In the original album version, the song segues from "Have a Cigar" as if a radio had been tuned away from one station, through several others (including a radio play and one playing Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony), and finally to a new station where "Wish You Were Here" is beginning. Gilmour performed the intro on a twelve-string guitar, processed to sound like it was playing through an old transistor radio, and then overdubbed a fuller-sounding acoustic guitar solo. This passage was mixed to sound as though the guitarist was sitting in a room, playing along with the radio; it also contains a whine that slowly changes pitch—emulating the heterodyne between two drifting AM radio signals.
The intro riff is repeated several times and reprised when Gilmour plays further solos with scat singing accompaniment. At the end of the recorded song, the final solo crossfades with wind sound effects (reminiscent of "One of These Days" from the 1971 album Meddle), and finally segues into the second section of the multi-part suite "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Yes, and um, I'm with you Derek, this star nonsense)
(Yes, yes)
(Now, which is it?)
(I am sure of it)
So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from hell?
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here
The song "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd was released in 1975 and is considered one of their most iconic songs. The song is about the feelings of estrangement and disconnection that the songwriter feels and reflects on the culture of greed and corruption that has become dominant. The song talks about how people trade their true heroes for ghosts and get lost in the rat race of the corporate world. The first lines of the song suggest that the singer is skeptical about the therapeutic methods used by society to reform people, which includes discipline and penal systems.
The lyrics then move on to ask some soul-searching questions, which are poetic and philosophical in nature. The singer asks the listener if they can tell the difference between heaven and hell, blue skies and pain, or even a smile and a veil. These questions are intended to provoke introspection in the listener and make them question their belief system. The lyrics then shift to accuse society of creating a system where people get comfortable with discomfort, which is shown by the exchange of hot ashes for trees, hot air for a cool breeze, and cold comfort for change.
The song then moves on to a personal lament where the singer expresses their longing for a person who is not present. This could be interpreted as a mourning of a loved one who has passed away or a longing for a more authentic connection in a world where people are increasingly disconnected. The song's final lines "we're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, running over the same old ground, what have we found? The same old fears, wish you were here" eloquently portray the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of repetition and the desire for a deeper connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, and disciplinary remains mercifully
Acknowledging a strict authority figure who is nonetheless doing their job with empathy
Yes, and um, I'm with you Derek, this star nonsense
Expressing agreement with someone else's frustration about trivialities
Yes, yes
An affirmative response, indicating understanding or agreement
Now, which is it?
Asking for clarification or a decision to be made
I am sure of it
Expressing confidence in one's own belief or statement
So, so you think you can tell
Challenging the listener's perception or ability to distinguish certain qualities
Heaven from hell?
Asking whether one can tell the difference between good and evil or happiness and misery
Blue skies from pain?
Asking whether one can appreciate beauty in the midst of suffering
Can you tell a green field
Asking whether one can differentiate between nature and man-made constructs
From a cold steel rail?
Drawing a contrast between the beauty of nature and the harshness of industrialization
A smile from a veil?
Asking whether one can see through a facade or recognize true emotion
Do you think you can tell?
Repeating the earlier challenges, demanding a response from the listener
Did they get you to trade
Questioning whether one has willingly given up something valuable for a false promise or illusion
Your heroes for ghosts?
Asking whether one has replaced real inspiration with empty images or ideals
Hot ashes for trees?
Pondering whether one has sacrificed something of substance for something that appears grand but is ultimately useless
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Asking whether one has been tricked into accepting something empty and hollow in place of something refreshing and real
Cold comfort for change?
Wondering whether one has settled for the illusion of stability and familiarity instead of seeking true progress and growth
Did you exchange
Continuing to question whether the listener made a misguided trade or choice
A walk on part in the war
Asking whether one has bought into a harmful or senseless struggle without realizing their role in it is small and insignificant
For a lead role in a cage?
Asking whether one has given up their freedom and individuality for the sake of fitting into a rigid system or societal expectation
How I wish, how I wish you were here
Expressing a deep longing for something or someone absent
We're just two lost souls
Acknowledging a shared feeling of disorientation and disconnection from the world
Swimming in a fish bowl
Feeling trapped and exposed, with no privacy or control over one's environment
Year after year
Emphasizing the enduring, unchanging nature of this feeling or situation
Running over the same old ground
Stuck in a repetitive cycle or pattern, unable to make real progress or change
What have we found?
Questioning the meaning or value of this situation
The same old fears
Identifying a recurring source of anxiety, doubt, or discomfort
Wish you were here
Repeating the earlier sentiment of longing for something or someone absent
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: David Gilmour, Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Viktoria Damgaard
To all the fathers who introduced us to Pink Floyd ❤
kbell0
And brothers❤
Yevhen Merzlikin
Yep... Its true❤😭
Dutch861
Indeed ❤
Dr. James Olack
@viktoriadamgaard5938
You’re welcome, young missy. It was my pleasure. Will be 71 in October.
Never Stop Rockin, Viktoria. You’ll never grow old. [100th👍 for you]
😉👋
Imran Harith
Discover myself.
Child Of Nature
This song hits harder when you've lost a parent. You can never look back at your childhood in the same way. It's always tinged with sadness.
Muramasa's Edge
I know just what you mean Love.
Beth Watkins
I lost 2 boys (men) who played this on their guitars together. It’ll always “mean” something. I lost my mom last year. Means something… I think it’s supposed to have meaning and not be void of it. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Krystal Payne
I agree with this 110%... I'd give almost anything to go back to save her.. if I'd have just went in her room to say goodnight like I always did... but not that night.. she loved Pink Floyd. Her mom and step-dad were famous rock n roll photographers and boy, the life she had was astonishing! The things people dream of doing were day to day normal life for her... I was so lucky to have her in my life. Either I lived with her or she with me all my 33 years of life (I'm now 34 but she passed while I was 33, Oct 1st 2022). I completely understand what you mean. I'm sorry for your loss too, darlin. I hope you find peace and have support. Your parent(s) would not want you to stay heartbroken and sad. They always wanted you to be happy, healthy and do well for yourself, I just KNOW it. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