Why 'Careful With The Axe, Eugene'?

dypa · Post by **dypa** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 9:19 pm

Hi

I just wanted to know, why the name of the song is 'Careful With The Axe, Eugene'?
Who is Eugene and why should he be careful with an axe?
And is it Eugene, who shouts in this song? And why does he?

~dypa

Useful Idiot · Post by **Useful Idiot** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:48 am

I somehow doubt Pink Floyd put a lot of effort into the idea behind CWTAE. It's a great song, and that's all I need to know.

Devil man 665 · Post by **Devil man 665** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:51 am

Actualy i think its just another part of syds randomness obviously he had an influence on the band and apparantly none of his songs make any real sense apart from a few. He writes good love songs jugband blues for one.

Powderfinger · Post by **Powderfinger** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 10:21 am

Useful Idiot wrote:I somehow doubt Pink Floyd put a lot of effort into the idea behind CWTAE.

I think that Pink Floyd took a lot of efforts to ideas behind songs. If you look to Shine on, with the letters SYD in it. I think almost everything is based on something, but I have no idea who Eugene could be.

Flame-Sky Diver · Post by **Flame-Sky Diver** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 10:38 am

Actually this song was created after Syd. It was first only a scary jam with no scream, called "Murderistic Woman" or "Keep Smiling People" around late spring/summer 1968. Then for the single release, they added the scream and changed the name. Perhaps the name is an internal Floyd joke? Or was Eugene some real axe-murderer?

Devil man 665 · Post by **Devil man 665** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 6:12 pm

just because ummagumma came out in 69 doesnt mean it could have written then. I think syd had influence as i'm sure its his voice screaming on several small species of animals when slowed down. You realy think rog was capable of something as crazy as that?

Powderfinger · Post by **Powderfinger** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 6:15 pm

Devil_man_665 wrote:You realy think rog was capable of something as crazy as that?

Look the Pomeii-movie, he screams all the screams there.

decampos · Post by **decampos** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 6:19 pm

here's a few ideas:

http://support.uni-oldenburg.de/~floyd/ ... Axe_Eugene

Powderfinger · Post by **Powderfinger** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 6:21 pm

decampos wrote:here's a few ideas:

http://support.uni-oldenburg.de/~floyd/ ... Axe_Eugene

Complicated, would they have taken it that far?

Flame-Sky Diver · Post by **Flame-Sky Diver** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 11:33 pm

Devil_man_665 wrote:just because ummagumma came out in 69 doesnt mean it could have written then. I think syd had influence as i'm sure its his voice screaming on several small species of animals when slowed down. You realy think rog was capable of something as crazy as that?

CWTAE was first released as a B-side of the Point Me At The Sky single in November or December 1968. It was first played on the BBC session sometime in April or May 1968, just before ASOS was released. By that time, it was only the bass line and improvisation, no climax or scream at all. By that time, Syd was not in the band anymore. The 1968 single version (found on Relics) is half-way between the first version and the classic Ummagumma live version. So I think Syd had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Fox-Mike · Post by **Fox-Mike** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 2:18 am

just because ummagumma came out in 69 doesnt mean it could have written then.

It was written in 1968, recorded first live under the title keep smiling people on may 25. The version called murderistic women was played a month after, I believe, although I'm not entirely sure when the BBC session was held. There's a lot of dispute over who eugene was, but apparently the concept of the song was something about a violent resistence, or something like that. Although, it could be another song about the insanity of syd barret, or a bunch of other things. I heard it was about the murder that was named Eugene that was in england. He used an axe to kill.