As a solo musician and a member of The Police, Sting has received 17 Grammy Awards: he won Song of the Year for "Every Breath You Take", three Brit Awards, including Best British Male Artist in 1994 and Outstanding Contribution in 2002, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2019, he received a BMI Award for "Every Breath You Take" becoming the most-played song in radio history. In 2002, Sting received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police in 2003. In 2000, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording. In 2003, Sting received a CBE from Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to music. He was made a Kennedy Center Honoree at the White House in 2014 and was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2017.
With The Police, Sting became one of the world's best-selling music artists. Solo and with the Police combined, he has sold over 100 million records. In 2006, Paste ranked him 62nd of the 100 best living songwriters. He was 63rd of VH1's 100 greatest artists of rock, and 80th of Q magazine's 100 greatest musical stars of the 20th century. He has collaborated with other musicians on songs such as "Money for Nothing" with Dire Straits, "Rise & Fall" with Craig David, "All for Love" with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, "You Will Be My Ain True Love" with Alison Krauss, and introduced the North African music genre raï to Western audiences through the hit song "Desert Rose" with Cheb Mami. In 2018, he released the album 44/876, a collaboration with Jamaican musician Shaggy, which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2019.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_(musician)
Studio albums
The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)
...Nothing Like the Sun (1987)
The Soul Cages (1991)
Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)
Mercury Falling (1996)
Brand New Day (1999)
Sacred Love (2003)
Songs from the Labyrinth (2006)
If on a Winter's Night... (2009)
Symphonicities (2010)
The Last Ship (2013)
57th & 9th (2016)
44/876 (2018) (with Shaggy)
My Songs (2019)
The Bridge (2021)
Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow
Sting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Written By Robert Johnson
Have you seen but a bright lily grow
Before rude hands have touched it?
Have you marked but the fall of snow
Before the soil hath smutched it?
Have you felt the wool of beaver,
Or have smelt o' the bud o' the brier,
Or the nard in the fire?
Or have tasted the bag of the bee?
O so white, O so soft, O so sweet is she!
The song "Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow" is a cover of a poem by 17th century poet Ben Jonson, put to music by songwriter Robert Johnson. Sting’s version was recorded in 1998 for the movie "The Thomas Crown Affair". The song is a beautiful and romantic hymn to the innocence of a virgin, and asks questions about whether one has experienced beautiful things before they have been destroyed or tainted in some way by the harshness of the world.
The song encourages the listener to appreciate beauty before it is corrupted, using images of natural beauty such as snow, beaver wool, swan's down, brier buds, and the nard in the fire. The lyrics are powerful yet simple, with a beautiful and haunting melody. Sting's version is very light and delicate, with a gentle guitar arrangement, but it still manages to capture the pure essence of the lyrics.
Overall, "Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow" is a poetic song that explores the beauty and fragility of life. It reminds us to cherish and protect the beauty we find in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you seen but a bright lily grow
Have you ever witnessed the natural beauty of a perfectly untouched lily?
Before rude hands have touched it?
Before it has been disturbed by disrespectful gestures?
Have you marked but the fall of snow
Have you paid attention to the gentle descent of snowflakes?
Before the soil hath smutched it?
Before it has been dirtied by unclean earth?
Have you felt the wool of beaver,
Have you ever experienced the softness of beaver fur?
Or swan's down ever?
Or the delicacy of swan's down?
Or have smelt o' the bud o' the brier,
Or have you inhaled the sweet scent of brier flowers?
Or the nard in the fire?
Or the perfume of nard emanating from a flame?
Or have tasted the bag of the bee?
Or have you savored the nectar collected in a bee's honey sac?
O so white, O so soft, O so sweet is she!
The lily mentioned earlier is incredibly pristine, gentle, and fragrant.
Contributed by Bella I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A Basque folk carol, originally based on Angelus ad virginem, a 13th or 14th Century Latin carol,[2] it was collected by Charles Bordes and then paraphrased into English by Sabine Baring-Gould, who had spent a winter as a boy in the Basque country. The tu
on gabriels_message
Sting's song "Gabriel's Message" is a rendition of the biblical story of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel visits Mary to inform her that she is to be the mother of Jesus Christ. The lyrics describe Gabriel's appearance as he descends from heaven with his wings as white as snow and eyes as bright as flames. Upon seeing Mary, Gabriel greets her with the words "All hail, thou lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favored lady," referring to her as a blessed mother and foretelling that her son will be Emmanuel, as prophesized by seers.
Mary's response to Gabriel's message is one of humility and acceptance, as she meekly bows her head and says, "To me be as it pleaseth God," praising and magnifying His holy name. The lyrics are a beautiful interpretation of this pivotal moment in Christian history, showcasing the wonder and awe of Gabriel's visitation, and the steadfast faith and acceptance of Mary's response.
Tommy Wells
on Don't Walk Away - Sting & Youssou N'Dour
I liked the Wild Thornberry's TV series.
What's your favorite episode of the show?
Jesus Ledesma Rios
on Englishman in New York
Thats been good way to learn English, tahnk´s...
Kolektivo Azul
on Russians
Russians <3