About The Song

“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is a nine-part composition by Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. It appeared in Pink Floyd’s 1975 concept album “Wish You Were Here” and is dedicated to the band’s founder member Syd Barrett, who left the band in 1968 after dealing with mental problems. The song is a tribute to Barrett’s creativity and potential, which was lost due to his mental health issues and LSD abuse. The song’s lyrics use metaphors such as ‘sun’ to describe his massive potential and creativity, and contrast it with terms such as ‘black holes’ to signify his loss of identity and memory. The song has nine parts, and the full-length version is divided into parts I-IX. The song has been performed live by Pink Floyd on multiple occasions, including a performance at Earls Court, London, UK, in 1994.

Video

Lyrics

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 in 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!