Real Heaven From Hell – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – What the song means to me!!

Pink Floyd – ‘Wish You Were Here’

What The Song Means To Me!

By John Totten

Ever since I was 16 years old I have been addicted to listening to the Pink Floyd song ‘Wish You Were Here.’ 

   In this post I would like to explain why I am so addicted to that song. I think most people hear a love song when they listen to the track where as I hear the track in a totally different way.

    Before writing about the way I hear the song I want to share with you some information on the ‘Wish You Were Here’ album that I obtained from Wikipedia. I’ll then type out the lyrics of the main ‘Wish You Were Here’ song followed by my interpretation of this powerful track.

 

    ‘Courtesy Of Wikipedia’

 Wish You Were Here is a concept album by the rock band Pink Floyd. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios between January and July 1975 and released on 15 September 1975 (see 1975 in music), the album is regarded as one of Pink Floyd’s greatest albums and was ranked 209 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. Its lyrics, written by Roger Waters, concerned the music industry, and questioned the market-oriented record companies’ lack of understanding and interest for musicians. The album also pays tribute to Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd’s former guitarist and chief songwriter, especially with “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and the title track itself.

 

 Here are the 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 trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And 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.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

 

   About me and also my interpretation of the song:

   When I was 16 years old I had a bad experience on LSD that resulted in me having 6 months of hardcore hallucinations and permanent minor hallucinations. I also have had thousands of other issues since then as a result of the LSD like several days without sleep, extreme paranoia, major depression and anxiety like I cant even begin to describe to you. I should have been taken to a mental hospital but I wasn’t. If it was possible to remove a day from my life it would have been the day I took that LSD. The LSD killed my personality and positive outlook on life. It may have also left me with Schizophrenia. This has never been diagnosed by any doctors or psychiatrists because they say I am able to rationalise what is causing my mental illness. Well so they say.

• ‘Heaven from hell’ mentioned in the first line of the song is the contrast of what it was like for me before I lost my mind and how my mind was and still is after taking that LSD that day. This is hell and a peaceful mind would certainly feel like heaven to me. Even one day of having a peaceful mind would be like heaven to me just so that I could remember what that’s like.
• I certainly do think I can tell ‘Heaven from hell.’
• ‘Blue skies from pain’ is very hurtful for me to listen to because I begin to think of those people who can enjoy sunsets and take in beautiful views and I remember when I was able to do that. I don’t believe I will ever be able to do that again. Just looking at the horizon or moon can cause me to have an anxiety attack.
• ‘Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?’ This line is asking the basic questions, ‘Can you distinguish good from bad? Right from wrong? Dreams from nightmares? Reality from psychosis?’ and my answer would be yes I can tell a green field from a cold steel rail.
• ‘A smile from a veil?’ asks me, ‘Can I distinguish between genuine happiness and masked substitutes?
•  ‘Do you think you can tell?’ – Yes I do.
• Yes they did get me to trade my heroes for ghosts. When I was of healthy mind my heroes would have been healthy working people who had good jobs and provided for their families. People who I would like to be like someday and people who I genuinely believed I could be like eventually. Now those people are individuals who I know I cant be like and seem more like ghosts who live in a world of reality parallel to my own.
• ‘Hot ashes for trees?’ and ‘Hot air for a cool breeze?’ are two more lines questioning me as to whether or not I can distinguish between a life I should be living and the life that I actually live. Yes I can tell the difference.
• ‘Cold comfort for change?’ is asking me if I know the difference between psychosis and change? I do know cold comfort but can only ever hope for change.
• ‘And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?’ – This line describes the day I took the LSD. I swapped a perfectly healthy mind which could have gave me a position in the war that some people call life in exchange for a lead role in a cage. My soul is now in a cage of a body with a damaged mind.
• ‘How I wish, how I wish you were here,’ refers to my sanity, peace of mind, happiness, hope and generally healthy mind. How I wish that person was still me. How I wish they were here.
• ‘We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,’ refers to myself divided in two. The fish bowl is a metaphor for my body. There are two lost souls within me. One of those souls is me with a healthy mind. I know I will never see that soul again. The other soul is me how I am now. Damaged and also searching for hope or recovery.
• ‘Running over the same old ground,’ is reinforcing the fact that the 2 souls are within the same body. Taking the same steps, looking like each other in the mirror, eating the same food, listening to the same music, sleeping at the same time are all actions done by two people but only one body.
• ‘What have you found? The same old fears.’ Refers to the one soul being aware of the other and also realising they are both within the one body. The same old fears (familiar with each other’s fears). The same.
• ‘Wish you were here’ – I wish that the me before I took the LSD that day was here. The me with the healthy mind.

    Sometimes I listen to this song  in front of my girlfriend. I hope that she never thinks I’m thinking of some girl from years ago. Maybe I will get her to read this post at some point and she will understand what I identify with when I listen to this song.

   I can understand how some people would hear this song as a love song for a lost loved one but for me it’s totally different.

    When you consider what happened to Syd Barrett also it lets you listen to this song from a completely different perspective.

    I think people are allowed to take what they want out of music so it’s up to you what you get out of this song or all songs for that matter.

   If you have took the time to read this blog I would really appreciate it if you left me some feedback or comments on it.

    I hope that none of you ever experience what I have gone through.

    Please always keep in mind not to gamble with LSD. It’s not worth the risk.

                           Trust me.

         Stay safe. Please comment. Take care.  John