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)

Goodbye Blue Skies
Pink Floyd Lyrics

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Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky

Ooh
Did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the
Promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue
Sky?

Ooh
Did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on

Goodbye, blue sky
Goodbye, blue sky
Goodbye
Goodbye

The eleven fifteen from Newcastle is now approaching
The eleven eighteen arrival

Overall Meaning

Goodbye Blue Sky by Pink Floyd is a hauntingly beautiful anti-war song that poetically tells the story of a child witnessing the horrors of war, as well as the lasting effects it leaves on those who experience it. The opening line, "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky," serves as a stark contrast to the lines that follow, which describe the destruction and chaos that the child now sees. The repetition of the question, "Did you see the frightened ones? Did you hear the falling bombs?" emphasizes the fear and impact of war on both those directly involved and those who are bystanders.

The chorus, "Goodbye, blue sky," is a poignant farewell to the hopefulness and innocence that the clear blue sky represents. The line, "The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on," speaks to the long-lasting emotional trauma and scars that wars leave on people and communities.

The final lines about the train arriving in Newcastle suggest a return to normalcy but also a sense of indifference towards the trauma experienced. Overall, Goodbye Blue Sky is a thought-provoking, emotionally powerful song that explores the devastating effects of war on individuals and society as a whole.

Line by Line Meaning

Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky
A child excitedly points out an airplane in the sky to their mother.

Did you see the frightened ones?
The child asks if their mother saw the people who were afraid.

Did you hear the falling bombs?
The child asks if their mother heard the sound of bombs falling.

Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the Promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue Sky?
The child questions why people had to hide from danger when they were promised a better future.

The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on
Although the physical damage caused by war may be over, the emotional trauma still persists.

Goodbye, blue sky
The singer bids farewell to a peaceful sky that is now marred by war and destruction.

The eleven fifteen from Newcastle is now approaching
This line appears to be disconnected from the rest of the song and may be meant to represent a train arrival time.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Roger Waters

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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