Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an ea… Read Full Bio ↴Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time.

Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Under Barrett's leadership, they released two charting singles and the successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind the band's peak success with the albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). The musical film based on The Wall, Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), won two BAFTA Awards. Pink Floyd also composed several film scores.

Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced two more albums—A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994)—and toured in support of both before entering a long hiatus. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a one-off performance at the global awareness event Live 8. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was based on unreleased material from the Division Bell recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release the song "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" in protest of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and these albums and Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums of all time. Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200, and five topped the UK Album Chart. Pink Floyd's hit singles include "See Emily Play" (1967), "Money" (1973), "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (1979), "Not Now John" (1983), "On the Turning Away" (1987) and "High Hopes" (1994). They were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, Pink Floyd were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd

Studio albums
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
More (1969)
Ummagumma (1969)
Atom Heart Mother (1970)
Meddle (1971)
Obscured by Clouds (1972)
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Wish You Were Here (1975)
Animals (1977)
The Wall (1979)
The Final Cut (1983)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
The Division Bell (1994)
The Endless River (2014)

02 On The Run
Pink Floyd Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Instrumental

...Baggage, your passports ready, and follow the green line to customs and then to immigration.
BA two-one-five to Rome, Prado, Naples.
May I have your attention, please, customs will be receiving passengers for BA two-one-five to Rome, Prado, Naples...

Live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me. Ha-ha-ha-a-a-a-a-a!

Overall Meaning

Pink Floyd's "On The Run" is a thrilling instrumental piece that is meant to capture the feeling of being on the run. The lyrics at the beginning of the track serve as a sort of introduction to the piece, setting the stage for the rest of the music. The spoken words sound like the announcement of a flight at an airport, which reinforces the idea of being on the run or in a hurry to get somewhere. The lines "Live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me" further solidifies the idea that time is fleeting and constantly moving forward.

As the music begins, the listener is taken on a rollercoaster ride of electronic sounds, including pulsing synths, whooshing soundscapes, and other futuristic noises. This chaotic soundscape is meant to represent the feeling of being on the run and constantly moving forward, never stopping to rest. The music builds and builds, becoming more intense and disorienting until finally exploding into a climax of sound.

Line by Line Meaning

...Baggage, your passports ready, and follow the green line to customs and then to immigration.
Instructions to passengers to have their baggage and passports ready and to follow a specific route for customs and immigration checks.

BA two-one-five to Rome, Prado, Naples.
Announcement of the flight number and destinations for the flight to Rome, Prado, and Naples.

May I have your attention, please, customs will be receiving passengers for BA two-one-five to Rome, Prado, Naples...
Another announcement requesting the attention of passengers while notifying them that customs officers are now ready to receive them for the aforementioned flight.

Live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me. Ha-ha-ha-a-a-a-a-a!
A statement about the fleeting nature of life, with a lighthearted laughter at the end.

Contributed by Jacob E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS