Pink Floyd – Learning To Fly lyrics

None of the above are right. This song is from "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", the first album released after Roger Waters' departure from Pink Floyd and the first one with David Gilmour as the band leader. This song is about how Gilmour felt afraid as being the new band leader (as something new). Nick Mason, as a certified pilot, provided some help with the analogy and the song serves as a metaphor of this new moment in the Pink Floyd's biography.

Ganjamon been smoking too much ganja mon. Its about nick mason wanting to get his pilots license and finding it a similar feeling to the rhythm of the song and the idea of the song they were trying to record. That is the beauty of pink floyd is the openness that they give for their fans to discover or interpret to what aspect in their life it may pertain to.

This song has nothing to do with lsd. In a one hour documentary with David Gilmore and Nick Mason, they talked about the song and chuckled about all of the different meanings this song is supposed to have. Actually Nick had always wanted to get his pilots license and helped write this song while taking the classes to get it. The talking part in the middle of the song is actually recordings of Nick and his instructor while in flight. Come on not everything is about taking drugs.

A lot of people think this song is simply about flying an airplane, but it’s not. This is the first song/album Pink Floyd made after Waters left. This song is about Gilmour “learning to fly” in the band by himself. “Ribbon of black stretched to the point of no turning back” is all the past animosity, and recordings they made together on a ribbon of recording tape. “Standing alone all my senses reeled” is again Gilmour recording on a reel of tape. And “stretched to the point of no turning back” is also ALL the music David helped Waters write and perform. He’s not going to give that all up now. There’s no turning back. He wants to keep going and performing under Pink Floyd.

“Fatal attraction that’s holding me fast how can I escape this irresistible grasp” is Gilmour wanting so badly to keep making music under Pink Floyd.

“Tongue tied and twisted just an Earth bound misfit” is Gilmour struggling to write lyrics.

“Ice is forming on the tips of my wings” is the tension between David and Roger. “Unheeded warnings” of Roger leaving. “No navigator to guide my way home” is not having a song writer anymore.

“A soul in tension that’s learning to fly” is David learning how to write songs and lead the band. Notice it’s written and spelled “soul in tension” not, “sole intention”. Which means his soul is in tension.

“Above the planet on a wing and a prayer” is Gilmour in front of the huge crowd performing and hoping and praying he does ok and the crowd likes the new Pink Floyd music.

“Above the clouds I see my shadows fly” is him on stage in front of thousands of people. “There’s no sensation that compares with this” is him standing on stage in front of a crowd. “Suspended animation a state of bliss”

If you listen to the song with this meaning, it’s and even greater song. It tells what was going through David’s mind when he became the new band leader and lyricist.

The lyrics describe Gilmour's thoughts on flying, for which he has a passion (being a licensed pilot with multiple ratings), though it has also been interpreted as a metaphor for beginning something new, experiencing a radical change in life, or, more specifically, Gilmour's feelings about striking out as the new leader of Pink Floyd after the departure of Roger Waters. Gilmour confirmed the latter interpretation on the Pink Floyd 25th Anniversary Special in May 1992. Also an avid pilot, drummer Nick Mason's voice can be heard at around the middle of the song. "Learning to Fly" was included on Pink Floyd's greatest hits collection "Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd".