A Tribute to Pink Floyd

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND

Remember when you were young,
You shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes,
Like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire
Of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon,
You cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night,
And exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome
With random precision,
Rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

Nobody knows where you are,
How near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers
And I'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we'll bask in the shadow
Of yesterday's triumph,
And sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child,
You winner and loser,
Come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!

This song, like the album, is a tribute to Syd Barrett (real name Roger Barrett). He is the crazy diamond in the song. One might wonder where Roger, Dave, Nick and Rick have come up with the analogy. It might have something to do with John Lennon's Lucy in the Sky with Diamond from The Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but this reason doesn't fulfill the question. Interestingly enough, if one would put the song title into initials (SOYCD) and take out 'O' and 'C' you would get 'Syd'. Another interesting note is that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is often abbreviated into 'LSD'. LSD, or acid, was the drug that had destroyed Syd.

It's been said that Syd's eyes twinkled but with his heavy usage of LSD and other hallucinogens had caused them to appear vacant and dormant. Often at times, he would stare right through people when he was trying to talk to him (sort of like Pink in the movie 'The Wall'). 

'You were caught in the cross-fire of childhood and stardom." This line is easy to analyze. Syd was very young when he became a celebrity in London. He was very unaccustomed to being in the center of attention and maybe for this, his LSD use heightened as he sought escape. The one line where it mentions secret and moon could be references to Floyd albums that are integral in the band's history: Saucerful of Secrets and Dark Side of the Moon. The latter being Pink Floyd's most famous album and the former being the album in which Syd left the band and had contributed his last song to the Floyd catalogue: Jugband Blues.

The rest of the last verse is as well easy to analyse. Roger sings of how Syd may have had nightmares thanks to his drug use and how on stage, Syd may have been exposed to the spotlight when he was out of his mind. Apparently there were concerts would strum the A-minor chord for the whole night. These incidents are referred to in Brain Damage in the line 'and when your band starts playing different tunes'. Roger goes on saying that Syd wore out his welcome and popularity when he first started to become more and more detached.

Something really interesting occured in the midst of recording this tribute to Syd, a fat, bald man walked in the studio and started to wander around. No one knew where he was or where he came from but soon the band's manager, Peter Jenner, recognized him and said: "My God, it's Syd"! Syd wanted to his old mates to check upon them now that they were successful. He declined when he was asked if wanted to rejoin the band.

All of Shine On You Crazy Diamond was intended for one track but its length could be placed on one LP side thus it was divided into two. 

The lyrics to the second track maintain the songs theme however its verses are ringed with regret and sorrow. It's a bit of a requiem for Syd because now "no one knows where he is" (until he showed up in the studio) and that the band must continue going on without him as they bask in the success of Dark Side.

-Floyd Rules

 

WELCOME TO THE MACHINE

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been?
It's alright we know where you've been.
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time,
Provided with toys and 'Scouting for Boys'.
You brought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you didn't like school, and you
know you're nobody's fool,
So welcome to the machine.

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
What did you dream?
It's alright we told you what to dream.
You dreamed of a big star,
He played a mean guitar,
He always ate in the Steak Bar.
He loved to drive in his Jaguar.
So welcome to the Machine.

In George Orwell's book 1984, the government probes into the lives of its citizens and is recognized as Big Brother. Waters uses the same theme but instead of the government it is about society or just the record company. The machine may be society, sometimes people lose themselves upon entering the real world and stepping out of 18 years of living with parents. This song can be interpreted in many ways so it could be confusing. The character in the song is being advised on how to get through society. If he labors hard, he'd be provided with toys. This character was once a rebel as he didn't like school and bought a guitar to punish his mother's aspirations of him. When he was young, he dreamed of being famous. He still is but under the advisement of a more authoritarian figure. Could it be a father or Big Brother?

"Where have you been / It's allright we know where you've been" could be taken as a theme from 1984 where cameras (or telescreens) are placed to watch the citizens. "What did you dream / It's alright we told you what to dream" is the authoritarian figure telling the main character what to dream and not to be the rock star as he wanted to be.

Again, this song could be about Syd. He may have shared these feelings that he was being watched and not living up to his true aspirations either of himself or his parents. It could even be the record company (as mentioned earlier) telling Syd what to do in order to meet 'true success'.

HAVE A CIGAR

Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar.
You're gonna go far, fly high,
You're never gonna die,
You're gonna make it if you try;
They're gonna love you.
Well I've always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic,
that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?
And did we tell you the name of the game, boy,
We call it Riding the Gravy Train.

We're just knocked out.
We heard about the sell out.
You gotta get an album out.
You owe it to the people.
We're so happy we can hardly count.
Everybody else is just green,
Have you seen the chart?
It's a helluva start,
It could be made into a monster
If we all pull together as a team.
And did we tell you the name of the game, boy,
We call it Riding the Gravy Train.

It's been said that EMI (Pink Floyd's label) was happy with the lyrics of this song but with luck, Roger pushed them through. They are about the record industry and Pink Floyd's own experience within it after the breakthrough success of Dark Side of the Moon. 

The song starts with a cocktail party when doors (of an elevator?) open. The cause for celebration just may have been about Dark Side of the Moon. The execs further motivate Pink Floyd to provide the money and they'll have always the deep respect from them (as long as the money flows). The next line is actually a direct quote when an EMI official asked the band a question: "Which one's Pink?". Roger must've been furious with the ignorance and blatant stupidity of that question. The next line is an old English _expression (Riding the Gravy Train) about taking advantage of a profitable situation while it lasts.

The record company wants to further their profits by pushing them to make a new album because "they owed it" to the fans. They could hardly count and they cannot even fathom the fact that DSotM would remain on the Billboard Top 200 for over 12 years.