Roger Waters — Three Wishes

Three Wishes

Woman:
I went and buy a... a gas bottle. At first I wanted to buy a big one, but then I hadn't got enough money so I had to buy a smaller one and I think if I bought a bigger one then it would have been... the way I wanted it

And then, er, we went down, and ahm, I put the children to bed and I tidied the flat and everything and then and they were asleep and everything was a kind of at night. I made a bed in the bathroom. I carried them there and put on the gas bottle

But today when I think a back peh.. about that if God did take me, then I would've been in hell because I wasn't right

Reached back for the bottle
And rubbed against the lamp
Genie came out smiling
Like some Eastern tramp

He said "Hey boy what's happening
What is going on
You can have three wishes
If you don't take too long
If you don't take too long"

I said "Well, I wish they all were happy in the Lebanon
Wish somebody'd help me write this song
I wish when I was young
My old man had not been gone"

Genie said "Consider it done!"

There's something in the air
And you don't know what it is
You see someone through the window
Who you've just learned to miss
And the road leads on to glory
But you used up your last wish
Your last wish
And you want her to come home
Home

Bring her home...

Genie said "I'm sorry
That's the way it goes
Where the hell l'lamp, suckah
It's time for me to go!
Byehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

There's something in the air
And you don't know what it is
You see someone through the window
Who you've just learned to miss
And the road leads on to glory
But you've used up your last wish
Your last wish
And you want her to come home

Woman:
I go there ahm.. sometimes twice a year now and sometimes only once and sometimes when I feel like crying I just go there

Based on the woman's accent, it was suggested that she may be from South Africa. Apparently, there is a fairly high incidence of "family suicides" and it is often brought about by economic hardship. In this particular instance, it is thought that her children died, but because the gas bottle wasn't big enough, she survived.

1992