Lyric discussion by Michiguy 

Cover art for The Narrow Way, Pt. 3 lyrics by Pink Floyd

Ok, I get it now. I guess it took the right mood to come to this conclusion. This song is a metaphor for the human condition.

The snappy guitars and happy riffs in the first part represent the human attitude toward living in the younger years, happy with life and filled with wonder. The transitions into the second part represents the young human personality coming to grips with the cruel adult life filled with a dread of reality. This focuses into the third part with a lyrical narration of the particulars of modern adult human life and reminiscing back to when they felt life was happier.

The path is your life as it progresses toward your ultimate mortality. Death is the “darkness in the north”.

The night that is beckoning is death and you can’t delay the inevitable. The “night birds calling” is the subconscious mind trying to remind you of your mortality, but your ego can’t catch the message. So you close off your senses and continue toward the end of your life without enjoying it.

The mist, creatures, etc., are the product of your adult attitude toward the reality of surviving the demands of life. You know you can go back to having a happier attitude, but the fear of survival and mortality hold you back.

But occasionally you can rest in the memory of your youthful zest for life. Back when there was “life with every morning” when you actually felt like getting up and meeting the day.