What does The Trial mean?

Pink Floyd: The Trial Meaning

Tagged:   No tags, suggest one.
Album cover for The Trial album cover

The Trial Lyrics

Good morning Worm your honour
The crown will plainly show
The prisoner who now stands before you
Was caught red handed showing feelings
Showing feelings of an almost human nature
This will not do

CALL THE SCHOOLMASTER

I always said...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 6th 2017 !⃝

    Obviously, it's about a kid who went his own way and became a freethinker. The kid didn't fall into the machine that is society.
    Since he showed nonmachine-like feelings he ends up in this punishment. The teacher and his mother say how he should have stayed in the machine and not used his free thought. And the court punishes him for doing so.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 31st 2016 !⃝

    The Protagonist{school boy} after getting arrested by the law was sent to go on trial, thinking in the mindset of a World War 2 veteran{ a Fatherly Christ figure that sacrificed his life} who went in front of the Judge{Worm} that also represents the SCHOOLMASTER{both Pontius Pilate types} to the eye in the Protagonist's mind who is still holding out to his Human feelings. That were crucified or were wanted to be destroyed in his past Hero figure that he is ''RELATING'' to and feels that they are after him also. This drives him crazy with dreams that are over the rainbow to escape from them. Thinking that he would've been crucified also, if they were or are given the chance now, but the bleeding heart liberal individuals spoiled him to rebel against the ''assumed'' ungodly authority figures to go out by ''the way'' of His love, but only to be accused that needed to build a wall around himself for the emotional protection of his humane soulful needs and feelings where they want to break this devil out of him to conform him to be obedient to the ''assumed'' ungodly system that wanted to keep him on the straight and narrow for his own good, but he felt that they wanted to take away his humanity that needed to be free.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 14th 2012 !⃝

    But the "Worm" is a noun in this song. It represents an entity, and what seems to be the ultimate judge over him in the trial. The "Worm" is not displayed like a man, but rather a collective entity, which you can see in the way they echoed each other and added the harsh sounding guitar to emphazize it. A theory I think might be possible is that the "Worm" is the band's vision of God. A recurring theme is bad relationships, maybe this is attributing to his bad relationship with God.

    This song is also about blame. "They must have taken my marbles." He blames these people for the way he feels different and even insane.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 18th 2012 !⃝

    the worm respresents decay in his life.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 19th 2012 !⃝

    what the does the use of the word "Worm" mean in the lyric "Good morning Worm your honour" ? It's used again in another line as well.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 5th 2008 !⃝

    This is about how the judicial system and judges speak out of their asses and are full of S*** and Hendrix and 420 is a winning combination.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 13th 2007 !⃝

    Judges go to hell forever

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 25th 2007 !⃝

    I agree with AlfreRH. The song is out of context without the rest of the movie. He's become a huge figure and now he's judging himself to the same criteria he's judged everyone else and can no longer hold up the supremem facade. He's a screwed up false idol and crumbles inside.

  9. AlfreRH
    click a star to vote
    Aug 8th 2007 !⃝

    If you had heard the wall sometime, you will know that are the characters of pink´s life, judging him of all the things that he had done. You can know it too looking at "The Wall" the movie, or hearing the song that comes before it where Pink says: in all this years, have I been guilty? or some kind of it.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 25th 2007 !⃝

    It's easy it's about Pink's life.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 26th 2006 !⃝

    They are both right, but combine them for a bigger picture. He did have the idea of the wall after feeling bad about spitting at a fan (the fan may have deserved it, thier 'fans' had a habit of lighting fireworks and being disrespectful to the band and music). To express this feeling he used the story of pink, who was forced to confront his own demons that had turned him into this totalitarian rock star. These demons stretched back to the childhood explored in most of the wall, especially his relationship with his mother, teacher and wife/girlfriend figure. In this song, he is inside his head confronting these demons and his own insanity/confusion. The mother, I beleive, is also a figure he has issues with, as explored in the rest of the the album and especially in the film with the flower symbolism, representing his issues with women, which arises from his relationship with his mother. She doesn't protect him, she stifles him.The film is essential veiwing for understanding the album, and a layered exploration in its own right.

  12. Tommy
    click a star to vote
    Jan 17th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about Roger facing the real world. The reason for roger waters writing the wall came from when he spat in the face of a fan at a concert and realized how fame can bring you down and issolate you from the real world.

  13. Lamarcus
    click a star to vote
    Jan 3rd 2006 !⃝

    This song is a reflection on all the hardships of Pink's life. First, his teacher gets to talk. It was expressed in "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and in scenes from the movie that the teacher was opressive. Then Pink's wife gets to talk. It's already been expressed in the movie and in many songs like "One of my Turns" and "Young Lust" that he has a terrible relationship, and she trashes him. Then it's the mother's turn to talk. She obviously loves him, and wants her baby back, but the judge ruins that and sentences him to be exposed to the outside world, curing Pink of his insanity. A somewhat violent end to one of the greatest rock operas of all time.


More Pink Floyd songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]




Just Posted

Steve's Going to London anonymous
Yes I'm A Mess anonymous
Droppin' Plates anonymous
Rat anonymous
Cry for the Moon anonymous
And the Snakes Start to Sing anonymous
Gingerbread Man anonymous
Not Like the Movies anonymous
This Masquerade anonymous
Birthday Suit anonymous
Dollhouse anonymous
Death anonymous
Copy Cat anonymous
I Hate Jimmy Page anonymous
I Hate Jimmy Page anonymous

(We won't give out your email)