Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert

Album: The Final Cut (1983)
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Songfacts®:

  • Like the rest of the album, this focuses on war, and Roger Waters' displeasure with "Maggie," Prime Minister at that time. Thatcher had just initiated the Falkland Islands "war," referred to obfuscatorially in "The Post-War Dream." This is most likely what the song refers to in the lines about taking the Union Jack (name for the British flag) and Maggie taking a cruiser to make him give it back. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Chase - S.L.C., UT

Comments: 17

  • Greg.c from Pennsylvania UsaI was 16 in 86 and bought my 1st car 69 nova..cheap. There was a cassette in the realistic stereo, with no knobs. This was the first time I listened to that album. All I heard was oi get your filthy hands off my desert. What he say? whoooosh. I wore that tape out, bought another and I have the vinyl in my collection next to the wall. I loved all the album art they took pride in designing. I miss that in music today. I still find seeds in some albums to this day. Grew up with some of the best written songs from all those groups from 60s 70s and even 80s.
  • Dandsotm69 from Hertfordshire, EnglandMartin from Cordoba, I’d politely suggest that if Argentina hadn’t attempted (unsuccessfully) to invade The Falkland Islands, the Belgrano would still be afloat today…
  • Dandsotm69 from Hertfordshire, EnglandNicely said Mike from Chicago, although strictly speaking The Falklands aren’t UK-occupied at all, they’re a British Overseas Territory - the people of The Falklands voted unanimously to stay British in a referendum just ten years ago. Anyway, The Final Cut sounds, to me, more Pros & Cons than The Wall. Not an album I can listen to too often, difficult at times but I’m a fan of miserable old Rog so it’s a thumbs up from me.
  • Joe from TennesseeTo Terry from Wickford, Ri, you failed to mention When The Tigers Broke Free, which IS in The Wall (movie) but didn't make it onto the soundtrack.
  • Billysunday from NebraskaFinal Cut is a great album .. I you think it is boring .. your have not really listened to it ..
  • Adam from Markham, OnMy dad said they would play all of "The Final Cut" in Poland on the radio, and this song was censored because of the "Brezhnev took Afghanistan" line.
  • Terry from Wickford, RiTo Kris, who says, "All except for 'The Gunner's dream' were all made to be put on the album.." Which album? The Wall? TFC was *not* supposed to be The Wall's part 3 or sequel. That is a very common misconception. It is often the case in any band's timeline (and Floyd has many examples of this) where older songs make it onto later albums. 'Dogs' and 'Sheep' from Animals(1977) were resurrected pieces from 1974 that didn't make it onto Wish You Were Here. So, to be clear on what 'leftovers' made it onto The Final Cut: 'Your Possible Pasts' has it's history in a song waters wrote in 1968 for Marianne Faithful. In the Wall film, you can hear part of the lyric recited by Geldof but you can also hear part of 'Moment of Clarity' from Pros and Cons of Hitchiking(1984). So, this *could* have been a Wall candidate, but was never heard on any of the early Wall demos,so likely not. 'One of the Few' sounds like it could have been on The Wall, as it fleshes out the Schoolmaster character a little more, but, as it doesn't feature in the demos, it seems more likely that it was also a TFC original. 'The Hero's Return' is based on a song originally written for The Wall called "Teacher, Teacher and fell in between ABITW Part Two and Young Lust. However, what we hear on TFC is very different. After this only 'The Final Cut'itself seems to have similarity lyrically and musically to anything from The Wall. Even the orchestration sounds like a Comfy Numb sequel. But, there has never been any evidence to suggest this. Everything else has either lyrics or other elements that clearly date the song in the 1982-83 time period and not in 1978 when The Wall was written. So..2 or 3 'leftovers' does not constitute a Wall Part 3.
  • Tom from Berlin, WiI like how at the end they hum the "What have we done?" melody...its cool.
  • Kris from Wichita, KsDude what? this song is awesome it's out of the ordinary pink floyd album. If you read about it this "half-bad, half-good" Pink Floyd was supposed to be the third part to The Wall. All except for "The Gunner's dream" were all made to be put onthe album
  • Bryan from New York, NyNot a very good song on a half-good half-bad album by Pink Floyd. Just rather boring and short.
  • Darrell from Eugene"Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert" reminds me of my opinion on dumping nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In other words, don't. I also have "Nevada Is Not A Wasteland" stickers on my utility trailer, my 1978 Dodge Magnum (barely running by now) and my 1994 Alfa Romeo 164 Quadrifoglio.
  • Martin from Cordoba, Argentina"AND MAGGIE OVER LUNCH ONE DAY TOOK A CRUISER WITH ALL HANDS APPARENTLY TO MAKE HIM GIVE IT BACK."
    I think he refers to the sinking of the cruiser ARA General Belgrano, Argentine Navy flasgship, wich was sailing outside the total exclusion zone established by the UK. Maggie gave the order of sinking to the RN sub HMS Conqueror, wiping the opportunity of signing a peace treaty proposed by Peruvian president Belaunde Ferry. The treaty was 95% agreed in both parts and only minor corrections were needed.
  • Shawn from Rochester, NhI got to tell you guys, this is the best Roger Watters solo album. It's like Rog with special guest David Gilmour. The Gunners Dream...Paranoid Eyes....Southampton Dock/Final Cut. These are some of the most beautiful songs Roger ever wrote.
  • Ash from Charleston, WvNo way! "The Hero's Return," "The Fletcher Memorial Home" and "Not Now, John" are all good! "Two Suns in the Sunset" isn't bad either.
  • Wes from Springfield, VaGeez, I'm glad Roger Waters isn't in charge of some nation I'm living in...
  • Ashley from Moncton, CanadaA creepy song from this album is One Of The Few. I just really like how it ends.
  • Mike from Chicago, Il
    "BREZHNEV TOOK AFGHANISTAN" - refers to Leonid Brezhnev's invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in late 1979.

    "BEGIN TOOK BEIRUT" - refers to then Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin's invasion of Beirut, Lebanon in 1982.

    "GALTIERI TOOK THE UNION JACK" - refers to Argentinian President General Leopoldo Galtieri's invasion of the UK-occupied Falkland Islands off the coast of Argentina in 1982. This was the basis for the Falkland Islands War, which many of the songs on "The Final Cut" album are about. The "Union Jack", of course, is a term for the British flag.

    "AND MAGGIE OVER LUNCH ONE DAY
    TOOK A CRUISER WITH ALL HANDS
    APPARENTLY TO MAKE HIM GIVE IT BACK."

    "Maggie" is British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who apparently Roger Waters did not see eye-to-eye with.
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