Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here Meaning

Song Released: 1975

Wish You Were Here Lyrics

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?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for...

1. anonymous

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   Jun 19th 2007 !⃝

   This song is about the band coping with sudden superstardom.
   
   The difference between a green field and a steel rail, is the price of the ticket, and the seat that you get at the concert.
   
   The difference between a smile and a veil, is if the band is really happy to be their, or just putting on a happy face for show.
   
   
   The whole next verse is about offering to exchange places with the fans, actually that is what the whole song is about.
   
   The fish bowl is the stadium that we, (fans and the band, ((2 lost souls)), ) keep swimming through year after year, going over the same songs.
   
   The song is about not having fun as a superstar, and I kind of get the feeling that they don't want us to keep filling up the fish bowl.
2. swestvballplyr27

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   Feb 22nd 2007 !⃝

   Syd Barrett died July 7th 2006 in Cambridge, England at age 60
3. anonymous

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   Feb 9th 2007 !⃝

   um yeah Syd Barett is dead

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. killabee123

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   Jan 7th 2007 !⃝

   It could be about syd but I think it's about choosing between good and bad.
5. anonymous

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   Oct 11th 2006 !⃝

   I personally think that this song is about whatever you want it to mean.. I mean the group could have directed it towards syds departure, but I also think that they wanted listeners to link the goups views to yours, so you can also personaly relate to the song andnot just syd.
6. anonymous

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   Sep 8th 2006 !⃝

   Yes I got it out of a newspaper the song wish you were here is about syd barrett. Its about when he left the band they missed him doing the songs, so they made the album wish you were here.
7. anonymous

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   Aug 2nd 2006 !⃝

   Ok, guess he is dead then.
8. anonymous

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   Jul 13th 2006 !⃝

   Syd just died this week
9. anonymous

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   Jun 22nd 2006 !⃝

   Why are people so stupid? get facts right before you post SYD BARRETT ISN'T DEAD and he has never been dead so just fucking think or maybe research before you post, idiots.
10. anonymous

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    Mar 18th 2006 !⃝

    I reckon this song is about Roger Water's dad and how he wishes that he was here

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

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    Feb 16th 2006 !⃝

    The phrase "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" may refer to Roger Waters' and David Gilmore's feelings about the band's uncertain future and having to live their lives under public scrutiny.
    
    "Living in a fish bowl" means to live life under public scrutiny. The word "living" may have been changed to "swimming" to make it more metaphorically correct. The number of souls could have been changed from "four" to "two" to make it more personal (one on one) rather than revealing that the band is the subject in the song.
12. anonymous

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    Feb 14th 2006 !⃝

    Syd Barrett would have gone insane with or without the help of LSD.
    He was psychologically weak.
    Pink Floyd wanted to visit him after his melt-down but his mother forbade it.
    He did put out a few albums later which are actually considered quite good but the producers must have had a hell of a time keeping him focused
13. anonymous

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    Feb 13th 2006 !⃝

    According to an interview with Roger Waters, none of the songs were about Syd Barret. He stated that they were written to describe the current state of the band and the music industry. Only after the public presumed that the album was about Syd did the band decide to dedicate it to him. This "Urban Legend" only adds to the difficulty of interpreting the song.
    
    In the literal sense, I believe that the song is directed to a dead friend or family member. Only after shooting a video tour of a family cemetery and setting it to the music of Pink Floyd did it hit me.
    
    In the middle of a big green field is a small cemetery plot surrounded by a white wrought-iron fence. The only trees nearby were the ones inside. It was a hot summer day and a cool breeze was blowing. Inside the fence were several markers. Among the lead role were the headstones of the few who had died in battle - the heroes. The fence is a cage, coffins have cold steel rails, and the veil hides the face of the widow. The clincher for me was this inscription on one of the headstones: "Stranger CAN YOU TELL is this where individuality ceases or does it exist beyond."
    
    The band had reached its peak with the success of DSOTM, and Mr. Waters was conveying the band's feelings after their two-year hiatus. I'm still not sure if the band is speaking to the public and music industry from the grave or if the public and music industry are speaking to the band in the grave.
14. FOrceFedjetta

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    Feb 7th 2006 !⃝

    Yeah the song itself isn't about Syd Barret but the mood can be related to missing him in there journey as a band. HE IS NOT DEAD(at least he wasn't when the song was written. Not sure where he is now)

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. anonymous

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    Jan 26th 2006 !⃝

    I agree with it being about Syd.
    Dissecting the song doesn't ruin anything. Songs are meant to be dissected. If anything, it helps you to truly appreciate the artist and spark a thought. Take your own meaning from the songs and apply them to your life. Maybe you'll see something in a way you've never thought of before.

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