I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Let me watch by the fire and remember my days
And it may be a trick of the firelight
But the flickering pages that trouble my sight
Is a book I'm afraid to write
It's the book of my days, it's the book of my life
And it's cut like a fruit on the blade of a knife
And it's all there to see as the section reveals
There's some sorrow in every life
If it reads like a puzzle, a wandering maze
Then I won't understand â??til the end of my days
I'm still forced to remember,
Remember the words of my life
There are promises broken and promises kept
Angry words that were spoken, when I should have wept
There's a chapter of secrets, and words to confess
If I lose everything that I possess
There's a chapter on loss and a ghost who won't die
There's a chapter on love where the ink's never dry
There are sentences served in a prison I built out of lies.
Though the pages are numbered
I can't see where they lead
For the end is a mystery no-one can read
In the book of my life
There's a chapter on fathers a chapter on sons
There are pages of conflicts that nobody won
And the battles you lost and your bitter defeat,
There's a page where we fail to meet
There are tales of good fortune that couldn't be planned
There's a chapter on god that I don't understand
There's a promise of Heaven and Hell but I'm damned if I see
Though the pages are numbered
I can't see where they lead
For the end is a mystery no-one can read
In the book of my life
Now the daylight's returning
And if one sentence is true
All these pages are burning
And all that's left is you
Though the pages are numbered
I can't see where they lead
For the end is a mystery no-one can read
In the book of my life
And it may be a trick of the firelight
But the flickering pages that trouble my sight
Is a book I'm afraid to write
It's the book of my days, it's the book of my life
And it's cut like a fruit on the blade of a knife
And it's all there to see as the section reveals
There's some sorrow in every life
If it reads like a puzzle, a wandering maze
Then I won't understand â??til the end of my days
I'm still forced to remember,
Remember the words of my life
There are promises broken and promises kept
Angry words that were spoken, when I should have wept
There's a chapter of secrets, and words to confess
If I lose everything that I possess
There's a chapter on loss and a ghost who won't die
There's a chapter on love where the ink's never dry
There are sentences served in a prison I built out of lies.
Though the pages are numbered
I can't see where they lead
For the end is a mystery no-one can read
In the book of my life
There's a chapter on fathers a chapter on sons
There are pages of conflicts that nobody won
And the battles you lost and your bitter defeat,
There's a page where we fail to meet
There are tales of good fortune that couldn't be planned
There's a chapter on god that I don't understand
There's a promise of Heaven and Hell but I'm damned if I see
Though the pages are numbered
I can't see where they lead
For the end is a mystery no-one can read
In the book of my life
Now the daylight's returning
And if one sentence is true
All these pages are burning
And all that's left is you
Though the pages are numbered
I can't see where they lead
For the end is a mystery no-one can read
In the book of my life
Lyrics submitted by U2takemehigher
The Book of My Life Lyrics as written by Gordon Sumner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this is one of the best songs Sting has ever written, the music is totally gripping and the lyrics are as beautiful as honest. I find it a very inspiring song. It really gets you into the mood of reflecting, whether you are lucky and have a fireplace at your home or not.
Some thoughts on the song:
The "ghost who won't die" is easy to identify: his father. Still, Sting has mentioned several times that he believes in ghosts and that we need them in our life, for guidance and reflection. So maybe he's also talking about "good ghosts" in general.
"There's a chapter on love where the ink's never dry" - very beautiful line and also one of my favourite paragraphs in "Broken Music": when he shares his thoughts about this big thing we call "Love". That the ink is never dry could mean that love is everlasting and always in motion. It could also refer to the stormy, passionate sexual love that young lovers feel and the impatience that comes with it. Another topic he deals with very honestly in "Broken Music".
As for the "you" in the last stanza, I agree with vittau's interpretation: It is himself - the man he has become because of all the good and bad "chapters" in his life and is now. Of course, "all that's left is you" could easily be interpreted as a declaration of love to a woman, but I don't think it makes sense here as the whole song is about Sting and his life, not in any way is it a love song. Plus - and I mean that in the most positive way - the person that Sting has always been most faithful to throughout his life is himself! I think what he wants to say is: In the end there is only one thing that is important: Who you are and how you've lived your life and that, when reflecting on it, you can say "It was good.", no matter what other people might think.