Forum
SYNCHRONIsite

FAN FORUM



LYRICAL DEFINITIONS


Could anyone please explain the meanings of the following words and expressions?
(If you have any ideas then click on the blue texts to send an e-mail):

THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES (1985):

I am a teacher in Indiana and we are using 'Children's Crusade' for a Winter Guard show. We need two clarifications of lyrics in this piece. The first is "The children of England would never be slaves". The second is "History's lessons drowned in red wine". Please send us your thoughts or a place to find these answers.

Thank-you,
Brian E. Bartlett
Director of Bands
Hobart High School

*

Here's my take on the song (one of Sting's best, IMHO).
"The children of England would never be slaves" probably just signifies the belief that the war had to be fought, or else Kaiser's Germany would enslave England. It may sound hokey to us now, but it probably had resonance in 1914. If there is a more specific reason, I don't know it.

"History's lesson's drowned in red wine" should be seen in context of the preceding line, "Corpulent generals safe behind lines". World War I was a perfect example of the defense completely overwhelming the offense. Most of the generals--on both sides--had no real idea going into the war of the ability of the machine gun (a relatively new invention) to chew up infantry, and of the ability of barbed wire and interlocked trench positions to stymie a frontal assault. However, an astute student of the American Civil War (the first "modern" war) could have forseen what would happen. The Europeans, however, all thought that WWI would go pretty much like the Franco-Prussian Wars of the 1870's had gone--quick, easy, and probably for the Germans. Unfortunately, when things didn't go that way, there was nobody who was a true strategic genius on either side and the only thing the generals could think to do was to throw more bodies into a horrid war of attrition.

The Germans had a good idea with the use of chemical gas as a way to punch through the lines, but they didn't follow up properly and the Allies quickly learned to defend themselves and to use gas themselves. The British invented the tank (a great way to punch through lines), but never really got the doctrine down right for their utilization.

The British High Command (not sure if this is also true of the French and the Germans) also never spent much time on the front lines, so they had no real understanding of the carnage they caused every time they ordered a suicidal attack. General Haig never visited the lines at Flanders (which is where "Children's Crusade" gets one of its references to poppies). When one of his subordinate generals went to see the front himself, he broke down and cried "We sent men off to fight in that!". Thus you get "Corpulent generals safe behind lines, history's lessons, drowned in red wine".

And if the imagery of the song isn't enough to bring tears to your eyes, there's always Branford's saxophone solo!

And that concludes our history lesson for the day, and my first posting to the Police/Sting mailing list.

Martin Cox

*

Brian:

In Spanish:

"The children of England would never be slaves"

Creo que la referencia a la condicion de ser libres siempre, roza casi de manera total con la concepcion de que Inglaterra ha sido siempre un pais conquistador (sin connotaciones politicas, por favor) y en casos donde los gobiernos cometen excesos del tipo "enviemos a estos chicos a la guerra" la historia mediante los comunicadores sociales se encarga de reparar o enmendar. Por otra parte es logico y obvio que Inglaterra no perdio en la 1era guerra mundial, pero no por eso, se salvo de su condicion de "picadora de ninos"; tanto de los que fueron y no volvieron, como de los que fueron, volvieron pero solo a medias. El opio fue su ticket de ida nuevamente. Ademas, creo que esta frase ya ha sido pronunciada antes.

"History's lessons drowned in red wine"

Creo que aqui podriamos caer en la comparacion simbolica elemental de comparar al vino con la sangre, y la memoria reciente de aquellos ninos que apenas habian salido de la escuela, con la balas y bombas de una guerra que nunca podrian comprender, (Ya de por si la guerra es inexplicable). Pero creo que hay algo mas detras de esa conjuncion entre colores y tiempos. Es realmente muy casual que se relacione una leccion de historia con el vino (a mi modo de entender la sangre de Jesucristo), sin ningun adjetivo mas que le color, sin tiempos, sin formas predeterminadas de lugar, de aspecto, de coclusion. Dado que Sting fue profesor, seria de gran interes que un profesional se ocupase de encontrar alguna relacion en el pasado de este musico relacionado a la imagen de sangre redentora con tediosas (Dicho por el mismo. Componia canciones ("I burn for you") mientras estaba en clase, no se si porque se encontraba tomando examen o simplemente por aburrimiento) clases de (_Historia?, _Ingles?, _Literatura?).

