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Pros and Cons Trivia




Here are some tid-bits and trivia about the Pros and Cons album which some fans reported. There were some extra lines and verses and other differences between the stage shows, and the various releases of Pros and Cons of HitchHiking that I thought would be of interest to Waters fans and REG club members.


Some of those who had attended the Pros and Cons Concerts, have said that there was an extra verse when the song Running Shoes was played. Here is an approximation of that verse:

Ooh Babe, where ya been? You bring back the feeling the flavor of damp teenage skin and hot afternoons by the river spent crushing the clover I said "Lie down, roll over I wanna go back there again" Oh baby, sweet Fassbinder lady ooh, where ya been?
Also, during several shows after the song "Sexual Revolution" there was the following extra lyric line:
"let's go to the country"
is repeated several times.


Within Roger Waters lyrics of a few songs in The Pros and Cons of HitchHiking, Roger makes reference to the word Fassbinder.

"Fixed on the front of her Fassbinder face was the kind of a smile that only a rather dull child could have drawn while attempting a graveyard in the moonlight."
Fassbinder is a German playwright/filmmaker. He's been called "artsy," "grim," and "simplified."
The line could refer to the kind of leading lady that he'd use in a movie, or perhaps it means "grim or mournful."


Some fans wonder why Yoko Ono is mentioned in 'Pros and Cons'? In and interview, Roger explains that the lyrics which mention Yoko Ono were inspired by a dream that drummer Andy Newmark, (who was a member of The Bleeding Hearts Band, and toured the show), had had. In Andy's dream, said Roger, he was standing on the wing of an airplane

"standing on the leading edge, the eastern seaboard spread before my eyes"
and Yoko Ono was telling him to jump.


"....nailed ducks to the wall...."

Nailing painted wooden ducks to the wall was a British post-World War II symbol of settling down to the quiet life, (hence "Dunroamin").


Differences between the US & UK Pros and Cons Lyrics Sheets

There are some differences between the respective lyrics sheets. For one thing, the British version has the characters who say each bit listed, but the CBS version does not.

 

Type of difference British EMI US/Japan CBS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extra Surgeon:"Drill" drill 

Man:"Oh God!" Wake up.. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extra Wife:"What border? Uh, what borderGo back to sleep"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extra bit after Arabs Arab:"Don't cut the with knives woman Mohammed, I want the woman"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extra line: You've got to admit it was wrong what you did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difference oder drinken Mehr Ha.. oder drinken bier, ha..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extra from Clerk Room Clerk:"GoodnightKeys bit Sir"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extra in Stay with Me! Woman:"No...I'm sleeping"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bit:Lost bit 4 lines of Sexual Revolution Missing
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extra (Thunder)
~~~~~~~~~~~

Difference And trailed our.. And we trailed our..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extra ..gets two presents" (Man pauses to light a joint)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difference Jump says Yoko Jump says Yoko Ono "Oh No!..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extra Trucker:"Hey ...Turn the fucking Juke Box Down"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difference In the company of has In the company of beens In bent backs has beens and bent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In sleeping backs and sleeping
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under tube trains in Under tube trains and commuter accidents commuter accidents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difference On loading ramps On unloading ramps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difference Then the moment of And the moment of clarity. clarity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The most amusing part is that in the music book, the listed lyrics are the British ones, but the words against the music are the CBS lyrics.


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