On The Turning Away

On The Turning Away 5:38
     (written by Gilmour, Moore)

Lyrics:
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others' suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away

It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we're all alone
In the dream of the proud

On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
Mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night

No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?

Dave Gilmour: "It's a social commentary I suppose — one can't say much more than that. We did argue at length about whether in the last verse one should get preachy, but in the end we said 'Let's preach!' Anthony Moore, a friend of mine — he came up with the basic idea and wrote the first set of lyrics, so I can't claim to have been the instigator of it—but as soon as I saw them, I said 'That's perfect, that's exactly what we want.'" [TAP 44]

Unfortunately, Rick Wright's one keyboard solo on the album, which was in this song, ended up on the cutting-room floor.
Rick Wright: "...not because they didn't like it, they just thought it didn't fit." [Schaffner 291]

Additionally, this song was originally supposed to have orchestral accompaniment, composed by Bob Ezrin and Jon Carin, though this idea was dropped as well.

TRACK LISTING
Signs of Life
Learning to Fly
Dogs of War, The
One Slip
On the Turning Away
Yet Another Movie
Round and Around
New Machine Part 1, A
Terminal Frost
New Machine Part 2, A
Sorrow