Pink Floyd – Not Now John

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Fuck all that we've got to get on with these
Gotta compete with the wily Japanese.
There's too many home fires burning
And not enough trees.
So fuck all that
We've go to get on with these.

Can't stop
Lose job
Mind gone
Silicon
What bomb
Get away
Pay day
Make hay
Break down
Need fix
Big six
Clickity click
Hold on
Oh no
Brrrrrrrrrring bingo!

Make 'em laugh.
Make 'em cry.
Make 'em dance in the aisles.
Make 'em pay.
Make 'em stay.
Make 'em feel ok.

Not nah John
We've got to get on with the film show.
Hollywood waits at the end of the rainbow.
Who cares what it's about
As long as the kids go?
Not now John
Got to get on with the show.

Hang on John we've got to get on with this.
I don't know what it is
But it fits on here like
Come at the end of the shift
We'll go and get pissed.
But now now John
I've got to get on with this.

Hold on John
I think there's something good on.
I used to read books but
It could be the news
Or some other abuse
Or it could be reusable shows.

Fuck all that we've got to get on with these
Got to compete with the wily Japanese.
No need to worry about the Vietnamese.
Got to bring the Russian Bear to his knees.
Well, maybe not the Russian Bear
Maybe the Swedes.
We showed Argentina
Now let's go and show these.
Make us feel tough
And wouldn't Maggie be pleased?
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah!

"S'cusi dove il bar
(What?)
Se para collo pou eine toe bar
s'il vous plait ou est le bar
(Say it in English!)
Oi, where's the fucking bar John?
(Oh, now you're talking!)"
Oh! Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the day
Down!
Go, Maggie!
Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, now!

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Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae

Track duration: 05:02

"Not Now John" as written by Roger Waters

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Not Now John song meanings
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81 Comments

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  • -1
    My Opinion:IMO: this song points out how easily people are influence by the media and politics. It's an expose of how absurd people can become when they do not think for themselves.

    I believe the line "Hang on John I've got to get on with this. I don't know what it is but it fits on here like..." could be a satirical reference to the view of women as sex objects.
    Flagged JoeBroon January 08, 2011   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +1
    General Comment:There are a few comments that generally say "this song is so different from the rest of TFC, it is pro war..."
    -don't you think maybe the extreme lyrics and uncharacteristic music are meant to parody and emphasize the war-hawk attitude? Basically, "Get out of our way, here we come." The US is in the same boat, and is seeing the same decline economically.
    Flagged corkiniton August 28, 2010   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:2 soldiers in WW 1 when they were in France ... :D
    Flag Uritzielon May 30, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I've always heard this was about John Lennon, but who knows for sure. It certainly was not about David and Roger's differences. David and Roger had hard feelings for a long time, but now have ended their feud. And remember Roger did NOT write all the lyrics on the other albums, and definately hardly any of the music. He had the concept for songs but especially Comfortably Numb David's song for his own album and co-wrote the lyrics with the entire band. Pink Floyd was in a league of their own, so we as fans should not let the pettiness that the press feeds us influence who is the better. All of them were important in giving us some damned good music.
    Flag brrrrr43on April 05, 2009   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:There is no specific person called John, it's just a working class term for a workmate or friend (also sometimes for someone whose name you don't know). A bit old-fashioned in that it's disappeared from the media landscape but people still sometimes use it.
    Flag hakluon April 01, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Yeah, basically a piss-take.

    "is it me or does waters say "One, tow FREE FOUR" before the last verse (the french part)?"

    Waters loves to mock the shit out of post-war Britain, and ties in his Father a lot with it; Free Four is a song about his Father.
    Flag Sinrothon March 08, 2009   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    My Interpretation:i think this song is waters mocking gilmours attitude during and after the filming of "the wall"

    the fights were legendary between these two and this song is "allowing" gilmour to have his "type" of sound on the record, also this is the only track which features gilmour on vocals. that was not by accident.... waters intended it to be musically completely different from every other track.

    i believe that elements of "the final cuts" are confessions from waters to gilmour and the world in general about why they can't see eye to eye or work together any more.

    when gilmour sings "not now john we've got to get back to the film show.... hollywood...etc" waters wrote those lyrics with the intent of having gilmour sing his own indictment. waters felt that the bands music was being pushed towards commercialism, and summarily left after recording this album.

    waters moved on to make more intelligent music, and gilmour pressed on under the pf crown, imho, making music that lacked all the substance that waters brought to it.

    ultimately this album is partially a coded "goodbye" from waters to pink floyd, and ultimately this track is a large FUCK YOU to David Gilmour, who just wanted to make corporate dick suck music to exploit the lsd crowd some more.
    Flag j.enslowon February 11, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:i think this song is waters mocking gilmours attitude during and after the filming of "the wall"

    the fights were legendary between these two and this song is "allowing" gilmour to have his "type" of sound on the record, also this is the only track which features gilmour on vocals. that was not by accident.... waters intended it to be musically completely different from every other track.

    i believe that elements of "the final cuts" are confessions from waters to gilmour and the world in general about why they can't see eye to eye or work together any more.

    when gilmour sings "not now john we've got to get back to the film show.... hollywood...etc" waters wrote those lyrics with the intent of having gilmour sing his own indictment. waters felt that the bands music was being pushed towards commercialism, and summarily left after recording this album.

    waters moved on to make more intelligent music, and gilmour pressed on under the pf crown, imho, making music that lacked all the substance that waters brought to it.

    ultimately this album is partially a coded "goodbye" from waters to pink floyd, and ultimately this track is a large FUCK YOU to David Gilmour, who just wanted to make corporate dick suck music to exploit the lsd crowd some more.
    Flag j.enslowon February 11, 2009   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • 0
    General Comment:It's a satirical sarcasm. Waters appears to be singing from the point of view of a working class Cockney. "John" is a term used in that part of London as an expression: like, "'ere, John, pass the ketchup!" As in "pal", "mate" or "buddy".
    This is backed up at the end by "FREE four!": just a Cockney slang for "three".
    The whole piece seems to be written about a worker in a "typical" factory in Britain in the late '70s/ early '80s. Brainwashed by the tabloid journalism of the time, hyped up by the war with Argentina and with an air of untouchability. Witness the references to other countries that can be "conquered" industrially or by force "now we showed Argentina". His friend wants to get "pissed" (drunk) at the end of the shift and neither of them seems to really know what they are doing ("don't know what it is but it fits on here like this").
    Maggie Thatcher was hailed as a great leader and over- hyped by the right- wing echelons of the tabloid press at the time for the victory in the Falklands war. An attempt was made to propagate British pride in a way not seen since WW2.
    Waters (presumbly of a left- wing bent) wrote the song (I guess) as a satirical reflection of this mood in an anti- war vane.
    He also appears to throw in a thinly- veiled reference to his movie "The Wall", which reputedly did not turn out at all the way he had envisioned ("who cares what it's about as long as the kids go").
    The final "act" of the garbled foreign languages is reflective of the typical British tourist abroad: attempting to locate the nearest bar in a comedic, almost- insulting bastardisation of the native tongue.

    That's my take on it anyway. I liked this album but have to be in a certain mood to listen to it. The musical content was sadly lacking, probably due to Gilmour's distancing himself from it. Yet as a socio- political commentary it's a very interesting piece. (If not partciularly groundbreaking.)

    The title track is a heartfelt masterpiece and I wish Waters would play it live!
    Flag Revenge_020on October 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:for the heklor:your very perceptive. john is the modern day voice crying in the wilderness
    Flag utfinalon October 05, 2008   Link

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