Saludos, espero tu opinion.

PD: Perdon por escribir en espanol, pero me encuentro muy atareado ultimamente.

*

Sheeeesh. All I thought, was that it was a metaphor for blood.

Ross

*

I think this line has a poignant double meaning -- besides what Martin said, because all those children of England died, it's like they escaped before the world could tarnish their spirits. They died before they could become slaves not only of the Kaiser, but of all unhappiness and pain.

I think the words and the music both on the chorus are among Sting's greatest! They totally move me every time. (I don't like the verses as much though. I don't think he succeeds in making the connection between the Crusades, WWI, and the opium trade. And for some reason the extra syllable when he sings "1984" where he previously sung "1914" bugs the hell out of me! Just my humble opinion.)

Welcome to the list Martin!

- --David

*

Hi Greg and list,

I forwarded this letter to my daughter, who took my copy of "Children's Crusade" to her history class last year, since it was so relevant to their course of study at that time. Thought everyone might like to see her reply.

Holly Mollo

*

Hello. My mom is a lister on the Sting/Police list, and she passed it on to me. The reasoning behind this is that my history class last year was studying this topic, and I felt that the song Children's Crusade would be appropriate since it pertained to the period in history we were studying. The line "History's lessons drowned in red wine" is using red wine as a metaphor the bloodiness of the war (WWI), as well as a way of describing how the "Corpulent Generals" lived in luxury while the soldiers in the trenches thought themselves lucky to get a tablespoon of rum a day.

The following was taken directly from my class notes:

>In order to recruit one would go to where the boys were
>- theatres, ballparks, etc.
>- right after the game, play, etc. they would go dirctly to the Navy yards
>"We were innocent, naive. Thought this was the war to end all wars"
>Prussian Troops = "Children's Crusade" = all young men (think STING)

The "young men" are these children who were literally thrown into battle without training or warning. The line of "the children of England would never be slaves" refers to the capture of English soldiers by the Germans, and their being forced to work for "The Fatherland" in labor camps.
TTYL!
Alyssa

*

Hi Gergely,

I.H.H.O. The children were mis-used as soldiers, just like slaves, they had no choice, and this should be forbidden, by law.
So that it never will happen again.
(This song is about world-war ONE, and so it had nothing to do with German work-camps which were in second ww.)

In an interview Sting said: "The song isn't an attack on addicts, but the fat business men who make all the profits. They are the same breed who sold those children into slavery or sent people off to fight in the 1914-18 war. I wish them hell." Record Mirror, '85

Sting: "One of my first memories as a child was of living very close to the war memorial in my hometown. There were two statues of soldiers with their rifles turned towards the ground, and a plaque with the names of hundreds of the local young men killed in the Great War of 1914-1918. It looked as if the whole male community had been wiped out - which wasn't far from the truth. It's all really a function of the ignorance of the people who sent them over there. In England, we have Remembrance Sunday."

Hope it helps your friend.
magda

*

Funny "History's lesson's drowned in red wine"

as far as the above,
i figured it was parallel to
"history will teach us nothing" sort of thing

where
no matter what,
generals (and the like)
will drown out the 'lessons'
of the past
with their drinking of their 'red wine'
'safe behind lines'
oblivious to the past and present

i thought that was 'obvious'
but i've been known to be way off before....

anyway,
just sifting thru my week old email
(with about 50 from this list!)

cheers
chris in orlando

*

Nothing can enslave a man with freedom......

William Wallace said...A man with land is a man with freedom...

Histories lessons are drowned in red wine as to that man learns nothing from history....

Greetz Roland

*

Here is my view of the lyrics to Children's Crusade:

Stripes The opening lyrics are refering to WWI (recall
that it started in 1914). The age of the average
soldier is around 18-20, so they are young
virgins (to war) here. The main chorus is saying
that the children of England would die a tourorus
death in order to protect the homeland, but at
the same time the crop of these youth will have
to live with this for the rest of their lives.

The corpulent general part is saying that
they sit being lines while the young are dying,
that the young are fighting their war, the war
they started.

Now we go to that Soho part- the slave
hooked on Opium. I kinda see the connection-
WWI and Opium are kinda like the same war.
Its the youth that are fighting it and the generals
that are pushing the war when reality is that
the generals should be the ones out. I hope
what I just said makes any sense what so
ever to you all.

