MUSIC/SONGS

From Syd Barrett: Works
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This is a complete list (as far as is known) of Syd's compositions, listed by publisher. Each title links to its own page. Below are listed the details, and some remarks about Syd's repertoire, also linking to other pages of the MUSIC section.

Lupus Music Ltd.

Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Baby Lemonade
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Clowns and Jugglers
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Dark Globe
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Dominoes
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Effervescing Elephant
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Feel
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Gigolo Aunt
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Here I Go
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg I Never Lied To You
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg If It’s In You
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg It Is Obvious
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Late Night
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Long Gone
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Love you
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Love Song
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Maisie
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg No Good Trying
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg No Man’s Land
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Octopus
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Rats
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg She Took A Long Cold Look
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Swan Lee (Silas Lang)
Sydbarrett-madcaplaughs.jpg Terrapin
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Waving My Arms In The Air
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Wined And Dined
Sydbarrett-barrett.jpg Wolfpack

Another song, Golden Hair, had the lyrics written by James Joyce.

Westminster Music Ltd.

ApplesandOranges.jpg Apples And Oranges
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg Astronomy Domine
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg Bike
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg Chapter 24
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg Flaming
Saucerful of secrets2.jpg Jugband Blues
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg Lucifer Sam
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg Matilda Mother
White.jpg Scream Thy Last Scream
SeeEmilyPlay.jpg See Emily Play
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg The Gnome
PinkFloyd-album-piperatthegatesofdawn 300.jpg The Scarecrow
White.jpg Vegetable Man

Other two songs, the instrumentals Interstellar Overdrive and Pow R. Toc H., were co-written with Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason).
All songs later published also by Magdalene Music Ltd.



Dunmo Music Publishing Company Ltd.

Arnold Layne.jpg Arnold Layne
Arnold Layne.jpg Candy And A Currant Bun



Note: All the songs in this column are Pink Floyd songs.

Rock Music Company Ltd. (now administered by BMG)

White.jpg A Last Recording
Terrapinbookpic.jpg A Rooftop In A Thunderstorm
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Birdie Hop
Syd Barrett - WYMM.jpg Bob Dylan Blues
R-7780256-1448632900-7907.jpeg.jpg Butterfly
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Dolly Rocker
R-7780256-1448632900-7907.jpeg.jpg Double O Bo
White.jpg Early Morning Henry *
White.jpg I Get Stoned (Stoned Alone)
White.jpg In The Beechwoods
White.jpg Intremental *
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Lanky (Part 1)
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Let’s Split
1078331441.jpg Lucy Leave
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Milky Way
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Opel
White.jpg Reaction In G
R-7780256-1448632900-7907.jpeg.jpg Remember Me
Introductionbarrett.jpg Rhamadam
White.jpg She Was A Millionaire *
Barrett peel original.jpg Two Of A Kind
White.jpg Untitled
Syd barrett-opel.jpg Word Song

*No known recordings exist

It's unclear if the song "Two of a Kind" was possibly written by Richard Wright.



You can count 64 Syd Barrett's own compositions, plus 3 co-written ones, although the instrumental Rhamadam is considered very similar to Lanky (in this way "Clown and Jugglers" and "Octopus" would be the same song, since only the lyrics changed, as it happened to "Matilda Mother") and it's considered doubtful if Syd actually wrote Two of a Kind instead of Richard Wright. Also, A Rooftop In A Thunderstorm should be a poem never set to music, and someone thinks it was not even written by Syd. Of course, there are other theories about the most unknown songs.

If you like to know about song details by searching around recordings, master tapes, reissued records and remastered releases, then you should go to the SYD'S RECORDINGS sub-section.

Instead, if you prefer to see an overview of the songs released through his musical career, you should go back to the main MUSIC section, which begins with three introductory links to pages where the main releases are shown splitted in three parts. You can also click below to start with the first part:

PART 1 - WITH PINK FLOYD

By the way, on the bottom of second part it can be shown a reduced version of the detailed list below (which here includes some songs not actually written by Syd Barrett):


LIST OF ALL SONGS WRITTEN OR RECORDED BY SYD BARRETT

Where it is not specified Syd Barrett performed vocals and guitar. If a song was not written nor co-written by Syd Barrett, the original title and the publisher are left blank and the title is in grey.
All information taken from David Parker's book Random Precision: Recording the Music of Syd Barrett 1965-1974, and according to Syd Barret Estate manager Paul Loasby.
Each publisher is a private company limited by shares (Ltd.). Rock Music Company Ltd. is administered by BMG.

