Jesus, Jesus what's it all about?
Trying to clout these little ingrates into shape
When I was their age all the lights went out
There was no time to whine and mope about

And even now part of me flies over
Dresden at angels-one-five
Though they'll never fathom it, behind my
Sarcasm desperate memories lie

Sweetheart, sweetheart, are you fast asleep? Good
Cos that's the only time that I can really talk to you
And there is something that I've locked away
A memory that is too painful
To withstand the light of day

When we came back from the war, the banners and
Flags hung on everyone's door
We danced and we sang in the street and
The church bells rang
But burning in my heart
My memory smoulders on
Of the gunner's dying words
On the intercom.



Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae

Track duration: 04:21


The Hero's Return song meanings
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19 Comments

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  • +1
    Song Meaning:What really links this to the teacher from the wall are the lines:

    Sweetheart, sweetheart, are you fast asleep? Good
    Cos that's the only time that I can really speak to you

    referring to "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives" where the last lines let us know that the teacher's wife is psychopatic and not at all sympathetic, so the traumatized teacher can only speak to her when she's asleep, otherwise she would just thrash him within inches of his life.
    Flag TheUniversalSighon July 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The song is about the teacher from the wall. Many of the songs on The Final Cut were songs left off of The Wall. This one and The Gunners Dream both were songs that were told from PoV of characters that were not central to The Wall's story. People speculate thats why they were left off.
    Flag Stoneformpallyon May 10, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning: Ambiguity between the last 2 roger/floyd "albums" is a rather swell example of accepting the writer/artist and fan "union!" When folks draw conclusions and absolutes backed mainly by ego, one could suggest to practice sincere humility- an open mind does not necessarily void the ability to have conviction. Art is in the eyes, ears, and all other sense of the observation.

    Though it may be obvious to others, Dresden at "angels one and five" draws blanks- if only all bullets were blanks, then we could "duke" it out with fist uh cuffs. John Waynes dukes?- were they not
    his teeth?

    Five in one baby, one in five. No one here gets out alive- she cried?

    At first I thought I missread "angels one and five" as "flies over Dresden at angles 1 and 5."
    If anyone took the time to read past my jibberish, could u enlighten a troubled soul?
    Flag flypigflyon January 20, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Another devastatingly beautiful song from 'The Final Cut.' I like the way the narrator's your typical cranky old geezer, and then he opens up to his sleeping wife about the sadness in his heart. Genuinely moving stuff.
    Flag richeyeon October 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:The three songs The Heros Return The Gunners Dream and Paranoid Eyes tell the whole tale. When he gets back from the war back in garrison he's pissed about the new guys cherries or boots. Then he goes on to tell about the horror of memories of war and feeling the inability to relate with his wife and everyone else. This song tells a story of millions who suffer from PTSD and just can't relate or fit in with normal society. Its a sad and lonely battle.
    Flag Onelefton September 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The Gunner is a soldier who served in an airplane during WW2. Could have been a tail gunner or he could have been the guy who manned the nose turret. In the bombers of WW2 the guys communicated with each other (navigator, pilots, gunners, bombadiers) over headphones or intercoms. Between firefights they'd talk about their families, girls, dreams, what they would do after the war, the usual subjects you'd expect.

    The Hero made it back and the gunner didn't. The gunner was in a plane that was shot down and he (the Gunner) now sleeps in the corner of some foreign field.

    It's chilling and brings tears to your eyes when you think of this song while visiting the military cemetaries of Belgium or France. These guys gave their all, and those who survived to come home had a hard time reintegrating into normal society. How the hell do you come home and live a normal life when 2 weeks ago you were paid to kill people and there were professional killers on the other side doing their best to kill you first?

    Flag Sumpdogon August 18, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The Hero's Return Part 1 & 2- awesome! This music never gets old!
    Flag temptation777on May 29, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The line would make more sense if it were "traing human COGS for the machine" and thats what I think it is.

    and in regards to the last line of the song...the gunners dream is obviously "a place to stay enough to eat...(a place where) No one kills the children anymore...you'll never hear the standered issue kicking in your door".

    thats a quote from the song after this on the album "the gunners dream" its a dream of peace
    Flag snowleaderon May 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I created a pandora.com radio station that has this song on it's playlist. Can't wait to see if it hits one of Pink Floyd's epics. Still hoping.
    Flag inpraiseoffollyon September 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I can't listen to anything other than this album these days, thinking about he Iraq war and all that.
    Flag inpraiseoffollyon August 29, 2006   Link

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