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You say the hill's too steep to climb
Chiding
You say you'd like to see me try
Climbing
You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb
The hill in my own way
Just wait a while, for the right day
And as I rise above the treeline and the clouds
I look down hearing the sound of the things you said today
Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd, smiling
Merciless, the magistrate turns 'round, frowning
And who's the fool who wears the crown
Go down in your own way
And everyday is the right day
And as you rise above the fear lines in his BROW
You look down
Hear the sound of the faces in the crowd
Chiding
You say you'd like to see me try
Climbing
You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb
The hill in my own way
Just wait a while, for the right day
And as I rise above the treeline and the clouds
I look down hearing the sound of the things you said today
Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd, smiling
Merciless, the magistrate turns 'round, frowning
And who's the fool who wears the crown
Go down in your own way
And everyday is the right day
And as you rise above the fear lines in his BROW
You look down
Hear the sound of the faces in the crowd
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by frashpikass, rcedison, shinzon, Elin01, pendraggon
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This is one of my favorite Floyd songs, but I seem to have a different interpretation than most folks here.
I read the first several lines as a bit of comic dialog between Gilmour and his wife / girlfriend. She calls his bluff about wanting to climb a hill and he "cops out", saying he'll pick the time. I interpret that line as meaning that the time will never come.
Given that interpretation, the lines about what he sees and hears at the top of the hill are his fantasy of what he'll experience on that day.
The second half with the fool and the magistrate suggests some sort of historical setting to me, like an Arthurian era public gathering at a castle. The fool's actions reveal the magistrate to be the real fool.
Both sections end with a sense of tenderness toward others balanced by a commitment to acting in a way true to yourself, even though it may well be frightening.