David Gilmour Reveals Original Lyrics for “Comfortably Numb,” Give Song Whole New Meaning

Pink Floyd’s 1979 track “Comfortably Numb” is far and away one of the British psychedelic rock band’s most cinematic and emotional. The soaring guitar solos. Bassist Roger Waters’ almost sinister, whispery vocals in the verses give way to David Gilmour’s impassioned belting through the choruses. The track is a perfect addition to their magnum opus concept album, The Wall. It’s hard not to play the album version in our heads just thinking about it. But the version we know isn’t the only one.

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David Gilmour and Roger Waters mulled over the melody, lyrics, and chord progression of “Comfortably Numb” for a while. A later interview with Gilmour revealed the lyrics that the band left on the cutting room floor. These lines give a whole new meaning to the trippy, ominous, and fantastical Pink Floyd classic.

David Gilmour Reveals Original Lyrics To “Comfortably Numb”

David Gilmour and Roger Waters trade off vocal responsibilities in the album version of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” to stunning effect. Waters draws the listener in with his creepy verse delivery, opening the song with an unsettling, Hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home? Gilmour takes the lead on the choruses. This transition adds to the song’s dramatic shift toward a major, more hopeful feeling. There is no pain. You are receding a distant ship smoke on the horizon.

But in a later in-studio interview, Gilmour played an original demo of “Comfortably Numb” that revealed different lyrics entirely. Based on the melody and cadence, we assume what we were hearing were the early versions of the song’s choruses. 

Put it on the line; put it to the test
I’m just the same as all the rest
I’m not the worst, but I’m not the best
There’s nothing to live and nothing to die for
There is no future, no past to cry for
I’m just dust floating away in the wind

Some of Gilmour’s vocal deliveries seem a little awkward as he finds his rhythm over the chord progression. (The progression stayed remarkably the same from the demo to the album.) However, it’s clear where inspiration for certain rhythmic feels came from. There is no future closely matches the feel of the chorus’ opening line, There is no pain, you are receding. Otherwise, the lyrics seemed to take on a whole new meaning. And indeed, that meaning is even more desolate than the version of the song we know and love today.

Giving New Meaning To The Pink Floyd Classic

Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” continued the album-wide narrative of The Wall, which followed a rockstar named Pink who succumbs to mental isolation, exhaustion, and disillusionment. An incident in which a doctor had to inject Roger Waters with a muscle relaxant so that the bassist could perform a show despite his debilitating stomach pain was a large inspiration for the track. Waters could play, yes. But he had little feeling or control over his hands and arms, hence the “comfortably numb” imagery and verse lyrics like, Can you stand up? I do believe it’s working. Good. That’ll keep you going for the show.

But with Gilmour’s demo lyrics, there seems to be even less willingness to accept one’s role as a performer working through mental or physical discomfort. There’s nothing to live and nothing to die for is quite the embittered stance from a rockstar, something more akin to The Wall B-side, “Goodbye Cruel World.” Hopeless lines like the ones in Gilmour’s early “Comfortably Numb” demos seem out of place in the natural plot progression of The Wall. Still, it’s a fascinating insight into the many incarnations this cinematic song took on before reaching its final, goosebump-inducing form.

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