Something The Boy Said
Sting Lyrics


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When we set out on this journey
There were no doubts in our minds
We set our eyes to the distance
We would find what we would find
We took courage from our numbers
What we sought we did not fear
Sometimes we'd glimpse a shadow falling
The shadow would disappear
But our thoughts kept returning
To something the boy said
As we turned to go
He said you'll never see our faces again
You'll be food for a carrion crow

Every step we took today
Our thoughts would always stray
From the wind on the moor so wild
To the words of the captain's child
Something the boy said

In the circles we made with our fires
We talked of the pale afternoon
The clouds were like dark riders
Flying on the face of the moon
We spoke our fears to the captain
And asked what his son could know
For we would never have marched so far
To be food for a crow

Every step we took today
Our thoughts would always stray
From the wind on the moor so wild
To the words of the captain's child
Something the boy said

When I awoke this morning
The sun's eye was red as blood
The stench of burning corpses
Faces in the mud
Am I dead or am I living?
I'm too afraid to care, I'm too afraid to know
I'm too afraid to look behind me
At the feast of the crow
We spoke our fears to the captain
And asked what his son could know




For we would never have marched so far
To be food for a crow

Overall Meaning

Sting's song "Something The Boy Said" tells the story of a group of travelers on a journey through an unknown place. As they set off, they are confident and fearless, knowing that they are together and will find what they are looking for. However, they begin to encounter shadows and darkness, and their thoughts turn to something that a boy said to them. The boy warned them that they would never see his face or any other friendly face again, that they would be devoured by carrion crows.


Throughout the song, the travelers struggle with fear and uncertainty, becoming more and more aware of the dangers that lie ahead. They are haunted by the words of the boy and the possibility that they will end up as nothing more than food for birds. Finally, the song ends with a bleak image of death and destruction, leaving the listeners to wonder if the travelers were able to overcome their fear and complete their journey.


The song highlights the themes of fear, uncertainty, and mortality, and the traveler's struggle to overcome them. The lyrics inject a bleak note of realism and danger into the story, making it a gripping and emotional journey for the listeners.


Line by Line Meaning

When we set out on this journey
At the beginning of our journey, we were confident with no doubts in our minds.


There were no doubts in our minds
We were certain about our purpose and direction.


We set our eyes to the distance
We focused on our final destination.


We would find what we would find
We were open to whatever we would find on our journey.


We took courage from our numbers
We drew strength from the fact that we were not alone.


What we sought we did not fear
We were not afraid of what we were looking for.


Sometimes we'd glimpse a shadow falling
Occasionally, we would see something ambiguous and unclear.


The shadow would disappear
But it would vanish before we could make sense of it.


But our thoughts kept returning
Despite this, we couldn't stop thinking about something.


To something the boy said
We were fixated on a particular thing a boy said.


As we turned to go
Just as we were leaving,


He said you'll never see our faces again
The boy said we wouldn't see him and his group again.


You'll be food for a carrion crow
He threatened that we'd be left as food for scavenging birds.


Every step we took today
Throughout the journey,


Our thoughts would always stray
Our minds wandered away from our immediate surroundings.


From the wind on the moor so wild
We were distracted by the wild and strong wind on the moor.


To the words of the captain's child
We couldn't stop thinking about the boy's words.


In the circles we made with our fires
While we huddled around our fires,


We talked of the pale afternoon
We discussed a hauntingly quiet afternoon.


The clouds were like dark riders
The clouds seemed ominous and threatening.


Flying on the face of the moon
They were moving briskly across the moon's surface.


We spoke our fears to the captain
We were open about our anxieties to the captain.


And asked what his son could know
We wanted to find out what insights the boy had.


For we would never have marched so far
We wouldn't have come this far if we had known the consequences.


When I awoke this morning
The next day, upon waking up,


The sun's eye was red as blood
The sun appeared red, like it was made of blood.


The stench of burning corpses
The smell of dead bodies burning filled the air.


Faces in the mud
There were people's faces on the ground, covered in mud.


Am I dead or am I living?
We were unsure if we were still alive or not.


I'm too afraid to care, I'm too afraid to know
We were overwhelmed with fear and didn't want to contemplate the situation.


I'm too afraid to look behind me
We were afraid to look back and see what was happening.


At the feast of the crow
We were worried about becoming food for birds of prey.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORDON SUMNER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@planetpjr

What a magical time it was to make real music. The medieval atmosphere of these sessions was timeless immediately.

@andypeach5700

Clevery & immaculatly said 🎵👌

@kyungsoosings2362

Incredible atmosphere.

@eugeniomorais7041

You took my words! They were real music. Music made with heart and reason. Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷.

@ivanaf8790

Absolutely agree with you

@adnaancassiem2856

❤ agreed 10000%

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@ivanaf8790

Thank you God for giving us Sting 🙌

@dequadim

Thirty years ago, thirty years that flew by like a flash.

@holmesketrick7

Thank you for your existence, Sting.

@F.S.111

Amazing. Sounds so pristine and perfect. This is my favorite Sting album by far. Every song is great.

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