Wish You Were Here
Maaya Mattoo 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 a 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 how we found

The same old fears
Wish you were here

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Maaya Mattoo's "Wish You Were Here" explore the concept of perception and how we often struggle to distinguish between what is real and what is an illusion. The opening lines of the song ask the listener whether they can differentiate between heaven and hell, blue skies and pain, and a green field and a cold steel rail. The questions set the stage for the rest of the song, which continues to question whether we can ever truly know what is real and what is not.

The second verse of the song deals with the idea of loss and the impact that it can have on our lives. The lyrics ask whether we have traded our heroes for ghosts, and whether we have exchanged a walk-on part in a war for a lead role in a cage. These lines illustrate how we can become trapped by our own perceptions and how we can lose sight of what is truly important. The chorus of the song, "How I wish, how I wish you were here," is a poignant reminder of the power of human connection and the sense of loss that we feel when we are separated from the people we love.

Overall, "Wish You Were Here" is a beautifully crafted song that speaks to the universal human experience of loss, longing, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that can often feel confusing and chaotic.

Line by Line Meaning

So, so you think you can tell
Do you believe that you can distinguish between different emotions and sensations?

Heaven from hell
Can you differentiate between pure bliss and pure agony?

Blue skies from pain
Can you distinguish between good times and bad times?

Can you tell a green field
Can you discern a peaceful meadow?

From a cold steel rail
From a harsh, metallic industrial material?

A smile from a veil
Can you tell the difference between a genuine smile and a fake one disguising sadness?

Do you think you can tell
Do you believe yourself capable of recognizing these nuances?

Did they get you to trade
Were you convinced or manipulated into trading something of value?

Your heroes for ghosts
Did you give up your role models for unattainable phantoms?

Hot ashes for trees
Did you trade something practically useful for something purely aesthetic?

Hot air for a cool breeze
Did you give up something true and refreshing for something vacuous and insubstantial?

Cold comfort for change
Did you exchange temporary relief for something more substantive, albeit more challenging?

Did you exchange
Did you give something away for something else?

A walk on part in a war
Did you give up a small part in a difficult situation for a bigger role in a 'safe' situation, albeit at the cost of your own ideals?

For a lead role in a cage
Did you trade a little freedom for a big spotlight, but locked in place and restricted in creativity?

How I wish, how I wish you were here
I wish deeply that you could be here with me now.

We're just two lost souls
We are two people who feel directionless and disconnected from our surroundings.

Swimming in a fish bowl
We are existing entirely enclosed and restricted in our lives, as if in a fishbowl.

Year after year
This feeling has persisted for a long time, without change.

Running over the same old ground
We are continually facing the same challenges and obstacles.

And how we found
It's disappointing how little we've actually progressed.

The same old fears
We continue to face the same worries and anxieties that we always have.

Wish you were here
I lament your absence and wish that you could be present.

Writer(s): Pink Floyd

Contributed by Peyton W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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