Song-by-Song
Cluster One
The opening track is a five minute instrumental piece with various, atmospheric themes but no words. The song itself is eerie in the beginning, which could represent the lost feeling as well as the numbness that Pink has experienced after his wall was torn down. There is also a crackling sound effect, which is electromagnetic noise from the solar wind. More precisely, this sound is a record of , radio events respectively due to interference with , and strikes radio emissions interfering with ; this sound has been mistaken for Earth's crust shifting and cracking. As this sounds fades within a minute of the track, one could interpret it as a 'settling of the chaos' that was The Trial and the events leading up to it. Then there is a soft piano piece and reverberating guitar fill which grow slightly in intensity as the track continues. Still, the piece overall paints a calm and almost numbing atmosphere of Pink's mood after the trial.
What Do You Want From Me
This song starts off with a strong bass line and adds intensity to the mood from the song before. Throughout parts of this song, as well as many others in the album, there is a female choral line singing, which could be interpreted as the things that he hears around him.
As you look around this room tonight
Settle in your seat and dim the lights
Do you want my blood, do you want my tears?
What do you want
What do you want from me
Should I sing until I can't sing any more?
Play these strings until my fingers are raw
Pink is at a loss with what he should do now. He knows the gravity of his treacherous actions and feels guilt, but has no where to go with that guilt. He wonders if they 'want his blood or his tears' for retribution, or if he could continue singing as the rock star he was before his descent into a fascist leader.
You can have anything you want
You can drift, you can dream, even walk on water
Anything you wantYou can own everything you see
Sell your soul for complete control
Is that really what you need?You can lose yourself this night
See inside there is nothing to hide
Turn and face the light
Now he is reminiscing about his feelings before his descent, where he did 'sell his soul for complete control' as he rose to power. He is telling the audience that they can have these things for a price, and that price is something that is too grave for them to understand. It is almost a warning, although the overall tone is actually neutral, which may coincide with how he is feeling about the whole situation.
Poles Apart
The next song has more specific lyrics that could be tied with those in The Wall. It could be interpreted as some outsider singing at Pink Floyd, or perhaps as voices in his head reciting these realizations.
Did you know, it was all going to go so wrong for you
And did you see it was all going to be so right for me
Why did we tell you then
You were always the golden boy then
And that you'd never lose that light in your eyes
Pink Floyd did not know how wrong everything would go for him. He once stood at power and had endless control over thousands of people, which of course all came crashing down with the wall. The 'golden boy' lyric could be about the band's former leader, Syd Barrett, who greatly inspired the character of Pink Floyd in the Wall. The members often described Syd as 'losing the light in his eyes' as his mental illness progressed in late 1967. In Wish You Were Here, the band described Syd's eyes as 'black holes in the sky,' as they were so lifeless and seemingly sucked the life out of anyone who had to look at the once cheerful individual.
Hey you, did you ever realize what you'd become?
And did you see that it wasn't only me you were running from
Did you know all the time but it never bothered you anyway
Leading the blind while I stared out the steel in your eyes
Once again, someone is looking at Pink Floyd and asking if he's realize what he'd become, that he was running from past problems, and once more, the mention of the lifeless (steel) eyes. Also, the first lyric is attributed to one of the songs from The Wall, Hey You, which is Pink trying to call out to the outside world but realizing that his communication has been cut. In this first lines he asks for support from lonely people who are living in a cold world, a state ironically paralleling his own. The theme of communication is clearly shared here.
Marooned
Another instrumental, calm piece cuts in right as the intensity starts building up, somewhat relieving the overwhelming themes of the two previous songs. Pink is once again reminiscing on his past and also feels lost, or 'marooned' after his power was taken from him.
Given that they were written by the same person, the guitar solos in The Division Bell and The Wall are similar, with heavy reverberation and an almost eerie sense, intensifying the themes from both the albums and heavily heard specifically in this track.
Later, a drum line comes in. It is moderately slow but repetitive, almost as if it were an echo or a memory from the second half of The Wall, which features a military style drum beat, backing Floyd as he creates an 'army' to spread his strictly conservative and fascist views.
A Great Day for Freedom
This track is eerie and undoubtedly sad, starting with slow piano and David's descriptive but equally sad vocals. Lyrics from this song alone convinced me of the similarity between the two albums.
On the day the wall came down
They threw the locks onto the ground
And with glasses high we raised a cry
For freedom had arrivedOn the day the wall came down
The Ship of Fools had finally run aground
Promises lit up the night like paper doves in flight
Obviously, the lyric, 'on the day the wall came by' could be tied to The Wall and the idea that this album is a sequel to that. The Ship of Fools could have been Pink himself as well as the following he gained during this leading. A wave of hope comes over Pink after tearing down the wall, but much like the paper doves, they burn easily as Pink realizes what he has to face.
I dreamed you had left my side
No warmth not even pride remained
And even though you needed me
It was clear that I could not do a thing for you
Pink is now going back to when he was left by his wife for another man, and its obvious that the wounds from that marriage are still open for him.
