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I Wish You Were Here
Alpha Blondy Lyrics


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So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell?
Blue skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?



Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year
Running over the same old ground
What we found?
The same old fears
Oh, I wish you were here

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell?
Blue sky from pain?
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Oh, I wish you were here

How I wish, how I wish you were here
How I wish, how I wish you were here

We're just two lost souls (how I wish)
Swimming in a fish bowl (how I wish you were here)
Year after year
Running over the same old ground (how I wish, how I wish you were here)
What we found?
The same old fears
(How I wish, how I wish you were here)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alpha Blondy's song "I Wish You Were Here" contemplate the loss of a loved one, possibly a friend, family member or even a political leader. The opening lines of the song challenge the listener's ability to distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant experiences, as he asks, "so you think you can tell heaven from hell? Blue skies from pain?" The following lines compare and contrast natural and industrial elements such as green fields and cold steel rails, implying a sense of longing for past experiences.


The second stanza of the song insinuates that the listener may have been deceived or coerced to sacrifice cherished values for something that may not be worth it, as the singer asks, "And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change?" This stanza suggests that the listener may have given up something valuable for something much less valuable.


The chorus of the song is a melancholic wish that the person who has passed on could still be around to share the present, as the singer repeats "Oh, I wish you were here." The last stanza is a repetition of the opening stanza, serving as a reminder that the listener is still just as lost and without guidance as they were before. Overall, the song laments the loss of good things from the past and the longing for them to be present in the present and future.


Line by Line Meaning

So, so you think you can tell
Do you think you have enough discernment to differentiate


Heaven from Hell?
Can you distinguish joy from misery?


Blue skies from pain?
Are you able to identify happiness from suffering?


Can you tell a green field
Can you recognize a green terrain


From a cold steel rail?
From an emotionless steel structure?


A smile from a veil?
Can you differentiate a genuine smile from a pretentious one?


Do you think you can tell?
Do you believe you are capable of knowing?


And did they get you to trade
Did they convince you to exchange


Your heroes for ghosts?
Your admirable people for elusive images?


Hot ashes for trees?
Destroyed dreams for revitalized nature?


Hot air for a cool breeze?
Hollow promises for comforting reality?


Cold comfort for change?
Empty comfort for transformation?


And did you exchange
And in turn did you trade


A walk on part in the war
A small role in the struggle for a greater engagement


For a lead role in a cage?
For a significant part in confinement?


How I wish, how I wish you were here
Expressing a longing for a non-present person


We're just two lost souls
We're only two aimlessly wandering beings


Swimming in a fish bowl
Living in a closed, limited environment


Year after year
Persistently and monotonously repeating cycles of time


Running over the same old ground
Revisiting the same unproductive routines


What we found?
What did we discover?


The same old fears
The identical phobias


Oh, I wish you were here
Oh, how I desire your presence


We're just two lost souls (how I wish)
We're only two wandering beings (how I long)


Swimming in a fishbowl (how I wish you were here)
Living in a confined space (how I desire your presence)


Year after year
The repetitiveness of time


Running over the same old ground (how I wish, how I wish you were here)
Repeating the same futile patterns (how I desire your presence)


What we found?
What have we discovered?


The same old fears
The unaltered, immutable anxieties


(How I wish, how I wish you were here)
(How strongly I wish for your presence)




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: David Gilmour, Roger Waters

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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