The Final Cut

This was my anthem in adolescence. As I get older, I realize it might be everyone's. The story relates just about every insecurity we face through life. It is a song about being jaded so badly that one can't even enjoy the most beautiful of moments ("Far from flying high in clear blue skies/I'm spiralling down to the hole in the ground where I hide").

Roger Waters lays out the whole thing for us, starting with a guilty child who "makes love to girls in magazines" and wonders, "could anybody love him." He builds up an array of defenses, described in vivid detail at the beginning of the second verse, "If you negotiate the minefield in the drive ... "

Finally, when faced with possible love later, he is so suspicious and distrustful that he is incapable of the feeling. He can "barely define the shape of this moment in time." He wonders, "If I show you my dark side, would you still hold me tonight?/If I open my heart to you and show you my weak side/What would you do?"

This song basically sums up the entire previous Wall album in a beautiful and haunting picture of loneliness.

I think those who believe the lyrics were speaking of commiting suicide (raised the blade) are missing what roger was speaking of. what the song was dealing with was roger's failure (fear of and failure to) to reveal his true self to his wife and showing his true feelings. because his youthful experiences with pornography had given him a perverted sort of perspective on what a real relationship between a man and a woman should be. in his failure to be truly honest and reveal his true self to her---he lost her. partly to her religious conversion. this song speaks to her in religious terms asking her get past his defenses and knock on the priest's door and if he's in----he'll show her what's behind his wall. that the real reason for his failure was how his early life was shaped. that made his fearful of truly opening up to her and showing his dark side. fear that she would not love him if he did. what he was speaking of when he raised the blade was making a final commitment to bare his naked feelings----to tear the curtain down. to stand naked before her, but ingrained fears are powerful and when he was distracted by a call from something else-----he turned from that decision and then (as it usually is) he never had the nerve to make the final cut. this is my favorite roger waters lyric. like many others I also see correlations with my own life growing up. a person's life is shaped in their childhood. that does not mean that a person cannot later change the shape of their life, but that like roger raising the blade (and making the final cut from his old self)---- the deceitful and fearful heart tends to give in to an escape route. like the bible says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Wow, I only read this first page of comments, but have any of you listen to the ENTIRE album? Every Pink Floyd album is a story.

This track focuses on the dead gunner from WWII and the Veteran Teacher from the Wall who was with him. It speaks of the teacher's overflowing depression and struggle.

Through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes I can barely define the shape of this moment in time And far from flying high in clear blue skies I'm spiralling down to the hole in the ground where I hide

The person speaking is the Veteran teacher from The Wall, who is crying over his life and the memory of the Gunner who fell from his plane to his death over hostile German territory. (Listen to Gunners Dream) This is what "Far from flying high in clear blue skies" is referring to, however he is FAR from them because the war is in the past and he's no longer there, yet he is still falling into great depression over it. Hence the spiraling hole. (The hole in the ground could also be a double meaning for the trenches used in the war, adding more imagery to the memory of the gunner.)

If you negotiate the minefield in the drive And beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes And if you make it past the shotgun in the hall Dial the combination open the priesthole And if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall

The teacher has become such an introvert over time with the memories of his fallen comrades and depression that he has built a wall around himself (listen to Paranoid Eyes). The first half of the stanza is a metaphorical defense system that a person would have to fight through in order for him to open up to them. Mines in his driveway, guard dogs, security systems, shot guns in his hallway, then to open a tiny preisthole in a door and if by some miracle he is in that day, THEN they MIGHT get to know what is in his head.

There's a kid who had a big hallucination Making love to girls in magazines He wonders if you're sleeping with your new found faith Could anybody love him Or is it just a crazy dream?

The kid is him, obviously, idk if the masturbation is referring to the loneliness he is currently in with his abusive wife (known from songs on The Wall album), or the loneliness soldiers feel while at war. He wonders if this ungrateful world is at peace with what they have done and find comfort in all the people dying and in what the war stood for. Then he returns to himself wondering if anyone could love a man such as him, or is it all just a crazy dream, referring to the Post war and Gunners dream, both separate tracks on the album.

And if I show you my dark side Will you still hold me tonight? And if I open my heart to you And show you my weak side What would you do? Would you sell your story to Rolling Stone? Would you take the children away And leave me alone? And smile in reassurance As you whisper down the phone Would you send me packing? Or would you take me home?

This is a rather self-explanatory verse, obviously he is scared that if anyone finds his dark side with all it's troubles and torment, that they will reject him or take advantage of him and abuse his trust by making him a tabloid.

Thought I oughta bare my naked feelings Thought I oughta tear the curtain down I held the blade in trembling hands Prepared to make it but just then the phone rang I never had the nerve to make the final cut

The last stanza is him swallowing and resisting his raw feelings and fear. I'm not sure what the curtain is, perhaps it's going back to his metaphor of his overly guarded house, and by taking the curtains down he is exposing himself a little by committing suicide. The last two lines are easy.

If anyone really wants to understand this song, or any other Pink Floyd song for that matter, you have to listen to the ENTIRE ALBUM. They are all stories and all the songs and even albums have similarities and references to each other. You cannot just listen to them separately.