Now life devalues day by day
As friends and neighbours turn away
And there's a change that, even with regret
Cannot be undoneNow frontiers shift like desert sands
While nations wash their bloodied hands
Of loyalty, of history, in shades of gray
Life moves at a much slower pace for Pink, who now lives day by day. He realizes that no amount of regret will undo his past actions. The last two lyrics from this section could refer back to World War II, which is also a common theme or point of inspiration for The Wall.
I woke to the sound of drums
The music played, the morning sun streamed in
I turned and I looked at you
And all but the bitted residue slipped away
Slipped away
The sound of drums goes back to when he was in power and had a drum line for his military marches. What's slipped away from his is his grip on reality.
Wearing the Inside Out
I believe this song is about when Pink was stuck in his daze shortly before the scene where he shaves off most of his hair and becomes a fascist leader. He is meditating strongly on the feelings he had leading up to that moment, most of which included anger but also a lack of feeling. It heavily implies a feeling of isolation, illness, both mental and physical, and the actions he chooses next.
From morning to night I stayed out of sight
Didn't recognize what I'd become
No more than alive I'd barely survive
In a word, overrunWon't hear a sound (He's curled in the corner)
From my mouth (But the screen is still flickering)
I've spent too long
On the inside out
My skin is cold
To the human touch
This bleeding heart's
Not beating much
In the movie scenes, we see Pink clearly 'curled into the corner' and also sitting motionless while the TV continues to play (still the screen is flickering). His skin is cold and his mood is unfeeling, almost numb but with a repressed anger burning away inside him.
I murmured a vow of silence and now
I don't even hear when I think aloud
Extinguished by light I turn on the night
Wear its darkness with an empty smileI'm creeping back to life
My nervous system all awry
I'm wearing the inside outLook at him now
He's paler somehow
But he's coming round
He's starting to choke
It's been so long since he spoke
Well he can have the words right from my mouth
The lyrics that refer to 'him' could be those of the doctors who drugged Floyd in an attempt to get him back on his feet an performing (Comfortably Numb) They say 'he's starting to choke, he's coming around,' as if they had just drugged him back, somewhat, into reality.
And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves againI'm holding out
For the day (Caught in a fiery anger)
When all the clouds (And hurled into the furnace he'll)
Have blown away (... curse the place)
I'm with you now (He's torn in all directions)
Can speak your name (And still the screen is flickering)
Now we can hear
Ourselves again
Pink was indeed caught in a fiery anger at this point, but it was not yet obvious to the outside eye, which could only see him motionless and not contacting anyone around him. He is, in fact, 'torn in all directions' as he begins to break.
Take it Back
Almost a specific sequel to One Of My Turns, it seems that here, the singer is thinking about a women he loved or has had affairs with. It could be about Pink deeply thinking about his estranged wife. Over and over in the song is the idea of 'she can take it back, she will take it back,' as though Pink still believes there is hope for himself and his wife being together again. It is almost hopeless, but the song has a happy mood which could represent a false sense of hope that Pink is having at this moment in his meditation on his past life.
Her love rains down on me easy as the breeze
I listen to her breathing it sounds like the waves on the sea
I was thinking all about her, burning with rage and desire
We were spinning into darkness the earth was on fire
It's obvious that the singer is deeply attracted to this woman. However, Pink turns to 'thinking about her, burning with rage and desire,' referring to when she left him for another man.
So I spy on her, I lie to her, I make promises I cannot keep
Then I hear her laughter rising, rising from the deep
And I make her prove her love for me, I take all that I can take
I push her to the limit to see if she will break
One Of My Turns is a gruesome song which depicts that Pink abused his wife as well as many groupies towards the end of their relationship. He had many fits of anger and constantly 'pushed [his wife / groupies] to the limit to see if she will break.' The song ends with Pink yelling, 'why are you running away?' as he cannot believe that she has actually left him. Now, he is reminiscing on that scene once again in this lyric.
Now I have seen the warnings, screaming from all sides
It's easy to ignore them, God knows I've tried
All of this temptation, you know it turned my faith to lies
Until I couldn't see the danger or hear the rising tide
The 'warnings' could have been the way his wife began to act towards him as she finally left him, as well as the overall warnings that are the early stages of mental collapse.
She can take it back, she will take it back some day
She can take it back, she will take it back some day
She will take it back, she will take it back some day
Once again, Pink is simply hoping that his wife might come back to him one day.
Coming Back to Life
This song is one of anger, maybe even a form of revenge, to all the people who had hurt pink in any way as he fell into the spiral of mental collapse. He admits to himself that while he is guilty, other people are at fault for his actions as well.
Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching
Where were you when I was hurt and helpless
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun
It's obvious that he feels estranged and almost betrayed by those around him. The accusations refer specifically to his mother, his school teacher, and his wife who have all 'betrayed' him and contributed to the wall he had built around himself.
Lost in thought and lost in time
While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow
While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life
Back to when he was in a 'daze' and 'lost in thought and lost in time,' sitting motionless in front of the television set. A 'dangerous but irresistible pastime' could be a reference to drug use.
