Artist: Sting Album: Brand New Day {1999}

A thousand years, a thousand more
A thousand times, a million doors to eternity
I may have lived a thousand lives a thousand times
An endless turning stairway climbs to a tower of souls
If it takes another thousand years, a thousand wars
The towers rise to numberless floors in space
I could shed another million tears, a million breaths
A million names, but only one truth to face

A million roads, a million fears
A million suns, ten million years of uncertainty
I could speak a million lies, a million songs
A million rights, a million wrongs in this balance of time
But if there was a single truth, a single light
A single thought, a singular touch of grace
Then following this single point, this single flame
This single haunted memory of your face

I still love you, I still want you
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves like galaxies in my head

I may be numberless, I may be innocent
I may know many things, I may be ignorant
Or I could ride with kings or conquer many lands
Or win this world at cards and let it slip my hands
I could be cannon food, destroyed a thousand times
Reborn as fortune's child to judge another's crimes
Or wear this pilgrim's cloak or be a common thief
I've kept this single faith, I have but one belief

I still love you, I still want you
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves like galaxies in my head
On and on the mysteries unwind themselves, eternities still unsaid
Till you love me

I dream of rain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of fire, ay-lay-ye-lay
These dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And in the flames, ay-lay-ye-lay
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire

This desert rose, ay-lay-ye-lay
Each of her veils a secret promise
This desert flower, ay-lay-ye-lay
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

And as she turns, ay-lay-ye-lay
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns, ay-lay-ye-lay
I realize that nothing's as it seems

I dream of rain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of rain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes, the rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of her love

I dream of rain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain, ay-lay-ye-lay
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

Sweet desert rose, ay-lay-ye-lay
Each of her veils a secret promise
This desert flower, ay-lay-ye-lay
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

Sweet desert rose, ay-lay-ye-lay
This memory of Eden haunts us all
This desert flower, this rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of the fall

I sat down and wrote this letter
Telling you that I felt better
Since you'd gone and I was free
I'm so happy

I have so little time to spare now
I'm wanted almost everywhere now
I make out like Casanova
Friends are always coming over

I signed my name as if I meant it
Sealed it with a kiss and sent it
The letter had improved my mood
Happy in my solitude

But halfway home I changed my tune
And when I saw my lonely room
The mirror caught my eye
When I sit down I cry

Big lie, small world
It was a big lie, small world

I had to intercept that letter
Telling you that I was better
I raced to catch the postman's van
He was leaving as I ran

I miss the bus, I miss the train
I end up walking in the rain
Big dog chased me down the street
Hadn't had a bite to eat

Feeling sorry for myself
And wishing I was someone else
I walked across the city
Cos I couldn't stand your pity

Big lie, small world
It was a big lie, small world

The place you live looks opulent
And obviously a higher rent
Than our cozy little room
I have this sense of doom

The landlord says you're out of town
That your new boyfriend's always around
The hour's getting late
So I sit down and wait

Here's the postman with my letter
Coming down the path, he'd better
Give that thing to me
I have to make him see

Begging doesn't do the trick
He thinks that I'm a lunatic
And then who comes upon the scene
But your new boyfriend Mister Clean

I hit the postman, hit your lover
Grabbed the letter, ran for cover
The police arrived in time for tea
They said they'd like to question me

I can only curse my fate
I have to face the magistrate
It hasn't been the best of days
I'd like to fly away

Big lie, small world
Big lie, small world
It was a big lie, small world
Big lie, small world

The palace guards, they all are sleeping
Their fires burn into the night
There's a threat of rain on the dark horizon
And all that's left is a quarter moon of light

He climbs up through the darkness
No weapon but his surprise
The greatest thief in the high Sahara
Enters the room where a sleeping princess lies

All your money, your pretty necklace
This is my work on such a night
There's a storm coming over the mountain
I'll be gone long before the morning

After the rain has fallen
After the tears have washed your eyes
You'll find that I've taken nothing that
Love can't replace in the blink of an eye

He was as gentle as the night wind
As no love had been before
And the rings she wore for her bride groom
Slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor

Take me with you, take me with you
Before my lonely life is set
I've been promised to another
To a man I've never even met

After the rain has fallen
After the tears have washed your eyes
You'll find that I've taken nothing that
Love can't replace in the blink of an eye
After the thunder's spoken and
After the lightning bolt's been hurled
After the dream is broken there'll
Still be love in the world

She said,"Take me to another life
Take me for a pirate's wife
Take me where the wind blows
Take me where the red wine flows
Take me to the danger
Take me to the life of crime
Take me to the stars
Take me to the moon while we still have time."

