Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Released August 7, 1967

It is amazing how powerful an influence Syd Barrett had. Here Waters is completely foreshadowed in Pink Floyd's first album. Barrett is supposed to have come up with the name Pink Floyd (it comes from the names of the blues singers Pink Anderson and Floyd Council). He also ends up composing most of the songs in this album and designing the back cover.

Album Songs
(right-click on song and choose 'save target/link as' to download MP3):

"Astronomy Domine"
"Lucifer Sam"
"Matilda Mother"
"Flaming"
"Pow R. Toc H."
"Take Up Thy Stethescope And Walk"
"Interstellar Overdrive"
"The Gnome"
"Chapter 24"
"Scarecrow"
"Bike"
*"See Emily Play" (Single before album)
*"Arnold Layne" (Single before album)

Credits
Syd Barrett - Lead Guitar and Vocals
Roger Waters - Bass Guitar and Vocals
Rick Wright - Organ / Piano
Nicky Mason - Drums
Produced by Norman Smith
Recording Engineer : Peter Brown
Front Cover Photo : Vic Singh
Rear Cover Design : Syd Barrett

Lyrics

Astronomy Domine

Lime and limpid green, a second scene
A fight between the blue you once knew
Floating down, the sound resounds
Around the icy waters underground
Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda and Titania
Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten

Lime and limpid green, a second scene
A fight between the blue you once knew
Floating down, the sound resounds
Around the icy waters underground
Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda and Titania
Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten

Blinding signs flap
Flicker, flicker, flicker blam
Pow, pow
Stairway scare Dan dare who's there?

Lime and limpid green, the sounds around
The icy waters under
Lime and limpid green, the sounds around
The icy waters underground

Lucifer Sam

Lucifer Sam, siam cat
Always sitting by your side
Always by your side
That cat's something I can't explain

Ginger, ginger you're a witch
You're the left side
He's the right side
Oh, no
That cat's something I can't explain

Lucifer go to sea
Be a hip cat
Be a ship's cat
Somewhere, anywhere
That cat's something I can't explain

At night prowling sifting sand
Hiding around on the ground
He'll be found when you're around
That cat's something I can't explain

Matilda Mother

There was a king who ruled the land
His majesty was in command
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showers silver on the people
Oh Mother, tell me more

Why'd'ya have to leave me there
Hanging in my infant air
Waiting
You only have to read the lines
They're scribbly black and everything shines

Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news
A thousand misty riders climb up
Higher once upon a time

Wandering and dreaming
The words have different meaning
Yes they did

For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
And fairy sories held me high on
Clouds of sunlight floating by
Oh Mother, tell me more
Tell me more
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah

Flaming

Alone in the clouds all blue
Lying on an eiderdown
Yippee
You can't see me
But I can you

Lazing in the foggy dew
Sitting on a unicorn
No fair, you can't hear me
But I can you

Watching buttercups cup the light
Sleeping on a dandelion
Too much, I won't touch you
But then I might

Screaming through the starlit sky
Travelling by telephone
Hey ho, here we go
Ever so high

Alone in the clouds all blue
Lying on an eiderdown
Yippee
You can't see me
But I can you

Pow R. Toc H

(Instrumental)

Take Up Thy Stethescope and Walk

Doctor doctor
I'm in bed
Achin' head
Gold is lead
Choke on bread
Underfed
Gold is lead
Jesus bled
Pain is red
Are goon
Grow go
Greasy spoon
You swoon
June bloom

Music seems to help the pain
Seems to cultivate the brain
Doctor kindly tell your wife that
I'm alive
Flowers thrive
Realize, realize
Realize

Interstellar Overdrive

(Instrumental)

The Gnome

I want to tell you a story
About a little man
If I can
A gnome named Grimble Crumble
And little gnomes stay in their homes
Eating, sleeping, drinking their wine

He wore a scarlet tunic
A blue green hood
It looked quite good
He had a big adventure
Amidst the grass
Fresh air at last
Wining, dining, biding his time
And then one day
Hooray
Another way for gnomes to say
Oooooooooomray

Look at the sky
Look at the river
Isn't it good?
Look at the sky
Look at the river
Isn't it good?
Winding, finding places to go
And then one day
Hooray
Another way for gnomes to say
Oooooooooomray
Ooooooooooooooomray

Chapter 24

A movement is accomplished in six stages
And the seventh brings return
The seven is the number of the young light
It forms when darkness is increased by one
Change returns success
Going and coming without error
Action brings good fortune
Sunset

The time is with the month of winter solstice
When the change is due to come
Thunder in the other course of heaven
Things cannot be destroyed once and for all
Change returns success
Going and coming without error
Action brings good fortune
Sunset, sunrise

A movement is accomplished in six stages
And the seventh brings return
The seven is the number of the young light
It forms when darkness is increased by one
Change returns success
Going and coming without error
Action brings good fortune
Sunset, sunrise

The Scarecrow

The black and green scarecrow as everyone knows
Stood with a bird on his hat and straw everywhere
He didn't care
He stood in a field where barley grows

His head did no thinking
His arms didn't move except when the wind cut up
About his head and mice spun around on the ground
He stood in a field where barley grows

The black and green scarecrow is sadder than me
But now he's resigned to his fate
'Cause life's not unkind
He doesn't mind
He stood in a field where barley grows

Bike

I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it

You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world
I'll give you anything
Everything if you want things

I've got a cloak
It's a bit of a joke
There's a tear up the front
It's red and black
I've had it for months
If you think it could look good
Then I guess it should

You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world
I'll give you anything
Everything if you want things

I know a mouse
And he hasn't got a house
I don't know why
I call him Gerald
He's getting rather old
But he's a good mouse

You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world
I'll give you anything
Everything if you want things

I've got a clan of gingerbread men
Here a man
There a man
Lots of gingerbread men
Take a couple if you wish
They're on the dish

You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world
I'll give you anything
Everything if you want things

I know a room full of musical tunes
Some rhyme
Some ching
Most of them are clockwork
Let's go into the other room and make them work

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