This is my view of the song. I might be wrong,
I might be right. I have no idea what Sting was
trying to really say in this song.

BTW, do any of you have the famous idea
of what he is saying in "We Work The Black Seam."
The chorus of the song makes sense- but
the rest of the song sounds like this to me:
yackk yackk dippity dippity splatt do daaah dee dooo
(i'm not kidding- it makes no sense whatsoever).
Could someone explain to me what all
of that crap Sting is saying in the entire song
(including chorus- just in case I misunderstood).

Thanks,
Brian C. Little aka Angel Hacker
editor, The Perspective

*

I don't know if I'd refer to the verses in the song as "crap", although Sting does play a little loose with scientific facts. Here's my take on what is probably my second favorite Sting song. I'll put the song lyrics in quotations--hopefully that will help.

"This place has changed for good, your economic theory said it would
It's hard for us to understand, we can't give up our jobs the way we should"

These lyrics are intended as a not-so-veiled slam on Thatcherism and her handling of the British coal miner's strike. If I remember my British history, Thatcher basically used the coal strike to break the back of unions in Britain, much like President Reagan used the air traffic controllers strike to break the back of unions in the US. Thatcherism, with its emphasis on free markets and weak unions, is not very popular with British musicians. (Please, no debates on the relative merits--or lack thereof--of Thatcherism. I'm only explaining the song).

"Our blood has stained the coal, we tunneled deep inside the nation's soul
We matter more than pounds and pence, your economic theory makes no sense"

The danger of coal mining, and another attack on Thatcherism.

Chorus:
"One day in a nuclear age, they may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control, and bury the waste in a great big hole
Power was to become cheap and clean, grimy faces were never seen
Deadly for 12,000 years is Carbon-14
We work the black seam together"

Pretty self evident, although Sting could use a little lesson in chemistry. Twelve thousand years is the half-life of the Carbon-14 atom, but there is nothing deadly about C-14. It's the same isotope that is used to carbon date fossils. Sting would have done better to have used something like Uranium or Plutonium, but "deady for a billion years is U-235" probably wouldn't have rhymed as well.

"The seam lies underground, three million years of pressure packed it down
We walk through ancient forest lands and light a thousand cities with our hands"

A reference to the formation of coal deposits, which come from the remains of ancient swamps and fern forests. Sting needs to look at a geology text in addition to a chemistry text. Coal deposits in Britain date back to what European geologists call the Carboniferous Period, which ranged from 345 to 280 million years ago, not three million years.

"Your dark satanic mills have made redundant all our mining skills
You can't exchange a six inch band for all the poisoned streams in Cumberland"

Dark satanic mills was a term used in the 1800's by the poet/painter William Blake to describe the foundaries of England's industrial heartland. Not very pleasant places to work. As for the second line, I think it's a reference to coal seam (which usually are thicker than six inches).

Repeat Chorus:
"Our conscious lives run deep, we cling on to your mountain while you sleep
This way of life is part of me, there is no price so only let me be"

A reference to not wanting to lose the only job that one knows how to do?

"And should the children weep, the turning world will sing their souls to sleep
When you have sunk without a trace, the universe will suck me into place"

Beats the hell out of me!

Repeat chorus.

Other interpretations?

Martin Cox

* * *

BRING ON THE NIGHT (1986):

"Born astride a painful grave, drowned in hunger's tidal wave"
(Another Day)

"They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more"
(Samuel Beckett, 1955)

Astride means, "with legs apart" so therefore, born astride a grave would mean that the baby is born right into the grave. Lovely thought, eh?

Diggie

*

Hi Greg
turns out Sting has "stolen" from another poet

In my dictionary
"astride" is a way to sit (like people sit on a horse)
So imho someone can give birth sitting (or lying) astride on a grave

But Sting's variation "Being born" that way is rather odd.

Hope you also get some better answers Greg.

Greetings
magda

* * *

...NOTHING LIKE THE SUN (1987):

"I'd be the blood of the Lazarus heart"
(The Lazarus Heart)

My Bible's a bit rusty, but I believe Lazarus died and came back to life.

Holly Mollo

*

Lazarus, in the Bible, is a man whom Jesus raised from the dead.

