Wish You Were Here
ƽ¿Ë.¸¥ÂåÒÀµÂ(Pink Floyd) 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?

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
What have we found?




The same old fears
Wish you were here

Overall Meaning

The song 'Wish You Were Here' by Pink Floyd is a poignant reflection on the human condition, particularly on the pervasive sense of isolation that grips us despite the profusion of communication technologies and other means to connect. The first verse opens with a series of rhetorical questions that challenge the listener to discern crucial distinctions that we often take for granted: heaven and hell, blue skies and pain, a green field and a cold steel rail, a smile and a veil. The verse encourages us to question our basic assumptions about the nature of reality, perception, and meaning, suggesting that the subtle distinctions between phenomena are often far less clear-cut than we might think. The second verse goes on to evoke the disillusionment and sense of loss that often accompanies the attainment of one's goals. The lines "Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?" and "Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?" suggest a sense of regret and a feeling of being trapped. The final part of the song is a wistful expression of longing for someone who is no longer there, accompanied by a haunting melody that makes the emotion palpable.


Line by Line Meaning

So you think you can tell
Do you believe that you can distinguish


Heaven from Hell?
The contrast between good and evil


Blue skies from pain?
The difference between happiness and sadness


Can you tell a green field
Can you differentiate between a nature's expanse of green grassland


From a cold steel rail?
And the steel bars!


A smile from a veil?
Can you differentiate between a genuine smile and a fabricated funerary veil?


Do you think you can tell?
Can you really differentiate?


Did they get you to trade
Were you persuaded to abandon


Your heroes for ghosts?
Your favorite persons for those lost spirits?


Hot ashes for trees?
Cinders for lush greenery?


Hot air for a cool breeze?
The scorching wind in exchange for a refreshing breeze?


Cold comfort for change?
Accepting minimal sustenance in exchange for transformation?


Did you exchange
Did you ever amend?


A walk on part in the war
A trivial role in the conflict


For a lead role in a cage?
For prime dominance in confinement?


How I wish
I yearn so much


How I wish you were here
To feel so incomplete without you


We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
Two wandering souls confined and struggling together


Year after year
Endlessly


Running over the same old ground
Revisiting the same tired concepts


What have we found?
What have we discovered?


The same old fears
The same timeworn terrors


Wish you were here
I miss your presence dearly




Contributed by Jake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@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



All comments from YouTube:

@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

286 More Replies...

@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

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