Note: this table is sortable by date/text, by clicking below
1st Rec. Original title Publisher Title Release date Rec. details Release details Notes
1974081212/08/1974 If You Go, Don't Be Slow Rock Music Company A Last Recording 999910 ? takes - 15/08/1974 Unreleased Written in 1974. Recorded as "If You Go" with other takes titled probably by Peter Jenner on 13-15 Aug. Instrumental.
19740700July 1974 A rooftop song in a thunderstorm row... Rock Music Company A Rooftop in a Thunderstorm 20069900Late 2006 Text - July 1974 Terrapin book, p. 119 Written in 1974. Poem. Maybe not written by Syd Barrett. Unproperly published in the fanzine Terrapin, n. 9, on July 1974.
1967102626/10/1967 Apples and Oranges Westminster Music Apples and Oranges 1967111717/11/1967 Take ? - 27/10/1967 Apples and Oranges 7" single Written in 1967. With Pink Floyd. Mono release. Stereo mixed on 14 Nov. released in 1974 on Masters of Rock. B-side: "Paint Box".
1967012929/01/1967 Arnold Layne Dunmo Music Publishing Co. Arnold Layne 1967031010/03/1967 Take ? - 29/01/1967 Arnold Layne 7" single Written in 1965/1966. With Pink Floyd. Mono release. Never mixed in stereo. B-side: "Candy and a Currant Bun".
1967041111/04/1967 Astronomy Dominé (An Astral Chant) Westminster Music Astronomy Domine 1967080505/08/1967 Take 14 - 11/04/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track A1 Written in 1965/mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Vocal intro by Peter Jenner.
1970022424/02/1970 Baby Lamonade Lupus Music Baby Lemonade 1970111414/11/1970 Take 1 - 26/02/1970 Barrett LP, track A1 Written in 1965/1969. Overdubbed on 1-2 Apr. Recorded for Top Gear on 24 Feb. broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 14 Mar.
1967041121/05/1967 The Bike Song Westminster Music Bike 1967080505/08/1967 Take 11 - 21/05/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track B5 Written in 1965/1966. With Pink Floyd. For Jenny Spires.
1970060707/06/1970 Birdie Hop Rock Music Company Birdie Hop 1988101717/10/1988 Demo - 07/06/1970 Opel LP, track B2 Written in 1967. Remixed as "Birdy Hop" on 13 Aug. 1974. Probably for John "Hoppy" Hopkins.
1970022727/02/1970 Bob Dylan Blues Rock Music Company Bob Dylan Blues 2001041616/04/2001 Demo - 27/02/1970 The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? CD, track 21 Written in late 1964/Jan. 1965. Recorded as "Dylan Blues".
196502005Jan. 1965 Butterfly Rock Music Company Butterfly 2015112727/11/2015 Take ? - Jan. 1965 1965: Their First Recordings double 7" EP, track 2.A2 Written in late 1964/early 1965. Aka "Flutter By Butterfly". With Pink Floyd with Rado Klose.
1967012929/01/1967 Let's Roll Another One Dunmo Music Publishing Co. Candy and a Currant Bun 1967031010/03/1967 Take ? - 29/01/1967 Arnold Layne 7" single, B-side Written in late 1964/mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Lyrics changed.
1967041127/02/1967 Chapter 24 Westminster Music Chapter 24 1967080505/08/1967 Take 5 - 27/02/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track B3 Written in 1965/1966. With Pink Floyd. Lyrics inspired and partially taken from ancient Chinese book I Ching.
1969061212/06/1969 Dark Globe Lupus Music Dark Globe 1970010303/01/1970 Take 2 - 12/06/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track A5 Written in 1965/1969. Recorded as "Wouldn't You Miss Me" on 26 July.
1970071414/07/1970 Dolly Rocker Rock Music Company Dolly Rocker 1988101717/10/1988 Take 1 - 14/07/1970 Opel LP, track A5 Written in 1967.