--David

*

Lazarus is the name of the man in the Bible who I believe rose from the dead by the help of Christ

Mario

* * *

"If 'manners maketh man' as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day"
(Englishman In New York)

eh... Both lines together simply state that he is very well-mannered.

edwin.

*

'Manners maketh man' is another popular saying. I don't know who started it. I don't think it originated in a poem, but I could be wrong. This is sort of similar to 'clothes don't make a man' . . . Your manners define who you are as a person . . . So I hope you've all been good little boys and girls this holiday season. ;-)

Aaron

*

I swear Sting keeps a Bartlett's Familiar Quotations handy... This line comes from William of Wykeham (1324-1404), and 'Manners maketh man' was the motto of his two foundations, Winchester College and new College, Oxford. I am assuming he is saying that if a man has bad manners, he's a bad man, and if he has good manners, he is a good man. Maybe I am simplifying this too much, and I wonder what others will tell you...

Tricia

* * *

"It's Rock steady / Rock steady"
(Rock Steady)

It means that the ship they're on can take bumping into a rock or two.

edwin.

*

It's in reference to two things in the song: the boat and 'the Lord'. To a much lesser extent, it's also a reference to the 'rock' the main characters are sailing to. 'Rock Steady' is just a cliche expression for saying something is perfectly secure, whether it's your faith in God, a boat, a relationship, etc. If someone is described as being a 'rock', then that person is someone you can depend on.

Aaron

*

The boat is steady and won't pitch, like a rock. It may also refer to the church being a solid rock on which we stand... I say that because this song is an obvious reference to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark.

Tricia

* * *

THE SOUL CAGES (1991):

After listening to this Soul Cages track, I finally decided to
do my own literal interpitation of the song for you folks
who couldn't figure out what he was singing about
in the song. Enjoy....

"Int" means "interpitation"
TST band
The boy child is locked in the fisherman's yard
There's a bloodless moon where the oceans die
A shoal of nightstars hang fire in the nets
And the chaos of cages where the crayfish lie

Int: Boy is alone in the fisherman's yard at night

Where is the fisherman, where is the goat?
Where is the keeper in his carrion coat?
Eclipse on the moon when the dark bird flies
Where is the child with his father's eyes?

Int: The normal things are missing and now
the boy has left. Where to, nobody knows.

These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages

Int: I don't recall hearing this being sung this early
in the song. Is this just a lyrics error or something that
was leftout of the USA version of the Soul Cages track.
If you people out of the USA would know, please let
me know.

He's the king of the ninth world
The twisted son of the fog bells toll
In each and every lobster cage
A tortured human soul

Int: Describing the King Of The Sea,
telling you that he is the soul keeper.

These are the souls of the broken factories
The subject slaves of the broken crown
The dead accounting of old guilty promises
These are the souls of the broken town

Int: The missing town is in these cages,
henseforth The Soul Cages.

These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages
These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages

'I have a wager' the brave child spoke
The fisherman laughed, though disturbed at the joke.
'You will drink what I drink but you must equal me
And if the drink leaves me standing,
A soul shall go free'

Int: A wager to free his father's soul from
the soul keeper (king of the sea)

'I have here a cask of most magical wine
A vintage that blessed every ship in the line
It's wrung from the blood of the sailors who died
Young white body adrift in the tide'

Int: What they will be drinking, and where
it came from.

'And what's in it for me my pretty young thing?
Why should I whistle, when the caged bird sings?
If you lose a wager with the king of the sea
You'll spend the rest of forever in the cage with me'

Int: And if the boy loses, then his soul will be added
to the soul keepers collection of souls.

These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages
These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages

A body lies open in the fisherman's yard
Like the side of a ship where the iceberg rips
One less soul in the soul cages
One last curse on the fisherman's lips

Int: My guess is that the boy won the wager against
the soul keeper and that his father's soul has been
freeded from his cage.

These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages
These are the soul cages. These are the soul cages

Swim to the light. Swim to the light

Int: This must be another lyric error- I don't recall hearing
that swim to the light in the song, unless again it was left
out of the USA version.

He dreamed of the ship on the sea
It would carry his father and he
To a place they could never be found
To a place far away from this town
A Newcastle ship without coals
They would sail to the island of souls

Int: This was sung at the end of Island Of Souls. This was
refering to the Billy the boy's wish to leave with his father
to the Island Of Souls at the end of the song- his father
was three weeks away from dying because of an industrial
accident.

