Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
On the day the wall came down
They threw the locks onto the ground
And with glasses high we raised a cry for freedom had arrived
And on the day the wall came down
The ship of fools had finally run aground
Promises lit up the night like paper doves in flight
I dreamed you had left my side
No warmth not even pride remained
And even though you needed me
It was clear that I could not do a thing for you
Now life devalues day by day
As friends and neighbours turn away
And there's a change that, even with regret, cannot be undone
Now frontiers shift like desert sands
As nations wash their bloodied hands
Of loyalty, of history in shades of grey
I woke to the sound of drums
The music played, the morning sun streamed in
I turned and I looked at you
And all but the bitter residue slipped away... slipped away
They threw the locks onto the ground
And with glasses high we raised a cry for freedom had arrived
And on the day the wall came down
The ship of fools had finally run aground
Promises lit up the night like paper doves in flight
I dreamed you had left my side
No warmth not even pride remained
And even though you needed me
It was clear that I could not do a thing for you
Now life devalues day by day
As friends and neighbours turn away
And there's a change that, even with regret, cannot be undone
Now frontiers shift like desert sands
As nations wash their bloodied hands
Of loyalty, of history in shades of grey
I woke to the sound of drums
The music played, the morning sun streamed in
I turned and I looked at you
And all but the bitter residue slipped away... slipped away
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Track duration: 04:31
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!
The first 2 verses simply refer to major events that were happing in the world…. "On the day" he made a major decision in his own life about his marriage at the time, ending it… for whatever reasons…who knows what people struggle through in a bad marriage.
The third verse,TAKE NOTE HOW THE MUSIC BECOMES MORE INTENSE IN THIS VERSE... and how what he sings has nothing to do with the first 2 verses of the song…yet the 3rd verse here reveals the "true meaning" in the song…what the song is really about…..
"I dreamed you had left my side
No warmth not even pride remained
And even though you needed me
It was clear that I could not do a thing for you"
This third verse clearly shows how nothing "remained" in the relationship with his wife.
4th & 5th verse... again return to what was going on in the world at the time, the music for these verses returns to the same music in the first 2 verses. these 4th & 5th verses continues the "diversion" to the true meaning to the song.
Now the 6th and final verse (the most telling) THE MUSIC BECOMES POWERFUL AGAIN LIKE THE 3RD VERSE. (this is what the song is really about!!! )
"I woke to the sound of drums
The music played, the morning sun streamed in
I turned and I looked at you
And all but the bitter residue slipped away... slipped away"
This 6th verse is stating that he woke up to music playing, perhaps literally and he turn, looked at his wife and realized that he no longer had the feelings for her other than some bitterness…all other feelings had finally slipped away, he confirms this in the song by singing "slipped away" a second time, but he is saying it!!….. then breaks into the guitar solo..which represents letting go.
Now the title of the song "A Great Day For Freedom" represents a great day for freedom in the world and the day he proclaimed his Freedom from a marriage that had gone bad, people stuck in a bad marriage DO NOT FEEL FREE!!
This is my favorite song on the Division Bell". It is a masterpiece and reveals the true Genius of David Gilmour..and his current wife, who co wrote. I think it is funny how he manages to divert most everyone who hears this song about what the true meaning is!!
David Gilmour: I don't think that it is. There are a couple of hinted mentions that could or could not have something to do with him. But all that I read from people working out what they think it's about has been either fairly or wildly inaccurate. I enjoy that. I'm quite happy for people to interpret it any way they like.
But maybe a note of caution should be sounded because you can read too much into it. 'A Great Day for Freedom,' for example, has got nothing to do with Roger or his 'wall.' It just doesn't. What else can I say?"
But the guitar solo at the end is indescribably beautiful. This, after "Marooned," feels to my ears like, imagine it's evening in the summer and a storm is brewing on the horizon. The breeze is wafting through the trees and the climate feels fantastic, despite the coming rain. The music to these two tracks does to the ears what that type of sensation does to the body.
Im going down the road of camden38 well felt!
i just loved it
While overtly alluding to the Berlin Wall, the lyrics are often read as a reflection on the bitter and estranged partnership David Gilmour had with former bandmate Roger Waters (Waters having been the driving force behind the band's album The Wall and its various offshoots). However, Gilmour rejects this idea: "I'm quite happy for people to interpret [The Division Bell] any way they like. But maybe a note of caution should be sounded because you can read too much into it. "A Great Day for Freedom", for example, has got nothing to do with Roger or his 'wall'. It just doesn't. What else can I say?" [1]
The song was performed by Gilmour solo at concerts in 2002 and 2006 and features on his live album, Live in Gdańsk.
On the album's bonus DVD documentary, Gdańsk Diary, Gilmour states that the song is about the struggles in Eastern Europe (particularly Poland and Germany) and did their "freedom" really mean "freedom"? Gilmour also mentions that the song was originally titled In Shades of Grey.
and btw, why the f do people in this site are constantly telling others to "stop thinking so deep" into stuff? Shit, it's exactly when we look deep that we can find truer, more general meanings to them, seeing beyond the surface. Seems people are afraid to think too deep, of what they may realise.