’t a diss on his mom but more about the character development of “pink” the person this album is about.
yea you got it right. and it's about how good intentions can lead to limiting someone's true potential. that protection they are offering doesn't let them fly but they may be able to sing a little. that's true with most good intentions. people never think about the adverse affects of good intentions. people get hurt and die emotionally over that shit because people's excuse will always be good intentions. there are pros and cons to everything so when we intentionally be subjective to the positive with good intentions, it's a distraction to the literal hell that is coming soon because they refused to be objective and see things from all sides.. this is one of my favorite songs. people need to start waking up to the truth in things. good intentions will usually turn out not so good. it's usually the case. on the surface this song is about how great mothers are to protect their children from all the evils in the world. building up that wall so no bad can come in. but when we build that shit up too high, no good can come in either....
I heard the words "Pink Floyd is my favorite band" and I did exactly that, I hit the subscribe button before even watching it, lol. Something about experiencing people listening to PF, when they truly appreciate them, that makes me happy. You clearly have excellent taste!!
I love you guys for keeping this music alive..it is as relevant today as it was when I was a kid ( I am almost 60) ..don't let it die
This song always makes me cry.
You nailed it 👏 Thanks for always putting your attention & heart into your reactions. ❤✌🎵
Thank you! Means a lot!
You are doing a great job analyzing this song.
Thank you Robin!! Appreciate you!
It's never about being wrong about what you get or feel from song....that's the beauty of music. Your reaction may be nowhere near what the song writer is talking about, but the song means to you what it means to you...and that's exactly what most song writers will tell you they want to happen. Music is personal, both for them as the writer and for us as the listener. They write from their experiences, we listen from ours. Great reaction by the way. Love Floyd but I'm a die hard Led head so I'll be on the lookout for some more LZ from you guys. Happy Holidays!!
They always had us thinking
This is deep for a young mother, the need for protection can easely be overdone by a mother, not on purpose ofc. things must well thought out, it's a tough balance. Just remember, kids are very strong, we are fitted to survive even when it doesn't seem so.
i just lost my mother in early November and listening now to this song I have known since the 80s, I have a new opinion...
children look to parents for answers.
When parents weren't themselves provided those answers, what do they say?
Do we now blame Mom or Dad for leaving unanswered questions?
Many do.
Empathy dictates that one must see the world from another's perspective.
My mom had it rough and did her best by me.
I must answer some questions myself.
She gave me the strength to do so, and so I will.
To recognize her sacrifices on my behalf, I will not blame her, I will HONOR her by doing what she was unable to.
Show them luv people.
They may never receive it as genuinely elsewhere.
The fear part is the mother saying things like, don't be too late because i don't want you walking home in the dark because of ect! That is a fear a mother unconsciously puts into a child....but really it's because as we know she cares deeply. Does this makes sense.👊🏻😎❤
Loving the journey with you guys. Us and Them, is a top 10 Floyd song, (war, love, peace, unity, jealousy, greed)
My favorite Pink Floyd song , I was fortunate to see it perform live ...
Keep going on your Pink Floyd journey and enjoy !
I enjoyed listening to your interpretation of this song I liked that u went that deep 👍Pink Floyd is my all time favorite band! When I’m depressed Floyd pulls me thru! Merry Christmas 🎄 hope you reach your goal!
Time will have you thinking for sure, all the thousand channels out there all said the same, it's a universal thought and something really we all should think about.
Excellent reaction!!!! Every Pink Floyd song makes you think!!!! They are my favorite!!!!! Love you guy’s!!!!!🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️❤️❤️
I always thought of an over-protective mother who mistakenly thinks "keeping baby cozy & warm" is the way to protect their child from the harshness of life. Try listening to Lynayd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" for an example a healthier parent/child relationship.
My fav album the wall album, because of the whole album going together, not one particular song. They also made the wall album movie which is a masterpiece and explains a lot about his mental walls
🥺 we all want what's best for our children!
I 100% recommend shine on you crazy Diamond 1-5 next. It’s the song that actually got me to love Pink Floyd. 13 minutes may seem long for a song but it goes by so fast, it literally is a vibe. And it has some of the best David Gilmour guitar
Good honest reaction. Talking about the meaning of Floyd lyrics is a healthy, philosophical pastime
The wall is the barrier keeping him from experiencing life on his own. When the mom says " of course mommas gonna help build the wall" she is keeping him from life experience, by instilling fear of everything she don't control.
I also love pink floyd so heres a few good suggestions; WELCOME TO THE MACHINE, RUN LIKE HELL, YOUNG LUST, PIGS ON THE WING PT 1-3.
You got it. When I was your age and dating it was a chill song to show your girl she your momma now. She would massage my hair and I was cozy and warm. A beautiful song indeed
That's the relationship mom's have with their sons. Girls watched, because they will soon be mother's to. Home feeling., Very intimate guys just enjoyed the attention. Axel Rose in sweet child of mine has something similar to this, music was harder but her hair covered over him gave him a sense of a warm place.
