Much like "Welcome To The Machine," this song is about corporations and how they control their musicians. The line, "We call it riding the gravy train" is held for such a long time to emphasize the fact that these companies will go as long as possible to squeeze every last cent out of their clients.
The lead vocal is by folk singer Roy Harper. Roger Waters' voice was shot from recording "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," and David Gilmour did not want to sing this, so they asked their friend Harper, who was recording down the hall, to help them out. Gilmour recalled to Mojo magazine October 2011: "Roger had a go at singing it and one or two people were unkind about his singing. One or two people then asked me to have a go at it. I did, but I wasn't comfortable. I had nothing against the lyrics. Maybe the range and intensity wasn't right for my voice. I can distinctly remember Roy leaning on the wall outside Abbey Riad, while we were nattering away and (growls) 'Go on, lemme have a go, lemme have a go.' We all went, 'Shut up Roy.' But eventually we said, 'Go on then, Roy, have your bloody go.' Most of us enjoyed his version, though I don't think Roger ever liked it."
Harper is the subject of the 1970 Led Zeppelin song "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper." He was good friends with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
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