Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict

Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict
by Pink Floyd
Album: Ummagumma (1969)

This is Roger Waters' addition to Pink Floyd's ambitious album Ummagumma. One disc of the album is live performances of old songs, and the other is a composition from each member of the band.

The sounds of the "small furry animals" were actually created by Roger Waters and mixed in at varying speeds to make them sound somewhat realistic.

There is a hidden message at about 4:22 into the song. If played at a slower speed, you can hear a voice (most likely either Waters or guitarist David Gilmour) say, "That was pretty avant-garde, wasn't it?"

The Picts were an ancient people of northern Britain, who in the 9th century AD co-founded the kingdom of Scotland with the Scots. Waters does his best Scottish impression on this song.

The album's title, Ummagumma, is British slang for sex. It might also be taken as a synonym for rock and roll music itself, since the phrase "rock and roll" originated as sexual slang.

Aye an' a bit of Mackeral settler rack and ruin
Ran it doon by the haim ma place.
Well I slapped me and I slapped it doon in the side and I cried, cried, cried

The fear a fallen down taken never back the raize
And then Craig Marion, get out wi' ye Claymore out mi pocket a' ran doon, Doon the middin stain picking the fiery horde that was fallen
Around ma feet.
Never he cried, never shall it ye get me alive
Ye rotten hound of the burnie crew.
Well I snatched fer the blade.
O my Claymore cut and thrust and
I fell doon before him round his feet.

Aye! A roar he cried frae the bottom of his heart
That I would nay fall but as dead, dead as a can be by his feet;
Ee ya ken?...and the wind cried back.

[In English] "Thank you."