YOU ARE 100% CORRECT. I have an overprotective mother. MY father died in a car accident when I was a toddler and she became an overprotective mother. I am 46 and she won't stop. I tried contacting her a month ago and, nope she won't stop. We haven't talked in 3 years before. Every word of this song hits deep, because it's my life.
A Mom wants to protect their child and the child picks up on it. Overprotected.. Being a true parent is walking a fine line. Encourage their dreams while having that gut wrenching fear of scaring them. No matter how confusing I would not trade my son for anything. I’ll walk thru fire🔥🔥🔥
This song is beautiful and devastating. Excellent analysis of Pink Floyd lyrics by the way. "Deep as hell" indeed.
I'm not a huge Dixie Chicks fan but Natalie maines from the Dixie Chicks did an absolutely incredible cover up this song A few years back. I would highly recommend a reaction to that as well and if not just give it a listen
This song shoots u straight in the heart n soul
good sunday to you two .. next one from Pink Floyd - Coming back to life ( live Pulse concert 1994 ) 😎👍
This song was part of the soundtrack to the movie "The Wall" and signifies the lead character ("Pink") growing up with an overprotective mom after the death of his father in the war.....and the continued sense of isolation and abandonment he endures as he grows older.....the song was mostly a flashback to Roger Water's childhood!
To call this a part of a movie soundtrack strikes me as slightly odd. It was originally part of a 1979 concept album that was turned into a movie in1982. You're not wrong, it was part of that soundtrack, but that isn't where it first appeared.
@@jimwoodman8158 Point well taken!🙂
@@jimwoodman8158 so true Jim. The Wall album from 1979 is an original work. It is not a soundtrack to anything. The movie that came out years later is an adaptation of the classic album, and this song is done quite differently in the movie. Not bad, just different.
Mother is a metaphor for the establishment or government
They PROMOTE the IDEAR of THINKING, IMAGINATION, FUTURE, REFLECTION, GROWTH of the MIND.
Again good show 👍
Now that I am 31, this song hits different. Growing up my family got attacked and almost made me lose my life when I was 9. Out of that situation, my mom became very over-protective, with just reason but it happened as I was getting into the teen years and while my friends were doing normal teenage things, I wasn't allowed to do those things with them, I became socially anxious, shy, timid, dealt with depression my entire teenage life, felt rejected, left out of all these things all the other kids were doing, parties, I got bullied for being a momma's boy... The result of all that was having to work on all these things later on in my adult life after I was independent. I have an ill relationship with my mom now because while I get this was her way of protecting me, it went to the opposite extreme of just that and affected me in so many other ways. So while this song is disguised as something that could be a lullaby, it speaks how that kind of parenting can be bad in some other way, contributing to building your own mental wall, that isolates you. I think it's normal for a parent to wish the best for their kids and do their best so they thrive in life. I am a father now, so I understand, but what's the balance of protecting your kids and guiding them, while also allowing them to develop their personality for themselves?
Love seeing you guys getting into Pink Floyd. If you really want your mind blown, react to the entire Animals album and make sure you do it in order cause the entire album tells a story. IMO, their best work hands down! Thanks for the share and continue to enjoy the musical journey that is Pink Floyd!
- Mikey
Floyd always gets in your head an makes you think, ha. I'm a huge Floyd fan also, I started listening to them in 1978, when I was 14, there Legends, truly
Oh, I can't wait until you react to the studio version of Pink Floyd's "Dogs" and ......"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I - V) & (Parts VI - IX) These are long tracks but ya gotta do the studio versions...the one for "Dogs" has one with lyrics and that one is good. You want to hear this the way they did it in the studio where it is Pink Floyd perfect. Like I said, long tracks but this is Pink Floyd and when you hear it you'll know.
Mother did it need to be so high? Hits hard... 🔥
I’m with you. Pink Floyd is my favorite band as well. You have a lot more you can dive into with them. Very deep rabbit hole. Enjoy
The song is just one part of an entire story from the album the wall, in this song the mother is overly protective to the point where she doesn’t let him “fly”, which is just one part of many that’s making him build an emotional wall around himself to escape from the outside world.
It’s an album that actually should be heard in it’s entirety to really grasp the whole meaning.
Dark side of the moon is another Floyd album that should be heard like that.
Never got into these guys but kinda changing my mind lol
You're not wrong at all - you got the right gist - but there another level to this - in that "mama" is an overbearing, overprotective mother who is afraid to let her baby boy grow up to be a man - afraid he'll move on and leave her behind so she helps him build a WALL, around himself to keep him from any meaningful relationships or meaningful progress in the world. Hence the last line "did it need to be so high?" (meaning the wall).
The Wall album as a whole is a concept album - story where each song is another chapter in that story. Here we have a mother who lost her husband in the war (WWII), and now projects all her fears and insecurities on her son, which stunts his ability to grow into a healthy normal member of society. He essentially becomes a nervous awkward shut-in. Hence some of the lines from the song Comfortably Numb - feelings of anxiousness and unease to be in public.
Right on!!
Love your reaction!
