Pink Floyd – Careful with That Axe, Eugene

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Send "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" Ringtone to Cell


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Track duration: 08:36


Careful with That Axe, Eugene song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:I can see a witch who has axes in her hands in center of album art of A Sauceful of Secret
    Flag kogawaon April 25, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:its a poke at jerry garcia.his brother eugene accidentally cut off part of jerrys finger,while he was holding a piece of firewood, when they were children.in an attempt to hide the incident from their parents a portion of a finger tip was lost.
    Flag wyldtrouton March 22, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The "point me at the sky", which came out as the B-Side of "careful with that ax Eugene" (same record) starts with the words "Hey, Eugene,
    This is Henry McClean". So I believe Eugene to be an actual person, not a movie reference or a reference to some historic crime. I suspect its someone that they actually knew, but never bothered to mention beyond these two songs. Just speculation though.
    Flag Mr1369on October 15, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:In 1979, Eugene De Voe attacked a woman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Memorial Library with a fire axe. She suffered a deep cut that required 11 stitches, but she recovered. De Voe was sentenced to five years, which was the maximum at the time.

    Is this the inspiration?
    Flag ktkintneron September 30, 2012   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:Roger scream reminds me of Thom scream in Climbing up the Walls
    Flag pablo323on October 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Great song the Greatest Band. As for the title/lyrics you might want to check out a movie made in 1913 I belive it was called "Freaks" I was lead to belive this song was about this movie. And after watching it I'm almost positive.
    Flag SivleYelserpon March 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I don't think this song is about a crime scene. And, I guess, those who think it is, may have wathced to many crime movies.
    The atmosphere created at the begining of the song announces the danger. I guess that's clear to everyone. I would imagine a sunny afternoon with two kids playing, not knowing what's to come. I have a small girl and I realize sometimes that there's such a thin line between safety and disaster, because kids don't realize what is dangerous for them. Many grown ups don't realize it and we allways learn from our mistakes, if we do.
    Off course, the more intensive part of the song is disaster happening and the calm at the end is just the calm after the "storm".

    P.S.: I like listening to this song (and to the entire live at pompeii album) at night, when everyboy is sleeping (booooooh). I think it's the right atmosphere for it and there's no one to bother you.
    Flag cc8277nouon January 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i can ride those symbols into a different dimension
    Flag thinkFloydon November 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I guess we all agree that it's a song about an axe murderer. I'm guessing that the victim is someone in his family or perhaps his whole family. The phrase "careful with that axe, Eugene" isn't something you say to a stranger whose chasing you with an axe. It sounds like something a parent would say. Based on some of Roger's other works, I'm guessing the victim is Eugene's mother. She pushes him to the breaking point with her constant beratement and then ... chop, chop. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
    Flag rogon October 07, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Also the name Eugene shares root with the word Eugenics.

    From wiki:
    Eugenics is "the study of, or belief in, the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics)." Prominent in the late 19th century and the Progressive Era, eugenics became a core tenet of some of the policies behind Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

    I always thought that the song was about this.
    Flag sadmachineson August 17, 2009   Link

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