How Insensitive
Sting Lyrics


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How insensitive
I must have seemed
When she told me that he loved me
How unmoved and cold

I must have seemed
When she told me so sincerely
Why she must have asked
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence

What was I to say
What can you say when a love affair is over

Now she's gone away
And I'm alone with the memory of her last look
Vague and drawn and sad
I see it still

All her heartbreak in that last look
Why she must have asked
Did I just stare in icy silence
What was I to do





What can one do when a love affair is over

Overall Meaning

Sting's song "How Insensitive" is about a man who realizes that he was insensitive to the feelings of the woman who loved him. The song is a reflection on his own shortcomings and inability to reciprocate the love that was given to him. The woman in question tells him that she loves him, and he is unmoved and cold in his response. He later realizes the gravity of what he’s done; now that she’s gone, he’s left alone with the memory of the last look she gave him, which was vague, drawn, and sad. He now recognizes his own heartlessness and feels remorse for his inability to respond to her love.


The song’s chorus is a haunting question, repeated twice: “Why she must have asked/Did I just stare in icy silence/What was I to do/ What can one do when a love affair is over?” The chorus implies that the man wishes he could go back and do things differently, but it’s too late. The relationship has ended, and his insensitivity has caused him to lose the woman he loved.


In conclusion, Sting's "How Insensitive" is a reflective song about the regrets that come with being insensitive to the feelings of someone who loves you. The singer is left alone with the memory of the woman he loved and his own inability to respond to her love. The song is a poignant reminder that sometimes the things we fail to say or do can have long-lasting consequences.


Line by Line Meaning

How insensitive
The singer reflects on how unsympathetic they were.


I must have seemed
The singer speculates as to how they may have come across.


When she told me that he loved me
The singer recalls a conversation in which the other person expressed their love.


How unmoved and cold
The artist notes their own lack of emotion in the situation.


When she told me so sincerely
The artist is explicit about the sincerity of their counterpart's expression.


Why she must have asked
The singer puzzles over the reasons behind their counterpart's reactions.


Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
The singer remembers feeling frozen and mute in the face of their counterpart's declaration.


What was I to say
The artist faces a difficult question regarding what to do next.


What can you say when a love affair is over
The artist acknowledges the difficulty of responding to the end of a relationship.


Now she's gone away
The artist describes how their relationship is now over.


And I'm alone with the memory of her last look
The singer reflects on a powerful memory they have of their counterpart.


Vague and drawn and sad
The artist provides specific details about the nature of their memory.


I see it still
The singer indicates how vivid their memory is.


All her heartbreak in that last look
The singer infers that their counterpart was feeling significant pain in their last interaction.


Why she must have asked
The singer repeats their earlier confusion as to why their counterpart acted in a certain way.


Did I just stare in icy silence
The artist repeats the memory of their own frozen reaction.


What was I to do
The artist once again asks themselves a difficult question regarding what they should have done differently.


What can one do when a love affair is over
The singer concludes the song by acknowledging how difficult it can be to move on from a ended relationship.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Norman Gimbel, Vinicius De Moraes

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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