The Shelving of Syd Barrett's 'Vegetable Man' and Its Unsettling Lyrics

“Vegetable Man” was recorded during the May 1967 sessions for Pink Floyd’s second album A Saucerful of Secrets, but it never made it past the cutting-room floor. The band and producer Norman Smith decided the song was too dark—lyrically unhinged in a way that went beyond psychedelic whimsy. It was intended as a B-side, but they shelved it, and for decades only bootlegs circulated.

The lyrics hit uncomfortably close to reality. Lines like “I’m beside myself