What does Comfortably Numb mean?

Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb Meaning

Album cover for Comfortably Numb album cover

Song Released: 1980


Comfortably Numb Lyrics

Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?

Come on, now.
I hear you’re feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.

Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the...

  1. JolHarro
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    Jul 31st 2007 !⃝

    People who believe this song is about heroin and drugs don't have a clue. Its a story told by waters about when he had a fever when he was younger and got the same felling when he became an adult. He went on stage feeling sick and it reminded him of him as a child. When he was on stage he wasn't able to focus but the crowd didn't care which made him feel 'comfortably numb'. I believe peopl shouldn't just think that Pink Floyd is a stoner band they are a band of morals and beliefs.

  2. anonymous
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    Jul 15th 2007 !⃝

    Syd was schizo...thats why he had a "break down"
    I think the song is about schizophrenia.
    Feeling numb and detached from the world is a symptom
    and when the doctor gives him medicine and says there will be no more ahh...it would probably be a tanq or anti-psychotic.Plus he developed diabetes which would probably make him feel sick from the meds..even if he wasnt it could still make him feel sick.

  3. anonymous
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    Jul 10th 2007 !⃝

    Well first of all Roger Waters didn't have the idea for this song in the first place. David Gilmour (who is the real Pink Floyd) came up with the song for one of his solo albums. So this about drugs and how it effected not only Waters but the rest of the band who had little say or little influence in the making of The Wall. The song's original title was Come On You Big Bum, but changed when Gilmour brought it into the Wall recordings. So all of you who think this is about Waters and nothing else think twice and get your damn facts straight.

  4. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2007 !⃝

    In 1980 roger waters (the song writer) went on to a Los Angeles radio station and explained the meaning of the song. He says that he was very ill as a child and had the same symptoms as an adult and called for a doctor before a show. little did he know it was not a flu bug, but hepatitis. The doctor gave him a shot for a stomach pain and when he got on stage his hands felt numb and swollen like balloons but he knew the fans did not care about his pain, they were "comfortably numb" to the situation.

  5. chadwyck
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    Jul 6th 2007 !⃝

    The song is about the abuse of HEROINE and its use to escape problems. Becoming "comfortably numb" makes this very obvious that the persons abuse of the drug leads to euphoria and escape from life's many problems/difficulties.

  6. anonymous
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    Jun 21st 2007 !⃝

    This song is completely around Roger Waters getting massive stomach cramps before a live performance... A doctor injected him with some substance which made him numb, but the fans didn't care at all that Roger was "in pain, and numb" but the injection helped soothe the pain, making it "comfortably numb" . The Wall entirely is based on Pink's connection with previous negative experiences in childhood, and with various crowds of pink floyd fans who were constantly "building up the wall" with their actions.

  7. anonymous
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    May 12th 2007 !⃝

    This song is really about Roger Waters getting treated for hepatitis by receiving a shot in order for him to perform a concert that night. But I think, just as you can with so many of Pink Floyd's songs, take a couple of hidden meanings away from the lyrics. The one about losing your dreams and ambitions you had as a child is definitely there, as well as the one about using heroin. In that one, the doctor/patient conversation that exists in the song is really more of someone convincing someone else to use heroin to make them forget about the pain in their life and make them feel good again. The song is really about the first thing I mentioned with Waters, but what makes it so good as you can interpret it in many different ways, and none of them are really wrong.

  8. anonymous
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    May 1st 2007 !⃝

    i think this song is clearly about Syd Barret, whose drug use eventually drove him crazy. In fact, the whole album the wall is dedicated to him, and to his influence on the band. His creativity drove him into insanity, but none of us really forgot his part in Pink Floyd. He was the inspiration to many other songs as well. listen to the albums wish you were here, dark side of the moon and the wall. you'll see that they all refer to the same-Syd Barret. and although I don't really like Syd's works (the first album) I worship him because he was the inspiration for the best three albums in the world.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 8th 2007 !⃝

    Though it's supposed to be a conversation between Doc. and patient inspired by a real event, I believe once it got down on paper the lyrics were generalized so fans could relate.

