Ill meet you on the dark side of the moon

I have been an online writer for over six years. I am a composer, musician, and a passionate advocate for the arts.

Pink Floyd and Dark Side of the Moon Background

In early 1973, British experimental rock band Pink Floyd released their 8th album, Dark Side of the Moon, arguably the greatest rock album ever created. Since its release, it has become a cornerstone to 20th-century culture and provided great inspiration to artists within and outside of music. Its success encouraged other musicians to explore more progressive styles of music, and it raised the bar for recorded sound for future albums.

The hard work that Pink Floyd put into this album paid off financially as Dark Side of the Moon became one of the best-selling albums of all time. After its release, it went to number one on the Billboard chart for one week, but it ended up staying on the Billboard charts for a consecutive 741 weeks (or just over 14 years). This feat would make the album one of the top 25 best-selling albums ever.

Dark Side of the Moon has endured through the years because it is such a well-written and thought-out concept album. A concept album is an album where all (or most) of the songs on that album revolve around a story or a theme. This is a contrast to most studio albums which just lay out a series of songs that are often unconnected or unrelated with the exception of the fact that they are on the same album.

Knowing that Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album has given rise to a number of theories about what the album's concept is, and or, what the meaning of the album is. The band has given partial explanations to some of the songs and the album as a whole, but for the most part, they have left it up to listeners to decide for themselves.

Disclaimer: This is a personal interpretation of the message (or the concept) I believe Pink Floyd was trying to convey when they wrote Dark Side of the Moon.

What Is Dark Side of the Moon About?

So what is the meaning of Dark Side of the Moon?

Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album that discusses the philosophical and physical ideas that can lead to a person's insanity, and ultimately, an unfulfilled life.

The album is a cautionary tale in two parts; the first half describes living a life that goes unfulfilled. This part of the album consists of the following tracks:

• "Speak To Me/Breathe"
• "On The Run"
• "Time/Breathe Reprise"
• "Great Gig In The Sky"

The second half of the album consists of individual songs about different ideas and concepts that are detrimental to society and can lead to madness. These songs are:

• "Money"
• "Us and Them"
• "A Color You Like"
• "Brain Damage"
• "Eclipse"

The philosophical ideas in the second half of the album are a sort of madness in their own right. They are also the root causes to the problem mentioned in the first half of the album that focuses on living an unfulfilled life.

The Real Dark Side of the Moon

Wikimedia

What Does the Album Title Mean?

As one of the voices at the end of the album states:

"There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark."

What is the title of the album referring to? What is the dark side of the moon a metaphor for?

It's a metaphor for darkness—the darkness (or different ideas) that can destroy all of the positive emotions and ideas that are a part of humanity. In effect, the darkness represents insanity. But like in reality, the light portrayed by the moon is really an illusion. So it would appear that the album, which seems to take the dark side of the moon concept to heart, is suggesting is that everyone on some level is insane or will have to deal with madness.

Dark Side of the Moon seems to specifically suggest that there are two types of insanity. The first type of insanity mentioned on the album suggests people go insane by riding the tide. Or specifically speaking, people are insane for doing what they're told all of the time and just accepting life for what it is.

The second type of insanity mentioned on the album suggests that the people that don't ride the tide realize that the people riding the tide are insane. In turn, their efforts to try to convince people not to ride the tide or their resistance to the tide itself causes them to go insane.

Below is an in-depth look at the nine tracks that make up Dark Side of the Moon.

"Speak to Me" Lyrics

I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years, been over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands...

I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad...

"Breathe" Lyrics

Breathe, breathe in the air.
Don't be afraid to care.
Leave but don't leave me.
Look around and choose your own ground.

Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be.

Run, rabbit, run.
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down it's time to dig another one.

For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave.

"Speak to Me" Analysis

"Speak to Me" kicks off the album. The voices that are speaking are clearly discussing the issue of insanity. More interesting than the voices though are the sounds in the background. The bass drum is beating a pulse that resembles the beating of a human heart. Slowly the cash registers from Money and the clocks from Time enter the song along with other ambient effects that are used in other songs on the album.

The heart beat will return prominently at the end of the album. The heart beat is a metaphor for life and all the songs that occur in between the heart beats are acting as the substance, or what's inside, of life.

