See Saw

Album: A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a Richard Wright composition that bore the working title of "The Most Boring Song I've Ever Heard..." on side 2 of A Saucerful of Secrets. Seemingly a song regarding the loss of childhood. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    kevin - ellicott city, MD

Comments: 9

  • Nick Byram from SacramentoDid anyone else get a melancholy meaning from the song, a meaning of being left behind?
    1. a younger brother getting left behind by the older sister as she grows up and meets boyfriends, leaving the brother behind ("and he's down").
    2. A similar theme with platonic male and female childhood friends, with the boy ("you are like a brother to me") getting left behind as the girl becomes interested in other young men.
    3. Syd Barrett getting left behind as well. At the time of Richard Wright composing this and the band recording this, Syd was going insane.
  • Neopsych from EnglandIt's certainly ambivalent - like a more menacing alternative to 'Remember a Day'. I love both songs - I could never understand why Rick Wright was so dismissive of them.
  • Wyomarus from Sudbury, MaTo the uneducated sounds like a mellow boring piece, but listen to it carefully and you will hear what is an absurdly complex piece mixed with Rick Wright's beautiful voice. Agree with Mreenal but I think it is safe to say that the seeds that Rick and Syd sowed in the first couple years laid a foundation for all of Pink Floyd's music to come. Rest in Peace Rick and Syd
  • Mreenal from Darjeeling, Indiai guess Mr. Richard Wright wrote this song & also 'Remember a day' in order to compensate for Mr. Syd Barrett's absence..
  • Steven from Rky Mt, Nci read somewhere that rick wrote this about he and his sister in their youth actually riding a see saw. "she goes up, he goes down..." he did so in an attempt to write a song in the fasion that syd wrote; from a child-like point of view.
  • Oldpink from New Castle, InThis is not just a song about the loss of childhood.
    It's a song about the loss of a child!
    "Sits on a stick in the river/Laughter in his sleep/Sister's throwing stones, hoping for a hit/He doesn't know, so then/She goes up, while he goes down, down"
    That's right, it's a song about a little girl killing her own brother by hitting him with a rock while he is floating on a log in the river, knocking him in the water, where he drowns..down, down.
    Strange, to say the least, for such a disarmingly sweet sounding song.
  • Meg Griffin from Quahog, RiRIP Richard Wright~~~
  • Fish from Edmonton, AbThis is an amazing song!
  • Michael from Oxford, -Far from the most boring song I've ever heard, actually.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.