I find it interesting how many people seem to completely misinterpret this song as being about Syd losing control of his mind, when in reality the whole thing was his own thinly veiled jab at the rest of the Floyd. It's true that Syd was le...tting go of his grip on reality at this point and had completely retreated as a performer, but as far as he was concerned the lyrics were meant to sarcastically call the people around him out on their shit. He felt the constant back biting and accusations about his sanity were demeaning and unwarranted, which is what this song is really about.
He sings about how "considerate" it is of the people in question to think of him as being present, while they simultaneously mention him and his supposed mental vacantness at any given opportunity for the sake of publicity. He then "thanks" them for "throwing away his old shoes" (taking away his authority in the band) and "bringing him here dressed in red" (as a martyr). Finally he wraps it up nicely with "and I wonder who could be writing this song?" It's pure sarcasm. I'm not saying he wasn't completely losing it at this point, but it's pretty clear to me what the song was actually trying to say..."The sea isn't green, and I love the queen. And what exactly is a dream? And what exactly is a joke?". Sorry Syd.
I find it interesting how many people seem to completely misinterpret this song as being about Syd losing control of his mind, when in reality the whole thing was his own thinly veiled jab at the rest of the Floyd. It's true that Syd was le...tting go of his grip on reality at this point and had completely retreated as a performer, but as far as he was concerned the lyrics were meant to sarcastically call the people around him out on their shit. He felt the constant back biting and accusations about his sanity were demeaning and unwarranted, which is what this song is really about.
He sings about how "considerate" it is of the people in question to think of him as being present, while they simultaneously mention him and his supposed mental vacantness at any given opportunity for the sake of publicity. He then "thanks" them for "throwing away his old shoes" (taking away his authority in the band) and "bringing him here dressed in red" (as a martyr). Finally he wraps it up nicely with "and I wonder who could be writing this song?" It's pure sarcasm. I'm not saying he wasn't completely losing it at this point, but it's pretty clear to me what the song was actually trying to say..."The sea isn't green, and I love the queen. And what exactly is a dream? And what exactly is a joke?". Sorry Syd.