OBSCURED BY CLOUDS (Roger Waters, David Gilmour) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972)
David Gilmour: electric lead guitar, EMS VSC3; Rick Wright: EMS VSC3, keyboards; Roger Waters: EMS VSC3; Nick Mason: drums, electronic drums.
The song along When you’re in were included in the main setlist of the Nick Mason’s A Saucerful of secrets performances.
WHEN YOU’RE IN (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright) in « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour: electric rhythm and lead guitar; Roger Waters: bass; Rick Wright: organ, EMS VSC3; Nick Mason: drums.
The title of this track has its origins in an expression much used by Chris Adamson, the Pink Floyd road manager and technician. Whenever anyone asked him how far he had gotten with some task, he would invariably answer: « I’m in. And when you’re in, you’re in »
BURNING BRIDGES (Rick Wright, Roger Waters) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd
David Gilmour: vocals, electric rhythm and lead guitar, pedal steel guitar; Roger Waters: bass guitar; Rick Wright: vocals, organ; Nick Mason: drums.
Along Us and them and Stay, this song is one of only three Pink Floyd songs credited to the Waters/Wright. The chord sequence is the same than Stay.
Nick Mason:
« What’s quite nice is that Burning Bridges is a bit of Rick. It’s nice to remind people of his input into the whole thing. His writing as well as his unique way of playing. »
« Reflected Glory », Mojo Magazine, March 2022
Bridges burning gladly
Merging with the shadow
Flickering between the lines
Stolen moments floating softly on the air
Born on wings of fire and climbing higher
Ancient bonds are breaking
Moving on and changing sides
Dreaming of a new day
Cast aside the other way
Magic vision stirring
Kindled by and burning
Flames rise in her eyes
The door stands ajar
The walls that once were high
Beyond the gilded cage
Beyond the reach of ties
The moment is at hand
She breaks the golden band
THE GOLD IT’S IN THE … (Roger Waters, David Gilmour) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour: vocals, electric rhythm and lead guitar; Roger Waters: bass guitar; Nick Mason: drums.
Italian promo single (1972)
Come on, my friends
Let’s make for the hills
They say there’s gold but I’m looking for thrills
You can get your hands on whatever we find
Because I’m only coming along for the ride
Well, you go your way
I’ll go mine
I don’t care if we get there on time
Everybody’s searching for something, they say
I’ll get my kicks on the way
Over the mountains, across the sea
Who knows what will be waiting for me?
I could sail forever to strange sounding names
Faces of people and places don’t change
All I have to do is just close my eyes
To see the seagulls wheeling in those far distant skies
All I want to tell you, all I want to say
Is count me in on the journey
Don’t expect me to stay
WOT’S … UH THE DEAL (David Gilmour, Roger Waters) in « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour: vocals, harmonies vocals, acoustic guitar; Roger Waters: bass guitar; Rick Wright: Nick Mason: drums.
The sentence « Flash the readies, Wot's...Uh the Deal ? » seems to come from roadie Chris Adamson. The song made a surprise comeback on the David’s 2006 tour solo. The songs was also used as soundtrack for a promo clip for « Early Years » boxset.
Heaven sent the promised land
Looks alright from where I stand
Cause I’m the man on the outside looking in
Waiting on the first step
Show me where the key is kept
Point me down the right line because it’s time
To let me in from the cold
Turn my lead into gold
Cause there’s a chill wind blowing in my soul
And I think I’m growing old
Flash the readies
Wot’s… uh-the deal?
Got to make it to the next meal
Try to keep up with the turning of the wheel
Mile after mile
Stone after stone
Turn to speak but you’re alone
Million miles from home, you’re on your own
So let me in from the cold
Turn my lead into gold
Cause there’s a chill wind blowing in my soul
And I think I’m growing old
Fire bright by candlelight
And her by my side
And if she prefers we will never stir again
Someone sent the promised land
And I grabbed it with both hands
Now I'm the man on the inside looking out
Hear me shout “Come on in!"
"What’s the news and where've you been?”
Cause there’s no wind left in my soul
And I’ve grown old
MUDMEN (Rick Wright, David Gilmour) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972)
David Gilmour: electric guitars; Roger Waters: bass guitar; Rick Wright: piano, organ, vibraphone; Nick Mason: drums.
CHILDHOOD’S END (David Gilmour) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd
David Gilmour: vocals, Martin -35 acoustic guitar, Black Strat electric rhythm and lead guitars; Roger Waters: bass guitar; Rick Wright: organ; Nick Mason: drums, electronic drums.
