Wish you were here – Pink Floyd

Expressions

I. Match the meaning and then write the word under the respective pictures below

1. Can you tell a. To exchange something for another.

2. Cold steel rail b. The grayish-white to black powdery residue left when something is burned
3. Veil c. An enclosure made of wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
4. Trade d. A length of cloth worn by women over the head, shoulders, and often the face.
5. Ashes e. A light current of air; a gentle wind.
6. Breeze f. The track of a train line.
7. Running over g. Repeating the same thing
8. Cage h. To distinguish or discriminate

Song activity
Provided by Cris Prates
Did they get you to fade/trade/treat
II. Fill the blanks with the opposites.
Your heroes for ghosts?
So,
Hot ashes for trees/threes/ free?
So you think you can tell
Hot air for a cool breeze/freeze/tease?
………. (hell) from ………. (heaven)
Cold comfort for change?
Blue ………. (grounds) from pain
Did you exchange
Can you tell a green field
A talk/walk/block on part in the war
From a ………. (hot)steel rail?
For a lead role in a cage?
A ………. (cry) from a veil?
Do you think you can tell? IV. Put the sentences in order

III. Choose the correct word: ( ) What have we found?

( )We're just two lost souls
( )Year after year,
( )How I wish, how I wish you were ( )The same old fears
here ( )Swimming in a fish bowl
( )Running over the same old ground.
( )Wish you were here

Song facts
  The band was named after two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
 Many rumors have suggested that the album, The Dark Side of the Moon, is synchronized
with the movie , The Wizard of Oz.
 The band were really big fans of Monty Python. In the early 1970’s Pink Floyd and Led
Zepplin helped fund the production of The Monty Python movies.

Song interpretation (taken from Real Life website)

http://reallifeglobal.com/learning-english-with-music-i-wish-you-were-here-pink-floyd/

V. What’s your interpretation for each verse?

Verse 1
So, so you think you can tell 
Heaven from Hell, 
Blue sky’s from pain. 
Can you tell a green field 
From a cold steel rail? 
A smile from a veil? 
Do you think you can tell?

Interpretation
In this verse, I believe he is ironically saying that people get so involved in their lives and their
careers that they don’t take the time to stop and smell the roses. People are so interested in
money and success that they don’t appreciate the little things in life.

* To stop and smell the roses= To appreciate what you have, and not be so worried about what
you don’t have.

Verse 2
And did they get you to trade 
Your heroes for ghosts? 
Hot ashes for trees? 
Hot air for a cool breeze? 
Cold comfort for change? 
And did you exchange 
A walk on part in the war 
For a lead role in a cage?

Interpretation
In this verse, I understand that he is asking us, did you sell out? Did we sacrifice our values for
money or power. In reference to the band, they are probably referring to how money and fame
have changed who they are, and probably how people treat them. In the phrase “for a lead role in
a cage,” I believe he is saying, although you might be a leader, you’re still a prisoner, working for
the man.

* Sell out= To forget about doing something for the love of it, and doing something for the wealth
it brings.
 Verse 3
How I wish, how I wish you were here. 
We’re just two lost souls 
Swimming in a fish bowl, 
Year after year, 
Running over the same old ground. 
And how we found
The same old fears. 
Wish you were here.

Interpretation
In this verse I think he is singing about how he is not content with the way things are. When he
used phrases, “year after year,” and “same old ground, same old fears,” he’s expressing that he is
stagnate and can’t grow because of his fears. This same interpretation can also be used in language
learning. People are too afraid of their accent, feel embarrassed speaking, and ultimately too
scared to make a mistake that their English remains stagnant.

* Stagnate = to stop developing or progressing.

Grammar - Wish

VI. Answer the questions

Did you make a wish for your last birthday? If you rub a genies lamp how many wishes would you
get? Best wishes for you and your family!

The general meaning of the word is: To express desire for something that doesn’t exist now

VII. Write an example for each use

1. Subject + Wish + Someone

This is one of the most commonly heard uses of the word wish. We use it this way to congratulate
people.
I wish you the best of luck / We wish you a merry Christmas / She wished me a Happy Birthday
Your example

2. Wish + Past Simple

We use this to talk about present desires. This expresses that you want something or a situation to
be different.
I wish I had more time / I wish I bought that car yesterday / She wishes she lived in a big house
I wish I didn’t have to work / She wishes she didn’t eat that pizza

I wish I was/ I wish I were.

“I wish I were” sounds more formal and is more common in test and written English.
 “I wish I was” which we tend to use more in spoken, colloquial English.
Your example

3. Wish + Past Continuous

We use this form of wish to say that we want to be doing something else at this moment.
I wish I was swimming at the beach / She wishes she was reading her favorite book
I wish I wasn’t working so much / they wish their football team wasn’t losing

Your example

4. Wish + Past Perfect

When used with the past perfect we are expressing that we want to change something we did in
the past. It’s a good way of showing regret.
I wish I had seen you at the party / He wishes he had been there / We wish he had paid on time
I wish I hadn’t arrived late / They wish they hadn’t lost the game / She wishes she hadn’t spent so much
time on her paper

Your example

5. Wish + Would + Infinitive

This is used to show that you are unhappy with something that’s happening right now.
I wish you would stop talking so much / He wishes she would stop smoking
They wish he wouldn’t make so much noise  / I wish you wouldn’t behave like that

Your example