What do you think Dogs means?

Pink Floyd: Dogs Meaning

Album cover for Dogs album cover

Dogs Lyrics

You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need

You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street

You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed

And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight

You...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    the1980skunoichi
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    Apr 24th 2011 !⃝

    this song is one huge metaphor about businessmen who fantasize about wealth and power. They end up destroying themselves and everyone around them by obsessing over their career and ego. Some examples are:

    "only a stranger at home", only caring about career instead of family

    "fitted with collar and chain", obeying their bosses

    "breaking away from the pack", being better than everyone else

    "broken by trained personnel", losing individuality

    This whole song is comparing a businessmen to dogs.

  2. anonymous
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    May 17th 2023 !⃝

    I have always found the song to about about a person working their way up the ladder from young street level mobster and through the life of being a mob guy and then retiring in Florida.

  3. Eyeronx247
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    Sep 7th 2020 !⃝

    I have a real life situation with a real dog whom lost his 3 friends in year. He began to bite he had separation anxiety..I started to train him myself...My roommate whom he bit would not follow the rules to help in training the dog. Refusing to do anything about helping me with a structured life the dog needed. I left and my roommate was bit again...I believe my roommates bipolar actions of negative energy caused this. My dog ran away 2 days later it's been almost a year...heartbroken I have been looking for Spydermonkey my dog almost everyday.I dont even know if someone took him. I do know hes looking for me somewhere. The song dogs is deep I relate in many dementions in Hope's Toto my dog is in a good place with love and peace. Having a purpose that's all he ever wanted...I miss you Spyder

  4. anonymous
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    Oct 20th 2019 !⃝

    Dogs= Businessmen who are obsessed with corporate power and success which they find gets them nowhere and they are faced with al the dirty work they did over the years and all the people they my have turned on which all build up into the metaphorical stone that they eventually take with them to the grave.

  5. anonymous
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    Apr 12th 2016 !⃝

    "Dogs" is a satirical song about the rise and struggle of ruthless, cutthroat politicians, bankers and other ("yuppie") public figures that feel they should be in total dominance of society and how they should be in total control of mindless general population, a.k.a., the "Sheep."

    While being in such power is, in their mind, omnipotent, it is clear, ultimately, that these insecure "Dogs" of society find that it's not all that it's cracked up to be.

  6. anonymous
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    Feb 20th 2016 !⃝

    Pink Floyd music is about the matrix we are all trapped in. We are trapped here being used for food by our controllers. The frequency's and words help us remember that we are caught in the machine and reincarnated over and over against our will.

  7. kooljohn176
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    Oct 1st 2013 !⃝

    sad to say in this whole album of Floyd's animals can give you the feeling of the dissintergration of our western civilization that is being compared to the animalistic form of our personality that we are developing in to survive, dehumanized to a point of becoming souless. there is a glimmer of little care, but I feel you would get more out of the cynic philosopher Diogenes the ''dog'' quotes.

  8. anonymous
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    Sep 27th 2012 !⃝

    The song is about a soldier as in keeping with most of Pink Floyd's Post War Dream. It is the cold war possibly a spy or similiar Spec Ops warrior. He is refined from birth, broken by trained personnel. Then trained as he perfects his art. A stranger at home but getting better at his art until in the end he is alone, having betrayed, set up or terminated all that he knows and cares about. Ultimately retiring and dying alone with nothing but the weight of his deeds and a cigarrete and a scotch for comfort. Perhaps the phone in hand in the end is his final attempt for redemption or forgiveness. Another tool used and discarded.

  9. anonymous
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    Aug 9th 2011 !⃝

    In the Animals Album of Art, Humans are being compared to Animals ie. Dogs, Pigs and Sheep. Almost poked fun at, finding this Album very introspective as well as sarcastic.

    Dogs are people that have gone through typical lives in our modern society but refuse to follow like Sheep or turn into Pigs. Like an Alpha Dog without a pack, not being able to have balance unless they are leading and still have no balance when they lead, that's the sad life for the Dogs.

    While percieving that Sheep are the less agressive followers of Society that think the best thing to do is follow, and Pigs are the people who want control.

    Dogs refers to many things that people go through whom are referenced as "Dogs". Such as letting ourselves down, self adulation and agressive feelings that lead to failure/depression.


    Then just as you're about to jump off the cliff, Pink always brings you back to some kind of self realizations that make one back away from the edge.


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