Album: The Division Bell (1994)

Charted: 26

License This Song 

• (For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals)
  (Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination)
  (We learned to talk)
  
  There's a silence surrounding me
  I can't seem to think straight
  I sit in the corner
  And no one can bother me
  I think I should speak now (why won't you talk to me?)
  I can't seem to speak now (you never talk to me)
  My words won't come out right (what are you thinking?)
  I feel like I'm drowning (what are you feeling?)
  I'm feeling weak now (why won't you talk to me?)
  But I can't show my weakness (you never talk to me)
  I sometimes wonder (what are you thinking?)
  Where do we go from here (what are you feeling?)
  
  (It doesn't have to be like this)
  (All we need to do is make sure we keep talking)
  
  (Why won't you talk to me?) I feel like I'm drowning
  (You never talk to me) you know I can't breathe now
  (What are you thinking?) We're going nowhere
  (What are you feeling?) We're going nowhere
  (Why won't you talk to me?)
  (You never talk to me)
  (What are you thinking?)
  (Where do we go from here?)
  
  (It doesn't have to be like this)
  (All we need to do is make sure we keep talking) Writer/s: David Jon Gilmour, Polly Annie Samson, Richard Wright
  Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 10

• Music Lover from Gig Harbor Washington UsaSir Stephen Hawking used a TalkBox for a long time, probably since the 1970s, when he lost use of his natural voice. This is an awesome example of how he used his talk box. I love this song "Keep Talking".
• Joe from Brooklyn, NyYes Terry, I do agree that is an excellent use of the TalkBox.
  Since Frampton, ok, Frampton really popularized it but what about
  Gilmour's use of the TalkBox on Pigs (Three Different Ones)?
  Fortunately I'm old enough to have seen & heard Gilmour use it on their 1977 tour.
  Back to Keep Talking, I truely love this song and until reading the notes here,
  I did not know that was Stephen Hawking's synth voice.
  Now that I know, I appreciate this song all that much more.
• Terry from Wickford, RiNo, I'm not talking about the Stephen Hawking voice synth. The actual effect on the guitar at the end of the song (more noticeable on the PULSE version) is called a TalkBox. Watch the video attached here and you hear it around 5:30 and see David using it in closeup at 6:16. It's a tube that goes in the mouth and intercepts the signal to the amp allowing the player to affect the guitar signal with his voice. Frampton was famous for using it on the "Frampton Comes Alive" album.
• Stu from Philly, PaDude, that's not a talk-box... unless you were kidding. that's the synthesizer used by Stephen Hawkings.
• Terry from Wickford, RiBest use of the Talk-Box guitar since Frampton!
• Peter from Townsville, AustraliaStephen Hawking's comments were taken from a telecommunications advertisement (typical of PF's irony, methinks). This song was aired on radio in 1994 when I was at Uni and man I loved it then like I love it now. Brilliant stuff!
• Alton from Huntington Beach, CaThe best song of the century!
• Pete from Nowra, AustraliaStephen Hawking eh??? well there ya go , learn something new every day...is a great song though, same with take it back
  
  the Floyd rules
• Ashley from Moncton, CanadaThey have a super-genius on a genius song, it's genius, even though it isn't the greatest Floyd song. I know, I over use the word genius.
• Ryan from Christchurch, New ZealandThe song is about the absence of communication between people, which is a theme running through the Division Bell album. Stephen Hawking's appearance only highlights this.

More Songfacts:

Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)Will Glahe

In 1939, a polka craze swept America thanks to "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)."

BloodstreamEd Sheeran

Ed Sheeran's "Bloodstream" was written after an experience taking MDMA during a wedding celebration in Ibiza; it's basically about all the feelings that he got from that time.

Won't Get Fooled AgainThe Who

"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who is about a revolution, but it doesn't have a happy ending, since in the end the new regime becomes just like the old one. Pete Townshend thought that whoever was in power was destined to become corrupt.

Good TimesChic

The disco song "Good Tmes" by Chic was a huge influence on early rap, providing the bassline for "Rapper's Delight."

Dancing QueenABBA

ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson conceived "Dancing Queen" as a dance song with the working title "Boogaloo," drawing inspiration from the 1974 George McCrae disco hit "Rock Your Baby." Their manager Stig Anderson came up with the title "Dancing Queen."

Uptown FunkMark Ronson

The actress Michelle Pfeiffer gets namechecked in the 2014 megahit "Uptown Funk" ("Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold"). When it was released, "Riptide" by Vance Joy was on the charts; that song also mentions her ("Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen").

Editor's Picks

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.