The Final Cut
But burning in my heart
The memory smoulders on
Of the gunner’s dying words on the intercom
I was listening to Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut on the weekend.
In one song, The Hero’s Return, as it fades into the next, there is a brief recording of some voices in a WW2 bomber. There’s calm back-and-forth. It’s terribly garbled, but it’s easy to work out what’s happening. “.. (unintelligible) .. starboard high .. (unintelligible) .. power control .. (unintelligible) ..”
Then there’s the sound of a massive explosion. The engines go from a low drone to a high-pitched whine. Voices between the crew are suddenly yelling and frantic. There’s a thumping. The voices and the engine fade and the sound of wind rises.
The plane is diving. The crew are dying. Either from fire or they’ll die when the plane hits the ground.
It’s a scene I’ve been thinking about for a few days. Moments when our life’s plodding along on one path. Then, in an instant, something happens and nothing will ever be the same again.
I’ve never known anyone who’s died suddenly. Just as well. My attitudes toward life and death are screwy enough as it is already.
~Aurelius
This entry was posted by Aurelius at 9:27 pm and is filed under pondering, music.
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