Lucifer Sam

"Lucifer Sam" is a song by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, featured on their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Music and lyrics

The song is built around a descending riff, with the dominant instrument being composer Syd Barrett's electric guitar, fed through an echo machine; the resultant sound has been likened to a "sinister" Duane Eddy. This is augmented by bowed bass and increasingly agitated organ and percussion effects.

Though the lyric frequently refers to Lucifer Sam as a cat, some speculation has arisen as to whether this was in fact 1960s slang ("a hip cat") for a man, real or imagined, in some type of relationship with Barrett's then-girlfriend, Jenny Spires (referred to in the song as "Jennifer Gentle"). However, Sam was simply Barrett's Siamese cat; the track was originally called "Percy the Rat Catcher" during the recording sessions, which took place during April – June 1967.

Personnel

  • Syd Barrettelectric guitars, slide guitar, lead vocals
  • Richard WrightFarfisa organ, piano
  • Podcasts:

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    Lucifer Sam

    by: Lightning Seeds

    Lucifer Sam, siam cat.
    Always sitting by your side
    Always by your side.
    That cat's something I can't explain.
    Ginger, ginger, Jennifer Gentle you're a witch.
    You're the left side
    He's the right side.
    Oh, no!
    That cat's something I can't explain.
    Lucifer go to sea.
    Be a hip cat, be a ship's cat.
    Somewhere, anywhere.
    That cat's something I can't explain.
    At night prowling sifting sand.
    Hiding around on the ground.
    He'll be found when you're around.




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