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"Mother, should I run for president?" - Pink Floyd


Mike

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Reference: Pink Floyd - Mother

When I submitted this song, I had a questions that where never answered through my researching. The line "Mother, should I run for president"?

Pink Floyd is a british band, one might expect Roger to write "Mother, should I run for prime minister" rather than resident? I know it fits better lyrically. Not being a natural born U.S. citizen, Roger could not actually run for president, right?

My question is: Did any member become a U.S. citizen?

Mike

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The album sales are in the US, and so the Prime Minister is a distant also-ran. Always follow the money.

The english major in me says rhyme doesn't matter: ancient English poets invented language and pronunciation as they went along, butchering every quatrain to make it fit. It's no different today. The hip-hop poets owe a lot to Keats and Chaucer....

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I don't buy that...

The following line "Mother, will they put me in the firing line?" and considering The Wall deals with WWII, and the insecurities, uncertainties of growing up and dealing with the history of the war and the it's effects on everyone. I put this lines relevancy squarely in reasoning of the power to make or prevent wars.

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That certainly makes sense if you are talking about an historical document. Yes, "The Wall" alludes to the trauma of post ww2 Britain, but it was written by a couple of guys two generations removed from that horror. Just as the bible can be interpreted in minutiae to reveal that Elvis is the savior of man, so can "The Wall" prove that life exists on the dark side of the moon.

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Holy cats, and wait amoment while I process. I'm slow, but real.

"Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?"

I'm not an historical scholar, but I don't think an autistic child would be privy to the intentions of the united states in re: the pacific front.

"Mother do you think they'll like this song?"

I reckon they did.

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The song opens up with Pink's concerns of war, rooted with his father's death. He then wonders if "they", (meaning society, his peers, the world) will like his song or try to break him down. Now he asks his mother if he should build a wall...his mother's haunting answer can be found later. Pink questions whether he should run for president when he is older, but this does not literally mean president to me. It is there to show that Pink has dreams and hopes.

http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ptr/pfloyd/review/wall_floyd.html

Pink's youthful imaginings shine through even amidst his budding paranoia when he asks if he should "run for president." To clear up a few misconceptions, I seriously doubt that this is a realistic dream of running for United States president considering that Pink is, after all, British. Rather, I believe that the unspecified presidency is used to show that despite his hardening world and personal views, Pink is still young and thus full of childlike expectations and dreams. All dream of being great and important figures at some time or another, Pink is no exception. Still, his momentary dreams of great political power are quashed when his overpowering apprehension takes over when he questions the trustworthiness of the government, wondering if "they'll put me in the firing line." Once again, the "they" is unspecified and can refer to either the actual government or anyone who assails and criticizes those with power. As Pink realizes, power and greatness merely emphasize the vulnerability of a person; when one is in the spotlight, he or she is that much more susceptible to public criticism and attack.

http://home.mchsi.com/~ttint/mother.html

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