Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk
"Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" is a song by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, and appears on their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).[1][2]
Information
This was Roger Waters' debut song-writing credit, continually building in speed until the end and featuring frantic guitar playing by Syd Barrett and manic keyboard parts by Richard Wright. The song's title is a reference to John 5:8—"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." Its morbid lyrics are quite unlike anything else on the album, the rest of which was penned by Barrett, but is characteristic of much of Waters' work; the clinical motif would recur in compositions like "Free Four" and "Comfortably Numb". Similarly, "Sheep", contains more Biblical quotations adapted by Waters to fit the song.
The song parallels the title track to Waters' solo 1992 album Amused to Death by beginning with the phrase "Doctor, Doctor".
Waters later expressed dissatisfaction with the song.
Alternative and live versions
Personnel
References
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.