Lost for Words (Pink Floyd song)

"Lost for Words" is the tenth song on Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell.

CD booklet

In the U.S. release of the album, the lyrics to the song are printed overtop a portion of an image of the steel heads from the booklet cover. In the U.K., the image is a portion of the stone heads featured on the cassette insert. There is an unexplained capitalization of the phrase "right one" in the following line:

Because there'll be no safety in numbers

When the Right One walks out of the door

The booklet artwork opposite the lyrics was designed by Storm Thorgerson and features a photograph of two old-fashioned leather boxing gloves.^[1]

In 1995, an enigmatist named Sean Heisler contacted Thorgerson and questioned him about the lyrics and artwork.

I kept pressing, asking why Right One was capitalized in the Lost for Words lyrics.

Storm: "Well it's easy really....ah it's easy."

I asked if it related to the boxing gloves, in which the right glove was laced four times and the left three times—hence the symbolism of the 3 members of PF now, was once four.

Storm: (With a serious tone, and mindful of my technical questions, with a "eureka" tone in his voice) "Ahhhhhhhhh....well maybe."^[2]

There is also some belief among fans that it is an oblique reference to late keyboardist Richard Wright's firing during the sessions for The Wall.

The opening steel guitar riff is reminiscent of the opening of "Wish You Were Here".

References

Personnel

• David Gilmour – acoustic guitar, additional electric guitar, lead vocals
• Richard Wright – keyboards
• Nick Mason – drums and percussion
• Jon Carin – additional keyboards and programming
• Guy Pratt – bass