All This Time Lyrics
I looked out across the river today
Saw a city in the fog and an old church town where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses walking home in the sodium light
Two priests on the ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
[Chorus]
All this time the river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
[Verse 2]
Two priests came 'round our house tonight
One young, one old, to offer prayers for the dying to serve the final rite
One to learn, one to teach which way the cold wind blows
And fussing and flapping in priestly black like a murder of crows
[Chorus]
All this time the river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river
And I'd bury the old man
I'd bury him at sea
[Verse 3]
Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor than be a fat man in the eye of the needle
As these words were spoken I swear I hear the old man laughing
What good is a used up world and how could it be worth having?
Endlessly like a silent tear
All this time the river flowed
Father, if Jesus exists then how come he never lives here?
[Bridge]
Teachers told the Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple and an edge of the empire garrison town
They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods, but the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbles 'till all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found
[Outro]
All this time the river flowed
In the falling light of a Northern sun
If I had my way, take a boat from the river
Men go crazy in congregations, they only get better one by one
One by one
About
The Soul Cages was a dark moment for Sting. His parents had both died in 1989 from cancer, and he was heavily depressed. This song was written about the death of Sting’s father, but expressed with make-believe characters. The song’s story is about a boy named Billy who wants to bury his father at sea.
The song is also known for its upbeat tune with depressing lyrics, something that Sting said he likes to do with his music:
It’s about the death of my father, so its pretty dark as a record but on this song the words are foiled by this fairly jolly tune. That’s something I like to do quite a lot, combine dark subject matter with up music. No, its not based on a dream. The lyrics seem surreal, but they are all images I remembered from my home town: ferries, priests, shire horses. I grew up by the shipyards. I just wanted to escape. I suppose it was quite a surreal place, though. It is the landscape of my dreams."
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.All This Time
- 10.Vengo del sur
- 11.Muoio per te
