"Ship, smoke" or "Shipsmoke...?

Ship's moke, obviously.

The line does make sense as a distant ship's smoke on the horizon.  It's receding, like pain does when one numbs oneself comfortably. 

I think that Gilmour is just taking artistic liberty with the song, or maybe he sings it wrong. IDK.

Harry Hood wrote: "There is no pain you are receding A distant ship's smoke/shipsmoke on the horizon" Our narrator begins to drift off, and sees a ship's smoke on the horizon. He knows it's a ship, because he saw it, but now he only sees the smoke. This implies the ship is moving away from him. "A distant ship, smoke on the horizon" As our narrator begins to drift away, he sees smoke on the horizon. He is presuming (and hoping) that it is smoke from a ship, that is heading in his direction and may rescue him.

I really don't see the problem.
"You are receding" implies that after the "little pinprick" the recipient's meds are kicking in and the world around him is is becoming like a distant ship, detectable only by the presence of the "smoke on the horizon."

To my understanding, "distant shipsmoke on the horizon," "distant ship, smoke on the horizon," "distant ship's smoke on the horizon" makes no difference to the meaning of the song... the guy was freaking out, got shot up with tranqs, and is now becoming "comfortably numb" as the drugs course through his system.

The ship doesn't represent rescue or abandonment, it symbolizes the patients awareness/situational involvement as the shot kicks in and he transitions from manic to too-calm and the world around him recedes.

Harry Hood wrote: "You are only coming through in waves, Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying" If "ship's smoke" is true, then who is trying to come through to him? If that lyric were correct, then it would mean that he's still by himself. So he's coming through to himself? He's seeing his own lips move? It makes no sense whatsoever. It suddenly becomes a song about nothing. And that is unforgivable in a song where the lyrics are of the utmost importance to the song's story and the story of the overarching plot on the album.

Harry Hood wrote: Time to settle the ultimate debate... Personally, I have to go with the former. It simply makes sense in the context of the lyrics. The narrator is saying that he knows there is a distant ship, because smoke is on the horizon. The way Gilmour sings it butchers this meaning, by implying that he knows it is smoke from a ship ("shipsmoke"), so the "on the horizon" part now implys that he already saw the ship and it's leaving. In Water's interpretation the ship is coming towards him. Waters version holds more meaning in the context of the story because it implies that help is on the way, what Dave does is turns the chorus into something much more pessimistic. So let's settle this once and for all. We're gonna find out where you fans really stand on this issue.

Great forum topic, although I'm not sure about the whole poll-idea.

Personally I always tend to prefer the original versions and I think that your point makes sense so I completely agree with you.
Still I'll restrain from voting.

Atavachron wrote: well in my forever 16-year old memory it's ship's smoke

No, there is no "'s" on the end of ship. Offically the lyric is indeed "ship, smoke". It also reads this way in the subtitles on Water's "In The Flesh" DVD.

Edited by Harry Hood - February 28 2010 at 04:05

^ dude, put down the pipe

well since it's only coming to you in waves I really can not put my finger on it now
I think its sh*tsmoke or ships moke whatever that means
v     what he said


Edited by Slartibartfast - February 28 2010 at 04:02