The Trial - 2011 Remastered Version

This song comes near the end of Pink Floyd's concept album The Wall, where the character Pink has completed his downfall into insanity and his putting himself on trial for his actions - he became a Hitler-like dictator. He finally cracks under the pressure and "the wall" he has created falls. Because this all takes place in Pink's head, we're not sure what really happens to him. Did he fade out of reality and lead a life where everybody forgot about what he used to be and just melt away? Did he commit suicide or die in some way? Did a happy ending appear where he gave up his fascist ideas, reconciled with his wife, and continued his music career? Or maybe he found religion and realized the error of his ways? God knows. The album The Final Cut does provide some allusions to what might have happened to Pink, as well as the last song on the album, "Outside The Wall," but there is no definite answer to this question.

"The Trial" is the grand finale of The Wall, ending with the wall being torn down. "Outside The Wall" serves as a coda, signifying some redemption among the ruin. Pink Floyd took the unusual step of focusing their subsequent tour entirely on the album, with striking visuals to accompany the songs. At these shows (there were only 31), a giant wall was erected in front of the stage, and at the end of "The Trial," it comes crashing down. The band then emerges to send off the audience with "Outside The Wall."

The most famous wall that was eventually torn down was the Berlin Wall, which fell in 1989. Roger Waters, the main architect of The Wall, left Pink Floyd in 1985 but staged a performance of the album in 1990 where the Berlin Wall once stood. The performance took on new significance, especially at the end of "The Trial" when the crowd chanted along, "tear down the wall," as it came down. Waters embarked on a whole tour for The Wall in 2010.