The Soul Cages – English Lyrics

• By: Sting

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical voyage with Sting's 'The Soul Cages,' a song that delves into the profound landscape of grief and memory. Through its evocative nautical imagery and a compelling narrative inspired by British folklore, this track offers a unique opportunity to explore English poetic expression intertwined with deeply human emotions. Listen closely, and you'll discover how Sting crafts a powerful allegory for processing loss, making it a truly special and insightful piece for language learners and music enthusiasts alike.

[English]

(upbeat rock music)

♪ The boy child is locked in the fisherman's yard ♪

♪ There's a bloodless moon where the oceans die ♪

♪ A shoal of nightstars hang fire in the nets ♪

♪ And the chaos of cages where the crayfish lie ♪

♪ Where is the fisherman, where is the goat ♪

♪ Where is the keeper in his carrion coat ♪

♪ Eclipse on the moon when the dark bird flies ♪

♪ Where is the child with his father's eyes ♪

♪♪♪

♪ He's the king of the ninth world ♪

♪ The twisted son of the fog bells toll ♪

♪ In each and every lobster cage ♪

♪ A tortured human soul ♪

♪ These are the souls of the broken factories ♪

♪ The subject slaves of the broken crown ♪

♪ The dead accounting of old guilty promises ♪

♪ These are the souls of the broken town ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪♪♪

♪ "I have a wager" the brave child spoke ♪

♪ The fisherman laughed, though disturbed at the joke ♪

♪ "You will drink what I drink but you must equal me ♪

♪ And if the drink leaves me standing, ♪

♪ A soul shall go free" ♪

♪ "I have here a cask of most magical wine ♪

♪ A vintage that blessed every ship in the line ♪

♪ It's wrung from the blood of the sailors who died ♪

♪ Young white body adrift in the tide" ♪

♪ "And what's in it for me my pretty young thing ♪

♪ Why should I whistle, when the caged bird sings ♪

♪ If you lose a wager with the king of the sea ♪

♪ You'll spend the rest of forever in the cage with me" ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ A body lies open in the fisherman's yard ♪

♪ Like the side of a ship where the iceberg rips ♪

♪ One less soul in the soul cages ♪

♪ One last curse on the fisherman's lips ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ He dreamed of the ship on the sea ♪

♪ It would carry his father and he ♪

♪ To a place they could never be found ♪

♪ To a place far away from this town ♪

♪ A Newcastle ship without coals ♪

♪ They would sail to the island of souls ♪

♪♪♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

♪ These are the soul cages ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cage /keɪdʒ/ B1	noun - a structure of bars or wires used to confine someone or something.
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal.
fisherman /ˈfɪʃərmən/ A2	noun - a person who catches fish.
child /tʃaɪld/ A1	noun - a young human being below the age of puberty or full physical development.
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - the red fluid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals.
moon /muːn/ A1	noun - the natural satellite of the Earth.
dark /dɑːrk/ A1	adjective - without light or illumination.
lie /laɪ/ A2	verb - to be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface.
king /kɪŋ/ A2	noun - a male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth.
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ B1	adjective - having been damaged and no longer in working order.
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	verb - to take or ingest (liquid) into the body by the mouth.
sea /siː/ A1	noun - the expanse of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface.
curse /kɜːrs/ B2	noun - a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to bring about a particular result.
ship /ʃɪp/ A2	noun - a large boat for transporting people or goods by sea.
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - a populated area with fixed boundaries and a local government.
wager /ˈweɪdʒər/ B2	noun - a bet.