1970071414/07/1970 Dominoes Lupus Music Dominoes 1970111414/11/1970 Take 2 - 14/07/1970 Barrett LP, track A3 Written in 1967. Overdubbed on 15 July as take 3.
196502002Jan. 1965 Double O Bo Rock Music Company Double O Bo 2015112727/11/2015 Take ? - Jan. 1965 1965: Their First Recordings double 7" EP, track 1.B1 Written in late 1964/early 1965. With Pink Floyd with Rado Klose.
1972012727/01/1972 Drinkin' That Wine 2014060909/06/2014 Live - 27/01/1972 Six Hour Technicolour Dream: Cambridge 1972 CD, track 5 Traditional. With Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band. Vocals by Bruce Paine. Guitar with Fred Frith and Bruce Paine.
1967102323/10/1967 Early Morning Henry Rock Music Company Early Morning Henry 999901 Demo - 23/10/1967 Unreleased Written in 1965/1967. With Pink Floyd. Possibly instrumental. No known recordings exist.
1970022424/02/1970 Effervescing Elephant Lupus Music Effervescing Elephant 1970111414/11/1970 Take 9 - 17/07/1970 Barrett LP, track B6 Written in late 1964. Recorded for Top Gear on 24 Feb. broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 14 Mar.
1969072626/07/1969 Feel Lupus Music Feel 1970010303/01/1970 Take 1 - 26/07/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track B5 Written in 1965/1968.
1967041116/03/1967 Snowing Westminster Music Flaming 1967080505/08/1967 Take 1 - 16/03/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track A4 Written in 1965/mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Vocal harmonies added on 27 June as take 2. Single released in US on 2 Nov.
1970022424/02/1970 Gigolo Aunt Lupus Music Gigolo Aunt 1970111414/11/1970 Take 15 - 27/02/1970 Barrett LP, track B1 Written in 1965/1967. Some vocals added on 1 Apr.
1968051414/05/1968 Golden Hair Lupus Music Golden Hair 1969111414/11/1969 Take 11 - 12/06/1969 Octopus 7" single, B-side Written in 1965/1968 with lyrics by James Joyce. Co-published by Society of Authors. Remake after 4 takes.
1972012727/01/1972 Gotta Be a Reason 2014060909/06/2014 Live - 27/01/1972 Six Hour Technicolour Dream: Cambridge 1972 CD, track 7 Jam session. With Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band. Vocals by Bruce Paine. Guitar with Fred Frith and Bruce Paine.
1969041717/04/1969 Boon Tune Lupus Music Here I Go 1970010303/01/1970 Take 5 - 17/04/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track A6 Written in 1966.
1966103131/10/1967 Stoned Alone Rock Music Company I Get Stoned 999902 ? takes - 31/10/1967 Unreleased Written in late 1964/mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Possibly lyrics changed on demo recorded as "Living Alone" on 27 Feb. 1970.
1970022727/02/1970 Waving My Arms in the Air [part 2] Lupus Music I Never Lied to You 1970111414/11/1970 Take 1 - 02/04/1970 Barrett LP, track B3 Written in 1965/1967. Some guitar and vocals added on 3 Apr.
1969072626/07/1969 If It's In You Lupus Music If It's in You 1970010303/01/1970 Take 5 - 26/07/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track B6 Written in 1965/1967.
196502005Jan. 1965 I'm a King Bee 19961099Aut. 1996 Take ? - Jan. 1965 CD single with the book Syd Barrett: A fish out of water, track 2 Written by Slim Harpo. Recorded as "King Bee". With Pink Floyd with Rado Klose. Cover version.
1967102020/10/1967 In the Beechwoods Rock Music Company In the Beechwoods 999903 4 takes - 20/10/1967 Unreleased Written in 1967. Aka "Down in the Beechwoods". With Pink Floyd. Instrumental.
