The Pink Floyd song that parodies the bible
Pink Floyd’s iconic album Animals was released in 1977, an expansive concept record based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the writer’s seminal critique of Stalinism when a farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. Animals touched on class struggles experienced in 1970s Britain and was rife with various allusions to an underclass, hence the track names mentioning dogs, pigs and sheep.
‘Sheep’ is a creative reflection of the Karl Marx quote that “religion is the opiate of the masses”. On the song, religion is used as a vehicle to highlight the blind faith of the underclass, who are oblivious to their social standing underneath their masters. In the first verse, the sheep are blithely unaware they’re about to be led to the slaughterhouse.
The biblical allusions flood in quickly with the line: “I’ve looked over Jordan, and I have seen / Things are not what they seem”. In the Bible, the river Jordan was crossed by the Israelites in order to escape slavery and enter the Promised Land. In Exodus 3, this place is described as “flowing with milk and honey,” a prosperous place that could deliver a brighter future. In the context of ‘Sheep’, this could be a nod to the increasing industrialisation of Britain – something sworn to bring riches that, in reality, oppressed the working classes and threatened their livelihoods.
The next Biblical allusion references one of the most well-known Bible verses, Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul”. But naturally, Pink Floyd subvert its usual meaning to further illustrate the domination of the sheep, who remain largely unaware they’re sacrificial pawns: “Hopelessly passing your time in the grassland away / Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air / You better watch out / There may be dogs about”.
The dark reinvention of the psalm comes with the verse: “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”.
The lyrics are naturally the most significant to the song’s meanings, but its musicality adds another complex later. Its enduring guitar riff and heavy bassline reinforce the idea of oppression, and its grandiose synth offers a glimmer of hope and urgency.
Discordant moments where the music fades are filled with “baa” sounds, in an unsettling nod to the fate of the flock who are being led to their own slaughter. But rather than a skewering of religion, the band’s use of the Bible on ‘Sheep’ is an effective metaphor for a ruling class, which in this case takes the form of God.
