The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine
Where have you been?
It's alright we know where you've been
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time
Provided with toys and 'scouting for boys'
You brought a guitar to punish your ma
And you didn't like school, and you
Know you're nobody's fool
So welcome to the machine
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine
What did you dream?
It's alright we told you what to dream
You dreamed of a big star
He played a mean guitar
He always ate in the Steak Bar
He loved to drive in his Jaguar
So welcome to the machine
Where have you been?
It's alright we know where you've been
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time
Provided with toys and 'scouting for boys'
You brought a guitar to punish your ma
And you didn't like school, and you
Know you're nobody's fool
So welcome to the machine
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine
What did you dream?
It's alright we told you what to dream
You dreamed of a big star
He played a mean guitar
He always ate in the Steak Bar
He loved to drive in his Jaguar
So welcome to the machine
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by Mellow_Harsher, nasses321, DanVitaleRocks
Welcome to the Machine Lyrics as written by George Roger Waters
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Well i know the lyrics support a more down-to-Earth reading of being another dig at monolithic Muzak Inc. that Water's luved so much, but damn- i always take it to mean whole lot more. The sound of the thing is too....EPIC to be about that one lone subject & considering Water's lyrical obsessions with what a shit hole society is & what assholes we all really are, 'MAchine' seems to me a delightfully depressed, super-paranoid cry in the dark about the world swallowing you whole,pre-fab people moving to a hypnotic beat, molecular machines without a ghost's hope of self-determination: i.e. all in all just, you're just another brick in the wall.
All those super dated but still damn effective synth sounds, the slow plodding pace of the piece- it makes you feel like you truly are surrounded by nothing but souless machinery, processing your bones & grinding you down to paste to further lubricate this nefarious enterprise called civilization; no choice in the matter,no say, even your DREAMS are smilucra provided by the mainframe (hows that for a horror movie image?) the listener's whole life expressed in no more than ones & zero's on some techy's screen; We are the Borg, resistance is futile.
And the soul crushing solitude of it all of course, feeling like your the only who can actually see this soul-sucking matrix, the shining happy people laughing at the beginning of the song stand in sharp contrast to anything proceeding them....
Its like the sound of being on a conveyer belt maybe, recieving a touch-up so you can re-join that party-hardy throng with a similar shit-eating grin plastered to your face.....'Worries-What, me?'
This as close a sing-along to Brave New World that i can think of. I love it but i dont listen to it that often compared to other PF songs. Too exhausting