"Breathe" Analysis

The lyrics in "Breathe" seem to imply two different lifestyles which are the follower (or the rabbit) and the chooser.

The chooser will be able to live a long life, but because they aren't riding the tide they will only see what they choose to see. In this context, the song is implying that choosing can be limiting. They are also limited by their physical experiences as the lyrics suggest touching and seeing is all life is to them. To many humans this may be true, but for many there is more to life than what can be touched or seen.

If you ride the tide you will see new things because you are just going with the flow. The rabbits in the song suggests that if a person's life philosophy is to ride the tide then you will live a short life. However, a draw back to this ride the tide mentality can be you expend their life being a laborer (or digging holes) or getting stuck doing mundane tasks over and over again.

"On the Run" Lyrics

Voice at the beginning: Is a recording of a voice at an airport listing various travel related information.

Two thirds of the way through the song another voice says: Live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me, Hahaha!

Hahahaha!

"On the Run" Analysis

"On the Run" is mostly instrumental, with the exception of a few voices and a recording that lists flights from an airport scattered throughout the song. Either way, the passage of time is a key element to this track.

The other key element is the anxiety-driven pulse and the stressful ambient sounds that come in and out of the song. As the follow-up to "Breathe," the anxiety of "On the Run" seems to be a metaphor for the anxiety and stress that can be congruent with a person's life.

"Time" Lyrics

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.

"Breathe Reprise" Lyrics

Home, home again.
I like to be here when I can.
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire.
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.

"Time" Analysis

This is a song about wasting your life doing nothing or about wasting your life doing boring and little things. A lot of people miss the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest. The idea of regret for not taking advantage of living your life is one of the tragedies of human nature that is explored thoroughly in this song.

The first verse talks about wasting your youth, which leads into the first chorus that discusses not having anyone to show you the way. This first section ends with the person in the song realizing he has been missing out on life, that he was supposed to find his own way, not be shown a way. This is a real-life revelation for a lot of people in the world.

The second verse discusses this person who has woken up and is now looking to catch up with his/her lost time. However, the physical aspects of getting older are catching up. In the final chorus, the person realizes he wasted too much of his life and is disappointed with his/her life. The person the song is speaking about presumably dies having said little when the potential to say more was always there.

Anxiety and stress, like the previous song, are underlying themes in this song, too, as the clocks, in the beginning, have a jarring effect on the listener. The jarring clocks could mean the song is meant to metaphorically wake people up that are not living their lives, or it can be continuing the anxiety and stress-driven themes from "On the Run."

"Breathe Reprise" Analysis

Time transitions nicely into a reprise of the first song, "Breathe." This rendition of Breathe talks about relief and finding a way to deal with all of the stress put forth in the previous songs, "On the Run" and "Time."

The two methods of relief that are specifically discussed are home, mentioned in the lines, "home... home again, I like to be here when I can," and religion with the lines, "The tolling of the iron bell calls the faithful to their knees to hear the softly spoken magic spells."

"Great Gig in the Sky" Lyrics

Recorded voice:

And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I
don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?
There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime.

If you can hear this whispering you are dying.

I never said I was frightened of dying.

Vocals:

Ahhhh Ahhhh Ahhhhh..... for a long time.

"Great Gig in the Sky" Analysis

Another mostly instrumental song, "Great Gig in the Sky" has some recorded voices and a lady singer that wails on the song's two-chord refrain. The voices in "Great Gig in the Sky" talk about death and not being afraid of dying, which is ultimately what this song is about—death.

People are either afraid of dying, or they're not, and that would appear to be the message trying to be conveyed in this song. The first person to speak on this song says he is not afraid of dying, and it sounds convincing. In the second half of the song, a lady says, "I was never frightened of dying." This is said very quietly and with less confidence than the person who said it at the beginning of the song.

The two interviews show the contrasting views on death between people. The dialogue transitions to the wailing, which at times sounds powerful and beautiful (not afraid of dying), and other times it sounds fearful and anxiety driven (afraid of dying). Or simply put: you are, or you are not afraid of dying. Both ideas seem to be conveyed by the dialogue and the wailing vocals.

The end of this song ends the physical life/living section of the album. The next half of the album focuses on ideas or the madness that can drive a person to live an unfulfilled life. Living an unfulfilled life is a type of insanity and the thorough exploration of what an unfulfilled life is on the first half of the album ties itself nicely with the second half of the album that explores insanity in a more philosophical way.

