Fearless

Fearless (Interpolating "You'll Never Walk Alone"*) 6:03
     (written by Waters, Gilmour)
          (*written by Rodgers, Hammerstein)

Lyrics:
You say the hill's too steep to climb
Tried it
You say you'd like to see me try
Climbing
You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb the hill in my own way
Just wait awhile for the right day
And as I rise above the treeline and the clouds
I look down
Hear the sound
Of the things you said today

Fearlessly, the idiot faced the crowd
Smiling
Merciless, the magistrate turns round
Frowning
And who's the fool who wears the crown?
Go down in your own way
And every day is the right day
And as you rise above the fearlines in his brow
You go down
Hear the sound
Of the faces in the crowd

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Liverpool! (3x)

Vocals: Dave Gilmour, Liverpool Football Club fans

A catchy, melodic, and good pop song, with probably the most significant lyric on Meddle, Fearless utilised a guitar tuning from Syd by way of Roger.

Roger Waters: "That was a tuning that Syd showed me. It's a really beautiful open G tuning, for anybody who wants to tune their guitar: G-G-D-G-B-B."

The lyric for this song is especially intriguing, apparently containing a number of hidden meanings. The first verse is a response to a challenge from an unknown party, to climb a metaphorical hill that the challenger himself was unable to ascend. In climbing this hill, the singer is able to rise above the other's words, hearing them as mere sounds devoid of meaning. The second verse is even more cryptic, and many have claimed it alludes to Syd Barrett, though there is no overt reference and it seems doubtful that Roger would call Syd an 'idiot.' At any rate, the imagery is that of a fool, king of his own reality, smiling and oblivious even as a judgment descends from on high against him. And yet, in spite of this, the fool rises above the magistrate's fear which is the cause of his merciless judgment, and hears instead the humanity of the crowd which sings as one You'll Never Walk Alone, an anthem of hope.

This latter part of the song was recorded at a football match at Liverpool, where You'll Never Walk Alone is the theme song of the club. This song was originally written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein as the main theme of their musical Carousel.

As good musically as it is lyrically, Fearless is an early example of the blossoming of the Waters/Gilmour writing team that would create the most successful albums of the mid to late '70s. Fearless was released in the US as the flip side of the One of These Days single.

TRACK LISTING
One of These Days
Pillow of Winds, A
Fearless
San Tropez
Seamus
Echoes