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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 spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I hide
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)
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?
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?
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
I can barely define the shape of this moment in time
And far from flying high in clear blue skies
I'm spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I hide
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)
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?
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?
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
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
The Final Cut Lyrics as written by Roger Waters
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
Great job, I can tell your a huge floyd fan such as my self. greatly worded, I wish you would have completed the story and talked about his thoughts of suicide though
@ballzofsno I think you have eloquently summed up what the song is about. Although, I would differ on the "jaded" part. I think "Far from flying high in clear blue skies/I'm spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I hide" is a description of severe depression. It's a beautiful day with clear blue skies, yet he is incapable of seeing it for what it is. He wants to hide. He wants to remain in the dark where he feels safe. He can barely define the meaning of the moment in time because he has no words to express the emotions he feels; he can only cry. <br /> <br /> When he does find love, he is reluctant to show his true self. He is reluctant to show any weakness. He is afraid that his love will be spurned, that it will go away, He is convinced that he is inherently unlovable.<br /> <br /> As to the final cut line that many interpret to be a reference to suicide could also mean that he has never had the nerve to make the final cut from the self he shows the world, and the person he knows himself to be truly. He has never had the nerve to just be him. Hence, making the final cut.<br /> <br /> PS. This is more for the gentleman who responded to your interpretation. I do not think the "final cut" means suicide.
@ballzofsno \r\nRoger Waters is a completely brilliant lyricist; he\'s very economical yet precise and abundant in those few words. The lyric \'you stretch the frozen moments with your fear\' is so precise and accurate. A true master.