Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Under Barrett's leadership, they released two charting singles and the successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind the band's peak success with the albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). The musical film based on The Wall, Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), won two BAFTA Awards. Pink Floyd also composed several film scores.
Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced two more albums—A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994)—and toured in support of both before entering a long hiatus. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a one-off performance at the global awareness event Live 8. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was based on unreleased material from the Division Bell recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release the song "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" in protest of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and these albums and Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums of all time. Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200, and five topped the UK Album Chart. Pink Floyd's hit singles include "See Emily Play" (1967), "Money" (1973), "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (1979), "Not Now John" (1983), "On the Turning Away" (1987) and "High Hopes" (1994). They were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, Pink Floyd were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd
Studio albums
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
More (1969)
Ummagumma (1969)
Atom Heart Mother (1970)
Meddle (1971)
Obscured by Clouds (1972)
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Wish You Were Here (1975)
Animals (1977)
The Wall (1979)
The Final Cut (1983)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
The Division Bell (1994)
The Endless River (2014)
If
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I were a train, I'd be late
And if I were a good man
I'd talk with you
More often than I do
If I were to sleep, I could dream
If I were afraid, I could hide
Your wires in my brain
If I were the moon, I'd be cool
If I were a rule, I would bend for you
If I were a good man, I'd understand
The spaces between friends
If I were alone, I would cry
And if I were with you, I'd be home and dry
And if I go insane
Will you still let me join in with the game?
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late again
If I were a good man
I'd talk with you
More often than I do
The Pink Floyd song 'If' is a contemplation on the nature of life and the individual's place within it. Each of the song's verses comprises a conditional statement - 'if' the singer were something else, how would things be different? Through these shifting hypotheticals, the song explores the many different ways in which a person's experience of life is shaped by circumstance and perspective.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the singer musing on the limitations and restrictions of their current existence. The images of a swan and a train evoke ideas of freedom and movement, suggesting that the singer feels trapped or confined in some way. The notion of being a 'good man' who talks with his friend more often than he currently does, suggests a sense of dissatisfaction with the state of his relationships, though it is left unclear whether this is due to his or others' failings.
The second verse continues this theme of contemplating different perspectives, with the singer considering the various ways in which he might react to fear and uncertainty. In particular, the plea 'please don't put your wires in my brain' suggests a fear of manipulation or deception, and highlights the fragility of a human's sense of autonomy and control over their own thoughts and emotions.
The third verse is perhaps the most open-ended, with the singer imagining himself as both the moon ('cool') and 'a rule' that he would willingly 'bend for you'. Here, the internal conflict between personal freedom and the desire for human connection is brought to the fore. The final line, 'the spaces between friends', seems to acknowledge the gaps and distances that inevitably exist between people, perhaps reflecting on the challenge of bridging these divides.
The final verse returns to the more personal, emotional registers of the first, with the singer expressing a need for connection, a sense of home, and some kind of assurance that even if he were to 'go insane', his relationship with the subject of the song would not be lost.
Overall, the song's shifting conditional statements can be seen to reflect on the idea that life is shaped by a series of choices and circumstances that are ultimately outside of our control. Despite this, the song does not suggest a sense of resignation or hopelessness, but rather a recognition of the power of human imagination and the significance of human connections in navigating the uncertain terrain of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I had the freedom to be myself, I'd take it and leave this situation.
If I were a train, I'd be late
If I had the chance to choose my own direction, I'd never worry about being late because I'd always be on the right track.
And if I were a good man
I'd talk with you
More often than I do
If I were truly a good person, I would be able to communicate with you honestly and more often than I currently do.
If I were to sleep, I could dream
If I were able to rest and let go of my worries, I could allow myself to dream and explore new possibilities.
If I were afraid, I could hide
If I let my fear control me, I would always run and hide instead of facing my fears and overcoming them.
If I go insane, please don't put
Your wires in my brain
If I lose control and go insane, I don't want anyone else trying to control me or influence my thoughts and actions.
If I were the moon, I'd be cool
If I were able to be distant and detached like the moon, I could remain calm in any situation.
If I were a rule, I would bend for you
If I were a rigid rule, I would be willing to bend to accommodate you and work together towards a common goal.
If I were a good man, I'd understand
The spaces between friends
If I were genuinely a good person, I would understand the natural gaps and spaces that can occur between friends over time and not take it personally.
If I were alone, I would cry
If I were completely alone, I would allow myself to feel my emotions and cry instead of suppressing them.
And if I were with you, I'd be home and dry
If I were with you, I would feel comfortable, secure, and at home because you provide a safe space for me to be myself and express my emotions.
And if I go insane
Will you still let me join in with the game?
If I were to lose my sanity, would you still include me and accept me in the group, or will you cast me aside like a broken toy?
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late again
If I were a good man
I'd talk with you
More often than I do
The chorus repeats the previous verses, emphasizing how the singer wishes they could escape their current reality, express themselves more honestly, and have the freedom to choose their own path.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROGER WATERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Stupidity_iNk_Tattoo
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late
And if I were a good man, I'd talk with you more often than I do
If I were to sleep, I could dream
If I were afraid, I could hide
If I go insane, please don't put your wires in my brain
If I were the moon, I'd be cool
If I were a rule, I would bend
If I were a good man, I'd understand the spaces between friends
If I were alone, I would cry
And if I were with you, I'd be home and dry
And if I go insane, will you still let me join in with the game?
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late again
If I were a good man, I'd talk with you more often than I do
@marcoslevi13
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late
And if I were a good man, I'd talk with you
More often than I do
…
If I were to sleep, I could dream
If I were afraid, I could hide
If I go insane, please don't put
Your wires in my brain
…
If I were the Moon, I'd be cool
If I were a rule, I would bend
If I were a good man, I'd understand
The spaces between friends
…
If I were alone, I would cry
And if I were with you, I'd be home and dry
And if I go insane, will you still let
Me join in the game?
…
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late again
If I were a good man, I'd talk with you
More often than I do
@Brytons_Thoughts
One of the most underrated cuts in the Floyd catalogue.
@cannabclaus8036
😆
@rabbitrodger3448
It's only in your head... underrated
@mrpositronia
Who underrated it?
@GiovanniDonofrio-yf3vd
2:08 @@rabbitrodger3448
@FLAME-XIII
If I were a Pink, I'd be Floyd
@josemaria8177
Pink Floyd doesn't have bad songs. It has undiscovered masterpieces
@mrsleep0000
I could do without Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast... There aren't many, but they do have some stinkers.. like most of More, some bits of Ummagumma and Final Cut. San Tropez is pretty bad.
@Redguard677
@@mrsleep0000 what? 😳San Tropez is perfect melody and Final Cut a masterpiece
@ryancummings5295
I must have heard apb perhaps 50 times before it hit me that the first piece ends on the steaming pot, which is lit with the 3 (or 4?) match strikes in the beginning, then the music takes you on a light hearted journey over rolling meadows; i think i associated it to a train ride because of the suggestion of steam. I know.... crazy!
Anyways, this song, which i had merely just played in the background without paying much attention to, turned out, to me, as being one of their most musically creative pieces (at least honorable mention); i think it lives up to its name. After this discovery, i relistened to the entire album again, and repeatedly. Eventually i considered ahm to be the most under-rated floyd album and maybe obscurred by clouds.
Up through the 2000s i would have said meddle was most under-rated but i think technology exposing more people to echoes helped boost meddle's popularity. Wish i had data to support it but it's just a hunch.