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)
Valparaiso
Sting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over the sea
Home where my true love is waiting for me
Rope the south wind
Canvas the stars
Harness the moonlight
So she can safely go
Red the port light
Starboard the green
How will she know of the devils I've seen
Cross in the sky star of the sea
Under the moonlight there she can safely go
Round the Cape Horn to Valparaiso
And every road I walked would take me down to the sea
With every broken promise in my sack
And every love would always send the ship of my heart
Over the rolling sea
If I should die
And water's my grave
She'll never know if I'm damned or I'm saved
See the ghost fly over the sea
Under the moonlight, there she can safely go
Round the Cape Horn to Valparaiso
Sting's song Valparaiso is a touching ballad that is imbued with hope, love, and heartache. It is a song about a sailor's journey across the sea as he pledges his love and loyalty to his partner that is waiting for him. The entire song is a metaphorical depiction of the sailor's treacherous journey to Valparaiso, which represents his ultimate destination of reunion with his partner. The opening lines of "Chase the dog star over the sea, home where my true love is waiting for me," sets the tone of the song as the singer is undertaking a dangerous but purposeful journey to reunite with his true love.
Throughout the song, there are vivid descriptions of the sailor's journey, including harnessing the moonlight and canvasing the stars to ensure that his love can safely make the journey across the treacherous sea. The chorus of the song describes how the sailor plans to navigate his partner through the rocky waters and around Cape Horn to reach the port of Valparaiso safely. The sailor's descriptions of his journey and how he intends to protect his partner all reflect his deep love and dedication towards her, and he vows to do everything necessary to ensure her safety.
Line by Line Meaning
Chase the dog star
Follow the North Star, Polaris, as a navigational beacon in the night sky.
Over the sea
Sets the stage for the theme of a sailor who is returning home across the sea.
Home where my true love is waiting for me
The singer is looking forward to returning home to his beloved.
Rope the south wind
Capture the southern winds to assist with sailing.
Canvas the stars
Use the stars to navigate the ship - a common method employed by sailors pre-GPS.
Harness the moonlight
Use the light of the moon to guide the ship during night-time sailing.
So she can safely go
Refers to the ship and the singer's loved one.
Round the Cape Horn to Valparaiso
Cape Horn is the southernmost tip of South America - a treacherous passage for sailors. Valparaiso is a port city in Chile where the artist's loved one is waiting for him.
Red the port light
Red is the color of the left side of a ship that shows other sailors which direction it is moving.
Starboard the green
Green is the color of the right side of a ship that shows other sailors which direction it is moving.
How will she know of the devils I've seen
The singer has experienced harsh conditions and difficult times while sailing that he fears his loved one will never know or understand.
Cross in the sky star of the sea
Refers to the North Star, Polaris, which at one time was believed to be linked in navigation to the Virgin Mary, hence the phrase 'star of the sea.'
Under the moonlight there she can safely go
Reiterates the safety the singer desires for his loved one during her journey.
And every road I walked would take me down to the sea
The singer's life is tied to the sea and its endless tides, as he has spent most of his time as a sailor.
With every broken promise in my sack
The singer has endured many failed relationships, much like promises broken and carried in a bag.
And every love would always send the ship of my heart
The artist's heart and emotions are tied to the sea and his love interests have always been entwined with his sailor's journey.
Over the rolling sea
The vast and ever-changing sea is an endless cycle of the artist's experiences.
If I should die
The singer contemplates his own mortality and what he will leave behind.
And water's my grave
The sea has been a constant in the singer's life, even in death.
She'll never know if I'm damned or I'm saved
The artist acknowledges that his ultimate fate is unknown to his loved one.
See the ghost fly over the sea
References the superstition of ghost ships sailing the sea, much like the artist's looming mortality and connection to the sea.
Under the moonlight, there she can safely go
The enduring theme of safety for the artist's loved one and her journey to Valparaiso.
Round the Cape Horn to Valparaiso
A final repeat of the journey's destination and the city where the singer's loved one awaits his arrival.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORDON SUMNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marcusdismas
in its own way, a ghost song.
foretelling of those that are lost.
as a combat soldier, i can relate with the lines:
"How will she know of the devils I've seen"
...and...
"If I should die
And water's my grave
She'll never know if I'm damned or I'm saved
See the ghost fly over the sea"
@beansweetpea9092
I’ve loved this song ever since I saw the movie White Squall in 1996. Now I have been a sailor for 14 years and this is still my favorite song to sing when I’m topside at night while the ship is underway.
@sochaoticnvsochaoticnv7232
Great story. Thank you for what you do.
@Bbbbbbread
Lol the credits playing rn for me
@didierlericque3076
You’ve got some luck !!
@aminavGM
Same
@whoatimikit659
Please tell me you paired it with his other song "why should I cry for you" if just for the mere mention of the Stones of Faroe.
https://youtu.be/gZSGQ5wMaDE
@georgewallace6940
White Squall is an underrated movie
@realekedolphin
This song makes me nostalgic for a place I've never been to before.
@paradoxicalmadness7874
That's called "Hiraeth" :)
@francesco6008
@@paradoxicalmadness7874 Yes, this is the answer.