I Burn For You Lyrics

Lyric discussion by quemon 

Cover art for I Burn For You lyrics by Sting

To understand the lyrics, I think we have to bear in our mind the following points:

  • The striking contrast between the coolness of water and the heat of fire is the backbone of the lyrics
  • The protagonist and the second person in the lyrics move from outside to inside of a room as the time elapses and eventually into the protagonist's mind
  • The venue of the song is probably Dorset Beach and Devon Coast in the UK which are well known for their archaeological sites

"Now that I have found you In the cool'th of your evening smile The shade of your parasol And your love flows through me Though I drink at your pool I burn for you, I burn for you"

So in the first verse, the protagonist and the second person are outside of the room. Probably in early evening for the protagonist see the shade of the parasol. Here "pool" "drink" and "flows" represent water (coolness) and "parasol (which means prevents the sun)" and "burn".represent fire (heat).

"You and I are lovers When night time folds around our bed In peace we sleep entwined And your love flows through me Though an ocean soothes my head I burn for you, I burn for you "

The second verse, they are in the room. The line "When night time folds around our bed" shows few hours have elapsed since the first verse. "Ocean" and "flows" represent water and "burn" represents fire.

"Stars will fall from dark skies As ancient rocks are turning Quiet fills the room And your love flows through me Though I lie here so still I burn for you, I burn for you "

The last verse takes place in the protagonist's mind. The lines "Stars will fall from dark skies" and "As ancient rocks are turning (probably the ebb tide)" imply it's about the breaking of dawn. Although no apparent word but "flows" representing "water" is found here, the line "As ancient rocks are turning" as a whole describes the ebb tide representing "water."

As for the "ancient rocks," you can see many fossils at Dorset Beach.