This album is really meant to be listened to as a whole. You 2 should listen to this album together , no interruptions.
Thank you!
Well said young man I understand were your coming from, Pink Floyd, led Zeppelin are thought provoking bands - in a beautiful way, keep up the good work, you two make a beautiful couple, much love.
You guys reaction was right.... for you. I always took this song in the context of the album, The Wall....and the line, "Mother is just a waste of time?" always kinda summed it up for me. I think anyones reaction to this song is right for them because everyone has a mother and everyone mostly shares similar experiences as well as having individual experiences with their moms. That --to me-- was PF intent when they wrote this.
This song is one of many bricks the main character stacks up early in life that he uses to build his psychological wall and hide from the world. The point is if one looks for excuses not venture out and challenge the world, they can always be found. Using motherly love as a liability is quite pathetic. And through the first half of the album "Pink" has grasped every shred of excuse to avoid even the merest of unpleasantness of life.
What I find I find interesting is that the Floyd and Roger in particular are always tapping into that verisimilitude. Here a young adolescent starting his song with a simple acoustic guitar writing a very simple tune about his fears; his part being sung by Roger as "Pink". David Gilmour voices the mother. And then Rick Wright's keyboards come in and then Gilmour's solo. "He play[s] a mean guitar."
Please watch the movie The wall. It’s a masterpiece.♥️
Love that you always pay attention to the lyrics and analyse them. Great Channel. Keep it up
It's okay, we will cry together. Don't be so hard, your free now
Mother lost her husband in WW2 and now is overprotective of her only son.
Yep. Best answer.
My brother, you guys are fast becoming my favorite reactors, and I’m a 60 year old from the peace and love days of the 70’s 😂😎😎
Two key phrases in the song; "Mother will help you build The Wall" ... and then the last phrase; "Mother did it need to be so high?"
This is about an Over Protective mother of a person building his own emotional Wall around him and how his mother is contributing to that. Hence the concept of the album The Wall.
Excellent breakdown of the song!
A song about a controlling at times overbearing mothers. The final line referring to the wall “Mother did it need to be so high?”
She built a very high wall around him, he lost his dad in the war and she her husband and his mom was very protective of him
Mother will always protect us at any cost regardless of the age ✌🏽
Daaaamn my guy you getting it!!! I love the way you explained that early part. It’s about what it means to YOU!! Similar to what I take from it but it’s all about what you get from it. It’s your experience, or maybe you hate it. Either way is cool
Good reaction video - thank you!!
Excellent depth... Fantastic description... young people like yourself can write the future!
Start writing!
great reaction guys’. It is a deep song.
Facts! Very deep!
Definitely try PF's Great Gig In The Sky if you haven't already, it so eloquently and clearly expressed the 5 stages of death/grief without the use of actual words
You all need to watch the Pink Floyd movie, "The Wall".
Talk about deep. And, most all of the music from the "Wall", album is in the film.
It's a real head trip. Excellent.
Your % 100 right.
Sometimes it's best to listen through a song without trying to immediately analyze the lyrics. It's like trying to discuss a book after reading a couple of chapters. You also lose the musical nuances... Something Pink Floyd excels in.
see at FAMILY LISTENS TO PINK FLOYD
U got to listen to the whole album in one sitting.
Pink Floyd are the greatest rock band of all time 🇬🇧
This is not a positive song.. it's actually quite sad. It's simply about Pink's mother being way overprotective after her husband died in war.. she then had the responsibility of taking care of him alone. She contributed to her son's isolation by adding more bricks to the Wall that he was building up inside.. "Mother did it need to be so high?"
It's really just a fairly simple song about the complicated relationship you can have with your mother, and how she can do good while still doing damage. Of course it's all within the context of the message of The Wall itself, which is about disconnection and putting up barriers.
I saw several reactions for this song and for not knowing the movie and not knowing the history of Roger Waters, Reckless has a pretty good interpretation. It was pretty much being smothered by a mother that is someone your love and loves you with the best intentions. Awesome job.
More Pink Floyd.
Watch "The Wall" and try not to cry from listening to this beautiful song.
I love this song and Dirty Girl on the album... they bring up the primal programming and human frailties that can surface in any person given the right circumstances.
as others have explained about the song others can take meanings also ..yes i know how the floyd songs go
Stunning reaction. Greetings from Italy
In the live versions, it a call-and-reponse song. Roger sings/ calls and David responds (as mother, like when he sings "hush now baby....). Also, Pink Floyd's Wall and Dark side albums are concept albums meaning each song bleeds into the next song. Thats why many songs end ebrubtly, your supposed to listen to the next song. Listening to the whole ablum in order paints a more complete idea/ concept.
I saw Pearl Jam cover this at Wrigley Field in 2013. Two of my absolute favorite bands.
I think you nailed the ambiguity of the mother-child relationship.
“….did it need to be so high” is a reference to The Wall she helps him build
This song was a precursor to the advent of helicopter parents.
BTW, the actual lyric is "mother will they put me in the fabric mine?" Alluding to the British textile mills.