Lyric discussion by dengeist 

Cover art for Wrapped Around Your Finger lyrics by Police, The

A truly beautiful song.

Scylla and Chayribdis are NOT two female sea monsters. Scylla is the sea monster and Chayribdis is a whirlpool. Odysseus had to sail between them and he had to make a difficult choice of which one to sail closer to. If he chose to sail close to Chayribdis, he risked losing his ship and everyone aboard, if he sailed close to Scylla, she would eat some of his men. He chose to sail close to Scylla. It's choosing between the lesser of the two evils.

My Interpretation: It has nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings. It's about a younger man falling for an older MARRIED woman (at least in her mind). That's what the "staring at the ring around your finger" line is about. The Scylla and Charybdis line is alluding to how torn he is(she thinks), should he even do this, "have the affair?" He's doing this for experience, but he knows she's doing this with an alterior motive: "I can see the destiny you sold Turn into a shining band of gold", ie They'll get married so and live happily ever after, "I'll be wrapped around your finger"

But, he doesn't want the same thing: "Mephistopheles is not your name I know what you're up to just the same" He's not going to fall for it.

One day she'll realize that it's her pursing him, not the other way around: "I will turn your face to alabaster, When you find your servant is your master"

In the end "You'll (she) will be wrapped around MY finger" meaning she'll be pursing him. He has her and she doesn't know it (yet).

ohh wow, that really makes sense...have always wondered what the hell this song is about, really cool..

Not Valid

@dengeist this interpretation is incorrect.

As with many songs of its era, and MOST marriages, he is talking about the nature of women to control their man to the point of unhappiness in themselves and their existence. Most wives emasculate their husbands through always making them wrong, blame, shaming, withholding wife duties to their husbands. It's a sad place to be. The husband over years feeling tricked and trapped. She's not who he was in the beginning. Stuck between two evils, leaving her and the pain that comes with starting over, or staying and continuing to...