1966103131/10/1966 Interstellar Overdrive Westminster Music Interstellar Overdrive 1967080505/08/1967 Take 2 - 27/02/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track B1 Written with Pink Floyd in mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Instrumental. Soundtrack of Anthony Stern's film San Francisco.
1967102020/10/1967 Intremental Rock Music Company Intremental 999904 Take 1 - 20/10/1967 Unreleased Written in 1967. With Pink Floyd. Instrumental. Possibly "In the Beechwoods" is a continuation of. No known recordings exist.
1970072121/07/1970 Mind Shot Lupus Music It Is Obvious 1970111414/11/1970 Take 1 - 21/07/1970 Barrett LP, track A4 Written in 1965/1967. Overdubbed on 22-23 July.
1967100909/10/1967 Jugband Blues Westminster Music Jugband Blues 1968062929/06/1968 Take ? - 19/10/1967 A Saucerful of Secrets LP, track B3 Written in 1967. With Pink Floyd and The Salvation Army. Re-arranged from a Jan. demo. Promo video filmed on Dec.
1968051414/05/1968 Lanky Rock Music Company Lanky (Part 1) 1988101717/10/1988 Take 1 - 14/05/1968 Opel LP, track B4 Written in 1968. Instrumental. As "Lanky (Part 2)" possibly an unfinished continuation of "Rhamadam".
1968050606/05/1968 Late Night Lupus Music Late Night 1970010303/01/1970 Take 2 - 21/05/1968 The Madcap Laughs LP, track B7 Written in 1965/1967. Remake after 1 false start plus 5 takes. Last overdubs added on 11 Apr. 1969.
1970071414/07/1970 Let's Split Rock Music Company Let's Split 1988101717/10/1988 Take 1 - 14/07/1970 Opel LP, track B3 Written in 1965/1967. Probably take 2 was only Syd Barrett's whistling to be added at the end.
1969072626/07/1969 Long Gone Lupus Music Long Gone 1970010303/01/1970 Take 1 - 26/07/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track B3 Written in 1965/1968.
1970071414/07/1970 Love Song Lupus Music Love Song 1970111414/11/1970 Take 1 - 14/07/1970 Barrett LP, track A2 Written in 1965/1967. Overdubbed on 17 July.
1969041111/04/1969 Love You Lupus Music Love You 1970010303/01/1970 Take 4 - 11/04/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track A3 Written in 1965/1967. Overdubbed on 3 May.
1967041212/04/1967 Percy the Ratcatcher Westminster Music Lucifer Sam 1967080505/08/1967 Take 7 - 12/04/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track A2 Written in 1965/1967. With Pink Floyd. Some vocals added on 18 Apr. as take 10. For Jenny Spires.
196502001Jan. 1965 Lucy Leave Rock Music Company Lucy Leave 19961099Aut. 1996 Take ? - Jan. 1965 CD single with the book Syd Barrett: A fish out of water, track 1 Written in late 1964/early 1965. Aka "Lucy Lea in Blue Tights". With Pink Floyd with Rado Klose.
1970022626/02/1970 Maisie Lupus Music Maisie 1970111414/11/1970 Take 2 - 26/02/1970 Barrett LP, track A6 Written in 1965/1967. Last remix on 1 Sep. without a vocal track and some more lyrics.
1967022121/02/1967 Matilda Mother Westminster Music Matilda Mother 1967080505/08/1967 Take 6 - 21/02/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track A3 Written in 1965/mid 1966. Recorded as "Matilda's Mother". With Pink Floyd. Changed lyrics partly from Belloc's Cautionary Tales.
1970060707/06/1970 Milky Way Rock Music Company Milky Way 1988101717/10/1988 Take 5 - 07/06/1970 Opel LP, track B6 Written in 1965/1967. Takes 1-4 were false starts.
1967011111/01/1967 Nick's Boogie 199000001990 Take 1 - 11/01/1967 Tonite Let's All Make Love in London... Plus CD, track 14 Written by Nick Mason. With Pink Floyd. Instrumental. Jam session credited to Pink Floyd until 2005.
1969041111/04/1969 It's No Good Trying Lupus Music No Good Trying 1970010303/01/1970 Take 3 - 11/04/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track A2 Written in 1965/1968. Overdubbed on 3-4 May.
