#-----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE------------------------------#
# This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation #
# of the song. The owner of this website has not reviewed the contents of #
# this file. If you feel that the content of this file may be violating #
# copyright law, you may not use the information displayed here in any way. #
#----------------------------------------------------------------------------#
Pink Floyd - Jugband Blues (Barrett)
C Am
It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here,
C Am C
And I'm almost obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not here.
Am C
And I never knew the moon could be so big.
Am C
And I never knew the moon could be so blue.
Am C
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
F G A
And brought me here instead dressed in red.
Bm F#m Bm F#
And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.
G D A D
I don't care if the sun don't shine.
G D A D
And I don't care if nothing is mine.
F Am
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you.
F A
I'll do my loving in the Winter.
G D A D G D A D ... Am C/G
Am C/G Am
And the sea____ isn't green.
C/G Am
And I love the queen.
C/G A
And what exactly is a dream?
C/G A
And what exactly is a joke?
Brought to you by the GUITARMASTA - http://www.guitarmasta.net
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
Jordan Rhythm Player |
#1 by Jordan at Jun 14, 1973 at 2:07 AM EST |
| I keep listening to this... I still can't decide what he's saying I think it might be moon could be so big and room could be so blue Also, I wrote this 87 times on the Syd forums.... Syd didn't "become" insane, and he didn't "lose his mind." He was always insane and he never had a "mind" as people like to call it. :) Piper is good proof of that. That album is completely nuts (read my posts on there lol) and his solo work is pretty much more of the same. He didnt change much from one album to the next. | |
|
No Picture
David Average |
#2 by David Tims at Jun 29, 1974 at 8:12 AM EST |
| The first three lines seem like a crack at the rest of the band. From some things I've heard, the band was planning on dropping Syd for a while before that time when they just didn't pick him up, and they might have left him standing more than once before hand. | |
|
No Picture
randy Professional |
#3 by randy taylor at Aug 27, 1978 at 4:15 AM EST |
| The song has so much meaning. Thinking about it it makes tons of sense. It was one of the last songs that Syd wrote for the band and he knew it was. Almost every line in that song makes sense. It seems to me that in the first line he's saying that he may be there physically but he knows he's not mentally stable and doesnt feel as though he's there all the time, so he's clearing up that he doesnt think he's there and knows that some time in the near future he really wont be there. (the lyrics are "I never knew the MOON could be so big. and i never knew the MOON could be so blue. not room) The thing about old shoes and dressed in red seems to be that they're getting rid of what he used to be, just throwing him away. Sacrifices were dressed in red, and they were sacrificing him for the good of the band. Syd was on so many drugs that he didnt have a sane thought in his head, hence the "im wondering who could be writing this song". It's merely a way of saying he doesnt know who he is anymore. nobody does. He merely doesnt care anymore for anything. Thats how I saw it. and as for the last line. It's a matter of thinking about it, a dream and a joke. I could say that I"m going to be famous. and its either a dream or a joke. in my case its a joke, i know i dont want that and i know it wont happen. A dream would be if i trully did want it to happen and wished for it. So is his life a dream or a joke? | |
|
No Picture
Dan Professional Badass |
#4 by Dan Hudspith at Sep 14, 1978 at 5:07 PM EST |
| Someone above said Syd's currently living in a sanitarium. Not true. From what I've read, he's living with his mother in England somewhere, and generally tries to stay out of the limelight. | |
|
No Picture
cody Rhythm Player |
#5 by cody watts at Dec 26, 1978 at 8:04 AM EST |
| Syd Barrett is a genius | |
|
No Picture
ScumFucBondage Average |
#6 by ScumFucBondage bumsex at Sep 6, 1981 at 2:42 PM EST |
| This song is so sad... it shows Syd slipping away | |
|
No Picture
The Masta The Muther F*ing Masta! |
#7 by The Masta at Aug 28, 1982 at 4:56 PM EST |
| This song is great, but sad. Syd's last one before his slow demise. yea, he dragged in a Salvation Army Band and told them to play whatever they want | |
