What does The Great Gig in the Sky mean?

Pink Floyd: The Great Gig in the Sky Meaning

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Album cover for The Great Gig in the Sky album cover
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The Great Gig in the Sky Lyrics

(instrumental)

’and I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, i
Don’t mind. why should I be frightened of dying?
There’s no reason for it, you’ve gotta go sometime.’
’i never said I was frightened of dying.’

  1. anonymous
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    Jan 19th 2010 !⃝

    This song is about life first of all. Notice how in the beginning it's strong and full of life as if it was the beginning of her life being healthy and young. Then it gets a little slower now that she's getting older. Finally it's slow and sad that she's dying and at the end is dead.

    About the wizard of oz going with the the album it wasn't on purpose but it is better watching Dark Side of the Moon to Alice in Wonderland. It's More in sync than Wizard of oz and it's trippier. When Alice is crying the best of the song is in sync with her teardrops falling down but you just have yo get it perfect first.

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  2. tatbrat
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    Apr 8th 2009 !⃝

    All I can say for this song is that it is comforting and soothing. If you need a good cry...this song is it.

  3. anonymous
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    Aug 30th 2008 !⃝

    The whole album is about wizard of oz who ever thinks that the movie an album weren't synced together on purpose are some fucking retards no one could do that on accident. It's trippy and that most of the things Floyd did....I mean know not every song has to do with drugs or whatever but this album was all about taking a weird movie..."wizard of oz" an syncing it with the WHOLE FUCKIN ALBUM...watch Alice in Wonderland and listen to the wall both discs sync up its crazy but true they where a bunch of acid heads but they were amazing and geniuses.

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  4. anonymous
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    Aug 21st 2008 !⃝

    I saw a documentary about Pink Floyd and it said that they DID tell her to sing like she was having an orgasm...and that it was one take. So, I don't know where you heard that it wasn't...where would that be? (considering I saw Waters actually say it on t.v.)

  5. anonymous
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    Jan 23rd 2008 !⃝

    The lady singing is not having an orgasm, she is just yelling. and the lady at the end says "I never said I was frightened of dying" No Wizard of Oz either. Geez.

  6. anonymous
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    Dec 25th 2007 !⃝

    "I never said I was frightened of dying"
    read this again
    and again
    again!!
    HE NEVER SAID HE WAS
    and then
    ...I WAS FRIGHTENED OF DYING.
    don't you realise this is a story in the likeness of life,I mean without the courage to end or strength to carry on..
    just like a Flaubert's smile that floated without any support in the air.
    This song will be played at my funeral.I wrote that already as one of my last wishes..
    and we ARE afraid of dying. Hard to admit but...

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  7. anonymous
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    Nov 6th 2007 !⃝

    Alright I'm gonna clear some things up. Heres a list.
    1.Yes, the song is about death, but it also relates to the over all concept of the album, which is the pressures of every day life.
    2.It was clare torry
    3.She was told to sing like she was having an orgasm.
    4.She did sue claiming she co-wrote the song with the pianist and she won.
    5.All Pink Floyd band members have denied that Dark side of the Moon was intentionally made to sync up with the wizard of oz but, who knows.

    PS. Whoever doesn't appreciate this song has no taste in music. Also, if you haven't already, try listening to the entire album start to finish. That will give you a better understanding of the song.

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  8. anonymous
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    Sep 13th 2006 !⃝

    Who cares what it means? It's one of the most emotional pieces of music ever recorded.

  9. CowboyNinja
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    Jul 26th 2006 !⃝

    No, it's a simple song about death, waters wanted a woman who could sing like she's having an orgasm. She did do it in one, improvisational, take, and didn't like it because she felt it sounded "screechy." she later sued the band for rights to the song, but lost.

  10. cal0390
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    Feb 23rd 2006 !⃝

    This is about how religon may induce insanity.

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  11. Tommy
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    Jan 17th 2006 !⃝

    The voice you hear though out the whole dark side of the moon album are indeed question asked to random people ie. Peter Jennings (Floyd's manager) and the doorman outside the studio amongst others. They asked them questioned like when was the last time you were violent what are your views on death and so on.

  12. anonymous
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    Nov 1st 2005 !⃝

    A few other notes on this track: with little direction from the band members, Clare Torry decided to form her voice as an instrument, playing lead throughout the backing track. At the time, she was very embarrassed and taken back by how it sounded ('screechy', a whole lot of 'caterwauling'), never thinking that any of her takes were usable for the final mix. She was paid 30GBP for her work as a session singer, along with lead vocal credits for the track. Much later, she sued for full rights as composer, as it was her improvisational vocal melody lines that made the track what is was, with no supplied score to read from. Just this year, the company settled for an undisclosed, but likely, a very substantial sum.

    The whispered line during the middle of the track is an answer to one of the cue card questions posed by Roger Waters for his ambient voices idea to add some organic mystique to the project. The question was thought to be "(Why) are you frightened of dying." The soft female voice responds, "I never said I was frightened of dying." The phrase is not that of any of the singers (just a person on the street, or in the studio area, to whom these questions were posed), and it is not the commonly mis-heard/mis-quoted, "If you can hear this, you are dying." Listen closely, and you'll hear for yourself.

  13. anonymous
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    Nov 1st 2005 !⃝

    The last two comments are wrong.

    It WAS Claire Tory, not that other person, and it was NOT made to sync up with the film, that's just a happy coincidence.

    Claire was also told to sing about all the troubles in the world not sing as if she is having an orgasm in song form. geez.

    PS- she also thought it was really crap, but all the band agreed it was amazing.

  14. Darkhorizon
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    Oct 31st 2005 !⃝

    This song was basically made to sync with "The Wizard of Oz." During the movie, the whole scene of the floating house happens during this song, which probably suggests the title "Great Gig in the Sky" the little whispers in the background seem to be mostly about death which may refer to the panic and fear happening in the movie at the time.

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  15. Wakutiki
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    Oct 12th 2005 !⃝

    The song is obvously about death and how you shouldn't be afraid because it will happen one day. By the way Leslie Duncan did the "singing" for this song.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway



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