LISTEN: Roger Waters premieres brand new song ‘Smell the Roses’

Entitled ‘Smell the Roses’, much as you’d expect from Roger, the song is packed with potent lyrics (“This is the room where they make the explosives” / “Where they put your name on the bomb”) and musically it’s imbued with the Pink Floyd sound throughout.

Sounding like a speeded-up version of ‘Have A Cigar’ melded with the experimental sound collages of Dark Side of the Moon (including the trademark heartbeat), it also has, erm, echoes of ‘Echoes’, ‘Any Colour You Like’ and even a nod to ‘Dogs’ featuring an actual dog barking.

Lend your lugholes to the track here:

Roger’s first rock album in 25 years, ‘Is This The Life We Really Want?’ boasts 12 new Roger Waters musical compositions and is released on Friday 2nd June via Columbia Records.

Produced, mixed and featuring keyboards and guitar from Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the album is an “unflinching commentary on the modern world and uncertain times” and is kindred spirits with the thematically weighty Pink Floyd classics ‘Animals’ and ‘The Wall’.

Available to pre-order in both physical and digital formats right now, the physical version includes a double 180-gram vinyl LP in a gatefold jacket and a 4-panel soft pack CD.

The ‘Smell the Roses’ lyrics are as follows:

There's a mad dog pulling at his chain
A hint of danger in his eye
Alarm bells raging around his brain
And the chimneys poke in the sky
Wake up, wake up and smell the roses
Close your eyes and pray this wind don't change
Because not much screams in the field of dreams
Nothing but hope at the end of the rope
Nothing but gold in the chimney smoke
Come on honey it's real money

This is the room where they make the explosives
Where they put your name on the bomb
Here's where they bury the buts and the ifs
And scratch out words like right and wrong
Wake up, wake up and smell the phosphorus
This is the room we keep the human hair
Don't ask don't tell it could mean a lot for us, yeah
A little less cash in the stash in the cupboard at the bottom of the stair, money, honey

Wake up, wake up and smell the bacon
Run your greasy fingers through her hair
This is the life that you have taken

Just a line in the captains log
Just a whine from a rescue dog
Another kid didn't make the grade
Come on honey it's a fair trade
Wake up, wake up and smell the roses
Throw her photo on the funeral pyre, yeah
Now we can't forget the threat she poses?
Girl you know you couldn't get much higher