Watching TV - Roger Waters Song About Tiananmen Square (with lyrics)

"Watching TV" shows that although the television uses asthetics to manipulate, and manipulate us through our guilt, and our greed, there are a lot of real messages underlying the propaganda. The song also has the very cynical view that although television makes us feel pity, we don't do anything to change the world. The song is about the Tiananmen Square killings, and how the death of one appealing woman on television made that event meaningful for watchers.

"She had shiny hair
She had perfect breasts
She had high hopes
She had almond eyes
She had yellow thighs"

exemplifies that her significance for the viewer is her beauty. The line "So get out your pistols/ Get out your stones/.../Cut them to the bone" expresses that now that the crime has been witnessed, we have to fight. The rest of the song makes her an individual. She's important because she died on television and therefore can reach many more people. This is very cynical because none of the ugly dead are mentioned. This comes through powerfully.

"The album title came from a short book by Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death, which is about the history of the media, particularly as it relates to political communication—i.e., how things have changed since such works as Lincoln's speeches were made available for the general public to read."

"And I had at one point this rather depressing image of some alien creature seeing the death of this planet and coming down in their spaceships and sniffing around and finding all our skeletons sitting around our TV sets and trying to work out why it was that our end came before its time, and they come to the conclusion that we amused ourselves to death."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• watching tv pink floyd
• watching tv song
• amused to death
• tiananmen
• square
• roger
• waters
• amused
• to
• death

[dino1710]

using this in my poetry unit for my year 9 students. I hope they 'get' it...

[YTSavedMyLife]

@dino1710 excellent idea. Wish i had teachers like you when i was at school. i am sure it will go down well. I alos have another great video posted of the waterboys csalled "red army blues" which is another great song about history. keep fighting the good fight mate

[egnsmn]

Amazing

[YTSavedMyLife]

@egnsmn it is pretty amazing eh? VERY powerful. Check out my channel and website for more videos like this.

[badassjellybaby]

Wow no comments on this amazing song whats going on.. Love it

[c6quad3]

@StratocastFloyd yep! to me, this song is about the attention that TV can bring to something.

[uncylS]

i shed a tear , when i watched it and listend to this song over and over again .

just like the wall , hopefully this will make ppl listen to the bigger picture.

you must continue on your fight for freedome for all human kind pls !!

[superjtrdr]

great visuals that clarify (as if needed) Roger's piece. I've seen it live and it's as touching as on thre In The Flesh dvd. Great work...

[StratocastFloyd]

Not a song about Tianamen Square actually. Tianamen Square is more of a vehicle to make a greater point.

[FRANCISCOJOSEALMEIDA]

Great song!!!!!!1

[nfmm33]

mr waters uses chiang as a reference i think to make us realize...and i quote"used to make his troops fire on women and children.......imagine that(sarcastically)imagine that"......doesn't EVERY country do the same when they go to war......or PREwar......ytsavedmylife 2 and you can tell that nonbeliever to kma and prey for peace

[nfmm33]

"Her father fought old Chiang Kai shek that no good low down dirty rat......who used to order his troops to fire on women and children" Roger Waters......not to knock you but this song is WAY further than a square...no? It to me ...speakin of your 'lyin underneath" theory ...which by ALL MEANS i respect.....believe you me, i read it over and over...........and over.....i think it;s about......this whole war theory....who's right or wrong.....every nation ...asks there troops to fire ....no?

[MrMingmang]

this song really puts tiananmen square in perspective for me, Damn Comies



[PublicSafetyService]

if youtube saved your life, then your sad!

[noobifiedcom]

Strong visualization

Imagine that.......imagine that..........