Whenever I Say Your Name
Sting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I put my head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name
Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon
Whenever this world has gotten so strange
I know that something's gonna change
Something's gonna change
Whenever I say your name
Whenever I say your name
I'm already praying, I'm already praying
I'm already filled with a joy that I can't explain
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Whenever this world has got me down, whenever I shed a tear
Whenever the TV makes me mad, whenever I'm paralyzed with fear
Whenever those dark clouds fill the sky, whenever I lose the reason why
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Whenever the sun refuse to shine, whenever the skies are pouring rain
Whatever I lost I thought was mine whenever I close my eyes in pain
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
Calling out your name
Whenever this dark begins to fall
Whenever I'm vulnerable and small
Whenever I feel like I could die
(Whenever I feel like I could die)
Whenever I'm holding back the tears that I cry
Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
I'm already praying
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I'm forced to lie awake and have to weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Whenever I say your name (ooh)
No matter how long it takes
One day we'll be together (we will be together)
Whenever I say your name (I say it when I hurt and cry)
Let there be no mistake
That day will last forever (when I feel like I'm gonna die)
Whenever I say your name (whenever I say your name)
No matter how long it takes
One day we'll be together (one day we'll be together)
Whenever I say your name (whenever, whenever I say it out loud)
Let there be no mistake
That day will last forever
Whenever I say your name (whenever I say your name)
No matter how long it takes
One day we'll be together
Whenever I say your name (your name)
Let there be no mistake
That day will last forever (forever)
The lyrics of "Whenever I Say Your Name" by Sting expresses the feeling of a person who is deeply in love and how the love of the other person brings meaning to their life. The song is a tribute to the power of love, faith, and hope. The lyrics speak about how the person's love influences their every action, thought, and emotion. They describe how the love of their life is always present in their mind and how their memory 'feeds' their soul. The line "Whatever got broken becomes whole" can be seen as a metaphor, describing how the love of the person they adore makes everything right.
The song also speaks about the fear of losing the one they love. Whenever they are filled with doubts or despair, the person they love is the only one who can bring peace to their mind. The lyrics speak about the need to say the name of the person they love every time they are overcome by life's adversities. The lyrics also describe how the thought of being together with the person they adore can fill them with hope and joy that cannot be explained.
The song builds to a crescendo as the lyrics rock back and forth between describing the painful reality of life and the hope of forever being together with the person they love. The song ends on an optimistic note, that no matter how long it takes, one day they will be together.
Line by Line Meaning
Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
Thinking of you brings me joy and comfort, even in difficult times.
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
No matter what comforts I may have, they cannot compare to the love I have for you.
Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole
Your memory has the power to heal me and make me feel complete even in my brokenness.
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Even in times of uncertainty, I believe that we will be reunited.
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I put my head to sleep
No matter where I am, I think of you before I rest.
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
When I am in pain or feeling lost, I find solace in thoughts of you.
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
When I need guidance or hope, I turn to thoughts of you and call out your name.
I'm calling out your name
I seek comfort and solace in the thought of you, in hopes that we will be reunited someday.
Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon
Even in moments of darkness, I hold onto the hope that we will be together again.
Whenever this world has gotten so strange
As the world changes and becomes more unfamiliar, my love for you remains constant.
I know that something's gonna change
Despite uncertainty, I am certain that our love will endure and we will be together again.
Wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Thinking of you brings me comfort, even in moments of exhaustion and rest.
Whenever I'm forced to lie awake and weep
In moments of sadness and despair, I rely on thoughts of you to bring me comfort.
Whatever it was that I believed before
My love for you has changed me and made me believe in something greater than myself.
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Expressing thoughts of you feels like a prayer and brings me comfort and solace.
Wherever this dark begins to fall
In moments of darkness and uncertainty, I turn to thoughts of you for comfort and hope.
Whenever I'm vulnerable and small
Even in moments of weakness and vulnerability, thoughts of you provide me strength.
Whenever I feel like I could die
In moments of despair and hopelessness, I find solace in the thought of you and our love.
No matter how long it takes
Despite uncertainty and distance, I believe that we will be reunited someday.