I hope this helps any of you who had difficulty figuring
out this song. Now, excuse me while I start to interpite
another Sting or Police song for you people (or start on
one for the next Perspective).

Brian C. Little aka Angel Hacker- editor, The Perspective

*

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your interpretation of The Soul Cages. But I'm missing something. Did you never read Sting's story on this song? The one about the old legend and the devil?

When he was promoting the Soul Cages Sting was telling this story all the time. About the devil keeping souls in cages underwater. So the fisherman and the keeper in his carrion coat are referring to the devil. I think the word goat does this as well.

The boy does of course refer to Billy, we know him from earlier songs. And yes, he is going underwater to free the soul of his father, to give him peace. In the Wild, Wild Sea, the song that precedes the Soul Cages on the album we saw the ghost of his father on the ship. So he is definitely not at peace yet. I think this stands for Billy/Sting not having accepted his father death.
To come to accept this he has to go underwater and face the devil. Underwater stands for the subconcious in my view. He has to look deep into his own soul and face his devils to come to peace with his father's death.
The fact that part of Island Of Souls is repeated at the end of the song shows, in my view, that he has succeeded. Now he can put his father to rest. Not only in real life, but also in his mind.

As far as the lyrics go: I really believe Sting used a rhyming dictionary or something to make this song. Lines like "where is the keeper in his carrion coat" and "chaos of cages where the crayfish lie" alliterate too beautifully to just pop up.
To me they feel too constructed to just pour out, as Sting describes the writing process of The Soul Cages. But hey, maybe I'm underestimating Sting's writing skills here.

Well, these are my two cents on a beautiful song.

Bye,
Yvonne

* * *

TEN SUMMONER'S TALES (1993):

"We'd only stopped for a few burritos
But they told us of the trouble with los banditos"
(Love Is Stronger Than Justice)

A burrito's something you can eat, I believe, mexican I think.

edwin.

*

A burrito is a Mexican dish consisting of a flour tortilla with meat, cheese, and fried beans sometimes wrapped inside. There's nothing more to it than this. Take the phrase at face value; they only stopped for some food . . .

Aaron

*

A Burrito is a mexican dish, consisting of a rolled tortilla with meat, beans or rice rolled up inside, sometimes has a sauce poured over it. So, they stopped for something to eat...

Tricia

*

A burrito is a mexican food dish in which a flour or corn tortilla (if you don't know what that is it is a flat non rising bread) wrapped around beans and cheese and or other types of meat.

Mindy Cherng

*

Burrito's is an alcoholic Drink.

Magda

*

Szia!

A 'burrito' az kis szamarat vagyis szamárkát jelent spanyolul. De szintén egy kaját is így neveznek, ami pedig egy palacsintára hasonlító, húsos-bab keverékkel megtöltött 'tortilla' (a tortilla... az ami úgy néz ki mint a palacsinta de lisztbol készül és kenyér ízu).

Adios amigo, bye,

Magyari Lajos

*

hola police/sting fans.
burritos es un platillo, pero no mexicano, es un a comida de hecho tex-mex, es comida "mexicana", pero creada en usa. es tortilla de harina con fijoles queso y carne...muy rica!

salomon
mexican police fan.

* * *

"Everybody screamed they told me you
Would cost the moon we'll be there soon"
(Everybody Laughed But You)

First, parse it as follows:

Everybody screamed. They told me you would cost the moon. We'll be there soon.

Meaning: Everybody screamed with laughter when they heard I wanted you. They said I couldn't afford you. ('Cost the moon' means costs a lot). Well, we'll soon _be_ on the moon, so I guess I showed them! (Sort of a pun).

Orit

* * *

THE VERY BEST OF STING (1984-1994):

"Devil to pay
On judgement day"
(This Cowboy Song)

"All my distances afar
(This Cowboy Song)

i know that devil to pay is a reference to going to hell. the line is "devil to pay, on judgement day" if i remember correctly. he's saying that they man will go to hell. not quite sure for the moment on the other one.

ross

*

"Devil to pay" is an expression meaning that when the character dies and goes to the afterlife, he's done so much wrong in his human life that he will have to "pay the Devil" with his eternal soul. In other words, he will go to hell for what he has done in his life.

"All my distances afar" is actually "all my distances ARE FAR." Which means he has a long way to go if he is to make up for all the wrong he has done in his life.

