Pink Floyd: Coming Back to Life Meaning

Coming Back to Life Lyrics

Where were you when I was burned and broken

While the days slipped by from my window watching

And where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless

Because the things you say and the things you do surround me

While you were hanging...

1. anonymous

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   Aug 28th 2016 !⃝

   "Coming back to life" is about, in my opinion, realizing that we screwed up how life is suppose to be lived & coming to the reality that the only way to experience life is through Christ.
   "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." JOHN 14:6

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
2. anonymous

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   Feb 9th 2016 !⃝

   It's simply about someone inside, the real you, which you had forgotten, but found out when u were free..♡
3. anonymous

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   Oct 9th 2015 !⃝

   Well,my interpretation is one that I myself have most definitely survived,fentnyl addiction,fits this song to a crystal T,so it's my belief is that,either Gilmour, or waters,fought that same drug battle wit whatever it may have been,,,but it really was "coming back to life",for me
4. Niks

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   Oct 3rd 2015 !⃝

   I think this song depicts the inner separation one begins to feel when we start to do things that our soul doesn't permit... maybe related to family or career or drugs. The wall that begins to form inside you when you do things against your good nature and try to satisfy yourself with the superfitial efforts. Then your innerself just looks outside, not allowed to speak or do anything, slowly breaking and dissipating.
   
   "Where were you when I was burned and broken
   
   While the days slipped by from my window watching
   
   And where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless
   
   Because the things you say and the things you do surround me"
   
   And then it says that while you were trying to fulfill yourself with making promises and then breaking them... Hanging yourself on those foreign words,fighting and loosing,the distance between us growing more and more.. I was still keeping that vision going.. I was still keeping your fire.
   
   "While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words
   Dying to believe in what you heard
   I was staring straight into the shining sun"
   
   Slowly, steadily, now you begin to miss me. Thinking over your past self, you realize how distant we had become. But i won't tell how to bring it back, i will keep silent 'coz its you who went far away and its you who has to struggle back and there is no other way. Changes are brought about, new seeds are planted, while the dark exterior weeps for its loss, a new hope arises.
   
   "Lost in thought and lost in time
   While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted
   Outside the rain fell dark and slow
   While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime"
   
   I travelled along with you in silence, Showing you the light. Now i know that you are coming back to me, and that we are again going to become one. And now we are going to travel into the shining sun.
   
   "I took a heavenly ride through our silence
   I knew the moment had arrived
   For killing the past and coming back to life
   
   I took a heavenly ride through our silence
   I knew the waiting had begun
   And headed straight ...into the shining sun"
5. anonymous

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   Mar 13th 2015 !⃝

   It is indeed about drugs. It's about Gilmour's addiction to cocaine at the time and how he managed to "come back to life" with the aid of his wife. The like 'this dangerous but irresistible pastime" refers to taking cocaine.
6. Floydexp

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   Oct 17th 2014 !⃝

   I think the history behind this song is that Gilmour wrote it about his previous wife, but to me personally it has an entirely different meaning.
   
   I'm currently going through a difficult time in my life where I need to repeat my first year in a degree program that I've always wanted. I haven't received much support from my father, who's pushed me to pursue a different career throughout my life and convinced to pursue multiple backups in case med school doesn't work. Upon acceptance, within a week he tried to convince me to pursue a career he had always pushed for. In summary, he doesn't appreciate where I am right now and his criticism of me has severely distracted me from my studies. On top of this, I've come unprepared for the school I've always truly wanted to attend becuase I tried to keep too many doors open. Now I need to return for another year with a stronger background in those courses and could potentially end up in significant debt with the delay in academic progression.
   
   I've been a big fan of Pink Floyd for many years and have always loved this song as a fan of them, but in my situation I've come to realize how much the lyrics of Coming Back to Life really applies to my life "Where were you when I was burned and broken" "While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words" and "I was staring straight into the shining sun."
   
   Going forward with this setback, I know things will be different for me ("While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted") but one of the things that helped me the most with this situation is my growing faith with Christ that has helped me be at peace during my strained relationship with my father ("I took a heavenly ride through our silence"). Unfortunately I may need to break my relationship with my father altogether in order to accomplish my dream in life, but I fully believe that the Lord will be taking me to places in the meantime to help me accomplish my dreams and become a better Christian in spite of this setback (summed up perfectly with the concluding lyrics "I took a heavenly ride through our silence, I knew the moment had arrived for the killing the past and the coming back to life" and "I took a heavenly ride through our silence I knew the waiting had begun, and I headed straight into the shining sun")
   
   I think its amazing how I've liked this song a lot for many years but never have really understood the meaning of the lyrics to my life until just recently. This along with the magnificent guitar solos has bumped this song up to my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time (Wish you were here a close second). This song is very encouraging for those going through difficult times that you can rebound and "head straight into the shining sun".
7. anonymous

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   Sep 14th 2014 !⃝

   Its CLEARLY about a lonely childhood. The writer may think its about his wife but he's really talking about his childhood. Just LISTEN to the lyrics and you will see EXACTLY what I mean.
   
   'Heavenly ride through our silence'
   
   'The things you say and the things you do surround me'
   
   'While you were hanging yourself on someone elses words'
   
   'Where were you?'
   
   He's talking about the void between himself and his parents and how they paid him no attention. Its so obvious lol
8. anonymous

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   Aug 24th 2014 !⃝

   David Gilmour has said himself that this is about his wife, Polly.
9. anonymous

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   Jul 23rd 2014 !⃝

   It is about Roger Waters.
10. anonymous

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    Dec 27th 2013 !⃝

    It's about someone who was once deeply in love but betrayed and now getting over his pain heading towards a new beginning....been there....lovely song!!
11. adars.shhh

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    Jun 4th 2012 !⃝

    PF is a psychedelic rock band . I think this song tells us about drugs and the feeling we get while coming out of it . If u have tried marijuana , u know it well . you're lost in your thoughts unaware about the time . he starts it with 'where were you when i was burned and broken' , this situation is when a person needs the drugs most(when he falls out of love). its obviously a dangerous (coz drugs are dangerous). and irresistible (once you've fallen into drugs, you cannot resist it) passtime. and now , he is killing all his trip and unconsciousness and coming back to his life. Therefore , i thnk this song refers to a phase high and fresh .
12. anonymous

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    Dec 11th 2011 !⃝

    I think it's about finally meeting the person you are meant to spend your life with... And realizing you spent time and energy on another person that wasn't meant for you. "Where were you?". She was trying to make a marriage work, and not available... But the past is the past... They are finally together now :)
13. anonymous

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    Nov 21st 2011 !⃝

    Its about a guy who's been in deep love with the girl and her thoughts surround him all the time. And now he's headed straight into the shining sun i.e has overcome his past by killing it and looking towards brighter prospects.
14. anonymous

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    Oct 14th 2011 !⃝

    dude...it's about drugs.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. anonymous

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    Mar 21st 2011 !⃝

    Its about a guy who has been betrayed. The guy went through a lot of pain suggested by lines "when I was burned and broken". but now he is over her cos just like seasons feelings change over time "While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted". but as the dark rain fell, he remembers the pastime. I think here he compares the time spent with her as dark memory. I am still not sure of why refers to the ride of pastime as heavenly.
    He realizes that at this moment he has come back to life and has nothing towards her. So he is taking a "heavenly ride" that just says he is cool moving into the future.

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