"Money" Lyrics

Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
Money, it's a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team.

Money, get back.
I'm all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.

Money, it's a crime.
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away. Away. Away. Away....

Voices at the End:

Huh I was in the right!
Yes, absolutely in the right!
I certainly was in the right!
You was definitely in the right. That geezer was cruising for a bruising.
Yeah!
Why does anyone do anything?
I don't know, I was really drunk at the time!

I was just telling him, he couldn't get into number two. He was asking
why he wasn't coming up on freely, after I was yelling and
screaming and telling him why he wasn't coming up on freely.
It came as a heavy blow, but we sorted the matter out

"Money" Analysis

The second half of the album begins with "Money." At this point in listening to all of the songs on the album there are no clear breaks, each song fades into one another except in between "Great Gig in the Sky" and "Money." The break here happens out of necessity due to records in 1973 needing to be flipped over, and if you were listening to this on vinyl this is where you would flip the record.

Pink Floyd takes advantage of the limits of technology during this time period (or the necessary pause in the album) to change how they are going to continue discussing the topic of insanity and living an unfulfilled life. The first half of the album takes a more hands-on and personal experience with the subject matter, while the second half of the album explores the subject matter in more philosophical type of setting.

Continuing on with individual songs, "Money" is about greed and the illusion of a life well lived that comes with having an excess of wealth.

The first verse of the song focuses on the excesses of money, consumerism, and peoples desire to grab and horde as much cash or wealth as possible.

The second verse continues with the subject of the desire to grab more money, while also introducing the lengths people will go to in order to protect the money and possessions they have acquired.

The third and final verse focuses on the negative philosophical issues that money brings to a society, which include the ideas that ordinary people will never be able to increase their stash of money to match the wealthy, and the idea that money is the root of all evil.

The cash registers and money sounds that are used to underscore the whole song sound mechanical and lifeless. The mechanical money sounds are like a metaphor for the way people mechanically work the same job day in and day out for 40 plus years. People, of course, work harder, motivated by earning more money, but a lot of people ultimately waste their lives with this mentality. So the idea with the song "Money" is that the concept of wealth is one of the illusions or ideas that can be the cause of a person wasting their life, or it can be used to ruin the lives of others.

As "Money" fades out, a spoken voice dialogue describing a fight begins. This is a segue into "Us and Them," which deals with conflict. Its inclusion on "Money" instead of "Us and Them" suggests that money is also a cause of conflict.

"Us and Them" Lyrics

Us, and them
And after all we're only ordinary men.
Me, and you.
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do.
Forward he cried from the rear
and the front rank died.
And the general sat and the lines on the map
moved from side to side.
Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside.

I mean, they're not gonna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short,
sharp, shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean he get off
lightly, 'cos I would've given him a thrashing - I only hit him once!
It was only a difference of opinion, but really...I mean good manners
don't cost nothing do they, eh?

Down and out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.
With, without.
And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?
Out of the way, it's a busy day
I've got things on my mind.
For the want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died.

"Us and Them" Analysis

"Us and Them" is a song about conflict and fighting. Underlying the idea of a fight/conflict is the idea that fighting is usually between two choices or two sides, or philosophically speaking, what can be called a black and white type of mentality. The song seems to mock the black or white mentality that exists in society and states that there can be more than two choices.

The first verse and chorus talk about conflict from the viewpoint of a war. So this part of the song explores the physical side of conflict. The first verse also notes how the idea of conflict goes against the ideas of God and religion. Again, like in "Money," it's the people in power (the General) who are safe, while the ordinary working-class people get killed serving that higher power.

The second verse and chorus talk about conflict from a philosophical point of view or a verbal point of view. This verse, more than any other verse, mocks the idea of a black and white mentality with the lines, "Black and blue...And who knows which is which and who is who." This line is effectively saying that it's pointless to remove the degrees of separation between different people and different ideas. Life is too complicated to be dumbed down to black and blue. The ending idea of this section is that there can be a way to work things out and include everybody, which is described with the line, "There's room for you inside."

A spoken word segment makes up the next part of the song. The people talking here are discussing a fight one of the people speaking got into, which ties nicely into the conflict theme.

