Rise and Shine

Oh, um, flakes, oh...
Then, uh, I don't know, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes,
Toast, coffee.
Marmalade, I like marmalade.
Marmalade, I like marmalade.
Porridge is nice,
Any cereal, I like all cereal.

Sunny Side Up

Breakfast in Los Angeles,
Macrobiotic stuff.

No reply.

I don't mind the barrow,
I like burying the stuff in.
No, I've got a terrible back.
When I work, it hurts me.
Do you know Elton John?
Why he sort of a...
When drivin' on the radio to sleep,
Getting ready for a gig.
I don't know.
He does that electrical stuff;
I can't follow that.

Morning Glory

Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes,
Toast, coffee.
Marmalade, I like marmalade.
I don't like coffee.
Porridge is nice,
Any cereal, I like all cereal.
What a day!
What?

My head's a blank.

Overall Meaning

"Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" is a three-part instrumental composition from Pink Floyd's album Atom Heart Mother. It is a surreal account of breakfast being prepared and eaten interspersed with ambient and psychedelic music. The Breakfast in the lyrics is not just a simple meal but it is a ritual that can help build oneself up for the day. The song describes how the breakfast is being prepared and eaten, starting from the selection of the cereals, through to the eggs, bacon, toast and coffee, and then getting gradually more abstract in the third section, with no real distinguishable lyrics.

The first part, "Rise and Shine," begins with a crunching sound of cereal being poured into a bowl along with milk. The song then goes into detail about the selection of food, including the artist's preference for marmalade, porridge, and all kinds of cereal. The humming of the artist throughout the song adds to the rhythmic ambiance of the song. The songstress with humming and the crunching of cereal all the while capture the experiences of the morning breakfast rituals.

The second part, "Sunny Side Up," seems to have a more improvised structure with impressionistic instrumentation. It appears to take inspiration from a more natural account of breakfast food, with no clear lyrics except the mention of "macrobiotic stuff." This section also includes the sound of someone burying something and complaining about their back hurting, suggesting that it's likely a farm-related activity.

The third part, "Morning Glory," returns to more detailed descriptions of breakfast, repeating some of the lines previously featured in "Rise and Shine." It ends with the words "My head's a blank," perhaps suggesting a feeling of emptiness after the process of a morning ritual of breakfast.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, um, flakes, oh...
The singer is unsure about what to have for breakfast and is pondering the possibility of having some type of cereal.

Then, uh, I don't know, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes,
Next on the list of breakfast options are classic breakfast items such as eggs, bacon, sausages, and tomatoes although the singer is not entirely convinced.

Toast, coffee.
Toast and coffee are additional items the singer might like to have with their breakfast.

Marmalade, I like marmalade.
The artist expresses their fondness for marmalade as a condiment on items like toast.

Porridge is nice,
The artist enjoys the warm, comforting meal of porridge.

Any cereal, I like all cereal.
The singer is open to eating any type of cereal as they enjoy them all.

Breakfast in Los Angeles, Macrobiotic stuff. No reply.
The singer describes having a macrobiotic breakfast in Los Angeles, but the lack of a reply implies that the other person is uninterested or perhaps even non-existent.

I don't mind the barrow, I like burying the stuff in.
The artist doesn't have any issues with the wheelbarrow and enjoys putting things in it.

No, I've got a terrible back. When I work, it hurts me.
The artist has a bad back that is aggravated when they do any type of manual work.

Do you know Elton John? Why he sort of a...
The artist begins to bring up the topic of Elton John but then trails off before finishing their thought.

When drivin' on the radio to sleep, Getting ready for a gig.
The singer listens to the radio while driving to gigs and may even fall asleep to it.

I don't know. He does that electrical stuff; I can't follow that.
The artist is unsure about some aspect of Elton John's music, perhaps in regards to a particular instrument or style.

What a day! What?
The singer is exclaiming about the day but then seems perplexed or caught off guard when someone responds.

My head's a blank.
The singer is struggling to come up with something to say or think about.

Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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