Hope this helps!!

Kelly

*

Hi Greg,

When someone has the "devil to pay", there are several meanings, depending upon the sentence. It can either mean that the person is basically a very bad, evil person and will pay for their sins in Hell after they die; or it can mean that a person has a tremendous debt to be paid, either to society or to another person, and will likely never be able to fully repay that debt (and the debt can be monetary, or otherwise); or it can be a reference to mythology where people, after they died, had to pay to cross the River Styx to get to the afterworld. In "Cowboy Song" he is more than likely talking about paying off a cruel debt, since he asks later "Would Jesus strike me down...?"

As for the "all my distances afar" I am not aware of an exact translation in American English. I have listened to it several times and I wonder if it's not "all my distances are far"; either way, I believe it means that no matter where he's going, it's a long distance to travel. Poetically speaking, it's a long walk from here to there.

Take into account that I'm not speaking the King's English, and that I'm not well read compared to Sting (but who is?), but I did study literature in school and enjoy deciphering Sting's music. His songs have many meanings on many levels. How challenging that must be to you, when you translate!
What a challenge!

Best of luck,

Allison

* * *

MERCURY FALLING (1996):

"If nature's red in tooth and claw
Like winter's freeze and summer's thaw"
(I Was Brought To My Senses)

I believe that refers to how violent nature can be (the red beeing blood on the animal's teeth and claws) And as I have found out recently, when nature (or fate, or the will of God, or...) brings a violent or sudden change into one's life, it can feel like a death. However, as Sting would point out, death is merely a new starting point for a new life.

Rocky

*

This, I believe, is a Shakesperean quote. I don't know what play it's from, but I'm almost positive I've read it somewhere before. The phrase sort of personifies nature as being animalistic--that nature is bloody (red). So, winter's freeze sort of causes wounds, but summer comes around to thaw our pain or wounds--'the wounds that would heal me'. There's an idea here about the duality of nature (to harm and to heal); nature is ammoral. I could be a bit off here, but I doubt it.

Regards,
Aaron

*

I think Aaron (The Webslinger) is on the right track here, but I think the 'train' is Wordsworth. The entire song is most 'Wordsworthian'.

(I'll have to get back to you on the exact source.)

Cheers,
An American in New York

*

Actually, you are quite right. It doesn't really sound Shakespearean, does it? I think that came to me first, since Sting seems to quote him in songs every once and awhile. I think that the line is pretty famous, and if it's not Wordsworth (a good guess--another guess might be Blake), it's probably one of the other Romantics.

I'm in the middle of exams right now, and I don't have the time to look this up. Maybe someone else will.

Regards (and Happy Holidays to those people in N.A. who have finished exams already--I'm envious),

Aaron
*

Hey, policefans! :)

This wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The phrase is attributed to Alfred, Lord Tennyson according to my Bartlett's familiar quotations. If I can follow Bartlett's correctly, it comes from _In Memoriam_, 56, stanza 4. And the only line quoted is 'Nature, red in tooth and claw'. The following Sting stanza isn't there, and I searched for it in Bart's and it was not listed in the index. Perhaps that part of Sting's lyrics is original. If you're really into documentation, I used the 16th edition of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

So there we have it :)
Cheers,
Tricia

*

I hung my head -- I was wrong about attributing 'Nature's red in tooth and claw' to Wordsworth (although I still think the song is heavily influenced by W).

According to The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, the line comes from Tennyson's 'In Memoriam':

Man . . .
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation's final law --
Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed.

Cheers,
An American in New York

* * *

"Saw my lawyer, Mr. Good News
He got me joint custody and legal separation"
(I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying)

Joint Custody means that a man and woman going through a divorce go to court to determine who gets custody of the children. Joint custody means they both get to have the children for whatever time the judge says, e.g. they live with the mother during the week and dad on weekends.

Allison

* * *

"And when the nighttime comes with no interference
To our warm summer love with all its charms
But like a thoroughbred horse she can turn on a sixpence
And I find that I'm back in Mistress Winter's arms"
(All Four Seasons)

In America, we say 'turn on a dime' but it means change (usually to the opposite) directions really quickly!

Allison

*

Have you ever known a woman who can be happy one minute but in a temper fit the next? Think of riding on the back of that horse that suddenly makes an extreme turn in one step. Think you could hang on? I recently had an engagement break up with such a woman. It's not fun and it can be very jolting like riding on the back of that horse.

