Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb lyrics

All of us have the propensity in this life to become comfortably numb. We no longer feel deeply or passionately about our purpose in life. When we are young, we believe there is someone or something out there that can fill our inner need for acceptance in what ever construct we exist in. Yet, over time, we try all things (as King Solomon did) and learn that nothing on this earth fulfills us. Nothing provides enduring peace. Every goal or plan once achieved never quite places us at the finish line. So, we stop searching. So, we let our dreams of a real fulfillment die. The fleeting glimpse of a realized dream that we had as a child is no longer felt. We become comfortably numb to the still small voice. My advice. Don't let the things of this world stifle your search. Seek and you will find. It may take time, it may never be complete, in most likely will not be comfortable at all. Yet, what you find will be enough. Enough to keep you alive! In every sense of the word.

I was 17 when this classic was released and through the years I contemplated it's meaning. I drank, I drugged and never did come up with anything deeper than the idea that roger waters was telling the world how he gets amped for concerts.
Then I went clean at the age of 44 and the meaning struck me unexpectedly.
Again, not very deep but deep enough, it speaks of my dependence on drugs as a way of finding acceptance of myself. I despised myself in every way but I wasn't a scumbag or anything. I just had no self-esteem. That's why I got high and "comfortably numb" goes into that life and speaks of my way out as well.
The first "half" of the song describes my life as an active addict while the second uses the similar lyrics to describe the moment of revelation where my life changed for the better. I especially like where "the dream is gone" falls because it reminds me that my nightmare is over.
Keep in mind, this is a very personal interpretation of the lyrics.

All of us have the propensity in this life to become comfortably numb. We no longer feel deeply or passionately about our purpose in life. When we are young, we believe there is someone or something out there that can fill our inner need for acceptance in what ever construct we exist in. Yet, over time, we try all things (as King Solomon did) and learn that nothing on this earth fulfills us. Nothing provides enduring peace. Every goal or plan once achieved never quite places us at the finish line. So, we stop searching. So, we let our dreams of a real fulfillment die. The fleeting glimpse of a realized dream that we had as a child is no longer felt. We become comfortably numb to the still small voice. My advice. Don't let the things of this world stifle your search. Seek and you will find. It may take time, it may never be complete, in most likely will not be comfortable at all. Yet, what you find will be enough. Enough to keep you alive! In every sense of the word.

The meaning is about when he thought he got the stomach flu so they pumped him full of painkillers before a show, so he could go on and preform. Also he caught a terrible fever when he was younger and it compares the fever from when he was younger, to him being high on painkillers during a show. But it's also a discussion in his head between lightness and darkness. The darkness being the temptation of drug through his entire life, almost speaking to him. He just uses the time he got shot up with pain meds before a show as an example. The reason he used drugs was because of some event that took place in his life, this is where "can you show me where it hurts" because the drugs "speak" to him before he takes them, and when he trips L.S.D is whenever the event in his life starts to take over his mind and make him depressed, and the drugs ensure that he will feel better once he takes them. You know it's the bad voice in his head speaking, because it has a deeper more dark tone to it. Then the lighter tone voice comes in, and this is the better voice in his head. He's almost talking with his concious. "There is no pain that you are feeling" is him telling himself that he doesn't really need drugs to feel better, everyone has it tough. "You are only coming in through waves" is him talking with himself, its hard to think when you're tripping acid so his thoughts are only coming in waves because he can't focus. "Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying" is him talking to himself again, he says he knows he shouldn't do drugs, but it takes the pain away so he isn't going to listen to himself. These are just a few examples. The entire song is him talking to himself; the good little "Angel" on his shoulder, and also the bad "devil" on his other shoulder.

From Wikipedia: "According to Rolling Stone, the lyrics came from Roger Waters' experience when he was injected with tranquilizers for stomach cramps by a doctor prior to playing a Pink Floyd show in Philadelphia on the band's 1977 In the Flesh tour. "That was the longest two hours of my life," Waters said, "trying to do a show when you can hardly lift your arm." The experience gave him the idea which eventually became the lyrics to this song."