I'm pretty sure it was inspired by his parents, his mum running away from home (though she did return later) in a secret, yet perfectly calculated, plan while his dad was at work.
In his autobiography, "Broken Music", where we learn about this incident, he says that back then he has sided with his father and couldn't forgive his mother for what she did until it was too late. I think the song is an attempt to understand both sides.
Anyway, Sting's songs use to have more than one source of inspiration or layer and what he describes here is a perfect picture of thousands of married couples, whether one of them eventually escapes or just keeps on dreaming about it.
I love how he includes symbols of the everyday routine, eg. the girl with an umbrella (like there are hundreds at the train station, looking just the same), the husband expecting her to wake him, then his everyday bathroom procedure etc. It shows how routine can trap us, make us blind to the things that happen around us and for the woman, makes it even harder for her to escape.
I'm pretty sure it was inspired by his parents, his mum running away from home (though she did return later) in a secret, yet perfectly calculated, plan while his dad was at work. In his autobiography, "Broken Music", where we learn about this incident, he says that back then he has sided with his father and couldn't forgive his mother for what she did until it was too late. I think the song is an attempt to understand both sides.
Anyway, Sting's songs use to have more than one source of inspiration or layer and what he describes here is a perfect picture of thousands of married couples, whether one of them eventually escapes or just keeps on dreaming about it. I love how he includes symbols of the everyday routine, eg. the girl with an umbrella (like there are hundreds at the train station, looking just the same), the husband expecting her to wake him, then his everyday bathroom procedure etc. It shows how routine can trap us, make us blind to the things that happen around us and for the woman, makes it even harder for her to escape.
PS: Sting's mum left no letter.