Pink Floyd: Welcome to the Machine Meaning

Welcome to the Machine Lyrics

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been?
It's alright we know where you've been.
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time,
Provided with toys and 'Scouting for Boys'.
You bought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you...

1. Lairandir

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   Dec 18th 2006 !⃝

   Come on, is no one a real Floyd fan anymore. The band explains this ong in interviews, and it is critizing the music industry. Seriously. Same with Have a Cigar. The songs do have to do with Syd Barrett granted, but they have little next to nothing to do with the contributing factors to him going mad.
2. anonymous

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   Dec 12th 2006 !⃝

   Yall are over interpreting it to be something it is not. It says bluntly in the song "And did you exchange a walk on part in the WAR for a lead Role in a cage" clearly stating the obvious. The cd came out shortly after the Vietnam war finally came to an end. "A smile from a veil" which is commonly seen at funerals. "Trade your heroes for ghosts" we all know that veterans our found to be heroes and they do die in wars. And even at one of their concerts "Delicate Sound Of Thunder" it shows in the back ground footages of the war during the song. So that's the simple facts.
3. anonymous

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   Sep 25th 2006 !⃝

   You are all wrong. If you have seen the wall a movie made by pink floyd they have a machine that grinds the children into meat. In the beggining when he says "welcome my son" the man is welcoming him to the grinding room when he says your nobodys fool it indicates that he found out about what the machine was.
   
   P.S: the meatthe machine makes is fed to the children and this he tells everyone so they rebell

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. stoner777

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   Apr 20th 2006 !⃝

   It's about shitting on the establishment, the man, the machine etc. Good stuff.
5. anonymous

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   Mar 24th 2006 !⃝

   Really reminds me of the matrix movies.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. cal0390

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   Feb 23rd 2006 !⃝

   This is about how the music industry chews up and spits out vulnerable artists.
7. anonymous

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   Jan 27th 2006 !⃝

   I think it's about when they first started and they realized that they were in a machine and their manager was telling them now your in and like you can't get out welcoming them to the music industry and they are now part of this giant known as the machine.
8. anonymous

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   Nov 27th 2005 !⃝

   The machine actually represents the music industry.
9. bacon

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   Nov 17th 2005 !⃝

   I think this song is about birth, life and death. First, I think the machine would be the 'system', the society, the life. So when it says 'Welcome to the machine', it would be the birth of a child.
   
   Then, it will probably looks a little crazy, but I think that when it talks about the pipeline, it means the time you spent doing your life. The pipeline they talk about would be like a tunnel, the end of this tunnel would be the death. Then it continues with events that happens in contemporary life (today life). 'He like played guitar', 'we told you what to dream', 'drive his Jaguar', this is all events that happens in our lives today: you first want a guitar or a drum, 'cause you think that rock-stars got some perfect life, then when you're young parents told us stories to sleep well and dream nicely, without nightmares, and then the Jaguar would be about when you got your first car.
   
   So finally, I think it's about life full cycle.
10. anonymous

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    Oct 18th 2005 !⃝

    This song is about Syd Barrett being manipulated by Pink Floyd's record company early in their career, contributing to his unfortunate latter life.
11. Jeremy

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    Sep 14th 2005 !⃝

    Damn! I must be far off. I thought this song was about "the man" and rebelling against him. "Where have you been?
    It's alright we know where you've been." I thought this was just stating a Big Brother like soceity, also "What did you dream?
    It's alright we told you what to dream" that is saying that
    the gov't watches us and "gives" us our dreams and ambitions to fit their plan.
12. anonymous

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    Jul 18th 2005 !⃝

    Pink Floyd once had a horrible manager (have a cigar is the manager kissing up so they will sign) and this is now once they have signed the manager is telling them how much hell they will have now.
13. username

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    Jul 10th 2005 !⃝

    This song is the second track on the album. It's where the story actually starts. "Welcome to the machine" could possibly be about former guitarist Syd Barret realizing what fame is really like, and in turn losing his mind. This song could also be perceived as the first time someone uses a hard drug. They become addicted and are welcomed to the machine, but I think it's about the fame.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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