See Saw

Album: A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
Play Video
  • Marigolds are very much in love
    But she doesn't mind
    Picking up sister
    He makes his way in to the see-saw land
    All the way up she smiles
    She goes up as he goes down, down

    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

    Another time, another day
    A brother's way to leave
    Another time, another day

    Selling plastic flowers on a Sunday afternoon
    Picking up weeds
    She hasn't got time to care
    All can see he's not there
    She grows up for another man, and he's down

    Another time, another day
    A brother's way to leave
    Another time, another day Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

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

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Melanie

MelanieSongwriter Interviews

The singer-songwriter Melanie talks about her spiritual awakening at Woodstock, "Brand New Key," and why songwriting is an art, not a craft.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.