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Actually, it's best to listen to it with a clear head ...

It's mind blowing enough for me as it is - I don't need any extra assistance!

Also, it helps if you have a vivid imagination (I do - I'm like that mathematician in "A Beautiful Mind" - I'm always searching for hidden meaning even when none probably exists!)

As an example in terms of hidden meaning, consider "The Great Gig In The Sky" (you can tell this is my favourite track).

In the context of the "story" embedded in the album, there's no question that this track is about death, and quite possibly about a woman close to the man (the "protagonist" of the story) dying, possibly his wife? (and the mother of "Pink" in "The Wall").

The opening conversation snippet features a man denying that he is frightened of death, so this could be interpreted as the man trying to control his fear and grief over his wife's death. And the rest of the song mainly features a woman singing without lyrics. She sounds pained, perhaps her singing can be interpreted as a woman screaming through pain (cancer?).

And yet the melody is curiously soothing. The whispered words at the end: "I never said I was frightened of dying" gives us the clue - the woman at the ends accepts her impending death, and is actually trying to console and sooth her grieving husband. However, it comes across more like a scream to us, because what we are hearing is inside the man's mind - her last words have been distorted into a wordless scream which has elements of a soothing melody playing over and over again in his mind.

The song ends with an organ drone, suggestive of a church (perhaps the memorial service?). In his mind he hopes she has gone to "The Great Gig in the Sky" (ie. "heaven") but I get the sense he doesn't really believe it.

Anyway, if you listen to the album carefully, you can build up a story. It's a pretty depressing and sad story, actually, which is why it tends to make me cry.


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  • Actually, it's best to listen to it with a clear head ... - Christine Tham 17:33:44 03/17/07 (0)


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