Gilmour was born in Cambridge, England. His father, Douglas Gilmour, was a senior lecturer in zoology at the University of Cambridge and his mother, Sylvia (née Wilson), was a teacher and film editor who raised her family at Grantchester Meadows, later immortalised by a Roger Waters song on Pink Floyd's Ummagumma. Gilmour and his siblings were encouraged by their parents in their musical abilities. Gilmour has a younger brother, Peter, who has been a guitarist for a slightly longer time than Gilmour. Gilmour attended The Perse School on Hills Road, Cambridge, which he "didn't enjoy" but where he met future Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett, along with bassist and vocalist Roger Waters who attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, also situated on Hills Road. In 1954, Gilmour bought his first single, Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock". At age 13, Gilmour was given his first guitar, a Tatay, by his neighbour, Gilmour started learning how to play using a book and record set by Pete Seeger.
In September 1962, he studied modern languages to A-Level and, along with Syd Barrett, went to Cambridge Technical College. Despite not finishing the languages course, Gilmour would eventually become a fluent French speaker. Gilmour and Barrett spent their lunchtime practising guitar together, Barrett would often refer to Gilmour as "Fred". They were not yet bandmates, however, and Gilmour started playing in the band Jokers Wild in 1962, which Gilmour left in 1967.
Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1968, when he was asked to replace former front man and guitarist Syd Barrett. Barrett was becoming increasingly difficult to work with (due to his deteriorating mental state), so Gilmour stepped in to fill the void. Gilmour's contributions helped to define what would become known as the "Pink Floyd" sound. With Roger Waters, Gilmour co-wrote many of Pink Floyd's classic songs, including "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"(Itself about Syd), "Wish You Were Here" (about Roger's father) , "Time", "Dogs", "Echoes", "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell". When Waters left the band in 1984 to pursue a solo career, Gilmour took over Pink Floyd as leader, and they released two more albums, A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), and The Division Bell (1994). Both albums performed very well, proving that the Pink Floyd name was stronger than any individual member. On July 2, 2005, David Gilmour and Roger Waters briefly set aside their differences and performed as Pink Floyd for one final performance at Live 8. The reunion was the most talked about event of the day, and sales of Pink Floyd's back catalogue shot through the roof. Rumours of a full scale tour began to surface shortly after the show, with both Gilmour and Waters being offered millions of dollars, but it wasn't meant to be. Neither Waters nor Gilmour showed much enthusiasm to work together again, with Gilmour being quoted as saying that he would rather spend his time pursuing his solo career.
Much to everyone's surprise, Gilmour and Waters reunited once again on July 11, 2010 for a charity performance for "The Hoping Foundation," an organization that supports Palestinian refugee kids. At Ronnie Scott's club in London, the duo performed four songs together: "To Know Him is to Love Him" (a cover of the old Teddy Bear's song), "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb," and finally (after a special request) "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2." Once again, just like after the Live 8 Reunion, speculation began regarding future reunions. No official Pink Floyd reunion has yet been set, but Gilmour did promise that he would join Roger Waters for one show on his 2010-11 "The Wall" tour, performing "Comfortably Numb." The show that Gilmour is set to play is being kept a secret to surprise fans and (most likely) to prevent scalpers from selling tickets at outrageous prices.
The door now seems slightly ajar that David Gilmour and Roger Waters may possibly work with each other again, either as a duo, or as Pink Floyd once again. On Roger Waters's facebook page, he wrote: "We (played together), and it was fucking great! End of story. Or possibly beginning."
As a solo artist, David Gilmour has released 3 studio albums; David Gilmour (1978), About Face (1984), and On an Island (2006). In September 2008, he released his first live album Live In Gdansk , a recording of a concert he and his band performed in Gdansk Shipyard during his 2006 On An Island tour. In addition, he has two live DVDs - 2002's mostly acoustic "In Concert" and 2007's Remember That Night.
In 2015 he released his forth studio album: Rattle That Lock followed by a live album Live at Pompeii in 2017 which was recored on 7th and 8th July 2016 at his two gigs in Pompeii.
In Any Tongue
David Gilmour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His heart weighs more, more than it ever did before
What has he done? God help my son
Hey, stay a while, I'll stay up
No sugar is enough to bring sweetness to his cup
I know sorrow tastes the same on any tongue
How was I to feel it
And I'd waited for so long
How was I to see straight
In the dust and blinding sun
Just a pair of boots on the ground
On the screen the young men die
The children cry in the rubble of their lives
What has he done? God help my son
Hey, stay a while, I'll stay up
The volume pumped right up but not enough to drown it out
I hear "Mama" sounds the same in any tongue
How am I to see you
When my faith stands in the way
And the wailing is long done
How am I to know you
With a joystick in my hand
When the call to arms has come
The song In Any Tongue by David Gilmour focuses on the devastation and sorrow of war. It narrates the story of a soldier who has returned from war, but his heart is heavy with the weight of the things he has done. The lyrics "Home and done, it's just begun, his heart weighs more than it ever did before" tells us how the soldier is struggling with the aftermath of the war, and how the memories of it are haunting him.