    I could visualize a man getting doped up to be able to get through a show. I can also see someone suffering from deep depression and is completely disconnected from everything including himself, to the point where he talks but can't hear himself. That's where the "drugs, food, sex, alcohol, constant daydreaming... (choose your addiction)" comes in to numb the pain and get through the rest of the day (show). This becomes a cycle which repeats itself in shorter intervals to the point where you are numb all the time. Numbess becomes familiar, thus becomes comfortable.

    Maybe the glimpse he saw as a child was normalcy. maybe, he has felt disconnected since childhood. He knows something is missing but can't find it, maybe he feels he's too far gone.

  10. anonymous
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    Mar 31st 2007 !⃝

    K whoever is arguing about the song shut up. I know for a fact that it is about some IV drug use. Don't even argue about the Heroin/ morphine issue! They are both from opium. They both cause one to become COMFORTABLE and NUMB. Opiates tend to cause a stomach restlessness. Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Opium, Herion... It doesn't matter which drug Pink is taking. They are all opiates with the same general effect. The drugs isn't even the main issue with the song. The principle behind having to escape from such a "Glamorous" rock star life, and a crappy childhood memory is the real issue here!

  11. YourFan
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    Mar 29th 2007 !⃝

    i think this song is about drugs, because you can tell that it feels like a dream world where your numb but you feel good.
    but in a sense it's about maturing...yeah but you can tell feeling numb cotradicts that.
    i don't really care what the actual interpretation is...this song kicks-ass and we all know. So I don't really care who's righ or wrong.
    this song contains one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard!

    P.S who ever posted wikipedia as a reference should know that it's not always reliable, because anyone can basically post his or her opinions about the song... just to let you know.

  12. anonymous
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    Mar 24th 2007 !⃝

    Like the rest of the songs on the album, "Comfortably Numb" tells a part of the story of Pink, the album's protagonist. Pink, feeling completely isolated from society, cannot stand the pressures of life as a rock star and collapses in his hotel room before leaving for his concert. A doctor is sent into the room and gives Pink an injection that gives him the energy he needs to perform. The lyrics are written as a conversation, with Waters voicing the doctor and Gilmour voicing Pink.
    Everyone shut the fuck up you don't know what your talking about. I met Pink Floyd in person and I was a very good friends with the band. I know what this song is about ! You little shits you all need to go suck a dick cause you don't listen to songs right. I fucked David Gilmour and he had told me the real meaning. I bet half of you don't read Rolling Stones or actually listen to the music. Learn to listen to music and get the real meanings!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Mar 24th 2007 !⃝

    The album all tells a story about a rock star named Pink. Pink starts to feel isolated by the media, and collapses. A doctor is sent into the room and gives Pink a drug to give him energy. The lyrics are written as a conversation, with Roger Waters voicing the doctor and David Gilmour voicing Pink.

  14. anonymous
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    Mar 24th 2007 !⃝

    A lot of people think that all Pink Floyd songs are about drugs, they're not. But this one is. It's not about heroin though, and it's not about the wall movie. It's about MORPHINE, which shares a lot of side effects with heroin. I don't know why he was on morphine, I've heard it's because of a hand injury and the morphine helped him play on stage.

    If you don't believe this song is about morphine, do some or any strong opiate and listen to this song, you shall see. Nothing can describe the feeling any better than these lyrics. Besides, what else can make you feel a little prick besides heroin, and doctors don't give out heroin.

    Now if this song makes you feel good for some other reason. If you think back to your childhood and that makes you feel more content with your adult life and this song helps you with that, then that's great. That's what music is for. Relate it to what makes you feel good. If you're not into drugs then this song probably does seem like more of a release from reality thing.

  15. anonymous
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    Mar 23rd 2007 !⃝

    Read all about it

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfortably_Numb

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway



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