anonymous August 7th, 2007 10:00PM  

The Jordan thing is possibly a reference to the river; it would vaguely mesh with the 'the lord is my shepherd' bit. Also, the Jordan was the Israelite's last crossing on the way to the promised land- but for the sheep, god's kingdom is, of course, the slaughterhouse.

There may possibly be a parallel between the Valley of Death (mentioned in the 'the lord is my shepherd' psalm) and the Valley of Steel as well...

I don't think the song is *just* an ironic portrayal of religious complacence; I agree with the last poster that it's about people who follow the pack in general, and religion is just a specific instance, as is politics.

It's interesting that it changes at the end from 'the grassland' to 'staying home' and 'getting out of the road'; maybe it's a hint that the sheep *have* taken over the farm, Orwell-style, and are now living indoors! Although it could also be just drawing attention to the fact that the sheep represent people; the comparison is less overt in this song than in the others. 'Dogs' and 'Pigs' are more about people who resemble animals, whereas 'Sheep' is an analogy between animals and people.

Also interesting that the dogs cross over into this song, but are sort of a threat that never materialises; it's the farmer who's the real danger. This might also explain the change at the end to mentioning 'home' and 'the road'; if sheep were in charge, there really would be no more threat, but because attention is drawn to the fact that the sheep are only a metaphor, we know that the new people in charge are corrupt as well.

I had a biology teacher in high school who told us, specifically in relation to Pink Floyd, that sheep could indeed rebel against humans if they wanted to. Strange man.