Waiting for the Worms

The literal meaning of this song is complete insanity and isolation from the outside world. Basically, Pink's insanity has reached rock bottom. The wall is finished. He has given up all hope, he has "let them bury the light", to use a quote from "Hey You" (where Pink has realized he's going insane but had not given up yet).

That's why he's waiting for the worms to overtake him entirely. He has given up to the insane product of his mind, bigot fascist Pink.

In more general sense, this song is also a strong criticism to fascism and other hate ideologies. Basically, this song shows us that most fascist and hateful leaders are that way because they have insane, twisted minds, and that their ideologies are the product of their attempts to proyect their fears and their inability to face reality, on others. ("the queers, the coons, the reds and the jews")

When we cannot accept reality, when we cannot accept our own faults, we end up blaming others for our situation. Using scapegoats. This is what Pink is doing with his delusional self: He hates and blames the outside world for his situation, but he cannot realize that it's also his fault, and not only that of the outside world.

eatmydonuts the hammers are a symbol as was the swastika. Notice they have similar colors and layout. The hammers represent oppression by force. The word 'hammer' is referenced many times throughout the album.. 'And the hammers batter down the door' and 'Let me hammer him today'. The hammers are used in the movie as hitler used the swastika to promote his growing army, a symbol of strength and power. (Hitler choose the swastika symbol because of its use by the ancient pharaohs of egypt who used it as a symbol to force millions of followers to build pyramids and structures) I also believe the hammers were choosen beause they represent both destruction and construction. You could argue the hammers were a tool representing his building of the wall.. and later the destruction of the wall. It is no secret there is a military theme carried out through this part of the album. When waters sings 'Waiting to put on a black shirt' he is clearly refering to Mussolini and his black shirt army. And of course he references Hitler when he says 'Waiting for the final solution To strengthen the strain'. Hitler and Mussolini play a big part in this song because pink struggled to understand how one person can command so many to commit acts so unthinkable... I think this coupled with the loss of his father caused him to hate what he had become in his mind.

additionally i believe the worms are to represent the decay of pinks mental state. They also represent the millions of jews that died in the hollocaust.

This song is really about the wall Roger Waters Has build around himself to block out the media and his fans. basically the rest of the world....... Ooooh you cannot reach me now Ooooh no matter how you try and line....In perfect isolation here behind my wall

Well i think this is sort of.. the final cut from the world. "perfect isolation" but now he fears of the outside from whats different. "to turn on the showers and fire the ovens" is a creepy reminder of the Nazi actions... killing the different, not only building the wall, but also destroying what's beyond it.

Well I'm sure there's some deeper meaning, having to do with Waters' building a wall as diosaur420 said.

But pretty obviuosly about World War 2 and Hitler, he was obsessed about it, as you see alot in the movie "The Wall". Wasn't his father in the war?

yeah it's definately about the holocaust. the german in the begining, "break in their windows" "the final solution to strengthen the strain" and most tellingly, "turn on the showers and fire the ovens for the queens and the queers and the coons and the reds and the jews"

then the nationalism (which was how facism got contrroll) of "would you like to see brittania rule again, all you have to do is follow the worms" (the nazis, who said basically that, to the germans instead of the english of course; we will restore former glory, just let us handle it)

yes, his father was in the war

No-one seems to have mentioned the relevence of the worms as a metaphor of Pink's mental breakdown in the film (As in The Trial, and in Hey You: "and the worms ate into his brain"). Clearly at this point he sees his breakdown happening, and is at the point where he is powerless to resist.

"Sitting in a bunker here behind the Wall, waiting for the worms to come"

This just means he's waiting behind the metaphorical and alienating wall he has around him waiting for the final decay of his sanity, unable to stop it now. The war is an obvious theme, but only there to give the deeper level some sort of context or justification. As is true throughout the whole album. If you've never though of it like that - listen again!

Waiting for the worms draws a parallel between Pinks altered state of mind and that of WW2 dictators as mentioned: Hitler "the final solution" and Mussolini "put on a black shirt". As Pink comes off his drug he goes back and forth from a humane state to a more violent being willing to crush anything in his way. In the songs that precede WFTW he goes through a skin crawling withdrawal into a worm like dictator, as they run like hell. The worms are ultimately any destructive force set to destroy anything in its path. The reference to Mussolini and Hitler are here to not only define how they affected pink but how they affected the human condition. "Would you like to see Britannia Rule again, my friend?" is sung in an almost angelic voice followed up with the more sinister "All you have to do is follow the worms". I believe this is to be interpreted as the method for which these two dictators came into power. Pink has a burning fascination with Hitler and Mussolini as he struggles to compare himself in an effort to understand how his farther died. He slowly slips back into reality, his emotions beg for the comfort of home as he ponders his own guilt.

At this point, the main character Pink(AKA:Roger Waters)has succeeded in building a metaphorical wall to keep everyone out. The worms represent bad thoughts and bad ideas that keep creeping into his head. He no longer has any outside help keeping the bad thoughts at bay due to his self inflicted isolation behind the wall.

The image of the Nazi is just a symbol of the evil thoughts that we all entertain from time to time. Usually we're kept from acting on those thoughts by our own innate sense of right and wrong and, more importantly, by the influence of those we have chosen to let into our world. Pink has no one to act as that good influence because he is alone behind the wall.

He's starting to question the wisdom of erecting such an impenetrable barrier in the first place, and he's wondering if it is in fact too late to change his mind.

What I believe this is about is simply that those who are different are persecuted for it, so building a wall or a facade around yourself keeps you safe from the "cruel world." I think he used WWII as an example of this and that's all. Just my 2 cents.