Sorrow
Pink Floyd (mélQdramâ) Lyrics


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The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land

Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky:

A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers

But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking


He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise

In his youth or a dream he can't be precise

He's chained forever to a world that's departed

It's not enough it's not enough



His blood has frozen & curdled with fright

His knees have trembled & given way in the night

His hand has weakened at the moment of truth

His step has faltered



One world, one soul

Time pass, the river rolls



It's not enough it's not enough

His hand has faltered

.... .... ......



And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication

And silent replies that swirl invitation

Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea

A grim intimation of what is to be



There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night

And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight

And silence that speaks so much louder that words,





Of promises broken

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pink Floyd's song "Sorrow" touches upon the theme of loss. The opening line of the song "The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land" sets the mood for the rest of the song. The plumes of smoke rising into the sky signify destruction and the end of something once beautiful. The imagery of a man dreaming of green fields and rivers is a reflection of his lost paradise which he can't retrieve. The man is haunted by the memory of his lost paradise, which could be either his youth or a dream that he once had. He is chained to a world that has departed, and it's not enough to just exist in this world.


The lyrics further delve into the man's psyche as it tells the story of how he has frozen with fright, his knees trembled and given way in the night, and his hand has weakened at the moment of truth. The man's vulnerability is highlighted through these lines. The song also includes a reference to time passing and the river rolls, suggesting that life goes on, despite the man's feelings of being stuck in a world that has passed away. The chorus, "It's not enough, it's not enough," represents the man's dissatisfaction with the current state of his life.


The final verse of the song has the man talking to the river about his lost love and dedication. The river flows dark and troubled to an oily sea, suggesting that his problems are bigger than his own self, and they are environmental. Despite the unceasing wind that blows through the night and the dust that blinds his sight, the silence speaks louder than words of broken promises. The song overall reflects the loss of something beautiful and the feeling of being lost and stuck in a world that has changed.


Line by Line Meaning

The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
A feeling of immense sorrow has engulfed the land and its people.


Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky:
Smoke arising from burning fields or factories is adding on to the gloomy atmosphere of the sky.


A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers
The man dreams of a better world which is abundant in natural beauty that he has lost forever.


But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking
He wakes up to a life that feels pointless and empty without any purpose.


He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
The man is haunted by the memory of a better time that he once had and wants to go back to it.


In his youth or a dream he can't be precise
He is unsure if this memory is from his youth or if it is just a dream he had once.


He's chained forever to a world that's departed
The man feels trapped in a world that no longer exists and longs to go back to his lost paradise.


It's not enough it's not enough
Whatever the man is experiencing at present is not enough to quench his thirst for the lost paradise.


His blood has frozen & curdled with fright
The man has been taken by surprise and is now scared.


His knees have trembled & given way in the night
The man is so scared that he falls to the ground with his knees trembling.


His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
When he is about to face the ultimate truth, his hand fails him and he is unable to handle it.


His step has faltered
The man's spirit is broken and his will to move forward has collapsed.


One world, one soul
The entire world is connected and everyone shares the same soul or essence.


Time pass, the river rolls
Like time, the river keeps flowing, changing, and moving on.


And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
The man confides in the river and pours his heart out about his lost love and commitment.


And silent replies that swirl invitation
The river responds with a swirling invitation that is silent but gives the man a sense of peace and acceptance.


Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
The river, which was once flowing, clear, and beautiful, now flows to a gloomy, dark, and contaminated sea.


A grim intimation of what is to be
This change in the river's flow is a warning of what is to come in the future, and it is not good news.


There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
The man feels a constant, cold, and bitter wind blowing through the night, further adding to his sorrow and loneliness.


And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
The wind blows dust into the man's eyes which blinds him and makes it hard for him to see ahead.


And silence that speaks so much louder than words,
The silence around the man speaks volumes, telling him that something is very wrong here and he needs to pay attention.


Of promises broken
The deadly silence is the manifestation of how all promises have been broken and all hope is lost.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: DAVE GILMOUR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@ifradbinzahed2263

Lyrics
The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking

He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough

His blood has frozen and curdled with fright
His knees have trembled and given way in the night
His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
His step has faltered

One world, one soul
Time pass, the river roll

And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
And silent replies that swirl invitation
Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
A grim intimation of what is to be

There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
And silence that speaks so much louder than words
Of promises broken



@benburton2701

"Sorrow"

The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking

He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough

His blood has frozen and curdled with fright
His knees have trembled and given way in the night
His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
His step has faltered

One world, one soul
Time pass, the river rolls

And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
And silent replies that swirl invitation
Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
A grim intimation of what is to be

There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
And silence that speaks so much louder than words
Of promises broken



All comments from YouTube:

@atakangokeer

One of the best concerts in human history.

@jpmbz

I saw this exact tour at the Rose Bowl two nights in a row April 16th &17th 1994, 20th row dead center both nights. I saw The Wall live at the LA Sports Arena 2/7/1980!

@Average_Internet_DMC_420

@jpmbz agreed

@Average_Internet_DMC_420

the music was legendary and it was perfect

@tasmienvanvuuren1596

It was and still is the best bro

@mike-in-fla4717

FACT!!

91 More Replies...

@chrissilvester5663

David Gilmour's guitar playing is some of the finest ever seen. That solo man is just incredible. Sorrow is one of Pink Floyd's most underrated tunes

@Quake120

I've seen other people play this exact solo and while they can easily hit every note, they just don't sound like Gilmour. He has this uncanny ability to make every note sound clear but also incredibly smooth together. It's like silk! It makes him one of the best sounding guitar players ever.

I can't imagine how it must feel to play guitar like this with tens of thousands of watts of amplification behind it. You must be able to feel every single note. It has to be so thrilling!
The solo on this song is amazing. It's just like all of the musicians are jamming like crazy and having a damned good time doing it.

@ShingenNolaan

Not anymore. Not for me. This performance is just flawless and my only mistake in life is that I discovered it and floyds so late.

@idum01

nothing is underrated, only in your dreams.

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