About The Song
“High Hopes” is a song by Pink Floyd, composed by guitarist David Gilmour with lyrics by Gilmour and Polly Samson. It is the closing track on their fourteenth studio album, The Division Bell (1994). The song can be viewed as a reflection of Pink Floyd’s own musical journey, drawing parallels between the band’s past accomplishments and their desire for future success. The lyrics contemplate the fleeting nature of time and the yearning to recapture past glories, while simultaneously encouraging listeners to embrace change and forge ahead. The album is mostly concerned with communication, how essential it is moving forward, how easy it is for it to fail, and how lasting the consequences of what we say to each other are. The song’s title was chosen by Douglas Adams, a friend of Gilmour, from one verse in this song.
Video
Lyrics
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun
Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the Cut
There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder
Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide
At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world
Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There’s a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we’ve been so many times
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river
Forever and ever
“Hey?”
“Yes.”
“Is that Charlie?”
“Yes.”
“Hello, Charlie!”
“Great.”