What a cynical philosophy of his father's and his life Sting presents here....
Similar to the theme on the first track of this album Soul Cages, where the boy just wants to escape this miserable town. The townsmen build the ships, sweat in miserable conditions but never see any glory in it. They are told by the rich people who employ them, and their priests....it's ok, you don't want to be rich. It's harder for a rich man to enter into heaven than a camel can pass through the eye of a needle.
From the Bible...“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”
Silly Bunny above points out that Sting's dad was a dairy farmer. I guess Sting found it easier to point out that the blue collar life sometimes breaks men's spirits and they are told to wait for heaven.
But the workers have lost faith in God as well. "If Jesus exists how come he never lived here?"
Or, why would we want to inherit to inherit a used up earth?
I guess this song is about exploitation. And if Sting's father had a tenth of the genous that Sting had, imagine the waste if it never got a chance to flourish. I guess, it's this anger that came up with the grief of losing his father. Merging with Sting's interest in helping the exploited or weaker people in the world....his politics and philosophy and personal story all merging.
I love the line "and all that was left was the stones the workmen found"
Isn't there another song where he says the same thing....in all our works, nothing remains???.
What a cynical philosophy of his father's and his life Sting presents here.... Similar to the theme on the first track of this album Soul Cages, where the boy just wants to escape this miserable town. The townsmen build the ships, sweat in miserable conditions but never see any glory in it. They are told by the rich people who employ them, and their priests....it's ok, you don't want to be rich. It's harder for a rich man to enter into heaven than a camel can pass through the eye of a needle. From the Bible...“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”
Silly Bunny above points out that Sting's dad was a dairy farmer. I guess Sting found it easier to point out that the blue collar life sometimes breaks men's spirits and they are told to wait for heaven. But the workers have lost faith in God as well. "If Jesus exists how come he never lived here?" Or, why would we want to inherit to inherit a used up earth?
I guess this song is about exploitation. And if Sting's father had a tenth of the genous that Sting had, imagine the waste if it never got a chance to flourish. I guess, it's this anger that came up with the grief of losing his father. Merging with Sting's interest in helping the exploited or weaker people in the world....his politics and philosophy and personal story all merging.
I love the line "and all that was left was the stones the workmen found" Isn't there another song where he says the same thing....in all our works, nothing remains???.