Pink Floyd’s “High Hopes” Lyrics Meaning
The lyrics of Pink Floyd’s “High Hopes” are based on the idea of childhood being a more fulfilling era in life. The song is said to be based on David Gilmour’s own youth and how he feels about that time now, looking back now as an adult. But overall there is a more general message involved. And that is unlike adulthood, childhood is a time of “high hopes”.
Now this term is not actually mentioned in the song. But it’s popular understanding alludes to the idea of believing that something great will happen in the future. And looking back on his childhood years, that was a time when the singer – as well as the addressee and their friends – had such a disposition. Indeed he depicts that particular era as one that was very-exciting, with life generally being more edifying.
Narrator is depressed in the Present
But when he speaks of the here and now, his tone changes. His depression as an adult is manifest via a bunch of colorful metaphors. For instance, he mentions this time as being marked by a “myriad [of] small creatures trying to tie us to the ground”. And based on a line he drops in the third verse, that heavy-handed allusion is apparently intended to point to the idea of an individual being repressed by ‘desires and ambitions’ during their adulthood. So we can say from the narrator’s perspective that what one of the main features which makes childhood more enjoyable than adulthood is that the former state is not burdened by a perpetual quest to fulfill aspirations.
And said aspirations are not only self-applied. And why? Because he and others are also being “dragged by the force or some inner tide”. This would likely be a reference to the societal ideologies of adulthood, which one again based on this song are defined by the endless pursuit of certain goals. Perhaps what he is referring to, once again relying on a metaphor, is something akin to keeping up with the Joneses. But more to the point is that in the pursuit of these goals, the “dreams” which made childhood optimistic in the first place are taken “away”. And why? Simply because during youth, one is able to think freely and “without boundary”. But now in adulthood, the implication is that most of their mental efforts are dedicated to the mundanes of the everyday grind.
Conclusion
So needless to say this is a deep song. But part of its appeal is that despite being intellectual, it also features a discernible argument. And perhaps the simplest way to summarize it is that the singer sees the world as a place where as one ages, the joy of childhood is basically sucked out of life. And this is achieved via both social and individual ideologies of adulthood which are by a never-ending, dulling quest for particular achievements.
Facts about “High Hopes”
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour wrote and produced this song. Production-wise, Gilmour worked with Bob Ezrin. In penning this song, Gilmour received assistance from another writer named Polly Samson. Both Gilmour and Samson are therefore the official writers of “High Hopes”.
This song came out on 28 March 1994 as part of Pink Floyd’s album “The Division Bell”, where it also served as that project’s second single. And the labels that put it out are EMI Records and Columbia Records.
The outro of this track is a snippet of a telephone conversation between “Charlie”, David Gilmour’s stepson and Steve O’Rourke, Pink Floyd’s manager. And basically Charlie cuts the line, i.e. hangs up the phone, while Steve is still speaking.
“High Hopes” made it onto the UK Singles Chart as well as Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks listing. The song also charted in Canada and France.
Panic! at the Disco also has a 2018 song titled “High Hopes“. Many have said the band was inspired by this Pink Floyd classic in coming up with the title of their aforementioned track. We are not hundred percent sure about this!
