Song Meaning
Roger Waters's "What Shall We Do Now?" (especially in its live iteration, often linked to "Empty Spaces") isn't so much a song as it is a raw nerve exposed. The manic laundry list of actions, posed as questions, throws the listener headfirst into the abyss of existential dread. It's a portrait of a mind grappling with emptiness, desperately searching for meaning in a world seemingly devoid of it. The lyrics aren't connected by any narrative, but by the feverish, almost panicked tone.
The genius lies in the relentless accumulation of mundane and destructive acts. "Buy a new guitar? Drive a more powerful car?" These are the hollow promises of consumerism, the fleeting highs meant to distract from a deeper void. Juxtaposed against darker impulses like "Drop bombs? Break up homes?" Waters highlights the inherent contradictions within the human psyche. We crave connection and creation, yet are equally capable of immense destruction. The song lyrics don't offer answers, but rather amplify the discomfort, the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of endless seeking.
Ultimately, “What Shall We Do Now?” is a mirror reflecting our own anxieties back at us. It's a challenge to confront the uncomfortable truth that sometimes, even in the midst of plenty, we find ourselves with our "backs to the wall," desperately searching for a way out of the psychic prison of our own making. The song's power resides in its ability to articulate this pervasive sense of unease, making it a timeless exploration of the human condition. It's not about providing solutions, but about acknowledging the problem in its full, unsettling complexity.
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