After the rain has fallen
After the tears have washed your eyes
You'll find that I've taken nothing that
Love can't replace in the blink of an eye
After the thunder's spoken and
After the lightning bolt's been hurled
After the dream is broken there'll
Still be love in the world
There'll still be love in the world

Still be love, still be love
There'll still be love in the world - after the rain has fallen
Still be love in the world - after the tears have washed your eyes
Still be love in the world - find that I've taken nothing that
Love can't replace in the blink of an eye
Still be love in the world - after the thunder's spoken and
Still be love in the world - after the lightning bolt's been hurled
Still be love in the world - after the dream is broken there'll
Still be love in the world

I've had a question that's been preying on my mind for some time
I won't be wagging my tail for one good reason, it has to be a crime
This doghouse never was the place for me
Runner up and second best just ain't my pedigree
I was so happy, just the two of us, until this alpha male
Turned up in the January sale

He won't love you like I love you
It won't be long now before that puppy goes astray
And what I like about this guy the most
He'd be my favorite lamppost, devil take the hindmost

Je sais que c'est d�r, mais il faut se faire au changement, tu vois
J'ai n�glig� le primordial pendant trop longtemps crois moi
Je suis consciente, je vois bien que tu souffres, mais �a s'att�nuera
Car c'est d'un homme plus d'un chien dont j'ai besoin pres de moi
Cesse donc de grogner, mon choix est fait c'est comme �a
N'en fais pas trop, ton attitude risque de t'�loigner de moi
Faut que tu comprennes, puisque tu dis m'aimer tant que �a
D�sormais nous sommes trois, lui toi et moi

It's a shaggy kind of story
Would I tell you if I thought it was a lie
But when the cat's away the mouse will play
I wouldn't dish around here
There's something fishy round here

I howl all night and I sleep all day
It take more than biscuit, baby, to chase these blues away
Got a long enough leash I could almost hang myself
It's a dog's life loving you, baby, but you love someone else
Andow he's moved my basket
I'd like to put him in a casket
I'll wear my best collar to his funeral, oh yeah, oh yeah

Ta mauvaise foi, j'aimerais bien que �a s'arr�te
Me s�parer de toi, aujourd'hui �a trotte dans ma t�te
Moi non, j'en peux plus, tu n'es qu'un chien, c'est trop b�te
La situation m'avait pourtant l'air d'�tre des plus nettes
C'est clair, que je l'aime c'est un fait, ton �go�sme m'inqui�te
Apr�s toutes ces soir�es pass�es seuls en t�te � t�te
Chaque chose a une fin, et c'est la fin de la f�te
Pour toi, car bient�t il n'y aura plus que lui et moi, lui et moi, lui et moi

To have found this perfect life
And a perfect love so strong
Well, there can't be nothing worse
Than a perfect love gone wrong

To have found this perfect life
And a perfect love so strong
Well, there can't be nothing worse
Than a perfect love gone wrong

You said I wasn't just your Christmas toy
I'd always be your boy
I'd be your faithful companion
And I would follow you
Through every thick and thin
Don't need nobody else
And don't need him, oh, no

To have found this perfect life
And a perfect love so strong
Well, there can't be nothing worse
Than a perfect love gone wrong

To have found this perfect life
And a perfect love so strong
Well, there can't be nothing worse
Than a perfect love gone wrong

To have found this perfect life

The streets are wet, the lights have yet
To shed their tawdry luster on the scene
My skirt's too short, my tights have run
These new heels are killing me

My second pack of cigarettes
It's a slow night but there's time yet
Here comes John from his other life
He may be driving to his wife
But he'll slow down, take a look
I've learned to read them just like books
It's already half past ten
But they'll be back again

Headlights in the rainy street
I check, make sure it's not the heat
I wink, I smile, I wave my hand
He stops and seems to understand
The small transaction we must make
I tell him that my heart will break
If he's not a generous man
I step into his van

They say the first, the hardest trick
After that it's just a matter of logic
They have the money, I have the time
Being pretty's my only crime
Ask what future do I see
I say it's really up to me
I don't need forgiving
I'm just making a living

Don't judge me, you could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me, one more night, I'll just have to take my chances
But tomorrow we'll see

A friend of mine, he wound up dead
His dress was stained the color red
No next of kin, no fixed abode
Another victim on this road
The police just carted him away
But someone took his place next day
He was home by Thanksgiving
But not with the living

Don't judge me, you could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me, one more night, I'll just have to take my chances

And no, it's just not in my plan
For someone to care who I am

I'm walking the streets for money
It's the business of love, "Hey honey, come one
Don't leave me lonely, don't leave me sad
It'll be the sweetest five minutes you ever had."

Don't judge me, you could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me, one more night, I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see

INSTRUMENTAL

Mobil station where I stand
This old gas pump in my hand
My boss don't like me, a face like a weasel
Oil on my hands and the smell of diesel

Here come a big shot - here he come
From the city - goddamn
V8 engine, she runs so pretty - woo
"Fill her up son, unleaded
I need a full tank of gas where I'm headed."

Up in the front seat a pretty red head
"We're going to Vegas we're gonna get wed
So fill her up son, don't be staring
Yeah, that's a real diamond she be wearing."

