Wish
floyd.malloy Lyrics

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So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from hell
Blue skies from pain
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
And how we found

The same old fears
Wish you were here

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Wish" by Pink Floyd are full of deep symbolism and commentary on human existence. The initial lines are a series of rhetorical questions that ask the listener to contemplate their ability to distinguish between what is good and bad, pleasurable and painful. The singer asks if the listener is capable of discerning a green field from a cold steel rail, or a genuine smile from a false one. The person being addressed is being challenged to think critically about their perception of the world around them.

The second verse of the song focuses more on societal pressures that force people to conform and sacrifice their passions and values. The singer asks if the listener has traded their heroes for ghosts, or if they have given up true happiness for status and material possessions. The image of a walk-on part in a war versus a lead role in a cage is particularly striking, emphasizing the idea that sometimes we make choices that lead us further away from true freedom.

Overall, "Wish" serves as a deep meditation on what it means to truly live and make decisions for oneself. The lyrics suggest that people can easily get lost in the noise of society and lose sight of what is genuinely rewarding and fulfilling.

Line by Line Meaning

So, so you think you can tell
Do you believe you have the ability to perceive and comprehend

Heaven from hell
Can you distinguish the difference between a utopia and a dystopia?

Blue skies from pain
Can you differentiate tranquility from distress?

Can you tell a green field
Are you able to recognize a natural environment

From a cold steel rail?
As opposed to an industrial setting?

A smile from a veil?
Can you differentiate a genuine expression from a concealed one?

Do you think you can tell?
Do you believe you have the acuity to comprehend?

Did they get you to trade
Did they persuade you to swap?

Your heroes for ghosts?
Your idols for apparitions?

Hot ashes for trees?
Did you exchange something valuable for something worthless?

Hot air for a cool breeze?
Did you exchange a refreshing atmosphere for a vacuous one?