"Smell The Roses," the first song Roger Waters is sharing from his upcoming album Is This The Life We Really Want?, is a rage against complacency and an elegy to the American dream.
"Wake up and smell the roses," he sings. "There's nothing but screams in the field of dreams. Nothing but hope at the end of the rope."
The song has a guitar and bass line that walks down with the swagger of Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar," from the 1975 Pink Floyd album Wish You Were Here.
Is This The Life We Really Want? is Waters' first album of new rock songs in nearly 25 years. It's due out June 2 on Columbia Records and was produced by Nigel Godrich.
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