Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd

Learning to Fly

by

Pink Floyd  

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
Fatal attraction is holding me fast,
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone

The soul intention is learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
God keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

Friction lock - set.Mixture - richPropellers - fully forwardFlaps - set - 10 degreesEngine gauges and suction - check
Mixture set to maximum percent - recheck
Flight instruments...
Altimeters - check both
(garbled word) - on
Navigation lights - on
Strobes - on
(to tower): Confirm 3-8-Echo ready for departure
(tower): Hello again, this is now 129.4
(to tower): 129.4. It's to go.
(tower): You may commence your takeoff, winds over 10 knots.
(to tower): 3-8-Echo
Easy on the brakes. Take it easy. Its gonna roll this time.
Just hand the power gradually, and it...

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
To dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, A state of bliss
Can't keep my mind from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

(Lyrics)

The main idea of this song is that the counterculture is slowly taking off. The main symbolism is the act of flying and the learning to do so. The act of flying is the taking off of the counterculture. The learning to fly is the struggle of the counterculture's fight to be recognized. The authors use dream-like metaphors to describe the feeling of the overall counterculture's struggles. The authors use the tone of a machine-like power to explain how fast the counterculture is growing in strength.

This shows how the counterculture struggled to gain traction until it gained favor with the American population. It then goes on to show how far the counterculture has come to power through music and other art forms. It shows how the counterculture makes a societal change through music and art forms.