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the waiting had begun
And headed straight..into the shining sun
The 'shining sun' is something we have seen in Pink Floyd's lyrics before. When the band sings about Syd Barrett in Wish You Were Here, they claim he 'shone as bright as the sun.' So while it could be seen as a good thing, depicting a once happy, charming and extroverted leader, could also represent how those who shine brightly are doomed to fall. Pink headed towards the shining sun and where did it leave him? Insecure, broken, mentally ill, and a danger to society and himself.
Keep Talking
The track has a clear and concise message which greatly reflects the album's theme of communication. The track features Stephen Hawking talking about the power of language, and the following lyrics, sung by Gilmour, show the feeling of isolation and the dangers that miscommunication can cause in any relationship, whether it be friends, romance, of even day-to-day exchanges.
In a very abstract sense, I imagine it as a conversation that Pink has with a therapist who he has decided to see after tearing down the wall. The woman's voice is the therapist and Gilmour's parts of those of Floyd's.
Stephen Hawking:
For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals
Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination
We learned to talk
Gilmour:
here's a silence surrounding me
I can't seem to think straight
I'll sit in the corner
No one can bother meI think I should speak now
Why won't you talk to me
I can't seem to speak now
You never talk to meMy words won't come out right
What are you thinking
I feel like I'm drowning
What are you feelingI'm feeling weak now
You never talk to me
But I can't show my weaknessWhat are you thinking
I sometimes wonder
What are you feelingWhere do we go from here
Pink is feeling alone and unable to express his feelings. Years of bottling up his emotions and his anger towards the world around him has caused him to be unable to express himself verbally, leading to many futile attempts at bettering himself when he visits a therapist.
Stephen Hawking:
It doesn't have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking
Once again a direct reference to how important communication is. Pink may even be realizing this now, as the song progresses, but also finds himself hopeless as he simply doesn't know how to communicate in this way.
Lost For Words
The title itself is another reference to the inability to communicate which Pink may be feeling now. The song opens with the sound of footsteps and a door closing. I imagine it as Pink leaving the therapist somewhat angry that she has been no use in helping him. He is 'lost for words' and simply unable to find how to deal with the overwhelming emotion and memories from before.
I was spending my time in the doldrums
I was caught in a cauldron of hate
I felt persecuted and paralyzed
I thought that everything else would just waitWhile you are wasting your time on your enemies
Engulfed in a fever of spite
Beyond your tunnel vision reality fades
Like shadows into the nightTo martyr yourself to caution
Is not going to help at all
'Cause there'll be no safety in numbers
When the right one walks out of the door
He reminisces about 'tunnel vision' he experiences, as well as how reality just faded from him. This set of words reminds me of an interview with Roger Waters where he expressed what the lyrics 'there is no pain, you are receding,' from Comfortably Numb meant and how he actually experienced a moment disconnect from himself and the audience. He admits to using this a lot when creating the Pink Floyd character, which could explain also it ties to this song as Pink is remembering how reality slipped away from him.
"In an interview released in the 80s, Waters said that much of the song comes from something that really happened one evening when, in order to allow him to perform in Philadelphia, the doctor gave him a sedative for a severe stomach ache, which had probably caused by nerves. On the stage, his hands were numb and his vision blurred, but none of this derailed the crowd, who continued to dance and sing. And it was out of this that one of the main themes of The Wall came about: the disconnect between the public and the band." (From )
Can you see your days blighted by darkness?
Is it true you beat your fists on the floor?
Stuck in a world of isolation
While the ivy grows over the doorSo I open my door to my enemies
And I ask could we wipe the slate clean?
But they tell me to please go fuck myself
You know you just can't win
Now Pink is talking about his current life; how attempting to make amends with those he's hurt was pointless and how 'you just can't win,' meaning that even when he rose to fame and power he was still hurt and broken. His powerful outside appearance was not reflective, in any way, of the state he was in mentally. He also mentions how he is 'stuck in a world of isolation' even after the wall was torn down; once again, there is no way to win.
High Hopes
To David Gilmour, this song is about the things one may have gained and lost in life. The song moves in a somewhat chronological order, reflecting on life as a whole. Pink may now be thinking about his childhood, when he was innocent, to suddenly growing up to a harsh reality: that he will never be satisfied. While the song title is about hope, the song itself present a gloomier outlook. It is here, that Pink perhaps realizes that all the events in his life, his choices, his inherent mental capacity, and simply everything that makes up his identity has set him for the road that he traveled on.
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begunAlong the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the CutThere was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before times took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay
This section is about childhood, before Pink was aware of the darkness in the world as well as the darkness inside himself.
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
When friends surrounded
The nights of wonderLooking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some in a tide
At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of worldEncumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times
The 'hunger unsatisfied' shows that even after rising the power and having control over a mass of people, Pink still found himself unhappy. Now, even after tearing down the wall and attempting to better himself with a therapist, he is still unsatisfied since he cannot communicate with people.
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless riverForever and ever
This section recalls a line from the band's second single, '', from 1967, (Float on a river/Forever and ever) and may show the theme of reflecting on the past that Pink is experiencing. It may also tie the character of Pink Floyd to Syd Barrett, as 'See Emily Play' was one of Syd's most well known tracks.