One day we'll be together
Despite the current distance between us, I believe that we will be reunited someday.
Let there be no mistake
I am certain of our love and the hope that it brings.
That day will last forever
When we are reunited, our love will bring us eternal happiness and joy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theloniouscoltrane3778
"Whenever I Say Your Name"
Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I put my head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name
Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon
Whenever this world has gotten so strange
I know that something's gonna change
Something's gonna change
Whenever I say your name, Whenever I say your name, I'm already praying, I'm already praying
I'm already filled with a joy that I can't explain
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Whenever this world has got me down, whenever I shed a tear
Whenever the TV makes me mad, whenever I'm paralyzed with fear
Whenever those dark clouds fill the sky, whenever I lose the reason why
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Whenever the sun refuse to shine, whenever the skies are pouring rain
Whatever I lost I thought was mine whenever I close my eyes in pain
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name
Whenever this dark begins to fall
Whenever I'm vulnerable and small
Whenever I feel like I could die
Whenever I'm holding back the tears that I cry
Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
I'm already praying
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I'm forced to lie awake and have to weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Whenever I say your name,
No matter how long it takes,
One day we'll be together
Whenever I say your name,
let there be no mistake
that day will last forever
@ikarchava
Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I put my head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name
Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon
Whenever this world has gotten so strange
I know that something's gonna change
Something's gonna change
Whenever I say your name, Whenever I say your name
I'm already praying, I'm already praying
I'm already filled with a joy that I can't explain
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Whenever this world has got me down, whenever I shed a tear
Whenever the TV makes me mad, whenever I'm paralyzed with fear
Whenever those dark clouds fill the sky, whenever I lose the reason why
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together
Whenever the sun refuse to shine, whenever the skies are pouring rain
Whatever I lost I thought was mine whenever I close my eyes in pain
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name
Whenever this dark begins to fall
Whenever I'm vulnerable and small
Whenever I feel like I could die
Whenever I'm holding back the tears that I cry
Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
I'm already praying
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I'm forced to lie awake and have to weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying
Whenever I say your name,
No matter how long it takes,
One day we'll be together
Whenever I say your name,
let there be no mistake
that day will last forever
@jamali8578
Sting wrote this song specifically for Mary J. Blige after the two performed together at the My VH1 Music Awards a few years before. He told Grammy Magazine: "Mary J. Blige was the right singer to sing this duet. The song is about finding solace in the world through love, through finding that one person. 'Whenever I say your name, I'm already praying.' That's not just romantic gobbledygook, it's real. If you really love somebody, it's a religious experience when you're with them, when you think of them and when you speak to them. Certainly the only connection I have with religion apart from music is this sense of love with someone else. So Mary and I are playing these roles, a relationship that was co-dependent and necessary. And she is just so passionate that it brought passion out in me. I'm not the most passionate person - I'm English! We find it very difficult to express passion, so we need some help."
@Rachel_Rabel
For those who are interested, Sting sampled JS Bach (little prelude in C, 924) and you can hear it in the piece. Bach composed the prelude for his son, to help him tune a piano. The mordents'/trills (fancy notes played a specific way) would indicate the next note which would be a perfect 5th above the previous note, and continue on until you finished the pattern, a la "Circle of 5ths"!
It's harder to detect the prelude in this song but that's because Sting left out the ornaments and his version is in A major (I think) not C major.
@petrus666love
Mary J one of the finest singers looking so fine too , love this beautiful song .
@jodiba328
Sting can do no wrong with music! amazing
@stefanoguglielmi1984
In Italian: Sting non può sbagliare con la musica!
sorprendente
@Big_Island_Boi
You're joking, right? This song is literally ALL wrong. :)
@Stefinitaaa
i always thought this song was about love between a man and a woman but now i realise it is about spirituality... after watching the images... and really hearing the words about kneeling. calling out your name. whenever i say your name, im already praying.. it just hit me with tears in my eyes.. Sting.. so beautiful
@SuperAlias11
I just realised this just this moment... And it's beautiful.
@camerondavis8356
Sacred Love “all the days of my life, I will walk with you”
@RosieSotomayorDelacruz629
Exactly! It's as if we could reach people's hearts if we call out their names.