|
No Picture
paddy Average |
#8 by paddy coscoran at Dec 1, 1983 at 12:38 AM EST |
| I agree with Black&GreenAchilles that Syd's supposed 'insanity' was probably accellerated by some power struggles within 'The Pink Floyd'. The mis-prescribed medications didn't help. I do not know if 'conspiracy' classifies the situation, though. The strongest parallel is to Brian Jones. BTW, the Sally Ann band in 'Jugband' has precident... Dylan's 'Rainy Day Women #12 & #35' on 'Blonde on Blonde' (1966). And, Bob accomplished EXACTLY THE SAME THING by getting his Nashville session musicians to switch instruments after they were sufficiently plastered. | |
|
No Picture
kewl Wanna Be |
#9 by kewl dude at Mar 2, 1992 at 4:10 PM EST |
| insane** | |
|
No Picture
ed Average |
#10 by ed lubecki at Oct 9, 1995 at 7:36 PM EST |
| I agree it is intensely sad because it's his cry for help that his friends totally ignored. I'm pretty sure it is 'room' - in reference to the imprisoning isolation and seclution the band aboned him too. It's blue because he's still & frozen in time - as oppossed to sea isn't green (growing / alive). Syd was totally sane, the apparent insanity was a mockery of other people assuming he was mad - it got real with the mis-PRESCRIBED mandrax & his fustration. "The tune they play is an ask confide" - but they never did, they just decided about him. Hence 'I wonder who could be writing this song' is a sarcastic dig directly at the culprits - Floyd (clowns), who loved to tell everyone how mad he was everytime they were promoting a song, 'he's over there but he's not really there. That makes us cool so please buy our hat'. Floyd was his dream - the backing band took over because they failed 'to get it'. The joke is his mockery of them - him overplaying Carry On style what they had been so ignorant & limited to assume. And then they left him with it, forever. What a great bunk of guys, crying all the way to the bank. | |
|
No Picture
kyle Average |
#11 by kyle sharpshooter at Nov 22, 1997 at 11:12 PM EST |
| It's got nothing to do with the band. He says "It's awfully considerate of you to think of me HERE" not THERE. "and I'm most obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not HERE". | |
|
No Picture
Dan Average |
#12 by Dan Johnson at Dec 6, 2004 at 12:47 AM EST |
| I feel this song and his later songs like Here I Go can totally disprove the madness theory. He is clearly well aware of the negative PR his band mates were putting him through, and only chose to defend himself through his lyrics. and I never knew the moon could be so big and I never knew the moon could be so blue The moon (madness) here is not real but supposed. Therefore he is overwhelmed by the power of such an allegation, as he says he had no idea how big and blue it could be. I feel the rest of the lyrics also follow a similar idea. Although at first glance it seems like an ambition of madness. Sorry, I do not mean to over-analyze the song. It is beautiful and does not need any explanation, and is open to interpretation, just as Syd intended. | |
|
No Picture
Mike Average |
#13 by Mike Fraguglia at Jan 15, 2006 at 7:05 AM EST |
| i think it's "never knew the moon could be so big," the moon being his disorder, referencing lunacy and its connection to the moon. | |
|
No Picture
cinn Professional Badass |
#14 by cinn mcrickson at Jan 26, 2006 at 8:34 PM EST |
| this song goes from 3/4 into 2/4 and then 4/4 it is maddness. Did you know Syd just got a Salvation Amry band in to do the middle section? Amazing | |
|
No Picture
Pablo Rhythm Player |
#15 by Pablo Muņiz at Mar 9, 2006 at 3:23 PM EST |
| I like it too, now that i think about it | |
|
No Picture
The other James Wanna Be |
#16 by The other James Molina at Jun 12, 2006 at 8:26 PM EST |
| has anyone else noticed the lack of interpretations on most of the pink floyd songs? i think most people are afraid to even try to figure out with these guys are saying because it is rather obscure. either way i really like this song. | |
|
No Picture
Basstard Professional |
#17 by Basstard at Aug 24, 2006 at 12:43 AM EST |
| I like it. | |
|
No Picture
ryan Average |
#18 by ryan oh at Oct 25, 2006 at 10:06 PM EST |
