Childhood's End

Album: Obscured by Clouds (1972)
Play Video
  • You shout in your sleep.
    Perhaps the price is just too steep.
    Is your conscience at rest
    If once put to the test?
    You awake with a start
    To just the beating of your heart.
    Just one man beneath the sky,
    Just two ears, just two eyes.

    You set sail across the sea
    Of long past thoughts and memories.
    Childhood's end, your fantasies
    Merge with harsh realities.
    And then as the sail is hoist,
    You find your eyes are growing moist.
    All the fears never voiced
    Say you have to make your final choice.

    Who are you and who am I
    To say we know the reason why?
    Some are born; some men die
    Beneath one infinite sky.
    There'll be war, there'll be peace.
    But everything one day will cease.
    All the iron turned to rust;
    All the proud men turned to dust.
    And so all things, time will mend.
    So this song will end. Writer/s: DAVE GILMOUR
    Publisher: T.R.O. INC.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 13

  • Awolf2000+ from FloridaI watched the mini series
    Dave Gilmour's lyrics are the same as the movie.
    All iron turned to rust all the proud men turned to dust!
    The end is the same
  • Jeffrey from Wilkes-barre, PaThis song speaks to me so well. The fact that they're stating that when you grow up, life's a lot more different than it was when you were innocent. To really sit in silence and listen to it is mesmerizing and it makes you think about how you should live your life to the fullest and still keep time in your adult life to be a child again; it will keep you a little more sane than others around you!
  • Oldpink from New Castle, InThis is one of the few songs from Floyd with Dave Gilmour penned lyrics, and excellent lyrics at that.
    Great song from a woefully overlooked album called "Obscured by Clouds."
    Highly recommended album, that.
  • Madalyn from Greensburg, Palyrics are brilliant...so is the openig...one of my favorite pink floyd song...obsured by clouds is a good album...i mean the dept of it all boggles my mind to think wow, these guys lived what i am living now...i wish the song wouldn't end or was a little long but it is sheer genius. much love
  • Fool from Atherton, Cathis is one of my favorite pink floyd songs. I think it sounds a lot like Time. They re-used a lot of aspects of this song again in Time. I think this is the best song on the CD
  • Ryan from Plano, TxThis song always seemed a little too short, in my opinion. The same goes for Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Oh well.
  • Fkajkfknci from Sfcgsg, Mii love the albuam and this is one of my favorite song on the albuam beacuase it sounds kinda like syd barret. their are more coment tony
  • Sully from Clinton, MaThis is one of David Gilmour's first solos that souds like his trademark solo sound. GREAT SONG!!
  • Evan from Flower Mound, TxThis is my favourite song by pink floyd, it combines syd's style with future styles of dark side of the moon and wish you were here. rick wright did a spectacular job on this.
  • Taylor from Tarboro, NcI guess many people overlook the Obscured By Clouds album but I think it contains a lot of really interesting and good songs. This is an excellent song that kind of reminds me of "Time". I think the whole album really showed where the band was about to head in the 1970's.
  • Shawn from Rochester, NhI always thought this was the first song that really hinted towards the direction the Floyd was going. This is a great David Gilmour number.
  • Tony from St Louis, Moi love this song how come there arent any other coments?
  • Robert from Puyallup, WaChris De Burgh, of "The Lady In Red" fame, refers to "Childhood's End" as well as HAL9000 and David Bowman from "2001, A Space Odyssey", in his song "Where We Will Be Going".
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

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

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."