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 on 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!
Rest in peace, Syd Barrett (1946 – 2006).
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was my first rock album purchase. Within a few years after this first purchase, I had their entire ouevre, including the band’s first two albums, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Saucerful of Secrets, both of which showcase Syd’s musical talent and contributions.
May you rest in peace, Syd.
Mash, since Ingrid introduced us, I figured I should saunter on over and say hi. I like what I see very much.
Nice song choice to chose as a tribute.
Good for you Mash. I was meaning to post something to commemorate his death and I was going to look for clips of Shine on you Crazy Diamond!
What else?
Wish You Were Here
That’s the first song I thought of, especially after that story of how he showed up at the studio when PF recorded that track as a tribute to him.
I got into Floyd in high school and soon discovered Syd. Like Alfredo, I travelled the normal route into PF from The Wall, to Dark Side of the Moon, to Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Along the way I found Wish You Were Here and it still remains my favorite Floyd album.
All the way up to The Final Cut, PF would always have references to Syd in their lyrics. For someone who left the band really after their first album, that is some incredible impact.
He really was a musical gem and its a shame he couldn’t hold it together. At least now he rests.
I’m surprised at some of the places I’ve seen tributes to Syd – from folks I thought were too young to understand his influence… Meddle was actually the first Pink Floyd album I owned (post Syd, pre Dark Side), back when I was about 14…
I burned out on Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Led Zepplin in the 70s in high school – heard the music soooo much I couldn’t listen to it any more… Probably because I couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Rocky Racoon, Stairway to Heaven or take your pick from Dark Side of the Moon… That didn’t happen with Cream, Velvet Underground etc., Joy Division and into the punk, ska and reggae bands in the 70s and 80s.
I only hear those first three bands when I shuffle through my music these days, while I’ll pick most everthing else I own to listen to when I’m in the mood…
Maybe that will change when I get even older?