On the Turning Away
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
"Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it's shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
Mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
Pink Floyd’s “On the Turning Away” depicts a message of compassion, empathy and togetherness. The song addresses the issue of individuals turning their backs on the homeless, disadvantaged and oppressed individuals of society. The opening lyrics speak of rejecting the downtrodden and the less fortunate, despite not understanding the thoughts and the emotions of the people. The chorus emphasizes the importance of not being indifferent to the sufferings of others as it ultimately leads to “the turning away”.
The second verse emphasizes the sin of the light changing to shadow and casting its shroud over our lives. It highlights how people are being driven by their heart of stone, and advocate that we may end up living in the dream of the proud. The third verse speaks of a new wind of change and how individual people could find themselves in a world without isolation or loneliness. Towards the end of the song, Pink Floyd asserts that it takes all of us to make a difference so we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the needs of the people around us.
In conclusion, "On the Turning Away" is a call for us all to be more aware of the struggles of the marginalized, the oppressed and the less fortunate members of society. It illustrates the need for people to unite, and for us to embrace the differences in others if we hope to eliminate feelings of isolation, marginalization, and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
On the turning away
We are turning away from something/someone.
From the pale and downtrodden
We are turning away from people who are weak and worn out.
And the words they say
We are also turning away from their words.
Which we won't understand
We won't understand their words because we are not listening.
Don't accept that what's happening
We should not ignore the suffering of others.
Is just a case of others' suffering
It's not just about them, it's a problem for all of us.
Or you'll find that you're joining in
If we don't care, it will become our problem too.
The turning away
Refers to the act of turning away from others.
It's a sin that somehow
Refers to the fact that it's wrong for us to ignore the suffering of others.
Light is changing to shadow
The good things in life are turning bad.
And casting it's shroud
And this darkness is spreading over everything we know.
Over all we have known
It's affecting everything we've ever known.
Unaware how the ranks have grown
We may not realize how many people are affected.
Driven on by a heart of stone
We are driven by our own selfishness and indifference.
We could find that we're all alone
In the end, if we do nothing, we will be alone.
In the dream of the proud
The proud will live in their own bubble and dream of a perfect world.
On the wings of the night
At night, when everything is quiet.
As the daytime is stirring
While the rest of the world is waking up.
Where the speechless unite
Where we can come together without words.
In a silent accord
In a peaceful agreement.
Using words you will find are strange
We are using different language to communicate with others.
Mesmerized as they light the flame
We are fascinated and energized by these new words.
Feel the new wind of change
We feel a change coming.
No more turning away
We need to stop turning away from the suffering of others.
From the weak and the weary
We need to support those who are weak and tired.
No more turning away
We cannot ignore the problems around us anymore.
From the coldness inside
We should not let our selfishness keep us from caring about others.
Just a world that we all must share
We need to remember that we all live in the same world.
It's not enough just to stand and stare
We cannot simply watch from the sidelines.
Is it only a dream that there'll be
Will we ever be able to make it a reality?
No more turning away?
We need to stop turning away and start taking action.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Anthony Jon Moore, David Jon Gilmour
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HDPinkFloyd
Personnel your included enjoy !
Pink Floyd
David Gilmour – guitars, console steel guitar, lead vocals
Nick Mason – drums, percussion
Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Time" & "Comfortably Numb"
Additional musicians
Jon Carin – keyboards, programming, backing vocals,
Rachel Fury – backing vocals
Durga McBroom – backing vocals
Scott Page – saxophones, guitar, oboe on "Terminal Frost" (2019 version only)
Guy Pratt – bass guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and "Run Like Hell"
Tim Renwick – guitars, backing vocals
Margaret Taylor – backing vocals
Gary Wallis – percussion, additional keyboards
FULL CONCERT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3bDeJtTtyw
enjoy !
@PedroSanchez300
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite in a silent accord
Using words, you will find, are strange
Mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
@faunwillow
❤On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite in a silent accord
Using words, you will find, are strange
Mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: David Jon Gilmour / Anthony Jon Moore
@HDPinkFloyd
Personnel your included enjoy !
Pink Floyd
David Gilmour – guitars, console steel guitar, lead vocals
Nick Mason – drums, percussion
Richard Wright – keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Time" & "Comfortably Numb"
Additional musicians
Jon Carin – keyboards, programming, backing vocals,
Rachel Fury – backing vocals
Durga McBroom – backing vocals
Scott Page – saxophones, guitar, oboe on "Terminal Frost" (2019 version only)
Guy Pratt – bass guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and "Run Like Hell"
Tim Renwick – guitars, backing vocals
Margaret Taylor – backing vocals
Gary Wallis – percussion, additional keyboards
FULL CONCERT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3bDeJtTtyw
enjoy !
@nanonaice
I wish coming to watching your music live but so difficult to me hahaha because I m from Syria
I love pink floyd ❤❤❤
@j.s.o.c.923
HDPinkFloyd grazie fratello 🙏
@carlaines8154
Grandioso! Grazie 💓🎶🎸💖😍💓
@zakmoon7065
Awesome!
@mikojmable
Merci pour le partage !
@maccostello1702
I'm 81 years old, and this song is still #1 on my playlist !!
@jarrodpage8200
Me too brother and I'm 52,where are you from?
@Gormdub
age doesnt matter nuff nuff
@BourbonBandit-
why lie about that lol