In the Flesh?

This is the song on the concept album The Wall when the protagonist Pink finally yields to his inner demons and becomes a psychopathic, race-baiting fascist. It makes a strong statement on the dangers of idolatry (Pink is a rock star with a fan base that will follow his lead).

Pink's calling out of various minorities in the audience ("That one looks Jewish... that one's a coon...") is a reference to the meetings of the British Union of Fascists before World War II. in these meetings, the speakers would rant about how foreigners, minorities and socialists were destroying Britain. Near the end of his speech, he would identify members of various minorities in the crowd that would immediately be roughed up by the blackshirts (similar to Hitler's brownshirts) and thrown out onto the sidewalk.

Roger Waters wanted this song to parody mindless stadium rock. He told Rolling Stone in 2010: "We needed a beginning, so I went into a room with a bass guitar and went, 'I need something that's really stupid-sounding. Really loud, monolithic, dumb.' And I've grown rather fond of that riff in the intervening years."