Coming Back to Life

Lyrics:

Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching
And where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless
'Cause the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun

Lost in thought and lost in time
While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow
While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life

I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the waiting had begun
And headed straight... into the shining sun

"Coming Back to Life" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell, and is the only track from the album to be credited solely to David Gilmour.

Composition

Gilmour has said (as can be heard on the David Gilmour in Concert DVD) that the song was written about his wife, Polly Samson.

Live performances

The song has been a staple in Gilmour's performances from 1994 to 2016. It was one of the songs performed on rotation during the 1994 Division Bell Tour, at every one of Gilmour's semi-acoustic shows in 2001 and 2002, at Gilmour's performance at the Fender Stratocaster 50th anniversary concert in London in 2004, and was played at most shows during his solo 2006 On an Island Tour. It became a staple of shows during the 2015-16 Rattle That Lock Tour and the 2024 Luck and Strange tour.