Nightmare Fuel / Animals (1977)

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The Dark Side of the Moon | Animals (1977) | The Wall

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

So have a good drown, as you go down
All alone, dragged down by the stone!

— "Dogs"

Being a scathing critique of capitalism, Animals wastes no effort in making sure the societal laws are depicted as horrifically as possible.

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• "Dogs", the 17-minute epic that comprises virtually the entire first half of Animals, is a thoroughly chilling composition in every conceivable sense of the word. From the twistedly psychedelic keyboard effects to the raw, brittle acoustic guitar, the prevailing mood of the entire track is utterly dour. The lyrics are a stark and unflinchingly accurate portrayal of the aggressive, egomaniacal businessmen who exploit the people around them to get ahead. One line in particular stands out, describing the eventual fate of those types:
  Just another sad old man,
  All alone, and dying of cancer.
• "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" opens with a pig snort and a creepy keyboard solo. The middle break of the song features a pig endlessly squealing. But it doesn't even sound like squealing, sounds more like screaming in pain.
• "Sheep":
  • Halfway into the song, there is very eerie Hammond organ, followed by a corrupted version of Psalm 23 which could give you nightmares (though it can come off as more Black Comedy to some, particularly with the line about karate):
    The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
    He makes me down to lie
    Through pastures green he leadeth me the silent waters by
    With bright knives he releaseth my soul
    He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places
    He converteth me to lamb cutlets
    For lo, he hath great power and great hunger
    When cometh the day we lowly ones
    Through quiet reflection and great dedication
    Master the art of karate
    Lo, we shall rise up
    And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water.
  • When the sheep brutally murder the dogs. It becomes even more frightening when the sheep take the role of higher-ups, only they become much more worse than the previous leaders.
    Have ya' heard the news?
    The dogs are dead!
    You better stay home, and do what you're told
    Get out of the road, if you wanna grow old
  • The original version of "Sheep", "Raving and Drooling", is even more disturbing, lacking the later version's allegories about workers and farm animals, instead sounding like a Spiritual Successor to "One of These Days".

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