All that you touch
And all that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
And all that you love
And all that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
And all that you give
And all that you deal
And all that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal
And all you create
And all you destroy
And all that you do
And all that you say
And all that you eat
And everyone you meet (everyone you meet)
And all that you slight
And everyone you fight
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by mellowcat

Eclipse Lyrics as written by George Roger Waters

Lyrics © Kanjian Music

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Eclipse song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

161 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +17
    General Comment

    To understand Eclipse you must interprete the album: the album reflects life as it is.

    • Breathe: First your heartbeat begins/grows, you start to breathe and you are born. You get exposed external sounds and influences (like adult's voices saying things you cannot yet understand) but you get also exposed to your mother's cares and worries ('smiles you'll give, and tears you'll cry') and good advices ('balance on the biggest wave, you race towards an early grave').
    • Time: You grow up and enter into the ratrace of society, you realize passing of time and experience first disappointments ('no-one told you when to run..') and what it means to get older ('every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time').
    • Money: The materialistic phase of your life, working and earning money, not thinking much of the greater things in life. Reflected in even so cliche music.
    • Us and them: The elderly phase of life: you have seen it all, and you feel you have done your part. You become narrowminded and start talking about 'us' and 'them'. Like many elderly people do, you retract socially in a more inner circle of close family and friends. Society as a whole becomes less important, because you realize you will not be part of it for a long time anymore.
    • Brain damage: In the next phase your brain degenerates, you become detached from the outside world and 'real' people do not see anymore what you think. You loose touch with reality, your mind starts doing its own ways, but it feels to you like the rest of the world is doing strange things ('when the band you're in starts playing different tunes'). You get locked up in an institution or an elderly home, but more importantly, you get locked up in your head, sometimes even purposely by 'making the cut' (lobotomy).
    • Eclipse: The end. Finally, all actions and apparent contradictions and conflicts in life are resolved and disappear at the point of death (=the sun is eclipsed by the moon: the night falls for your brain). Even time itself disappears ('all that is now, all that is gone, all that's to come'). At this point everything melts together and you find/realize/experience that 'everything under the sun is in tune' and that all struggles were constructs of your conscious brain). Then the heartbeat stops. You're gone...

    I see no messages or judgements, or philosophies about darkness, just a tale about the phases of life. It helps me to realize what lies ahead for all of us. The Dark Side of the Moon is one of those rare works of Art where message, form and performance have come together in a perfect marriage.

    pcamelon July 13, 2011   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    It means that everything we do is meaningless

    Jon April 17, 2002   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    It could mean that. I can see that. I always thought it ment that with all the things that you can do...everything you have ever thought of or accomplished...everything...can change that quickly when the "sun is eclisped by the moon." Not litterally, of course, but just one little tiny insignificant thing can change everything about your life.

    Oh, and I always thought it was "and all that you spite and everyone you fight." Of course, I could be wrong...that has happened on occasion.

    Jaspin Demotheneseon April 18, 2002   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    No matter what we do, it will always be in tune with the sun, meaning that everything will be all right in the end. Unfortunatly, the sun is eclipsed by the moon, the moon, especially the dark side of the moon, is all the things in life that cause horrible things. Money, war, etc. Then after the song ends, we find out, if you turn up your speakers, that the entire moon is dark, so that no matter what, this metaphorical moon will always be a problem if we continue to let it eclipse the sun.

    BrainDamageon August 24, 2002   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    The Sun represents the concious waking mind, the moon is the subconcious 'darkside'. Everything in the cosmos IS perfectly in tune,its WE who are all screwed up. Since the lunar is in opposition to the solar, humanity's mind torn into two seperate poles (duality: light/dark, male/female/,good/evil) we will forever be subject to time, decay and death.

    The world is ruled by symbols & signs, not words & rules- Confuscious was right. Learn to read the symbols surrounding you & EVERTYHING will begin to make sense. Seek & and you shall find

    Hungryforalynchinon July 24, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    The Sun represents the concious waking mind, the moon is the subconcious 'darkside'. Everything in the cosmos IS perfectly in tune,its who are all screwed up. Since the lunar is in opposition to the solar, humanity's mind is torn into two seperate poles (duality: light/dark, male/female/,good/evil) we will forever be subject to time, decay and death.

    Hungryforalynchinon July 24, 2011   Link
  • +3
    My Interpretation

    "I don't see it as a riddle. The album uses the sun and the moon as symbols; the light and the dark; the good and the bad; the life force as opposed to the death force. I think it's a very simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them. The song addresses the listener and says that if you, the listener are affected by that force, and if that force is a worry to you, well I feel exactly the same too. The line 'I'll see you on the dark side of the moon' [Brain Damage] is me speaking to the listener, saying, 'I know you have these bad feelings and impulses because I do too and one of the ways I can make direct contact with you is to share with you the fact that I feel bad sometimes." -Roger Waters

    I'm kinda siding with him on this. Sorry if someone else posted this... I didn't really bother to read other comments.

    Chad17on March 12, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    i love the last lines:

    "everything under the sun is in tune but the sun is eclipsed by the moon"

    i believe it means: everything is fine when there's light or happiness [sun], but that the light is covered [eclipsed] by the darkness or depression [the moon].
    because the entire song leads up to those lines, he's saying that life is meaningless when you're depressed.

    sapphireskieson July 21, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    THIS SONG MAKES LIFE WORTH LIVING!!!

    Sicklenhammeron December 17, 2017   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I'm a little surprised by all the different interpretations of this song, because what it means to me is simple and powerful.

    Early in the album the lyrics go, "all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be." A pretty grim take on life, that it has so little meaning.

    As the album progresses, the lyrics portray a man grown tired by the drudgery of life. It's about working, running to catch a plane flight, wasting time, money, building status, politics, and war. Even the act of breathing, existence itself. It's enough to make anybody go insane. How crazy would you be to think that just one man's life holds any kind of significance?

    So maybe that's the answer, madness. To trick ourselves into thinking anything matters. What if you thought there was more?

    For me this is probably the most uplifting song I've ever heard. It says, EVERYTHING matters. As he lists all of the experiences of life during Eclipse, he's saying there isn't one thing that one of us ever does that doesn't matter. Listen to the words and know each one of those things impacts the universe and all of us, everything under the sun.

    But then you'd have to be crazy, on the dark side of the moon, to think that's true. If that's the case, I say let the moon eclipse the sun and put us all on the dark side.

    BrianNILon October 28, 2013   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.