Rocky

* * *

"We called ourselves the Latino Lovers
Hawaiian shirts and top forty covers"
(Twenty Five To Midnight)

Top Forty is the hit list, the 40 most popular songs, and the band did covers of these songs, which means they sang them! What I'd like to know is where did Sting get the 'Latino Lovers' from??

Allison

*

Allison explained the top forty but for musicians, it should be noted that to be known as a band that does top forty covers is viewed as the lowest end of the scale of creativity. They are sometimes viewed as a creative joke which is the reference intended here.

Rocky

* * *

"Red the port light Starboard the green"
(Valparaiso)

I'm not 100% sure of this one, but I believe it refers to buoys (sp?) in the ocean which are like traffic signals, and port and starboard are left and right, respectively (I think!)

Allison

*

I believe Allison was right on this explanation as well. Here we have a nautical saying 'Red right returning' which means when you return to the harbor, you keep the red lights of the buoys to your right.

Hope this helps!

Rocky

*

This is my favorite (recent) song, and I'm in the Navy. (One doesn't necessarily have much to do with the other). Anyhow - 'port' is the left hand side of the ship when facing forward, and obviously 'starboard' is the right. (Everyone probably already knew that, huh?) The statement about the bouys is right, but there's more: Often on smaller vessels there is actually a green light on the forward port side and a red one on the forward starboard. I don't know why this is done, but I do know that when I'm sitting around waiting for a liberty boat I can tell if I've just missed it or if it's on it's way by which side the lights are on. I love liberty almost as much as I love Sting. Actually, no, not even close.

Ky
La Maddalena, Italy

* * *

BRAND NEW DAY (1999):

"I was so happy, just the two of us
Until this alpha male
Turned up in the January sale"
(Perfect Love... Gone Wrong)

This is a quasi-scientific term referring to the most dominant male in a group of animals (alpha being the first letter of the Greek alphabet, i.e. "first").

Daniel

*

I guess it's a man ("male") from outer space ("Alpha"). The characters in this song remind me of those in "Seven Days", especially the protagonist.

Mikkel

*

ALPHA MALE refers to a wolf pack, actually. In a wolf pack the dominant male is called the Alpha. The most submissive one is called the Omega.

Melanie

*

Alpha male is the leader of a wolf pack

* * *

"Won't be long now before that puppy goes astray"
(Perfect Love... Gone Wrong)

To "go astray" means to wander off, to do something wrong... in this case I think the dog is warning his mistress that her new lover is going to be unfaithful to her.
Daniel

*

Runs away.

Mikkel

*

puppy GOES ASTRAY means that the dog is wandering off, getting loose.

Melanie

*

To 'go atsray' means to go wrong, to leave the beaten path. Also, you call a homeless dog a stray dog.

* * *

"Devil take the hindmost"
(Perfect Love... Gone Wrong)

Perhaps a reference to "Get behind me, Satan"?! Not entirely sure about this one myself.

Daniel

*

The Devil will take the one that is last in line... So you'd better keep up!

Mikkel

*

DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST sounds like a Britishism. Since I'm American I confess I'm not quite sure what this means unless I look at the whole song.

Melanie

*

sort of the same as saying "Last one in is a rotten egg!"

Sorry, couldn't resist. Hindmost means last or the one going the slowest in a situation that demands speed/haste. So, if you don't get a move on "the devil take you" with the connotation of "every man for himself"

Paula

*

Don't know what is meant by this, must have something to do with dogs though.

* * *

"Up in the front seat a pretty red head"
(Fill Her Up)

A "red head" is a woman with red hair!

Hope that helps,

Daniel

*

A pretty girl with red hair.

Any other suggestions?

Mikkel

*

RED HEAD is what we call someone with red hair.

Hope this helps!

Melanie

*

A girl with not quite blond hair and not quite brown hair would be called a 'red head' the colour is actually orange but we call it red for some reason.

