Lyrics for Arnold Layne as interpreted by Demau Senae

Arnold Layne Lyrics
Arnold Layne had a strange hobby
collecting clothes, moonshine washing lines
they suit him fine

On the wall hung a tall mirror
distorted view, see through, baby blue
he got it

Oh Arnold Layne, it's not the same
it takes two to know, two to know, two to know, two to know
why can't you see
Arnold Layne, Arnold Layne,
Arnold Layne

Now he's caught a nasty sort of person
they gave him time, doors bang chaingang
he hated

Arnold Layne, Arnold Layne
Arnold Layne
Arnold Layne
don't do it again

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  • 33 Comments
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dysphoria
04-18-2002

Rated 0 
its about a crossdresser?

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Halo Ape
04-30-2002

Rated 0 
yeah, it's about this guy who used to board in Syd and Roger's childhood neighborhood and was always stealing women's underwear off of the clotheslines...names changed to protect the innocent, of course

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crazydiamond84
07-20-2002

Rated 0 
yah it's about a transvestite who steals women's underwear from clotheslines...there sure are some weird people out there

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FelixCloud
07-20-2002

Rated 0 
Knicker nicker Arnold Layne!!

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Pink_Zeppelin
08-29-2002

Rated 0 
This song is a very odd song.
Syd Barrett is a fucking genius.
IT is a shame what happend to him.


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AeroLed286
03-25-2003

Rated 0 
Not totally a shame. He had it coming from all that LSD. Some of it wasn't his fault I know, like the roommate spiking Syd's tea, but still, that's what happens when you do that to yourself.

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Mahakala
04-12-2004

Rated 0 
Well the evidence for that is anicdotal at best. I think that Syd was as affected by life and new found fame as he was by drugs.

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zBlade
10-25-2004

Rated 0 
Both Syd and David were phenominal musicians. If Syd didn't do so much acid, he would have probably not been replaced. What amazes me though, is that the same band was able to find two of the best musicians you could ever hope for.

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toolmusik
12-17-2004

Rated 0 
This song is about the crossdresser who steals women's linguere from their washinglines, and then got caught wearing them, therefore he was arrested and jailed. hence the line: "they gave him time, doors bang chaingang"

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PinkFloydrulez
01-15-2005

Rated 0 
I read that this song was banned by the BBC or whatever because of lyrical content.. lol

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frijolito_ts
02-20-2005

Rated 0 
zblade: "..the same band was able to find two of the best musicians you could ever hope for"

Talent attracts talent, I guess.

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frijolito_ts
02-20-2005

Rated 0 
Alright, to support the "pervert from their childhood" theory, I tried googling for a respectable source.

This is the most respectable I could find:
http://www.luckymojo.com/barrett/refs/7410freaking.html

Not only is it by an *unknown* author, but it also has Syd saying "I thought 'Arnold Layne' was a nice name, and it fitted very well into
the music I had already composed" and "I pinched the line about 'moonshine washing line' from Rog, our bass guitarist - because he has an enormous washing line in the back of his house."

This seems to say that the perpetrator was not someone anyone from the band knew, but rather the story is a work of fiction.

Plus, it's from an unknown author. And this was the most authoritative information I could find. If anyone has any sources to support their other theories, by all means share them.

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FloydHammer
04-05-2005

Rated 0 
i think that the entire band was just amazing. syd was unbelievable, but dave was able to make up for it, and to prove a point that Pink floyd wasnt just syd and dave, Roger was the one who wrote most of the new stuff after syd left. almost all of the songs off of dark side, wish you were here, animals, and the wall were his. he was just as crazy as syd, just not in a ridiculous mental way. but long story short, they were an improv band. you CANT go wrong with an improv band.

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MushieMan
04-13-2005

Rated 0 
Do you think any of the songs Syd wrote would be as awesome if he didnt do acid?

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OpiumForThePeople
06-01-2005

Rated 0 
HAWHAWHAW. This ones about a tranny...