The final verse talks about what conflict in society is (generally speaking) about. According to "Us and Them," conflict is about being with or without. This can include being with or without possessions, resources, etc. From this broader point of view, it lumps a song like "Money" into a subcategory of conflict.

The final chorus talks about how most people seem to avoid or ignore anything that is related to conflict, whether it be the physical acts of conflict or the philosophical ideas or arguments that lead to conflict. The price for ignoring conflicts appears to be heavy as another image of a common person dies in the song with the line, "For the want of the price of tea and a slice...The old man died." Conflict can cut lives short, denying people the opportunity to live a fulfilling life.

"Any Color You Like" Lyrics

Instrumental

"Any Color You Like" Analysis

"Any Color You Like" is the final instrumental track on Dark Side of the Moon. This is the only purely instrumental song on the album as there is no singing and no voices. The title and its position within the order of the album give the strongest clues as to what this song is about.

Fading in after the conclusion of "Us and Them," and with a title like "Any Color You Like," the song would appear to be a sarcastic remark suggesting the lack of choices that are available to a person during the course of their life. The underscoring idea of "Us and Them" is related to the dangers of a black and white mentality, and "Any Color You Like" seems to carry that idea over into this song.

"Brain Damage" Lyrics

The lunatic is on the grass.
The lunatic is on the grass.
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs.
Got to keep the loonies on the path.

The lunatic is in the hall.
The lunatics are in my hall.
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more.

And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

The lunatic is in my head.
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear.
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

I can't think of anything to say except...
I think it's marvelous! Hahaha!

"Brain Damage" Analysis

"Brain Damage" is about losing your mind and going insane.

The first verse talks about insanity that is caused by happening what's outside your head, with the line,"The lunatic is in the grass." This would be the type of insanity that people see in the physical world, it's a type of tangible insanity.

The second verse continues in this vain, but brings the insanity into a more personal area with the lines, "The lunatic is in my hall." The lyrics have moved insanity from the outer and wider world in the first verse to the private home of the person in the second verse. This type of insanity is a bit more personal and it sounds a lot more disconcerting.

The first chorus talks about finally having a mental breakdown, potentially much earlier than a person should have a breakdown. After the mental breakdown, the final line of the chorus says, "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon." The dark side of the moon mentioned in this song is a place for insanity and ideas that are destructive. Of course since the moon is always dark, its also suggesting everyone to a certain point is mad.

The final verse now moves insanity to its most personal location, inside your head with the line, "The lunatic is in my head." The verse suggests that the person who is losing his mind will pay any price in order to make him/her sane again, and subsequently they will isolate themselves in order to stop any further destruction of themselves or others.

The final chorus again elaborates on having a mental breakdown. With the line, "And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes... I'll see you on the dark side of the moon," it would appear that the madness was caused by not being able to align your views with the views of everyone else, or most likely society in general. Ultimately that line in the song seems to suggest that people go crazy by resisting what they are told to do all of the time.

However, the previous songs in the album, "Money," "Us and Them," and "Any Color You Like" discuss the ideas that everyone in society go along with that are insane. From a larger perspective, it seems you are insane by following the ideas discussed in "Money," "Us and Them," and "Any Color You Like," or you go insane by resisting them like in "Brain Damage."

"Eclipse" Lyrics

All that you touch
All that you see
All that you taste
All you feel.
All that you love
All that you hate
All you distrust
All you save.
All that you give
All that you deal
All that you buy,
beg, borrow or steal.
All you create
All you destroy
All that you do
All that you say.
All that you eat
And everyone you meet
All that you slight
And everyone you fight.
All that is now
All that is gone
All that's to come
and everything under the sun is in tune
but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.

There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.

"Eclipse" Lyrics

If there is one word to describe the song "Eclipse," it would have to be the word all. It's used twenty times in the song, and the word you would be a close second as it's used eighteen times.

With "Eclipse" being the final song on the album, it uses many universal messages to describe the human experience the words all, and you serve to underscore the point that this song, this album, is about every human living on Earth. Musically, it's an epic song with lots of background harmonies and a massive soundscape to give listeners not only a musical climax to the album but a universal sound that ties the previous thematic ideas under one idea.