Baseball hat

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS


Gil Evans

MAILS FROM CELEBRITIES


To: Hiram Bullock
From: synchronisite@freemail.hu
Subject: Greetings from Hungary
Dear Hiram,
I'm a 22-year-old Hungarian boy and a very big fan of yours. You're my favourite player since I've first heard your guitar solo in Sting's and late Gil Evans' version of 'Little Wing' about ten years ago.
I'm very glad that I've found you on the Net 'YAOW!' :)
I've got three questions for you:

1) How do you remember that particular recording with Sting?
2) How did you like my city 'Budapest' last fall and this spring with Marcus Miller's band?
3) Have you ever played with Mike Stern live or have you made any material together (I mean not only as a producer)?

Please drop me a line.
Thank you very much in advance.

Bye,
Gergely "Greg" Nagy

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: Hiram Bullock
Subject: Re: Greetings from Hungary

Greg,
1) That recording was very informal; in fact, no one thought that song would end up on the CD.
2) I like your city; the promoter Andras is a very nice guy, the city is beautiful, and I would love to play there again, perhaps in a more intimate place.
3) Mike Stern and I are old friends (for 20 years or more), and we've played live together many, many times. I recorded with him on his "real" first album, a record called "Neesh", available only in Japan.

I hope that answers your questions; thanks for being a fan, and let me know what you think of my new CD.
Thanks,
Hiram

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: Bernie Dresel
Subject: No Subject

Hi,

I'm not one of "Sting's musicians" but I am currently on tour (and 1 tune on the new album) with Andy Summers (along with Jerry Watts on bass). Just thought I'd drop you a note if you wanted to include it under Andy's section.

Thanks,
Bernie Dresel (drums)

P.S. I also tour and record with the Brian Setzer Orchestra if your interested in checking that out.

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: David Geist
Subject: Butch Thomas

During the better part of 1995, both Butch Thomas and Clark Gayton were members of my New York based R&B group 'Section Eight'. Butch & Clark along with trumpet player Alex Sipiagen called themselves the S.L.S. Horns (Butch always told me that it stood for Sounds Like Shit). In February 1996 Butch got the gig with Sting and first performed with him on the NBC program 'Saturday Night Live'. I remember because we had a gig booked for that night, and had to find a replacement at the last minute. Butch and I have remained close friends, in fact I returned last week from visiting him and his wife Sandy at their new home in Aylesbury, England. Please feel free to add 'Section Eight' to both Butch & Clark's credits.

Thank you,

David Geist

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: George Rizsanyi
Subject: Guitars

Hogy Vagy Gergely....??

My name is George Rizsanyi..I was born in Hungary but lived all my life in Canada...I recently made and presented Sting with a guitar....you can see it on my website

http://www.tallships.istar.ca/rizsanyi/products/

I work exclusively with non-endangered wood species and am currently building Sting another guitar....I am also a big fan....koszonom.....nice website
talk with you again soon I hope

Peace

George Rizsanyi

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: Mrs Justine Rebello
Subject: Jason Rebello

Dear Gergely,

Many Thanks for your email

Jason is now on a world tour with Sting. They may be playing in Hungary in the New Year. Look out for details.

Keep enjoying the music.

Mrs Justine Rebello

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: Pete Beachill
Subject: Sting

Dear Sir
I played trombone with sting on the Summer tour in 1997. My C.V is available at the following address.

http://theboogiewonderband.co.uk/

Meet the musciians

Pete beachill

Many thanks

*

To: synchronisite@freemail.hu
From: Jen Marcus
Subject: Sting and your Fanbook! He sent a message to you through me

Hello Greg,
I don’t know if you remember me, but I wrote you while back about your Fanbook.
Well I actually met Sting at the Phoenix concert last night. Very nice man I must add. I only briefly got to speak to him but I did mention to him if he enjoyed the Fanbook he received in Budapest. He said that he briefly looked at it due to his heavy schedule, but thought it was very thoughtful gift and that when the tour was over that he would take a good look at every page. He asked me if I knew the person who made it and I told him that we only knew each other through email, and then he told me tell you THANK YOU and that you were a very generous person to have gone through the trouble to create it. He then proceeded to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and told me that was for me and to pass it on to you. SO (OOOXXX) There you go a third party hug and kiss being sent to you from Sting through me.
So there you go, I hope this finds you in great spirits, I know I am still in shock. Drop me a line when you can!
Take care
Jen Marcus


Free

Please send me an e-mail if you have any comments or opinions on these topics!

Home · Intro · Police · Lyrics · Hungarian · Albums · Quotes · Sounds · Gallery · Musicians · Concerts · Links · Top