| "Syd didn't "become" insane, and he didn't "lose his mind." He was always insane and he never had a "mind" as people like to call it." -- steve82c I think insanity could be described as a twisted or illusionary sense of reality, and interpreting events in one's life through distorted glasses. Anyone who reads Syd Barret lyrics and truly understand them must be able to see the hypocrisy in calling him 'insane'. The problem for us is his perception of reality is beyond what any of us could imagine. Thus, he was "a genius" (Mooey). Again, it was his deviation from the masses of society, and his ultra-clear view of everything, something so alien to the average person, that set him apart. Our inability to understand things on his level does not make him insane. However, some will say "ohh, but he was on so many drugs that there is no way you're right." This is not the case. It was the drugs that made Syd descend to the breakdown because of societal pressure, and perhaps because he was so different, and so ingenious as compared to everyone else. He was a genius with vision that not many can begin to comprehend. His lyrics are indicative of clear thought at its greatest height. "And what exactly is a dream?" | |
|
No Picture
Manu Professional Badass |
#19 by Manu at Dec 20, 2006 at 5:45 PM EST |
| dude he never died he was kicked out of the band and went clinicaly insanse. Hes now in a sanitarium | |
|
No Picture
lindsey Average |
#20 by lindsey Rogogo at Mar 24, 2007 at 8:20 PM EST |
| i never said he died, i meant slow demise as in descent into insanity | |
|
No Picture
Dan Average |
#21 by Dan Johnson at Apr 1, 2007 at 8:52 PM EST |
| Jugband Blues is a beautiful and tragic song. This discussion about sanity vs insanity seems a bit ridiculous to me... some people seem to have a kind of Victorian idea of madness. Of course it is perfectly possible to be experiencing severe mental health difficulties and be well aware of your own damaged mental state, and articulate this. Also, many of Syd's collegues at the time have pointed out that his mental state was quite variable from day to day, and he experienced some moments of great lucidity during the recording sessions of all of his records. He is not in a 'sanatorium', although he has in the past spent time in mental institutions (though he has apparently never been 'sectioned' - thats forcibly admitted to an institution on mental health grounds). His days as a musician, and as 'Syd' are now in the distant past, as he apparently is living a quiet and contented life, reverting back to his real name, Roger Barrett. This was confirmed by his sister, Rosemary, in a newspaper several weeks ago. | |
|
No Picture
bogex Rhythm Player |
#22 by bogex luna at Apr 16, 2007 at 5:22 PM EST |
| well youre just a geek | |
|
No Picture
Jake Wanna Be |
#23 by Jake Stewart at Jun 7, 2007 at 2:21 AM EST |
| i love this song! i think is MOON instead of ROOM in both lines...listen kids | |
|
No Picture
jake Professional |
#24 by jake burns at Jul 10, 2007 at 11:51 AM EST |
| I don't feel like I properly explained what I got out of this song. Syd was a genius, pure and simple. People who didn't understand him were quick to judge just because he was on a lot of drugs and wrote barely if at all accessible lyrics. If you dissect his songs enough, they will start to make sense. This song reminds me of a They Might Be Giants song... it is full of brilliant sarcastic humor towards all the people who don't understand him... the people who were ousting him for all the wrong reasons. For starters, the line "I'm most obliged to you for making it clear that I'm not here" is a great joke.... Even if he wasn't "there," it would never be "clear" to him lol the blue line and red line go together wtih the color theme. When he says threw away my old shoes, I think he is refering to that saying "to be in my shoes" He's saying he can't be where he is anymore... ya know? I think someone said before that dressed in red represents being a sacrifice, which fits the theme of what's going on. "I'm wondering who could be writing this song" is another great joke line. the rest of it is saying he doesn't care if he's rich or successful, and he doesn't care if people like his music. Fame itself is just a dream really, but it's a joke to him. That last line is so f#cking amazing! :) | |
|
No Picture
nick Average |
#25 by nick caldwell at Aug 5, 2007 at 8:06 PM EST |
| syd barret, if you know about this guys history then it makes this song so much better... "and what exactly is a dream and what exactly is a joke" | |
|
No Picture
David Average |
#26 by David Gilmour at Aug 29, 2007 at 10:04 PM EST |
| Syd is not a damn sanitarium, dumbass. He is living home avoiding people like you. :) | |
|
No Picture
Renee Wanna Be |
#27 by Renee Saenz at Sep 6, 2007 at 10:29 PM EST |
| *not in... | |
Top 7 Pink Floyd Guitar Tabs
Popular Guitar Tabs