They're stupid and reductionary. The entire premise of Animals makes me want to throw the album out the window. By reducing complex social issues to some absurd allegory, Waters kicks to the curb any emotional resonance and manages to show not even a modicum of deeper thought about a subject as complex as human interaction. I find them totally infuriating.



I don't find anything emotionally engaging in that song. The phrase "creeping malaise" is a good one, but that's about the only time the lyrics progress beyond the level of a middle schooler's poetry.



Which is totally embarrassing for this website.

All the ideas in Animals are all pulled directly out of Animal Farm.
Its not as if they're just 'George Orwell inspired'-- Animals is essentially the album version of Animal Farm.

You're right, the lyrics in Dogs are on par with something a 12 year old would write after being asked to write a reflective poem on Animal Farm.

waters is one of the most overrated lyricists in music history. he's about as subtle as a jackhammer with his lyrical depth.

I don't see what this has to do with anything. Unless all of Waters' lyrics are direct quotations from Animal Farm, then it's totally conceivable (as evidenced by its actually being the case) that Waters' version of Orwell's story is far lower in quality.



Exactly.

They're rock & roll songs. Not opera, not classical, not jazz.

Apart from the silly ending, I never found the lyrics of "Dogs" 'awful'. I rank them among various other rock lyrics as pretty forgettable and bland. Personally, I think "High Hopes" has very beautiful lyrics, I prefer Gilmour's writing style.

Damn, this thread suddenly turned into 'analyze these lyrics'-debate.

As I said, it's rock & roll. Any thought deeper than "Gon' git luv" or "I gotta be me, so fuck you" is profound for rock.

So are we really supposed to sit here and argue about our personal PERCEPTION of something like lyrics?
I think they're amazing. You don't. We perceive and digest the lyrics in different ways. That's about as far as it's gonna go.



Oh of course. Anything that doesn't meet the Tudwell seal-of-approval is certainly without artistic merit.

And here we go again.

I usually don't find lyrics 'unlistenable', because I can ignore them and focus on vocals instead. The only lyrics that truly annoy me are the pseudo-political "government kills poor daily, let's unite against Bush"-esque lyrics. Other than that, I'm so used to all the typical clichés of rock lyrics. They are only the icing on top of the cake, imo.

In Waters' defense, he has few lyrical moments I really dig. Something like "Goodbye Blue Sky" just appeals to me, guess it's the simple yet effective wording.

It was a response to this.



I was agreeing that his commentary was stupid and reductionary. His lyrics are a watered down version of Orwellian politics.

Well at least we're keeping you entertained.

Oh, okay. I thought your last sentence was sarcastic.

This forum is better than TV.

OR a vagina