See Emily Play

I really agree with what steve82c_myAIM wrote. Sadly people know so very little about Syd Barrett to comprehend that he was in a world of his own. If you think drugs, lsd or his mental disorder is all he was about, you're irrevocably wrong. He was a true artist in every sense of the word. He was not only an incredible lyricist he was also a painter and a writer. He just happened to be too bright for the lay man to understand. His imagination surpassed all human limits. As a person who has read many of his biographies and watched documentaries dedicated to the Floyd that's just how I see him. And like most geniuses he is mythologized. As for my interpretation of this song, regardless of whether Emily was real or just a character in Syd's mind, I feel as if its a suicide story. "Emily tries but misunderstands.." talks of the eternal mental struggle a depressive person has. Never understanding people or events happening around them. "She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow.." always wishing to be someone else or living another life but her own because she is unhappy with herself. "There is no other way, let's try it another way" refers to her attempts at ending her life but not really succeeding. "Soon after dark Emily cries" talks about her endless nights crying where no one can see her. I really could explain every line but I think it becomes more clear in the end when he says, "put on a gown that touches the ground, float on a river forever and ever.." referring to that moment when a suicidal person finally decides to end it all. Its an important ceremony for Emily so she chooses a beautiful long dress and (presumably) jumps off a bridge into a river and drowns. In the end it could not mean any of this, but in my mind thats how it plays out. :)