Wish You Were Here
[Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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?
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
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 have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here
Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" explores the themes of isolation, alienation, and loss. The song's opening verses ask the listener whether they can distinguish between heaven and hell, and whether they can discern joy from sorrow or beauty from ugliness. The use of color imagery – blue skies, green fields, cold steel rails – underscores these questions, highlighting the dichotomy between the physical world and the emotional turmoil that lies beneath.
The second set of lyrics focuses on the idea of nostalgia and regret. The "heroes" of the past and the "walk on part in the war" refer to the lost causes and missed opportunities of our youth. The imagery of "hot ashes" and "cold comfort" conveys the sense of loss, as does the suggestion that the lead character has sold out and become trapped in a cage of his own making. And yet through it all, the singer wishes that the person they are addressing, the person they miss so much, was still with them, swimming in the same fishbowl, running over the same old ground, experiencing the same old fears. The song hints at a sense of disillusionment with the world, but the emotional connection between the singer and the person they are addressing remains potent and deeply felt.
Line by Line Meaning
So, so you think you can tell
Do you believe you can differentiate
Heaven from hell?
Between a peaceful afterlife and torment?
Blue skies from pain?
Clear daytime sky versus suffering?
Can you tell a green field
Do you discern a lush meadow
From a cold steel rail?
As opposed to a hard metallic track?
A smile from a veil?
A genuine expression from one that conceals?
Do you think you can tell?
Do you honestly feel confident in distinguishing?
Did they get you to trade
Were you swayed to swap
Your heroes for ghosts?
Your admired for departed spirits?
Hot ashes for trees?
Warm ashes in place of living forest?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Empty words instead of refreshing wind?
Cold comfort for change?
A mediocre solace over progression?
Did you exchange
Did you barter
A walk on part in the war
A minor role in combat
For a lead role in a cage?
For a much larger part in captivity?
How I wish, how I wish you were here
I yearn for your company so much
We're just two lost souls
We are simply like disembodied spirits
Swimming in a fish bowl
Enclosed in a small space like fish in a bowl
Year after year
Continuously, without end
Running over the same old ground
Repeating patterns of behavior
What have we found?
What have we discovered?
The same old fears
The identical anxieties
Wish you were here
I long for your presence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: David Gilmour, Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@giaimemudu
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?
Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
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
And what have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here
@nepalicomedy420
Stop asking who’s still listening, we never stop listening
PEACE
@diesellacrosse8613
Preach my nigga ✊🏾
@stevedouglas8387
Bind me Hollywood...... XXXx69
@molnarcsaba3537
Evergreen.
@Taylor-ur7wl
Amen
@astutewalnut3277
say no mo
@mikeneazy8275
My mother and fathers favorite song. My mother just took her last breath at 6:55am today. I’m in a parking lot. Blasting this and letting it out. Thank you Pink Floyd.
@turtle_girl_emma6595
I'm sorry for you loss
@professionalloser9477
Stay strong brother, she walks among the clouds now, where no pain or suffering can reach. Much love.
@hoovie1417
I’m with you. I’m 17 and my dad passed away in November … we were best friends