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oily
12-11-2005

Rated 0 
barrett imagined a name first then gaven him an unusual hobbie:collecting clothes;which caused outrage at the time because of 1969 and crossdressin,its pure pink floyd imagination

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Arnold Layne
01-02-2006

Rated 0 
According to Syd's girlfriend at the time there was someone who went around knicking clothes of washing lines which is what the song is about.

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WYWH
03-10-2006

Rated 0 
I don't think the LSD was the main reason he went crazy, cus Roger and Dave did LSD too, and they are both perfectly sane. I think the pressure of fame hurt him more than LSD.

The drugs certainly didn't help though

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WYWH
03-10-2006

Rated 0 
Sad as it was that Syd went crazy, I think that the situation let Roger show some of his brilliance and let Dave get into the band, which was probably the best thing to happen to the band(Dave coming in, not Syd losing his mind) I think that Dave may have been brought in anyway. Both were in the band during Saucerfull of Secrets(Barrett was starting to go at that point though, so maybe they brought him in as insurance.

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inpraiseoffolly
05-24-2006

Rated 0 
This is easily my favorite of the Barrett songs. It's very good.

It seems that the meaning has been covered.

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ScottyJ
07-11-2006

Rated 0 
RIP Syd. Shine on you crazy diamond!

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Cpt-Sensible
07-14-2006

Rated 0 
Sorry to say WYWH but I think Syd had to lose his mind for Dave to come in. They brought in Dave because Syd was losing his mind and had started just wandering around during gigs at one stage he just randomly started detuning his guitar or woulkd just stare into space.
Apparently his work On Saucerfull of Secrets was on their really just to make him happy. Dave wasn't brought in as insurance he was brought in as a replacement. He played while Syd did whatever.

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Grind838
07-15-2006

Rated 0 
Here's what Rick Wright said, according to the 'Echoes' website:

"Syd came up with this song. It was his song. It was banned because of its lyrical content, which is quite extraordinary considering what goes down now. I think it's one of the best examples of Syd's work and mind. It's based on a true story, or rumour about a man who went around stealing knickers off washing lines. I sang the harmonies on it. It wasn't about love like so many songs at that time.

We have often considered doing it live, recently. It doesn't mean that much to me now, although I feel sentimental about it. It was a different incarnation of Pink Floyd"

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KCW
02-11-2007

Rated 0 
I believe that after viewing many of Pink Floyd's early vids,over and over for months analizing the magic that made them what fans love about the writtings and music of Syd Barret even today and then coming back to the origional song that started it all for Floyd, Arnold Layne.It's interesting to know that out of the handfull of vids floyd did with Barret their origional masterpiece Arnold Layne actually has two vids for this song.The one I'd like to talk about here and now is the one that starts out with MADE IN ENGLAND this flashes a few times with a beautiful british blonde dancing in the background.Anyhow there's a point in the vid it's probably the bridge of the song where syd is singing somthing like"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE?!" as the camera sits and looks upon the floydians laying about and syd standing there with his forehead to the ground all in front of some grand lake or river.The question of course is why wait and take all the trouble to shoot this one shot of the song. I believe what syd may have been trying to say is instead of being a panty sniffer or a major wanker for life,you really need to find the other half of yourself to know what your self being truly is.Basically find a girlfriend and get on with life.Actually this shot in the vid that I'm speaking of he does 2 times and actually the second time he physically points his finger at the camera he faces.The Camera or YOU the Audience or the world.So why go to all this cinema photography mumbo jumbo,you be the judge,but what syd and floyd allows syd to goe through to do this type of shot in the vid is very powerful,it's like a statement that from all the blogs i've read nowone seems to come near to this type of idea.This song is very powerful lyrically and musically for it's time and even today,with so many lost sheep running around the world,you be the judge of what Syd meant.

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CuteSparkina
04-13-2007

Rated 0 
It is about a transvestite who stole women's intimate fashions from clotheslines at night ("see through baby blue", panties, bras, a nightie) and earned himself a nice restful stay at the Gray Bar Hilton -- and I read that the panty thief WAS a real person who lived in one of the band members' neighborhoods

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