The key to "Eclipse" is the final few lines, "All that's to come and everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon." This line begins by suggesting this song could go on forever (All that's to come), and metaphorically speaking, all of these basic human experiences are represented by the sun. They are mostly positive human experiences, and they are frequently associated with living a life that is, for the most part, enjoyable. But the album ends with the sun being eclipsed by the moon.

The darkness caused by the moon, or the moon itself, is basically a symbolic representation of all the dangerous ideas that are destructive to humanity. These dangerous ideas can block out the sun or halt the living of a fulfilling life. The previous songs on the album build to this point. There is hope in the sun, but there will always be a dark side of the moon, which is a symbolic representation of the banes of humanity.

A Cautionary Tale

Dark Side of the Moon is ultimately a united group of thematic ideas that act as a cautionary tale. There are a lot of bleak lyrics, and the concept itself is fairly bleak. The bleak concepts on the album are referred to as the dark side of the moon. The hopeful ideas and concepts related to humanity are represented by the sun, which only appears at the end of the album.

In effect, the album is a cautionary tale because all of the songs describe or bring awareness to the dark side of the moon or the various ideas that lead to an unfulfilled life and ultimately insanity. The ending of the album though reminds listeners of the sun for the first time or gives listeners a glimpse of hope with all of the positive ideas associated with being human.

With the moon eclipsing the sun at the end of the album, the album seems to suggest that the madness will pass like the eclipse that is blocking the sun will eventually come to pass.

Grace Kirk on August 20, 2020:

There is no dark side of the moon ... the moon itself shines brightly ,,, while all around her there is darkness ... the moon illuminates or mirrors that darkness ... she IS luna-tic ... in that she shines light on darkness ... she IS luna-tic in that she exposes the fact that matter doesn't matter at the end of the day ... she exposes what matters to some people that really has no value at all ... she exposes what really matters ... light.

em may on February 21, 2020:

isn't there a shadowed triangle (the albums triangle) part of the moon pole that never see's the sun. Theres theories that this is where all the alien stuff (or other dimensional stuff for example light turning into separated light of a rainbow) happen.

James on February 06, 2020:

Honestly, this is kinda creepy but I like it.

Denis on January 13, 2020:

I'd like to point out that one side of the moon always faces us due to tidal locking. The light side and dark side, however, they change as the moon goes through its day/night cycle. So the dark side sometimes faces us, sometimes doesn't.

Tim on December 05, 2019:

"room for you inside" I think is referencing an armed soldier or policeman arresting a protester who naively thinks it's just "a battle of words".

Justin Whitehead on December 04, 2019:

What do you think about the album cover? how does it relate?

Sofia on May 15, 2019:

Such a beautiful interpretation

I read your review about a year ago and, when you mentioned that it might be suggested that madness will pass like the eclipse blocking the sun will eventually pass, I realized that I had never thought of that and it sort of made a click on me, which also later made me finally decide to have the cover of the album tattooed, as actually before reading your article I was still having doubts. I just wanted to come back to this page and leave this comment cause, dude, you really helped taking a really important decision that I'll carry forever. Really, thanks a lot.

Derek on December 01, 2018:

On one level a lot of the album is about madness.. but isn't the dark side of the moon a reference to the moon not being what we are told it is.. and that the cosmic model we are given is just a charade.. as well as the illusion of the time bound money driven separatist model of life on Earth?

me on May 28, 2018:

Thank you or taking the time to share ideas about song-meanings.

"Everything in tune" is a reference to the vibrational-frequency that everything "here" exists alongside - also known as "movement with a repose".

There is no dark side of the moon - matter of fact it's all dark: what do you think that means?

Much of what is taken to be "symbolism" is a symbol insomuch as your body is a symbol of your body - that is to say, much more literal intent exists in "symbolic" language than most assume, based on their scholastic experience(s); ignore the barrage of others' opinions we are necessarily experiencing all of the time we are here, and you will find your own - one of exactness and correctitude unmatched.

