Octopus (song) - Writing

Writing

I carried that about in my head for about six months before I actually wrote it so maybe that's why it came out so well. The idea was like those number songs like "Green Grow the Rushes Ho" where you have, say, twelve lines each related to the next and an overall theme. It's like a fool-proof combination of lyrics, really, and then the chorus comes in and changes the tempo but holds the whole thing together. —Syd Barrett,

"Octopus" directly quotes a section from the poem "Rilloby-Rill" by Sir Henry Newbolt. The song features a variety of other influences as well.

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