Why Should I Cry For You?

Well that isnt a bad guess. The song is about sailing and its not. If you take it literally it could mean that because of a lost love hes taken to the lonely life as a sailor to kill the pain. What I think the song is about is hurting from a lost love, and the sailing reference is a brilliant use of words to denote lonlieness and struggle. The Dog Star or Sirius is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere, and was often used in navigation. Many Sailors coined a term "Chasing the Dog Star" as meaning to navigate by means of Sirius. Chasing the Dog Star can also mean chasing an unattainable goal. Sting could be referencing this as it being impossible to get rid of his hurt, though he tries with all his might. "North Northwest the Stones of Faroe, is a direct reference to the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, but once again it would seem that sting is referencing lonliness like he is in general with the Ocean, and possibly desolation, since the Faroes are a very out of the way desolate place. The other sailing references "hauling on frozen ropes for all my days remaining" is another metaphor meaning an unpleasant struggle that he cant ever see himself completing.

"All colors bleed to red Asleep on the ocean's bed Drifting in empty seas For all my days remaining"

This is another reference to lonlieness and pain. Sting could be saying that when everything bleeds to red, everything is becoming a blur, and that it leaves him numb and hence "asleep" or just going through the motions, drifting in his lonliness forever.

But would north be true? Why should I? Why should I cry for you? Dark angels follow me Over a godless sea Mountains of endless falling, For all my days remaining,

This next part Sting is saying to himself If I had done things differently could things have been different. Then he is expressing emotions of possibly anger, by saying why should I cry for you, when you rejected me? Possibly even a little bit of depair, as in saying what is the point of it all. He is haunted by these Demons "Dark Angels" and he may even be feeling like God is against him, or at least the fates. He is a lost man for eternity.

"Sometimes I see your face, The stars seem to lose their place Why must I think of you? Why must I? Why should I? Why should I cry for you? Why would you want me to? And what would it mean to say, That, I loved you in my fashion"?

Sting is saying that the memories are so painful, and that his love is so great for them that nothing else matters. He then goes on to ask himself why he has to torture himself like this, especially when they have moved on with their life. Finally he is saying I loved you the best way I knew how, why wasnt that good enough?

This is one of my favorite songs from Sting. I think the lyrics and dreamy music mix perfectly to make a hauntingly brilliant song, guaranteed to hit anyone in the gut who has really experienced a trully heartbreaking end to a romance.