I'm gonna treat my baby one day - yeah
I'm gonna fill her up and head west - that's it
I'm going find some money all right

See those tail lights heading west
I got no money to invest
I got no prospects, no education
I was lucky getting a job at this gas station

That old cash box - that old cash box
On the top shelf - on the top shelf
The boss is sleeping - boss is sleeping
I'll just help myself
Let's consider this as just a loan
I can sort it out later on the phone

I'm gonna pick my girl up tonight
I'm gonna fill her up and head west
I'm gonna show her all the bright lights
We're gonna say we lived fore we come home

And as I head through the woods on the way back
The evening sun is slanting through the pine trees real pretty
It's like I walked into a glade of heaven
And there's music playing
This money is cold in my hand
And a voice somewhere is saying
Why would you wanna take that stolen thing
And what real happiness can it bring

You're gonna fill her up with sadness
You're gonna fill her up with shame
You're gonna fill her up with sorrow
Before she even takes your name
You're gonna fill her up with madness
You're gonna fill her up with blame
You're gonna live with no tomorrow
You're gonna fill her up with pain
You're gonna fill her up with darkness
You're gonna fill her up with night
You gotta fill her up with Jesus
You gotta fill her up with light
You gotta fill her up with spirit
You gotta fill her up with grace
You gotta fill her up with heaven
You got the rest of life to face
You gotta fill her up the right way
You gotta fill her up with care
You gotta fill her up with babies
You gotta fill her up and swear
You're gonna love that girl forever
You're gonna fill her up for life
You're gonna be a loving husband
She's gonna be your loving wife
You gotta fill her up with gladness
You gotta fill her up with joy
You gotta fill her up with love
You gotta fill her up with love

I watch the western sky, the sun is sinking
The geese are flying south, it sets me thinking
I did not miss you much, I did not suffer
What did not kill me just made me tougher

I feel the winter come, his icy sinews
Now in the firelight the case continues
Another night in court, the same old trial
The same old questions asked, the same denial

My shadows close me round like jury members
I look for answers in the fire's embers
Why was I missing then, that whole December
I give my usual line, "I don't remember."

Another winter comes, his icy fingers creep
Into these bones of mine, these memories never sleep
And all these differences, a cloak I borrowed
We kept our distances, why should it follow
I must have loved you

What is the force that binds the stars
I wore this mask to hide my scars
What is the power that pulls the tide
Never could find a place to hide

What moves the earth around the sun
What could I do but run and run and run
Afraid to love, afraid to fail
A mast without a sail

The moon's a fingernail and slowly sinking
Another day begins and now I'm thinking
That this is indifference was my invention
When everything I did sought your attention

You were my compass star, you were my measure
You were a pirate's map of buried treasure
If this was all correct the last thing I'd expect
The prosecution rests, it's time that I confessed
I must have loved you
I must have loved you
I must have loved you
I must have loved you
I must have loved you
I must have loved you

How many of you people out there
Been hurt in some kind of love affair
And how many times did you swear that you'd never love again
How many lonely, sleepless nights
How many lies, how many fights
And why would you want to put yourself through all of that again

"Love is pain," I hear you say
Love has a cruel and bitter way
Of paying you back for all the faith you ever had in your brain
How could it be that what you need the most
Can leave you feeling just like a ghost
You never want to feel so sad and lost again

One day you could be looking through an old book in rainy weather
You see a picture of her smiling at you when you were still together
You could be walking down the street
And who should you chance to meet
But that same old smile you've been thinking of all day

Why don't we turn the clock to zero, honey
I'll sell the stock, we'll spend all the money
We're starting up a brand new day
Turn the clock all the way back
I wonder if she'll take me back
I'm thinking in a brand new way, yeah

Turn the clock to zero, sister
You'll never know how much I missed her
Starting up a brand new day
Turn the clock to zero, boss
The river's wide, we'll swim across
We're starting up a brand new day

It could happen to you just like it happened to me
There's simply no immunity, there's no guarantee
I say, love is such a force if you should find yourself in it, babe
You need some time for reflection you say
Baby ,wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute
Wait a minute, wait a minute

Turn the clock to zero, honey
I'll sell the stock, we'll spend all the money
We're starting up a brand new day
Turn the clock to zero, Mac
I'm begging her to take me back
I'm thinking in a brand new way

Turn the clock to zero, boss
The river's wide, we'll swim across
Starting up a brand new day
Turn the clock to zero, buddy
Don't wanna be no fuddy-duddy
We're starting up a brand new day

I'm the rhythm in your tune
I'm the sun and you're the moon
I'm the bat and you're the cave
You're the beach and I'm the wave
I'm the plough and you're the land
You're the glove and I'm the hand
I'm the train and you're the station
I'm the flagpole to your nation, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I'm the present to your future
You're the wound and I'm the suture
You're the magnet to my pole
I'm the devil in your soul
You're the pupil, I'm the teacher
You're the church and I'm the preacher
You're the flower, I'm the rain
You're the tunnel, I'm the train

Stand up all you lovers in the world, yeah
Stand up and be counted, every boy and every girl
Stand up all you lovers in the world, yeah
We're starting up a brand new day

You're the crop to my rotation
You're the sum of my equation
I'm the answer to your question
If you follow my suggestion
We can turn this ship around
And go up instead of down
You're the pan and I'm the handle
You're the flame and I'm the candle

Stand up all you lovers in the world, yeah
Stand up and be counted, every boy and every girl
Stand up, it's a brand new day
It's a brand new day
It's a brand new day
It's a brand new day