Album: A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)

License This Song 

• Marigolds are very much in love, but he doesn't mind
  Picking up his sister, he makes his way into the seas or land
  All the way
  She smiles
  
  She goes up while 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, ah
  Another day, ah
  A brother's way to leave
  Another time, ah
  Another day, ah
  
  She'll be selling plastic flowers on a Sunday afternoon
  Picking up weeds, she hasn't got the time to care
  All can see he's not there
  
  She grows up for another man, and he's down
  
  Another time, ah, another day, ah
  A brother's way to leave
  Another time, ah, another day
  Another time, ah, another day, ah
  A brother's way to leave Writer/s: Richard William Wright
  Publisher: T.R.O. INC.
  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.

More Songfacts:

The Memory RemainsMetallica

An unexpected guest vocal: Marianne Faithfull on the Metallica song "The Memory Remains." A star in the '60s, this collaboration helped revive her career.

Black WaterThe Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers' swampy #1 hit "Black Water" is about the Mississippi River, evoking the rafting adventures Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn.

BabylonDavid Gray

"Babylon," in David Gray's song, refers to London, which was once known as the "modern-day Babylon."

Personal JesusDepeche Mode

"Personal Jesus," a song about "being a Jesus for somebody else," was inspired by Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

Undone - The Sweater SongWeezer

Weezer's "Undone - The Sweater Song" was written as a sad song about depression, but listeners heard it as a funny, ironic song.

Don't Bring Me DownElectric Light Orchestra

Jeff Lynne sang the word "groose" in the chorus of "Don't Bring Me Down" as a nonsense placeholder, but left it in when he found out it means "greetings" in German ("gruss").

Editor's Picks

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Album Cover InspirationsSong Writing

Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Jay, Peaches, Spinderella and other Darrining VictimsSong Writing

Just like Darrin was replaced on Bewitched, groups have swapped out original members, hoping we wouldn't notice.

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?