In 2016, on the occasion of the release of « Early Years », a promo clip showing a slide show of the Jean-Denis Mahnn pictures taken during « Obscured by clouds » recording sessions.. This song was included in the setlist of the Nick Mason’s A Saucerful of Secrets show.
The book who inspired the Gilmour’s song
You shout in your sleep
Perhaps the price is just too steep
Is your conscience at rest
If once put to the test?
You awake with a start
To just the beating of your heart
Just one man beneath the sky
Just two ears, just two eyes
You set sail across the sea
Of long past thoughts and memories
Childhood’s end, your fantasies
Merge with harsh realities
And then as the sail is hoist
You find your eyes are growing moist
All the fears never voiced
Say you have to make your final choice
Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why?
Some are born; some men die
Beneath one infinite sky
There’ll be war, there’ll be peace
But everything one day will cease
All the iron turned to rust;
All the proud men turned to dust
And so all things, time will mend
So this song will end
FREE FOUR (Roger Waters) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour: acoustic guitar, electric rhythm and lead guitars, hand claps; Roger Waters: vocals, bass guitar, hand claps; Rick Wright: organ, hand claps; Nick Mason: drums, hand claps.
One, two, free, four
The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime
You shuffle in gloom of the sickroom
And talk to yourself as you die
Life is a short, warm moment
And death is a long cold rest
You get your chance to try in the twinkling of an eye:
Eighty years, with luck, or even less
So all aboard for the American tour
And maybe you’ll make it to the top
And mind how you go, and I can tell you, ’cause I know
You may find it hard to get off
You are the angel of death
And I am the dead man’s son
And he was buried like a mole in a fox hole
And everyone is still on the run
And who is the master of fox hounds ?
And who says the hunt has begun ?
And who calls the tune in the courtroom ?
And who beats the funeral drum ?
The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime
You shuffle in gloom in the sickroom
And talk to yourself till you die
STAY (Rick Wright, Roger Waters) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972) | Produced by Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour: electric rhythm and lead guitar; Rick Wright: vocals, vocal harmonies, piano, organ, Fender Rhodes; Roger Waters: bass; Nick Mason: drums.
The credit has an unusual order Wright/Waters. It could be possible that Rick write the lyrics since the theme is close of the one described in Summer 68’
Stay and help me to end the day
And if you don’t mind
We’ll break a bottle of wine
Stick around and maybe we’ll put one down
Because I wanna find what lies behind those eyes
Midnight blue
Burning gold
A yellow moon
Is growing cold
I rise, looking through my morning eyes
Surprised to find you by my side
Rack my brain to try to remember your name
To find the words to tell you good-bye
Morning dues
Newborn day
Midnight blue
Turned to gray
Midnight blue
Burning gold
A yellow moon
Is growing cold
ABSOLUTELY CURTAINS (Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright, Nick Mason) • « Obscured by Clouds » (1972)| Produced by Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour: Plucked Guitars, VCS3, ARP synthesizer; Roger Waters: VCS3; Rick Wright: Hammond organ (with Leslie), Farfisa organ, Fender Rhodes, Tack piano; Nick Mason: tympani, cymbals; Mapuga tribe: Chanting. This title is a play on words between the expression « absolutely certain » and the « final curtain » describing the end of a show. In the film, the two parts of the song come at very different points: the Oceanian chant part can be heard rather early into the film, when Viviane and Olivier visit a missionary to ask him for rare feathers and the instrumental part is the last piece of music heard before the end of the film, as the six travellers reach the summit of a mountain and eventually see the titular valley they were trying to reach, covered in a dense layer of clouds. The tribe chant was recorded on the film’s location in Nouvelle-Guinée and was sampled for the soundtrack album.
BURNING BRIDGES (Wright, Waters)
Bridges burning gladly
Merging with the shadow
Flickering between the lines
Stolen moments floating softly on the air
Born on wings of fire and climbing higher
Ancient bonds are breaking
Moving on and changing sides
Dreaming of a new day
Cast aside the other way
Magic vision stirring
Kindled by and burning
Flames rise in her eyes
The door stands ajar
The walls that once were high
Beyond the gilded cage
Beyond the reach of ties
The moment is at hand
She breaks the golden band
THE GOLD IT’S IN THE … (Gilmour, Waters)
Come on, my friends
Let’s make for the hills
They say there’s gold but I’m looking for thrills
You can get your hands on whatever we find
Because I’m only coming along for the ride
Well, you go your way
I’ll go mine
I don’t care if we get there on time
Everybody’s searching for something, they say
I’ll get my kicks on the way
Over the mountains, across the sea
Who knows what will be waiting for me?
I could sail forever to strange sounding names
Faces of people and places don’t change
All I have to do is just close my eyes
To see the seagulls wheeling in those far distant skies