Grayson on March 30, 2018:

Really great interpretation

John on March 08, 2018:

any colour you like may refer to Henry Ford's famous comment that for a Model T you could have any color you like...as long as it's black. This could reflect PF's distaste for Industrialist greed or simply that in the end it's all black (dark)

Luke12001 on December 06, 2017:

I listened to it front to back while doing a project in school and somehow it all made sense to me. I was sitting across this girl and her friend who I had a huge crush on, but all they talked about were other guys. I was getting sick of it not to mention how obnoxious they were, but man was she a beautiful sight for a 15 year old boy. So I put my headphones in and played some Pink Floyd. Never have I ever felt that level of comprehension that I did that fateful December day. I honestly think the album is about living in this world with all our minuscule issues in comparison to something as big as the universe or the moon for that matter. It seemed like a surreal experience of living in someone else's shoes. It seemed like as I progressed through "Time" and on to "Money" I was growing up, I sensed a feeling of anticipation and being out of my mind for caring what some high school girl sitting across from me thought of me, and with a conclusion as powerful as "Eclipse" that was it. I understood. All that you hate, love, steal, beg, borrow, well you know the rest, it is all pointless. Someone may have more money than you,, more friends, more lovers, a better house but we all die. Everyone who has ever lived has died, we pass into a single clear beam of light into a beautiful rainbow, a prism if you will. Death is only scary because death is the unknown, like darkness. Humans aren't afraid of death, we're afraid of the unknown. I sat in my chair just staring at the wall in front of me for a solid five minutes after I finished all 43 minutes of that masterpiece. How could I be such an idiot? I am a minuscule range of cells in this expansive universe. And I never really judged anyone after that. In the end, we all die so why should I tell someone how to live their life, it will all be meaningless, but yet that's not ugly, the slate will be wiped clean and that is beautiful.

Charlie Brewer on July 31, 2017:

A very interesting interpretation of a truly timeless album. The only thing I'd add is when you talk about the sun only being mentioned at the end, you forget the line, "Dig that hole, forget the sun, And when at last the work is done ,Don't sit down it's time to dig another one." This line when put together with the way the sun is mentioned at the end, shows how people can get so caught up in the tide that they forget the positive human experiences associated with the sun.

Salvador vela on July 11, 2017:

Wow. Being a pink floyd fn since chilhood... this is exciting... youve founndd the real meaning of the album. And it is really deep. The best album ever... and a masterpiece of art.

ti2tou1 on June 06, 2017:

Thanks a lot for this clear and very interesting analysis of this marvellous Pink Floyd's album

James on February 20, 2017:

Jacks comment about brain damage lines up with what I was thinking. The lunatic (insanity) starts outside, in the grass. No harm there, it's outside, it doesn't affect me. Then it's in the hall.

"The paper holds their folded faces to the floor, end every day, the paperboy brings more."

You can ignore it for a day or two, but eventually you do pick it up and see what's happening on the grass.

That's when it gets in your head. That this work in which we live is for all intents and purposes, insane. Part of our existence is to find how we all fit in thus chaos. Do you accept what you are told, or find your own way. And as you find your way, the band you are in may no longer play the same music you started playing (was this a nod to Syd Barett?). Now that you no longer belong with that "band" you are now left struggling to find a "band" playing the music you want to play.... and hope they accept you.

Finally, the heartbeat at the end is the same beat from the beginning. Meaning that this is all cyclical. Once you get it figured out, the variables change. You need to decide if you will keep doing what you are told in your new normal, of do you keep searching?

This is how it speaks to me. In several aspects of my life, recently, my "band" has begun playing different tunes. I have found myself letting these changes drive me mad.

This album let's the listener know that what they are experiencing, is not REALLY unique. Everyone faces these things. How you face it is what makes your life meaningful. What the meaning is... good or bad...well that's up to you.

Louise Powles from Norfolk, England on February 01, 2017:

This is a really interesting hub. I love this album.

Brian on January 24, 2017:

I just burned a CD of this and listened to it for the first time in about 30 years.. First time I heard it was with my cousin, who was literally crazy (schizophrenia), so I pretty much got the meaning of it straight away.. :) Great analysis!

Jack on January 19, 2017:

i dont think your theory on brain damage holds up all to well, some parts yes but for example That the lunatic is on the grass, then your hall, i think is meant to be all the crazy politicians and so forth folded on a newspaper on the floor. and everyday the paperboy brings more of this craziness into his house being a part inducing the person to get more crazy

Brock Crain on January 09, 2017:

Great Article, question in the future, do you think that you would do an analysis on “The Final Cut ” ?

Magic on April 09, 2016:

The Moon does not rotate on its own axis. The moon we see is the same moon we see all the time. It rotates around the earth, yes, but it does not rotate itself.

Luv Floyd. There will never be another Pink Floyd.