1969041717/04/1969 No Man's Land Lupus Music No Man's Land 1970010303/01/1970 Take 5 - 17/04/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track A4 Written in 1965/1967. Some guitar added on 4 May. Some spoken parts at the end are barely audible on the right channel.
1972012727/01/1972 Number Nine 2014060909/06/2014 Live - 27/01/1972 Six Hour Technicolour Dream: Cambridge 1972 CD, track 6 Jam session. With Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band. Instrumental. Guitar with Fred Frith and Bruce Paine.
1968072020/07/1968 Clowns and Jugglers Lupus Music Octopus 1969111414/11/1969 Take 11 - 12/06/1969 Octopus 7" single Written in 1965/1966. Lyrics shortened. B-side: "Golden Hair".
1969041111/04/1969 Opel Rock Music Company Opel 1988101717/10/1988 Take 9 - 11/04/1969 Opel LP, track A1 Written in 1965/1968. 7 false starts. Take 6 with some more lyrics. Possibly title misspelled from "Opal".
1967102323/10/1967 Paint Box 1967111717/11/1967 Take ? - 26/10/1967 Apples and Oranges 7" single, B-side Written by Richard Wright. Aka "Paintbox". With Pink Floyd. Vocals by Richard Wright.
1966103121/03/1967 Pow R. Toc H. Westminster Music Pow R. Toc H. 1967080505/08/1967 Take 4 - 21/03/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track A5 Written with Pink Floyd in mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Instrumental.
1970060707/06/1970 Rats Lupus Music Rats 1970111414/11/1970 Demo - 07/06/1970 Barrett LP, track A5 Written in 1965/1967. Some guitar added on 23 July.
1967092325/09/1967 Reaction in G Rock Music Company Reaction in G 999905 ? takes - 25/09/1967 Unreleased Written in 1967. With Pink Floyd. Instrumental. Maybe recorded on 15-16 Aug. Broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 1 Oct. on Top Gear.
1969121818/12/1969 Religious Experience 2003060909/06/2003 Take 10 - 18/12/1969 Joy of a Toy by Kevin Ayers, 2003 reissue CD, track 14 Written by Kevin Ayers. Vocals by Kevin Ayers. A mix without Syd Barrett released as "Singing a Song in the Morning" in Feb. 1970.
1967100909/10/1967 Remember a Day 1968062929/06/1968 Take ? - 11/10/1967 A Saucerful of Secrets LP, track A2 Written by Richard Wright. With Pink Floyd. Vocals by Richard Wright. Single released in US on 19 Aug.
196502003Jan. 1965 Remember Me Rock Music Company Remember Me 2015112727/11/2015 Take ? - Jan. 1965 1965: Their First Recordings double 7" EP, track 1.B2 Written in late 1964/early 1965. With Pink Floyd with Rado Klose.
1968051414/05/1968 Rhamadan Rock Music Company Rhamadam 2010101111/10/2010 Take 1 - 14/05/1968 An Introduction to Syd Barrett CD, downloadable bonus track Written in 1968. Instrumental. Possibly unfinished. 23 Apr. 1969 recording "Motorbike Effects" intended to be overdubbed onto.
1967080707/08/1967 Old Woman with a Casket Westminster Music Scream Thy Last Scream 999906 2 takes - 07/08/1967 Unreleased Written in 1965/1967. With Pink Floyd. Vocals with Nick Mason. Promo video filmed on Oct. 1967. Single scheduled twice.
1967032021/05/1967 Games for May Westminster Music See Emily Play 1967061616/06/1967 Take ? - 21/05/1967 See Emily Play 7" single Written in May 1967. With Pink Floyd. For the Games For May concert on 12 May. B-Side: "Scarecrow".
1967080808/08/1967 Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun 1968062929/06/1968 Take 2 - 08/08/1967 A Saucerful of Secrets LP, track A3 Written by Roger Waters. With Pink Floyd. Vocals by Roger Waters. Possibly added guitar by David Gilmour on 11 Jan. 1968.