Further, the chorus "What has he done? God help my son" emphasizes the pain and guilt the soldier is experiencing, and the desperation of his family members who are praying for him. The line "I know sorrow tastes the same on any tongue" suggests that pain and grief are universal feelings that are not limited to any language or culture.
Moreover, the second verse of the song talks about the soldier's experience during the war. He had a gun in his hands, waited for so long, and saw men die on the screen. The line "Just a pair of boots on the ground" is a poignant metaphor portraying the soldier as just another insignificant pawn in the war, and how he may have lost his identity as an individual.
Line by Line Meaning
Home and done it's just begun
Although he's home and the ordeal seems to be over, it's only the beginning of his new emotional journey
His heart weighs more, more than it ever did before
The emotional burden he's carrying now is heavier than anything he has ever experienced before
What has he done? God help my son
The singer questions what actions his son took to be in this emotional state, and prays for help to guide him out of it
Hey, stay a while, I'll stay up
The artist is coaxing the person to stay and talk, even if it means staying up all night
No sugar is enough to bring sweetness to his cup
Nothing in life can provide enough happiness or fulfillment to quell the pain this person is feeling
I know sorrow tastes the same on any tongue
The singer acknowledges that no matter what language or culture someone comes from, everyone knows what sorrow feels like
How was I to feel it
When a gun was in my hands
And I'd waited for so long
The singer questions how he was supposed to feel anything except for fear when he was holding a gun and waiting for something to happen
How was I to see straight
In the dust and blinding sun
Just a pair of boots on the ground
The artist describes the chaotic and disorienting environment of war, where it's difficult to see anything clearly except for the boots of the people around you
On the screen the young men die
The children cry in the rubble of their lives
What has he done? God help my son
The artist watches the news and sees the devastating effects of war on innocent people, and questions what his own son has done to contribute to this suffering
The volume pumped right up but not enough to drown it out
I hear "Mama" sounds the same in any tongue
The artist tries to drown out the sounds of the news with loud music, but can still hear the cries of people in pain. He notes that the universal sound of "Mama" is heartbreaking no matter what language it's spoken in
How am I to see you
When my faith stands in the way
And the wailing is long done
The singer questions how he can truly see and understand his loved ones when his religious beliefs block his understanding, and the time for grieving is over
How am I to know you
With a joystick in my hand
When the call to arms has come
The artist is questioning how he can truly know his loved ones while he's controlling a virtual war game, and is preparing to go to battle
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVID JON GILMOUR, POLLY ANNE SAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Big Daddy
The Lyrics———
Home and done it's just begun
His heart weighs more
More than it ever did before
What has he done?
God help my son
Hey, stay a while, I'll stay up
No sugar is enough to bring sweetness to his cup
I know sorrow tastes the same on any tongue
How was I to feel it
When a gun was in my hands
And I'd waited for so long
How was I to see straight
In the dust and blinding sun
Just a pair of boots on the ground
On the screen the young men die
The children cry
In the rubble of their lives
What has he done?
God help my son
Hey, stay a while, I'll stay up
The volume pumped right up
But not enough to drown it out
I hear "Mama" sounds the same in any tongue
How am I to see you
When my faith stands in the way
And the wailing is long done
How am I to know you
With a joystick in my hand
When the call to arms has come
I guess
written by David Gilmore ✌🏼
Kfir Ochaion
I love David Gilmour. He's such a major influence.
The animator of this video is genius... Amazing how the POV's and angles are changing with just a marker.
kingofpiq
I did t see any POV
Kfir Ochaion
The Grinch What do mean? Any view is a point of view. Sky, roof, corner of a room.
kingofpiq
Kfir Ochaion Oh, nvm
Simón
+The Grinch POV means Point Of View
jason smith
you're not so bad yourself Kfir. Love your version of comfortably numb..just brilliant. Everybody should give it a listen.
Jack Grosskreuz
The solo is beautiful. That's what defines a really good guitarist, not how fast you can shred or how many techniques you can pull off, but how well you express emotion.
John
I agree 100% I have no doubt, Gilmour can shred and play just as fast as anybody. But nobody can capture true emotion in every note like he does.
David Deroux
@John if he could shredd, then he would be by far the best guitar player in the world...I think he can't,so he is just one of the best...anyway,it doesn't matter,he is unique!
MyCeL!uMaJyK
@David Deroux haha your comment contradicted his lol