A New Machine
Pink Floyd Lyrics


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I have always been here
I have always looked out from behind these eyes
It feels like more than a lifetime
Feels like more than a lifetime

Sometimes i get tired of the waiting
Sometimes i get tired of being in here
Is this the way it has always been?
Could it ever have been different?

Do you ever get tired of the waiting?
Do you ever get tired of being in there?




Don't worry, nobody lives forever,
Nobody lives forever

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Pink Floyd's "A New Machine" are introspective and contemplative, expressing the feeling of being trapped in one's own mind and body. The opening lines "I have always been here, I have always looked out from behind these eyes" suggest a deep-seated sense of permanence, a feeling that one has always existed in this form and cannot escape it. The repetition of the phrase "Feels like more than a lifetime" reinforces this sense of being stuck, of time stretching out endlessly before and behind the singer.


The second stanza shifts the focus to a sense of restlessness, a desire to escape or break free from this state. The repetition of the phrase "Sometimes I get tired of" emphasizes the cyclical nature of these feelings, which seem to come and go but ultimately never disappear. The question "Could it ever have been different?" suggests a longing for a different life or a different way of being, but also a recognition that this may not be possible. The chorus offers a moment of comforting nihilism, reassuring the singer (and the listener) that nobody lives forever and that this too shall pass.


Overall, the lyrics to "A New Machine" suggest a deep existential unease, a sense of being trapped in one's own body and mind and unable to escape. The cyclical nature of the emotions expressed in the song suggests that this feeling may be a recurring one, a part of the human condition that we all experience at some point.


Line by Line Meaning

I have always been here
I have existed within this body and consciousness for as long as I can remember


I have always looked out from behind these eyes
I have always experienced life through the perspective of my own eyes and mind


It feels like more than a lifetime
The experiences and memories of my life seem to surpass the limitations of time and space


Feels like more than a lifetime
The sensation of time passing feels like it has carried on beyond what I thought was possible


Sometimes I get tired of the waiting
Occasionally, the process of waiting for something to happen or for change to occur becomes exhausting


Sometimes I get tired of being in here
At times, the feeling of confinement or being trapped in one's own body or mind becomes overwhelming


Is this the way it has always been?
I question whether my current state of being and experiences are all that has ever existed


Could it ever have been different?
I ponder the possibility of an alternate past or present that could have resulted in a different reality


Do you ever get tired of the waiting?
I inquire if others also find waiting to be a tedious and arduous process


Do you ever get tired of being in there?
I ask if anyone else experiences the feeling of being trapped in their own mind or body


Don't worry, nobody lives forever
Despite the struggles and uncertainties of life, it is important to remember that everyone has a finite existence


Nobody lives forever
Death is an inevitability that all living beings must face




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

Long-Haired Luigi

To this way, this is simply one of the most remarkable lyrics I've ever heard.

Gilmour informing us that in reality he is a human soul in his earthly body looking out, and reminding us that we are the same...

...that is an AMAZINGLY deep idea, from the first time I heard it it just grappled me and made me aware of myself being a soul looking out from my own eyes like a window, while all "behind" my vision is all dark because I'm in here... and one day will be out when my own lifetime is complete...

...and yet I've never once tried drugs or liquor, and STILL this lyric made me take strong notice of its concept. Tooo me a while to shake. Sort of like being made aware of your tounge, or breathing.

I wasn't surprised to learn in Wikipedia at least one music critic called this brilliant - because it is - and another at the time had also made the remark that Pink Floyd's remarkable talent "makes the listener believe they are on drugs". Which is also true.

THIS, my friends, is the sort of pieces that demonstrates perfectly what distinguishes The Floyd's brilliance apart from the rest of the pack! :D



All comments from YouTube:

Luke Bradford

The way Gilmour sings "Nobody lives forever" gives me goosebumps.

Jason

Me to every time I listen to it🙂

Believe Oseiwe

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Soundchaser2010

Everything about Pink Floyd is extraordinary

Forestdwellers86

In my opinion one of the best ever by Floyd...A New Machine is for me someone contemplating the most difficult questions of life..."Do you ever get tired of being in there"...."Don't worry, Nobody lives forever..." It could be interpreted literally as the New Machine getting old and dysfunctional, and looking back on its existence as having any meaning...or metaphorically, as a "human" machine, questioning the pillars of existence...senses (the sight of "looking out from these eyes"), mortality, temporal life...unbelievable poetry and production...sorry Waters but Gilmour is giving you a run for his money in this piece...

eNeNe

Exactly! But the Roger's camp will never get the fact that the abstract is more sublime then here and now. Roger's songs deal with the here and now, with the mundane one might even say. And in his arrogance he believes that's superior to everything else. But it's not, It's simply different. In fact, traditionally the abstract has always been seen as superior to the "profane".

Mc Spicy

Everyone has their ignorances and interests. Everyone has a different point of view, and lives in a different condition. But if we are to ever see the pure objective truth of our existence, this is the type of philosophy we need to be focused on. As a society, it may not be easy, but it is necessary if we plan to escape entropy; the end goal of any aware being. Anyone agree?

Darren Ocean

I agree wholeheartedly. I, like everyone at that time, saw the wright-ing on the wall, (ix-nay on the pun-pardoning), after the final cutting of "Requiem for the post-war dream". I for one wasn't that bummed because after weighing the pros and cons, I knew the Tree of Floyd would just grow another branch and we'd get twice the product in a more time-ly fashion. A momentary lapse of KAOS and BOOM! Best of both worlds. But I sure would like to see a pay-per-view MMA Waters v. Gilmour match. I'd love to ring the division bell on that match.

Thomas Black

@eNeNe Agreed. Waters' arrogance detracts from his talent and creativity. He also seems like an angry, somewhat mean-spirited guy.

Kaleido

I wouldn't call a new machine music, but pure poetry.

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