High Hopes – English Lyrics

• By: Pink Floyd

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in Pink Floyd's "High Hopes" to experience the beauty of English through poetic lyrics and evocative storytelling. This progressive rock masterpiece offers a rich vocabulary for expressing nostalgia and personal reflection, making it special for its profound emotional depth and universal themes of youth, ambition, and the passage of time. Learning the lyrics can help you understand complex sentiments and metaphors in English, all set to David Gilmour's iconic guitar work.

[English]

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

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
horizon /həˈraɪzən/ B1	noun - the line where the earth or sea seems to meet the sky
magnet /ˈmæɡnɪt/ A2	noun - an object that attracts certain metals
miracle /ˈmɪrəkəl/ A2	noun - an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention
stray /streɪ/ B1	verb - to move without a fixed direction or goal
ringing /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/ A2	verb - to produce a clear, resonant sound
ragged /ˈræɡɪd/ B1	adjective - tattered or shabby in appearance
myriad /ˈmɪriəd/ C1	adjective - extremely large number
decay /dɪˈkeɪ/ B2	noun - the process of declining or rotting
brighter /ˈbraɪtər/ A2	adjective - giving off more light
glimpse /ɡlɪmps/ B1	noun - a brief or partial view
sleepwalking /ˈsliːpˌwɔːkɪŋ/ B2	verb - to walk or perform actions while asleep
altitude /ˈæltɪtjuːd/ B2	noun - the height of an object above sea level
unfurl /ʌnˈfɜːrl/ C1	verb - to unfold or spread out
encumber /ɪnˈkʌmbər/ C1	verb - to burden or hinder
unsatisfied /ˌʌnˈsætɪsfaɪd/ B1	adjective - not fulfilled or content
endless /ˈendlɪs/ A2	adjective - having no end

Key Grammar Structures

• Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young

  ➔ Past perfect tense

  ➔ The phrase "when we were young" uses the past perfect to indicate a past action completed before another past action.

• Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary

  ➔ Adverb placement

  ➔ The adverbs "constantly" and "without boundary" modify the verb "strayed" and are placed after the verb for emphasis.

• The ringing of the division bell had begun

  ➔ Past perfect tense

  ➔ "Had begun" indicates an action that started in the past and was completed before another past action.

• There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps

  ➔ Relative clause

  ➔ The relative clause "that followed in our footsteps" provides additional information about "a ragged band".

• Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us

  ➔ Present participle phrase

  ➔ The phrase "looking beyond" acts as a participial phrase, describing the subject's action.

• Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction

  ➔ The conjunction "but" contrasts the actions of moving forward and sleepwalking back.

• The grass was greener, the light was brighter

  ➔ Parallel structure

  ➔ The sentence uses parallel structure with "was greener" and "was brighter" to create a rhythmic effect.

• Forever and ever

  ➔ Adverb of frequency

  ➔ "Forever and ever" emphasizes the endless nature of the action, acting as an adverb of frequency.