Roger Waters shares new studio version of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Gunner’s Dream’

Roger Waters has shared a new studio version of Pink Floyd‘s ‘The Gunner’s Dream’ – listen to it below.

  • Read more: 14 things to know about London’s landmark Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition at the V&A

Originally appearing on 1983’s ‘The Final Cut’ – the final Pink Floyd album to feature Waters – the new version was shared yesterday (January 18) to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States.

Accompanied by a black-and-white video, it opens with the ominous statement, “I had a dream” – a phrase which is repeated throughout the almost six-minute clip.

Advertisement

“Last night I watched the 2013 documentary film The Man Who Saved The World,” Waters said in a statement. “The man’s name is Stanislav Petrov. The year before Stanislav saved the World in the year 1982 I wrote a song ‘The Gunner’s Dream’. It’s weird to think that had Stanislav not been in the right place at the right time none of us would be alive. No one under the age of 37 would have been born at all.”

He continued: “It is acknowledged by all but the cretins amongst us that nuclear arms have no value. It is also acknowledged that they are a ticking bomb and we ignore them at our peril. Accidents happen. The Stanislavs of this world are a rare breed. We’ve been extraordinarily lucky.

“If I ruled the world, I would heed the words of the wise. I would get rid of nuclear weapons first thing tomorrow morning. On Dr. King’s name day. Of course no-one can rule the world. The world cannot be ruled. It can only be loved and respected and shared. If we’re still here in the morning.”

Last year, Waters released his Us + Them concert film, which captures the Pink Floyd co-founder’s 2018 tour of the same name.

Comprised of footage from the four nights Waters and his band played at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome in June 2018, as well as footage shot on location in the UK, the film also showcases the tour’s “state-of-the-art visual production and breath-taking sound”.

Advertisement







The film features a setlist that spans Waters’ entire career, including ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, ‘The Wall’, and ‘Animals’, in addition to his 2017 solo album ‘Is This The Life We Really Want?’.

Meanwhile, Pink Floyd recently reissued their 1988 live album and concert film, ‘Delicate Sound of Thunder’ on multiple formats.