Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd/PULSE CD2 Lyrics
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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
And how we found
The same old fears
Wish you were here
The song "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd is a melancholic tribute to Syd Barrett, the band's former lead singer who struggled with mental health issues and left the band in 1968. This song, which serves as the title track of their 1975 album, expresses the emotions of nostalgia, loss, and emptiness. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of someone who is trying to make sense of their surroundings and their own emotions. The opening lines, "So, so you think you can tell heaven from hell, Blue skies from pain," question whether the singer could differentiate between joy and sorrow, heaven and hell. The lyrics also refer to the loss of innocence and how the struggles of life can change a person's perceptions.
The next verse highlights how older and wiser people can exploit the youth's dreams and transform them into ghosts. The lyrics, "Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees," reveal how the romanticized dreams of the young might not work out in the end as they grow older. In the end, the song reflects on the feeling of loneliness and regret, wishing that the person who supported them through thick and thin was still there. This song famously features a haunting melody created by a 12-string acoustic guitar and has become an iconic classic over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
So, so you think you can tell
Do you believe that you are able to distinguish
Heaven from hell
Between places of paradise and places of torment
Blue skies from pain
Can you differentiate between happy times and sad times
Can you tell a green field
Can you distinguish an open field
From a cold steel rail?
From cold, lifeless steel bars?
A smile from a veil?
Can you tell if someone is truly happy, or if they are wearing a mask?
Do you think you can tell?
Do you believe that you are able to distinguish?
Did they get you to trade
Did they convince you to exchange
Your heroes for ghosts?
Your idols for nothingness?
Hot ashes for trees?
Discarding something previously cherished for something mundane
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Choosing something empty and meaningless for something refreshing and real
Cold comfort for change?
Has change caused you to feel lonely and left behind?
Did you exchange
Did you give up
A walk on part in the war
A role wherein you were relegated to the sidelines in a greater struggle
For a lead role in a cage?
Only to become a star met with isolation and confinement?
How I wish, how I wish you were here
I yearn for your presence and miss you terribly
We're just two lost souls
We are wandering aimlessly without a clear direction
Swimming in a fish bowl
Trapped and being scrutinized constantly
Year after year
Throughout a seemingly eternal cycle
Running over the same old ground
Continuously encountering identical obstacles and troubles
And how we found
We discovered
The same old fears
The same worries and concerns
Wish you were here
I deeply desired for you to be present
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: David Gilmour, Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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“Music is a moral law.
It gives soul to the universe,
wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination,
a charm to sadness,
gaiety and life to everything.
It is the essence of order
and lends to all that is good
and just and beautiful.”
- Plato
@alexandregomes2356
Essas músicas são umas verdadeiras obras prima.
@piarossi8224
Thank you love you all for the majestic work you give us
@carlosthielen3403
pink floyd, black uhuru y steel pulse lo mejor en musica! son los mejores
@vitorinoArte
Magnífico. ..genial.
@loriwashington7004
In my opinion, best Pink Floyd ever!!!!!
@ryanmartin3248
Absolutely my favorite version of Pink Floyd
@kameldaas8704
Yes, good musicale, i loveso much
@josemanuellopessalvador6553
I have this live Dvd Pulse amazing ...a piece or art....espetacular fabuloso,trabalho de deuses
@amedeocaroli26
Mostruosi spettacolari i concerti
@giuseppepiccirillo8502
The most beautiful and spectacular live album of all time!