On the album/movie/numerous live video I always hear Roger singing it as “conch shell” and I always though it was a Lord of the Flies reference.

Checking 3 commercially released live versions from 1987-2016, Gilmour has apparently always sung it as “cockle shell”

I’m mostly finding “cockle shell” on websites with lyrics, but Spotify and a youtube lyrics video say “conch shell.”

This reddit thread has people who disagree, someone defends “cockle shell” with this explanation

https://www.reddit.com/r/pinkfloyd/comments/f9yryb/with_your_nerves_in_tatters_as_the_cockelshell/

I endorse the interpretation of u/davetoxik. As to the source of the lyric, IMO it makes a passing nod to a war movie, “The Cockleshell Heroes”. The Wall makes reference to World War II through other such films, and Roger would have seen this one as it was one of the most popular films in Britain in 1956. Loosely speaking, a cockleshell is any very lightweight, fragile boat, and that’s how the film and its heroes were called. These British commandos were delivered by submarine to the coast of France and deployed in foldable, covered two-man canoes that resembled kayaks.

I checked the lyrics in the actual album and they say “cockle shell.” I know that The Wall lyrics sheets are notoriously unreliable, and even have songs that aren’t on the album. Did they get it wrong, and then since Dave wasn’t the original singer he relied on that when he went to learn the lyrics? Roger didn’t actually sing it as “conch shell,” did he?

around 1:27

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around 2:10 (it’s a backup singer here)

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Around 3:07

?si=uXUVXCdAy6rAT0Hg

around 2:55

?si=ldVZyiYo-YqDjsNu