🐺 You Have to Be Trusted…
“Dogs” – Pink Floyd’s Ruthless Portrait of Power, Betrayal, and the Business of Survival
Some songs make you cry.
Some make you think.
And then there’s “Dogs” — a 17-minute masterpiece that doesn’t just make you feel, it makes you look in the mirror.
And if you’re not careful, you’ll see something you weren’t ready for.
🎵 The Song
Released in 1977 on Pink Floyd’s concept album Animals, “Dogs” was originally titled “You’ve Got to Be Crazy”. It evolved into a sprawling, haunting track built on David Gilmour’s hypnotic guitar work and Roger Waters’ cynical, biting lyrics.
It’s not just a song — it’s a dissection.
The track opens with sleek charm — a smooth-talking voice, high in the business food chain. But as the minutes pass, that confidence unravels. The predator becomes the prey.
“You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to / So that when they turn their backs on you, you’ll get the chance to put the knife in.”
🧠 What It’s Really About
“Dogs” is a metaphor for the ruthless, cutthroat nature of capitalism and corporate ambition.
It’s about men who live by manipulation — climbing ladders, shaking hands, making deals — but in the end, die alone and paranoid, abandoned by the very world they tried to control.
Unlike “Money”, which critiques greed with swagger, “Dogs” is tragic.
It doesn’t glamorize the game — it shows you the rot beneath the suit.
🌫 The Feeling
This song isn’t meant to comfort you.
It’s meant to unsettle.
It creeps. It sprawls. It builds like a storm — and then crashes into eerie, empty space, filled with synth barks and robotic loneliness.
If you’ve ever watched someone lose their soul chasing status…
If you’ve ever felt the weight of pretending to be something you’re not just to stay in the game…
“Dogs” speaks your language.
It doesn’t pity the character — but it does mourn what he lost.
📻 The Legacy
While not as universally known as “Wish You Were Here” or “Comfortably Numb”, “Dogs” has become a cult favorite among die-hard fans and critics. Many consider it one of Gilmour’s best guitar performances, and Waters’ most brutal lyrics.
Its themes still resonate: in corporate boardrooms, in politics, in the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
It’s not easy listening — but it’s essential.
“And when you lose control, you’ll reap the harvest you have sown…”
“Just another sad old man, all alone and dying of cancer.”
No sugarcoating.
No redemption arc.
Just the quiet price of playing a game designed to break you.