1969072626/07/1969 She Took a Long Cold Look at Me Lupus Music She Took a Long Cold Look 1970010303/01/1970 Take 5 - 26/07/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track B4 Written in 1965/1968. Released as "She Took a Long Cool Look" in 2010.
1967041818/04/1967 She Was a Millionaire Rock Music Company She Was a Millionaire 999907 2 takes - 18/04/1967 Unreleased Written in 1965/1967. With Pink Floyd. No known recordings show it's as "Millionaire" recorded on 7 June 1970 with parts of "Opel".
1968050606/05/1968 Silas Lang Lupus Music Swan Lee 1988101717/10/1988 Take 1 - 06/05/1968 Opel LP, track B1 Written in 1965/1967. Recorded as "Silace Lang". Overdubbed as "Swanlee" as take 4 on 20 Jun. Last overdubs on 10 Apr. 1969.
1967032020/03/1967 Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk 1967080505/08/1967 Take 5 - 20/03/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track A6 Written by Roger Waters. With Pink Floyd. Vocals by Roger Waters. Backing vocals by Syd Barrett and Richard Wright.
1969041111/04/1969 Terrapin Lupus Music Terrapin 1970010303/01/1970 Take 1 - 11/04/1969 The Madcap Laughs LP, track A1 Written in 1964/1966. Last overdubs on 4 May. Possibly for Libby Gausden.
196703192119/03/1967 The Gnome Westminster Music The Gnome 1967080505/08/1967 Take 6 - 19/03/1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn LP, track B2 Written in 1965/mid 1966. With Pink Floyd. Possibly the only take. Inspired by Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings.
1967032020/03/1967 Scarecrow Westminster Music The Scarecrow 1967061616/06/1967 Take 1 - 20/03/1967 See Emily Play 7" single, B-side Written in 1965/early 1967. With Pink Floyd. Overdubbed on 22 Mar. Promo video filmed on July.
1970022424/02/1970 Two of a Kind Rock Music Company Two of a Kind 19880199Jan. 1988 Take ? - 24/02/1970 The Peel Sessions: Syd Barrett CD, track 5 Written in 1965/early 1970 possibly by Richard Wright. Recorded for Top Gear on 24 Feb. broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 30 May.
1967100404/10/1967 Untitled Rock Music Company Untitled 999908 6 takes - 04/10/1967 Unreleased Written in 1965/1967. Aka "Unknown Title" or "No Title". With Pink Floyd. Instrumental. Maybe recorded on 15-16 Aug.
1967100909/10/1967 Vegetable Man Westminster Music Vegetable Man 999909 ? takes - 11/10/1967 Unreleased Written in 1967. With Pink Floyd. Live for Top Gear on 20 Dec. broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 31 Dec. Single scheduled.
196502004Jan. 1965 Walk With Me Sydney 2015112727/11/2015 Take ? - Jan. 1965 1965: Their First Recordings double 7" EP, track 2.A1 Written by Roger Waters. With Pink Floyd with Rado Klose. Vocals with Juliette Gale.
1970022727/02/1970 Waving My Arms in the Air Lupus Music Waving My Arms in the Air 1970111414/11/1970 Take 1 - 02/04/1970 Barrett LP, track B2 Written in 1965/1967. Some guitar and vocals added on 3 Apr.
1970060707/06/1970 Wined and Dined Lupus Music Wined and Dined 1970111414/11/1970 Take 10 - 14/07/1970 Barrett LP, track B4 Written in 1965/1967. Recorded as "Wined & Dined". Last overdubs on 23 July.
1970022727/02/1970 Wolfpack Lupus Music Wolfpack 1970111414/11/1970 Take 2 - 03/04/1970 Barrett LP, track B5 Written in 1965/1969. Edited from unspecified duration to 3:40. Probably overdubbed.
1970072121/07/1970 Untitled Rock Music Company Word Song 1988101717/10/1988 Take 1 - 21/07/1970 Opel LP, track A6 Written in 1965/1969.