Olde Cashmere on July 22, 2015:

Dark Side of the Moon is one of the first albums in my youth that showed me how music can be art. I would listen to it with my headphones for weeks after first hearing it, I couldn't get enough. This was a delight to read and I loved how in depth you were with the writing. Great article on one of my all time favorite albums.

Elvis on June 25, 2015:

Find out who Syd Berrett was. Then you'll know who, and what Dark Side of the Moon is about.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on June 24, 2015:

"There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark." Is the last line uttered at the end of the album, and it could certainly mean that there is no redeeming qualities in society. It is said sarcastically, though, and I've personally always thought of it as a joke. Or a thought after the fact ... albeit it's quite cynical considering the meaning of the rest of the songs on the album. If Pink Floyd really wanted to leave us with no hope I would have expected those ideas to have come across very clearly at some point in the album, most likely in Eclipse, but it never happens.

On a scientific side note: I think it's also important to note that the moon is on a rotating axis which means all parts of the surface will be getting hit by the sun's light at some point.

Alex C. on June 04, 2015:

The last few lines of the album:

" and everything under the sun is in tune

but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.

There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark."

I took this to mean the natural order of the world is in tune and to put it simply, good. The only thing in the way of the good sun during an "Eclipse", from our perspective, is the dark side of the moon which is an entity made up of all the wrongs of society that are highlighted in this album.

This could then lead to the conclusion that the moon is society so the dark side of society is literally the Dark Side of the Moon. Then the man at the end says

"There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark."

So the concluding thought is that there is no redeeming quality in society, it only causes people to fret their short lives away with constant fighting and an unending need for money, among other things.

Please critique my thoughts!

Lucy on April 23, 2015:

Loved this article, I really love your interpretation of it.

I always thought the theme of madness was what it was about. the white light beam being madness, the prism breaking it down into the spectrum or its many causes of it such as money etc etc.

The first half is the white light, flipping the disk is the prism and the spectrum is the second half.

DDS on February 03, 2015:

I've never listened to the album because I always associated it with Drugs and you had to be High to listen to it. Listening to your comments and the meaning of the album sounds depressing and it also sounds like a lie. Life is so much more than gray or grey. It's about getting up again when you fall and keep going. Live for tomorrow, cause for me today isn't much fun. Hope is about tomorrow.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on December 18, 2014:

@SamuraiMarine I just read your Dark Side of the Moon article - that's a great story. I definitely have to agree with you, you need to find a quiet place and at the very least a decent sound system in order to catch all the nuances that are happening in the music. Thanks for reading and commenting.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on December 18, 2014:

Thanks for reading and commenting. I like The Wall a lot, it's been awhile since I listened to it. Someday I might write an article about that too. I have also wanted to do something similar to this with King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King.

gordon on December 14, 2014:

Hey man, utterly marvellous observation! You are one truly enlightened individual. I express my sincere gratitude for receiving this divine wisdom of which was in many ways 'over the top of my head' until then. With a lot of consciously aware or esoteric minded bands I understand the overall concept but when it comes to picking it apart and understanding each individual ailment I become frustrated at my inability to comprehend the messages laid out in front of me. I knew if kept digging I would find the answers eventually! So many thanks.

Is there any possibility of an interpretation of 'The Wall' ??

Regards

Gordon ~ Glasgow (Scotland)

Samuel Wright from Bakersfield, Ca. on November 14, 2014:

Loved this.

It seems interesting that with all of the work that Pink Floyd has under it's belt, that this one seems to keep it's place on the surface.

I wrote a Hub about this album as well, although not on the same topic of this. Mine was more about the personal effect the music has for me.

Thanks for your work on this one, it is appreciated.

