Pocket Full of Stones

[popelaura2003+-]

So, on the DG web site they now have a short video of David making the song Pocket Full of Stones. Does anyone have an idea about what that song is about? I've listened and listened; re-read the lyrics and I can't tell if it's about one of his young sons or a political leader or Syd Barrett!

[nosaj]

Here are the lyrics (well, from some random site, so I am not sure they are accurate):

He's sending stones skimming and flying
Circles spinning out his time
Though the earth is dying his head is in the stars
Chances are this spark's a lifetime

Out of touch he'll live in wonder
Won't lose sleep he'll just pretend
In his world he won't go under
Turns without him until the end

Rivers run dry but there's no line on his brow
Says he doesn't care who's saved
It's just the dice you roll, the here and now
And he's not guilty or afraid

One day he'll slip away
Cool water flowing all around
In the river and on the ground
Leave a pocketful of stones and not believe in other lives

Until then he'll live in wonder
He won't fight or comprehend
In his world he won't go under
Turns without him until the end

I just think it is a vague song about David himself. Essentially, that he is older, closer to death ("one day he'll slip away", "Turns without him until the end")...stones could be anything really, possibly songs?

It seems to be similar to Near the End:

And when you fell you're near the end
Will you just turn it over and start again
Is there a stirring in your heart
As the time comes when we will have to part?

And when you fell you're near the end
And there's a stranger where once was a friend
And you are left without a word
Only the whispers that you've overheard

Standing in silence, holding my breath
Disconnected and dry
And though I'm certain that there's nothing left
To hold on to, to give or to try
Some things never change, no don't ever change
And I'm feeling the cold
Thinking that we're getting older and wiser
When we're just getting old

And when you feel you're near the end
And what once burned so bright is growing dim
And when you see what's been acheived
Is there a feeling that you've been deceived?

Or even similar to the High Hopes:

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the Cut

There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever...

Or how about Sorrow:

The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky:
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers,
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking

He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough

His blood has frozen & curdled with fright
His knees have trembled & given way in the night
His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
His step has faltered

One world, one soul
Time pass, the river rolls

It's not enough it's not enough
His hand has faltered

And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
And silent replies that swirl invitation
Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
A grim intimation of what is to be

There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
And silence that speaks so much louder that words,
Of promises broken


See, he has this age thing going on with last songs...

[popelaura2003+-]

You're correct. There's definitely a thread of mortality/eternity in all the songs you quoted. On An Island is quite soulful and full of wisdom.
High Hopes is among my most favorite songs as it's so nostalgic about youth when we were in a bubble of bliss, far removed from the outside world, enveloped in an innocence that erodes as we get older and closer to the end.
It's just that whenever I hear the Pocketful of Stones songs, the references seem vague and specific at the same time; like it's really about this one person.
It could be DG but then he is so connected to other lives, that the words about not caring about other lives seems to disqualify him as being the topic.
I guess I'll have to wonder! Maybe just a song about resurrection and or the flip of that: just the one go at existence.
Thanx.

[Enish]

I've thought that the song was either about caring about the environment or those that are less fortunate (like "On the Turning Away"), the consequences of living a blissfully ignorant lifestyle unaware of the responsibilities and duties you'd have to face as an adult, or about Syd. The first two seem like the most likely conclusions, since Roger is the one who tends to write about Syd.

[Damn!t]

This song could sound much better with some juicy blues rock riff in minor, not this mellow orchestra thing he did.
The lyrics are basically nothing new from Samson/Gilmour camp. Sighing about past times etc...
One of the worst tracks on this album and in general one of the worst Gilmour creations.

[Enish]

But it's not as bad as "Blue Light", right?

[nosaj]

But it's not as bad as "Blue Light", right?

Funny, I am soooo in the minority for actually liking this song.

[Enish]

But it's not as bad as "Blue Light", right?

Funny, I am soooo in the minority for actually liking this song.

There's no harm in that. To each his own. I usually skip that song whenever I listen to About Face. I really didn't know what I'd just listened to when I first heard it.

[nosaj]

There's no harm in that. To each his own. I usually skip that song whenever I listen to About Face. I really didn't know what I'd just listened to when I first heard it.

You heard Gilmour's version of Run Like Hell, without the heavy lyrics.

[Enish]

There's no harm in that. To each his own. I usually skip that song whenever I listen to About Face. I really didn't know what I'd just listened to when I first heard it.

You heard Gilmour's version of Run Like Hell, without the heavy lyrics.

Yeah, light on lyrics and heavy on 80s production values. He had a fever and the only prescription was more blaring synthesizers. XD