To know more about the songs not written by Syd Barrett, but that he performed with Pink Floyd or with others, go to this page:

NOT WRITTEN SONGS AND APPEARANCES

However, those were just a few songs written by Roger Waters or Richard Wright that Syd played with Pink Floyd, while his total guest appearances would have been even less in number: we have to add some of the covers he played live in the early years to have no more than 34 songs, as you can see in the list below (the songs added are in grey).


The remaining unreleased songs may need to be treated as a separate group, also because of the legends surrounding them... (it's enough that the master tapes of 3 songs were erased or lost and the lyrics of 2 songs are unknown). They consist of at least 10 songs. Below is the link to the related page and a short list to see what songs they are.

UNRELEASED SONGS


The fresh irony in "Bob Dylan Blues" might hide serious consideration for the songwriting:

Well I sing about dreams
And I rhymes it with seams
Cause it seems that my dream always means
That I can prophesy all kinds of things

A Syd's photo that Mick Rock shot during his visit for his interview on the December 1971 issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

Syd Barrett was very fond of all of his lyrics — and not merely because in a 1970 interview he replied "very important" to the interviewer's question "How important are the lyrics?". For what was his last proper interview, he said to Mick Rock, who went to visit him at his home in Cambridge,

"I'll show you a book of all my songs before you go. I think it's so exciting. I'm glad you're here."

and Mick then wrote:

He produces a folder containing all his recorded songs to date, neatly typed, with no music. Most of them stand alone as written pieces. Sometimes simple, lyrical, though never without some touch of irony. Sometimes surreal, images weaving dreamily, echoes of a mindscape that defies traditional analysis.

It's unclear if the publishing companies still have exactly the lyrics Syd had in his hands: there are still doubts about some words, like the now popular doubt about "Octopus" if the word in a line was "madcap" and not "mad cat", and now the only surviving lyric sheet is that one for "It Is Obvious", which at least shows how he used to edit his typed lyrics, even counting beats and lengths.

Possibly at a much younger age Syd was already checking the different rhyme schemes for his later songs, writing some of the lines, with the great care that a 16 years old passionate boy can have in reading things like Lear and Carroll and writing

I write all night sometimes it rhymes

as a short poem for his girlfriend Libby in a love letter with things like "Equation: Lib's lips less love = sad Syd." Perhaps his subsequent girlfriend Jenny Spires would confirm she heard all of his compositions before he turned 21: Peter Jenner, his first manager, told "He did write incredibly quickly. All those songs were... all done by about June of '67". Much later, no longer involved in music, Syd admitted himself unable to write songs since the '70s. Again Peter Jenner: "I think you have to feel that he did a lifetime's work in a year".

In the first lines of "See Emily Play" you might find reminiscences from his youth:

Emily tries but misunderstands
She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow

Perhaps, even in the big amount of thoughts he used to write in his diaries, far to be songs, it would have been possible to find clues about his lyrics, but he burnt them shortly after his mom's death in 1991. Nobody seems to know much about what he was writing then, as in his later years, other than that he was writing much about painting.


You can find much about Syd's songwriting in the REVIEWS sub-section, as well as on the books and on the other articles in the ABOUT SYD section. Here we'll try to make an overview in order to compare all of the songs of his entire career. A rather commercial point of view would suggest to compare his songs by splitting his songwriting career with Pink Floyd songs and solo songs, that's a thought subtly denied by Syd's words in one of his last interviews, written by Steve Turner:

It is possible people still expect Barrett to produce work in the Floydian mould and are slightly disturbed to hear this slightly stoned voice singing very often with only an acoustic guitar. "It puts people off their guard" he says. "I think that people miss the fact that it's obviously a gentler thing because it's clever and it's into that more than content. The message might be a bit lost because people find it hard to grasp."

Whatever was the way he wrote songs, it didn't change very much, and also the subjects may have been his early ones, if not in his later ruminations on being a pop star or about his relationship with Lindsay Corner. The Pink Floyd thing is explained by Peter Jenner: "A lot of old songs were considered a bit too child-like and not sort of serious enough for this heavy psychedelic band."


