Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 4:37
     (written by Wright, Waters)

Lyrics:
...to read from Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, chapter five, verses 15 to 33. I'm reading from the New English Bible. Be most careful then how you conduct yourselves: like simpletons. Use the present opportunity to the full, for these are evil days. Try to understand what the will of the Lord is. Give way to drunkenness and dissipation that goes with it. Let the Holy Spirit fill you. Speak to one another, sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord; and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ give thanks every day... (some of the above echoed)

Drawn into us, in this time of worship, take care... Jesus, thy word... and the harm they've done to us... 

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trepasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. (all heavily echoed)

...audaciously carry a torch of progress, even to the glorious future opening forth. Yet how funny, that the form their insubordination takes should be a demand for... 

I only wish I could show you the numbers of letters which I have received in support of the holy works. People who are working said...

Another piece entirely different from its album counterpart, both in concept and music, so much so that it would be rechristened The Great Gig in the Sky for the record. Whereas Great Gig would be about death and the fear of it, Ecclesiastes was concerned with organized religion and the part it plays in the important stages of our lives. Hence over a background of long drawn out synth chords can be heard the voices of ministers, priests and the like, intoning solemn words of prayer at christenings (including the sound of a baby crying), funerals, and the like (a sample is above). This is really the focus of the piece, as musically it is quite weak. Some of the speech samples are edited by the band (most notably the first one), altering their meaning somewhat. The song is definitely a statement against organized religion, identifying it as one of the forces, like paranoia, time, money and madness, that provides stresses and strains on everyday life. Roger specifically referred to this section of Eclipse in an interview discussing the meaning of the song cycle.

Roger Waters: "We thought we could do a whole thing about the pressures we personally feel that drive one over the top [such as] organized power structures like the church or politics."

This statement is further accentuated by the segue between this piece and Money. Before the strains of Ecclesiastes have even begun dying out, the chinks of the cash registers and piling coins begins, providing a direct symbolic link between organized religion and the greed that all too often pervades it. A subtle and ironic commentary on the true foundation for many powerful and influential religious structures. Musically, Ecclesiastes is almost two separate pieces. The first part, the drawn out synth chords, ends after a time while the spoken words continue. These provide a bridge to the second part and then soon fade out. The second piece starts similarly to the first, but develops further, allowing more room for Rick to explore and improvise without the distracting factor of the voice overlays.

TRACK LISTING
Speak to Me
Breathe
On the Run
Time incl Breathe Reprise
Ecclesiastes
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Dark Side of the Moon, The