Up on the hill / People never stare
They just don’t care
Chinese music under banyan trees
Here at the dude ranch above the sea
Aja / When all my dime dancin’ is through
I run to you
Up on the hill / They’ve got time to burn
There’s no return
Double helix in the sky tonight
Throw out the hardware / Let’s do it right
Aja
When all my dime dancin’ is through
I run to you
Up on the hill / They think I’m okay
Or so they say
Chinese music always sets me free
Angular banjoes / Sound good to me
Aja
When all my dime dancin’ is through
I run to you
It’s not that widely known that Pink Floyd quoted lines from classical Chinese poetry in a couple of their early songs. (Not widely known, but known nevertheless – see Note at bottom of page).
The first was the song ‘Chapter 24’ on Piper at the Gates of Dawn, released in 1967. This song by Syd Barrett quotes the Chinese Book of Changes (Yi Jing), a very trendy thing to do at the time and still apparently quite trendy, judging by the number of hits for this term on the Internet. But this is pretty boring stuff. Anyone with a passing interest in Oriental mysticism is apt to quote the Yi Jing as proof of his/her hipness. It’s on a par with attributing anything vaguely Oriental to ‘Zen influences’.
Do not say, A conspiracy, Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.
CONNECT/HOOK 