Julian Palacios, author of one of the best biographical books on Syd Barrett, described very well and in detail the techniques Syd used on his songwriting on an essay on the internet. In introducing the essay, it's useful to read an excerpt from his book:

At seventeen, Barrett showed ample wit, with deft timing and juggling ability. ‘I did tend to take lines from other things, lines I liked, and then wrote around them,’ said Barrett. ‘It was writing good songs that mattered, really.’
One Cambridge friend recalls, ‘It was not unusual for him to be playing around on a guitar and writing. He would often play me a song or tell me he had a new song. His songs were not about any one person or another. They were impressions – notions, scenarios, fun. They were snippets, jumbled together – difficult to say what inspired him at any one given time.’
To Barrett, a song was to be shared, written to amuse friends. The word ‘you’ can be found by the hundreds in his lyrics, with far less ‘me’ or ‘mine’ as balance. A dialogue between ‘I’ and ‘you’ runs parallel throughout – a missing half to complete him. Writing songs was always related to playing, not for his amusement alone. It was exciting for him to have a thought and turn it into music.
Offsetting related tempos, Barrett’s songs had melodic richness and curious harmonic structures; his outstanding ear for melody being perhaps his greatest gift. His elaborate wordplay was rife with double meaning, irony and an evident eye for economically capturing essential images. Barrett’s work is rich with stormy contrasts, relentless rhythm or gentle acoustic strums, dense rhymes to nimble melodies.

The essay is listed on the REVIEWS sub-section too, but you can see it by clicking below:

JULIAN PALACIOS - SYD BARRETT'S TECHNIQUES
In order to establish some timeline about the rather unknown periods when Syd Barrett wrote his songs, an attempt was made by two fans on the internet forum Late Night using the occurences of words and sentences in all of his lyrics. That produced at least an exhaustive analysis of the occurences (at the moment only as excel file). Out of curiosity, putting some of the results into the online tool Wordle (www.wordle.com) it was produced also the image above.

The excerpt below is followed by two older quotes from two great guitarists, Fred Frith and Jimmy Page:

Composer Daniel Nass comments, ‘chromaticism forms Barrett’s 'dark' sound. Chromatics takes away pre-conceived expectations of what comes next. Isn’t it interesting his chromatic phrases tend to descend more often than ascend? So many instances of descending phrases (chromatic and otherwise) in his songs.’ This pointed directly to childhood nursery rhymes. ...
Beyond words Syd sang, his subtlety lies where he placed emphasis. Rhyme schemes changed from song to song. In ‘Lucifer Sam’, inside the song, with rhymes in two middle bars parried with one rhyme in the second, and ending with two in the middle of the last verse.

Considered in detail, it’s great the way the lines which underpin the first part of each verse are made up of tiny units, each contributing to something which becomes greater in concept than any of them.
The playing not only reveals an acute perception of sound, but explores a little exploited region and menacingly undermines the apparent harmless and half sense lyrics.

Syd Barrett’s writing with the early Pink Floyd was inspirational. Nothing sounded like Barrett before Pink Floyd’s first album. There were so many ideas and so many positive statements. You can really feel the genius there, and it was tragic that he fell apart.

The two guitarists rightly compared Syd to other great musicians to describe his songwriting:
Fred Frith: "Both Beefheart and Syd Barrett have in the past exerted this powerful questioning force by redefining the medium in which they operated."
Jimmy Page: "Both he and Jimi Hendrix had a futuristic vision in a sense."

If we argue that the more a comparison is objective the more it makes sense, we should expect that David Gilmour's description of Syd as "one of the three or four greats, along with Bob Dylan" will be explained at least as well as the other two comparisons above.

Having seen how Syd Barrett's songwriting is worth some analysis much more than the standards, with still much space to explore, it may be interesting to compare the 60 and more songs of his repertoire under various aspects, not only about those techniques which led to pleasure and admiration, but also about what was behind his creative process. This is hardly possible, but only on an accurate retrospect. The good thing should be that the infinite possible cross-references are limited within his own repertoire. A basic first step could be to search any sort of recurrence in his songs, starting from the words used, then the sentences, the types of rhyme and assonance, and so on, as well as starting from the occurrences of the chord sequences, then the techniques of guitar-playing and recording, and so on. Completing this would help to search what occurrences are the most significant to study them individually or for the totality of the work of the songwriter, trying to embrace it as a whole.

Would you ever discuss musical theory with Syd Barrett? Fred Frith's reply: "It would have been nice. But his compositional ideas tend to shine through his compositions, which is the way it should be."