Marin on September 16, 2014:

And please excuse me, I just wanted to share my thoughts, I didn't read all review. I didn't meant to offend you or something. (And also sorry for my crappy English, it's not my first language. :)

Marin on September 16, 2014:

I read it and I can see you are intelligent but album isn't about all that "insanitiy". The album "welcomes" you to our world, planet Earth and its system of money and the layers of society. Breathe talk about life in general, about what you perceve is what your life is, meaning that you should live your life to the fullest. Time talks about how life really is simple, just ime passing by, no matter what you do, no matter how you spend your life(time) it will just pass by and at the end he's afraid, but assured it will be that times when he's desperate and lonely(like most English elderly people). Money shows you how people "adopted" money, other things don't even matter(if you take half of lets say chocolate from me, i wont be mad.. but taking 1$ of what's half of choclolate worth, i will be mad. If you see the world the way I see it, you would get it... And that's exactly what "Us and Them" sings about. We are just ordinary men, but still we see something that other people don't see and feel. That passing of time (even though you're 21), the apsurdity of money in today's world, we faced the fact that this is it. THIS IS YOUR LIFE. and nothing else. Brain damage is actually a reminder, a downer- is everything i write actually my imagination, maybe life is meant to be the way it is, not the way I see it. I may be insane, I am insane, but still i see that im not the only one.. And then Eclipse sums up the album. Everything is here, but "the Moon" is the way everyone sees the world and its covering all the beauty of life with learned facts, money, lazyness, boredom and learned reactions and feelings.

Neil on September 09, 2014:

This album truly is a masterpiece. It's songs, or better said, works of art, have enlightened my teenage years (because I'm only sixteen) and will remain this way for generations. This album really makes me feel catharsis, and now, thanks to your wonderful analysis, i can enjoy it even more!

I's a great album both by it's meaning and by its incredibly well composed songs.

Great analysis, really enjoyed reading it!

Penny Godfirnon from Southern Iowa on September 06, 2014:

Gee this was a very important CD to my son, who, is in prison now and has had a total mental breakdown; only God con bring him out of. I guess he knew something was coming. SIGH

Carlo Giovannetti from Puerto Rico on August 22, 2014:

Was just listening to it now. This is the kind of album that I just can't listen one song from. I have to listen it whole.

Ed on August 22, 2014:

great analysis

Ashley Jordan from North Hollywood, CA on July 01, 2014:

Dark side of the moon is one of my favorite album, where the composition was not only good. But overall the feel & rhythm is truly amazing. Pink Floyd truly rocked.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on June 26, 2014:

Hello Jason, thanks for reading and commenting. Seeking fame and fortune can really water a lot of art down. It's great to see a band like Pink Floyd get to create something that's artistically invigorating and then get financially rewarded for it though.

Jason 'Rain' Cook on May 21, 2014:

A British band obviously more influenced by the gravitational force of Europe with this Album, than 'fame & fortune' of the USA. I think most 'great' Albums/Artists (not that there is anything 'visually' artistic about 'music') are.

...sure the Moon, like Death - will always encircle this world of ours.

Jon K on March 31, 2014:

I love this album for it's meaning and sound. It's so unique. I agree with most you said for the meaning. Great article.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on December 29, 2013:

Thanks for reading and commenting. I didn't get into Pink Floyd until I was in highschool, they've been one of my favorite bands since.

Carlo Giovannetti from Puerto Rico on December 27, 2013:

Great hub. Being an 80's/90's teen, I got into this album later in my life but it has become one of my favorites. This is a great analysis. Voted Up, Awesome, and Interesting.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on November 05, 2013:

Hello Susan thanks for reading and commenting.

Susan Banks from Colorado City, Arizona on October 30, 2013:

Was very comprehensive dig. really loved reading the analysis on The Run & Time/Breathe Reprise. PF's low beat songs are mostly drives in blues. Thank you very much

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on August 31, 2013:

Hello oldies music thanks for reading and commenting.

oldiesmusic from United States on August 23, 2013:

Very very interesting - thanks!

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on June 26, 2013:

Hello Mel thanks for reading and commenting. May Dark Side live on forever.

Mel Carriere from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on June 11, 2013:

Fascinating analysis. I'm not the world's most devoted Pink Floyd fan but I agree that Dark Side of the Moon is an artistic masterpiece that will endure forever. Nice work.

Music-and-Art-45 (author) from USA, Illinois on February 21, 2013:

Mr. Deltoid thanks for commenting, Dark Side is a great album and I believe it will always remain musically relevant, something that is timeless. I'm also a big fan of the Dark Sid of Oz, too.

Rich from New Jersey on February 21, 2013:

Great hub, Great music.....and you can play it with The Wizard Of Oz, too..... But really, what makes it such a classic is it transcends everything, and becomes, whatever you bring to it. And I don't think the music or production style will ever feel (or sound) dated.

Good Job.

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