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)
Mathilda Mother
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His majesty was in command
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showers silver on the people
Oh Mother, tell me more
Why'd'ya have to leave me there
Hanging in my infant air
You only have to read the lines
They're scribbly black and everything shines
Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news
A thousand misty riders climb up
Higher once upon a time
Wandering and dreaming
The words have different meaning
Yes they did
For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
And fairy sories held me high on
Clouds of sunlight floating by
Oh Mother, tell me more
Tell me more
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
The lyrics of Pink Floyd's song Mathilda Mother are rich with imagery and symbolism, leaving a lot of room for interpretation. The first verse creates a fantastical world ruled by a king with silver eyes and a scarlet eagle that showers silver on the people. The chorus expresses a longing for more information from a mother figure, specifically asking why she left the singer hanging in his infant air. The second verse shifts to a scene by a stream with a thousand misty riders climbing up higher once upon a time. The final verse talks about spending time in a room with a doll's house, darkness, and old perfume, with fairy stories transporting the singer on clouds of sunlight.
One possible interpretation of the song is that it reflects the psychedelic and whimsical nature of 1960s counterculture, with references to kings, misty riders, and fairy tales. The lyrics also explore a sense of dislocation and longing, with the singer asking for more information from a mother figure and seeking escape through imagination. The chorus, in particular, seems to express a desire for closure and understanding about an unresolved childhood experience. Ultimately, the song presents a dreamlike world that captures the surreal and mysterious qualities of the human psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a king who ruled the land
Once upon a time, there was a king who controlled everything.
His majesty was in command
The king was the ultimate authority figure.
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
The eagle with bright red feathers has silver eyes.
Showers silver on the people
The eagle drops silver onto the people, showering them in riches.
Oh Mother, tell me more
The artist is asking their mother for more information.
Why'd'ya have to leave me there
The singer is asking their mother why she abandoned them.
Hanging in my infant air
The singer is recalling a feeling of helplessness when they were a baby.
Waiting
The artist is reminiscing about a time they had to wait for something.
You only have to read the lines
The artist is saying that everything they need to know is written in front of them.
They're scribbly black and everything shines
The words may be messy, but the artist finds them insightful.
Across the stream with wooden shoes
People cross a stream while wearing wooden shoes.
With bells to tell the king the news
Bells are used to alert the king of important news.
A thousand misty riders climb up
Many riders are ascending a foggy hill.
Higher once upon a time
In the past, things were much better.
Wandering and dreaming
The singer is aimlessly walking and thinking.
The words have different meaning
Words can have multiple interpretations.
Yes they did
The artist confirms that words used to have multiple meanings.
For all the time spent in that room
The singer spent a lot of time in one particular room.
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
The room had a doll's house, was dark, and had a vintage scent.
And fairy sories held me high on
Fairy tales made the artist feel lighthearted and elevated.
Clouds of sunlight floating by
The room was filled with a fantastical and bright atmosphere.
Tell me more
The artist urges their mother to share more information.
Aaaaaaaah
This line contains no discernible meaning.
Aaaaaaaah
This line contains no discernible meaning.
Aaaaaaaah
This line contains no discernible meaning.
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jojo45180
There was a king who ruled the land
His majesty was in command
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showers silver on the people...
Oh mother
Tell me more
Why'd'ya have to leave me there
Hanging in my infant air
Waiting?
You only have to read the lines
They're scribbly black and everything shines
Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news
A thousand misty riders climb up
Higher once upon a time
Wandering and dreaming
The words have different meaning
Yes they did
For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
And fairy stories held me high on
Clouds of sunlight floating by
Oh mother
Tell me more
Tell me more
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
@sq1tl
Lyrics:
There was a king who ruled the land,
His Majesty was in command.
With silver eyes, the scarlet eagle
showered silver on the people.
Oh, Mother, tell me more.
Why’d ya have to leave me there,
hanging in my infant air, waiting?
You only have to read the lines of scribbly black,
and everything shines.
Across the stream, with wooden shoes,
bells to tell the king the news.
A thousand misty riders climb up -
Higher once upon a time.
Wondering and dreaming,
the words have different meaning.
Yes they did.
Aaahh…
For all the time spent in that room,
with doll’s house, darkness, old perfume and
fairy stories held me high on
clouds of sunlight floating by.
Oh, Mother - tell me more.
Tell me more!
@garyroy6497
here are the lyrics:
There was a boy whose name was Jim
His friends, they were very good to him
They gave him tea, and cakes and jam
And slices of delicious ham
Oh Mother tell me more
Why'd'you have to leave me there
Hanging in my infant air, waiting
You only have to read the lines of
Scribbly black and everything shines
The chief defect of Henry King
Was chewing little bits of string
At last he swallowed some which tied
Itself in ugly knots inside
Wondering and dreaming
The words have different meanings
Yes they did
Finding she was left alone
Went tiptoe to the telephone, 999
Summoned the immediate aid
Of London's Noble Fire Brigade
For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house darkness old perfume
And fairy stories held me high
On clouds of sunlight floating by
Oh Mother tell me more
Tell me more
@randomloren6657
The best thing is when those who manage the official Pink Floyd page keep uploading songs by Syd 💎
@BilisNegra
And have comments enabled, a fairly rare sight these days.
@tanvir4hmed
And let me breath here, in peace, forever 🎧
@joshuatyson1907
Every band should have someone in charge of putting all their music online, so this shouldn’t be anything new or special. It’s also somewhat the page runner’s job to upload all releases they have access to, so this album probably should’ve been here way earlier since it isn’t exactly a hidden gem or anything
@joshuatyson1907
@@BilisNegraThat’s only seen by bands that actually run their own page, whether it’s the whole band or just one member. Sadly some of the bigger bands like Metallica don’t have comments active on their videos
@johnsrous1616
Pink Floyd fans, true fans, appreciate the Syd Barrett years as much as the commercially successful ones of the Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason years.
@MattW30356
Syd was such a fantastic vocalist.
@ThaiThom
And so was Rick! RIP to them both
@rorogogo6241
COMPOSER
@Motttttttt
Ok but think about the fact that one day it’s going to be Several Species of Small Furry Animals