Wish You Were Here]
[Pink Floyd Lyrics

The opening lines of "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd present a series of questions that require introspection from the listener. The song discusses the fleeting nature of fame and the moral compromise that is often required for success. The line "Heaven from Hell, Blue sky's from pain" suggests that it is difficult to differentiate between good and bad in life, and that the supposed "heaven" may actually be hell in disguise. Similarly, determining whether a smile is genuine or just a mask is an arduous task.

The second verse, "And did they get you to trade Your heroes for ghosts?" likely refers to the music industry’s commercialization of life experiences, which transform them into something to be sold to the masses. The lyrics suggest that the artists compromise their beliefs, passion or what they stood for in exchange for the illusion of fame. The line "Cold comfort for change? And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?" implies that someone may have traded the ideals and the freedom of being a humble participant in a real journey for a manufactured persona or character that is trapped in a cage of their own creation.

The chorus, "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 how we found the same old fears. Wish you were here," speaks of the loneliness and the hollowness that fame can bring. The two "lost souls" are the same people who traded their ideals for fame in the second verse. Running over the "same old ground" refers to the repetition of experiences that leads to emotional exhaustion. The last sentence "Wish you were here" implies that the singer is longing desperately for a companion to help them ease the weight of their burdens.