I always saw it as Roger on the verge of suicide, reflecting on his life. Since he and Caroline went their seperate ways, that's probably what it means by "would you sell your story to rolling stone" and the other lies. Even though he's no longer with her, he still cries out for her. Anyways, that's my interpratation.

i agree with ballzofsno. i think this is one of the best floyd songs.

He knew there was trouble coming as soon as she closed the door. He knew that as soon as walked home, through that dreaded and only route, he would be bullied by the neighbourhood gang. His childhood was always like this. He was the boy people all picked on. He walked, faster and faster, until he stopped at the sign, the sign that told him he was about to die. He rounded the corner and sure enough, the boys on their bikes spotted him, and rode over. They circled him like sharks after their prey, like vultures waiting for their victim to die, so they could pick his bones clean. The leader rode off, straying from the pack of wolves they were. He put his bike on the stand and walked between two of the bicycles, which had now slowed down, their eyes transfixed on his terrified face. You couldn’t see much of it, because it was covered by the tall, bulky adolescent looking over him like a giant spider about to strike, ironic, as the fly was trapped by the web of bikes. He tried to run, but on of the bikes caught his foot under the wheel, the rider fell off and instantly, they all jumped off theirs and left them lying there as the boy scrambled up and ran for cover.

Through the fish eyed lens of tear stained eyes I can barely define the shape of this moment in time and far from flying high in clear blue skies I'm spiralling down to the hole in the ground where I hide

The bullies beat him, and beat him, and beat him, he was bruised and battered and could hardly walk. He lived, like he did each week. He had been visiting his elderly grandmother, who was dying of cancer. The nurse was staying with her, and answered all house and phone calls so she didn’t have to get out of bed, this is who send the boy back home, as his grandmother needed her rest. Each passing week he became numb to the pain, building up resilience, but each week the beatings got worse, his mother didn’t care. She was too busy with her numerous, and always drunk, boyfriends to care about her only son.

If you negotiate the minefield in the drive and beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes and if you make it past the shotgun in the hall dial the combination open the priest hole and if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall

The boy was always alone; he had no friends, no life outside his bedroom, always on his own doing his own thing. He amused himself by creating characters in his mind and placing them in far out scenarios. He was often seen at the bus stop, sitting there, smiling to himself, completely alone. He had no solution but to create a better life inside his own mind.

There's a kid who had a big hallucination making love to girls in magazines he wonders if you're sleeping with your new found faith could anybody love him or is it just a crazy dream

The boy grew up. He became a man, and got married, and had children. He had a good adult life, but his life had no good adult. After his terrible childhood, the memories of the beatings, the death of his grandmother which sparked off new ways to torment him, he left home. He walked for hours, days, weeks, he walked until he found a girl. She helped him recover. They fell in love.
He drank too much.
He was violent.
She was scared.
She was beaten.
The children were abused.
He was sent away.

And if I show you my dark side will you still hold me tonight and if I open my heart to you and show you my weak side what would you do would you sell your story to rolling stone would you take the children away and leave me alone and smile in reassurance as you whisper down the phone would you send me packing or would you take me home

Mildew on the walls. Peeling wallpaper. Ripped furniture. He sat alone. He was depressed, like every previous day of his life, albeit a few. The day he left home. The day he met her. The day they were married. The births of his children. He had nothing to do, except create perfect lives in his mind. This soon wore off. It wasn’t like it used to be, he knew what life was like now, he had nothing new to imagine. He slowly became angrier and angrier.

Angry at the gang Angry at his mother Angry at his ‘friends’ He picked up his guitar, threw it through the thin glass window. He picked up the small television and threw it at the wall. He sat in the chair in silence.

Thought I oughta bare my naked feelings Thought I oughta tear the curtain down I held the blade in trembling hands prepared to make it but just then the phone rang I never had the nerve to make the final cut

this song is very beautiful. from rogers voice to davids guitar solo. this song sums up The Wall perfectly too. it talks about a guilty kid who "made love to girls in magazines" and wonders if "anybody could love him" it also starts talking about the girl he's in love with who doesn't seem to love him back. (i feel like this is a reference to the cheating wife in The Wall) he wants to "bear his naked feelings" to her and "show her his dark and weak side" but is scared of what she will do. "will you send me packing? or will you take me home?" towards the end of the song he talks about killing himself or making the "final cut". but then the phone rings and he never had the nerve to finish the job. the caller on the phone must've been any loved one or even the adulterous ex wife. this stopped him from suicide. anyways this song has gotten me through a lot and never gets old for me.

awesome summary, ballzofsno!

it seems that the character in this song feels that there is something wrong with him. paranoia means having the facts, which indicates to me that he has had someone close to him leave him or ignore him. perhaps this has led to the conclusion that his personality was intimidating or unstable. therefore, he has become distant and protective of his emotions so as not to let the mistake happen again. it seems that he wants to open up to his lover, but he is afraid that she would leave him as well

the song is more 3rd person. The character is about to slit his wrist but at the end he loses his nerve and never makes the "final cut"

this song is about me :(