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)
Nightmare
Pink Floyd Lyrics
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And the drop is shear and very high
The ravens all are watching
From a vantage point nearby
Apprehension creeping
Like a tube-train up your spine
Will the tightrope reach the end
Will the final couplet rhyme
And it's high time
Cymbaline
It's high time
Cymbaline
Please wake me
A butterfly with broken wings
Is falling by your side
The ravens all are closing in
And there's nowhere you can hide
Your manager and agent
Are both busy on the phone
Selling coloured photographs
To magazines back home
And it's high time
Cymbaline
It's high time
Cymbaline
Please wake me
The lines converging where you stand
They must have moved the picture plane
The leaves are heavy around your feet
You hear the thunder of the train
And suddenly it strikes you
That they're moving into range
Doctor Strange is always changing size
And it's high time
Cymbaline
It's high time
Cymbaline
Please wake me
The lines converging where you stand
They must have moved the picture plane
The leaves are heavy around your feet
You feel the thunder of the train
And suddenly it strikes you
That they're moving into range
Doctor Strange is always changing size
And it's high time
Cymbaline
It's high time
Cymbaline
Please wake me
The lyrics of Pink Floyd's "Cymbaline" are intriguing and complex, creating a vivid and nightmarish landscape of uncertainty and fear. The song's protagonist appears to be on a high wire, both literally and figuratively, as they navigate the perils of fame and the music industry. The "path you tread is narrow," and "the drop is shear and very high" signal the danger of falling from grace, both in the industry and in life. The metaphor of the butterflies with broken wings falling by the singer's side suggests that they too are damaged and struggling to stay afloat.
As the song progresses, the imagery becomes more surreal and disorienting, with references to Doctor Strange and the picture plane. The leaves being heavy around the singer's feet and the thunder of the train suggest a sense of impending doom. The final lines, "Please wake me," indicate that the dreamlike atmosphere of the song could be interpreted as a nightmare from which the singer desperately wants to escape.
Overall, "Cymbaline" is a haunting and atmospheric song that captures the uncertainty and fear that can arise when one is on the cusp of success but faces the possibility of failure.
Line by Line Meaning
The path you tread is narrow
The path you are taking is very precarious and difficult to maneuver.
And the drop is shear and very high
If you make a mistake on this path, the consequences can be very severe and fatal.
The ravens all are watching
Others are watching your every move and waiting for you to fail.
From a vantage point nearby
These onlookers have a strategic viewing point and can see everything you do.
Apprehension creeping
You are slowly starting to feel anxious and nervous about the situation.
Like a tube-train up your spine
This fear and anxiety is slowly building up inside you.
Will the tightrope reach the end
You are unsure whether you will reach the end of the path unscathed.
Will the final couplet rhyme
You are worried if you will successfully complete the task at hand.
And it's high time
It's imperative that you act now.
Cymbaline
This is a reference to a song that emphasizes the urgency of the situation.
Please wake me
You wish to wake up from this nightmare.
A butterfly with broken wings
Someone or something that was once beautiful has been damaged and is now falling apart.
Is falling by your side
This damaged entity is close to you and affecting your situation.
The ravens all are closing in
Others are taking advantage of this vulnerable situation and closing in on you.
And there's nowhere you can hide
You have no escape from this situation.
Your manager and agent
Those who are supposed to protect and guide you are too busy with their own agendas.
Are both busy on the phone
They are not paying attention to your needs and are more concerned with their own interests.
Selling coloured photographs
They are exploiting your situation for personal gain.
To magazines back home
They are profiting from your struggles and selling them to a distant audience.
The lines converging where you stand
The situation is starting to come together and become clear.
They must have moved the picture plane
Something has shifted or changed, making the situation harder to navigate.
The leaves are heavy around your feet
You are beginning to feel weighed down and trapped in this situation.
You hear the thunder of the train
You are starting to hear the danger approaching or getting closer.
And suddenly it strikes you
You become fully aware of the danger and the threat it poses.
That they're moving into range
The danger is getting closer and you are very vulnerable.
Doctor Strange is always changing size
This is a reference to a fictional character who is unpredictable and can't be controlled.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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