There are a number of comments in this thread about the song and its connotations with the Northern Irish troubles. There's probably no doubt that it does obliquely reference the events of the time. The album was recorded in 1981, that year was the culmination of the IRA hunger stikes in HMP Maze, the "H-blocks", near Belfast. At that time Sting was married to Francis Tomelty, an actress from Belfast, and one would expect that she an influence on his perspective of what was happening in NI.

It was a pretty horrific time, I guess I was lucky to spend some of that era away from Belfast (home) attending college in England.

The video (not the record) was banned by the BBC as it contained footage of events in Northern Ireland that must have been regarded as too partisan. That was probably influenced by the ban that the UK government placed, during the 1980's, on Irish Republican's directly appearing on UK broadcast media (that led to a ridiculous situation where their words spoken were voiced, verbatim, by an actor). On a pedantic note, the Armalite wasn't the standard issue British Army foor soldier's weapon, that was the FN SLR. The Armalite was the IRA's "standard issue" weapon, hence, the Republican strategy of attaining its objective of a united Ireland through "a ballot paper in this hand and an Armalite in the other".

My tuppence worth is that the song speaks of the futility of what was going on, to all perspectives, and expresses hope that the light to illuminate a way out will be found. It was but it took another 15 years and many more lives lost. I won't say countless lives, they are all counted here.

Nicely put, mate. Sorry about the error about the Armalite - my memory's not what it used to be, young 'un :(. I normally have little time for Sting, and wasn't that much of a Police fan in the day, but kudos to them for this number which really is heartfelt and expressed hope at a time when there was none. It may seem strange to folk these days now that the "Peace Process" is winning, but back in the 80s The Troubles were as intractable as Apartheid was immovable, such that many Brits outside NI thought that the UK should just shuck off the province and let the backward natives sort it all out amongst themselves (not my view, but a common feeling at the time). Hope was a very rare and precious thing.

Horse shit...apart from the drumming

One of their better songs from the period when they were becoming less good. But the fact that I haven't bothered to listen to it in over 20 years tells a story...isn't that the acid test? The songs which don't age for you?

Pillock. Read the stuff about the NI context and get wise.

wow the police really came out with some cheesy shit didn't they.

 
There are a number of comments in this thread about the song and its connotations with the Northern Irish troubles. There's probably no doubt that it does obliquely reference the events of the time. The album was recorded in 1981, that year was the culmination of the IRA hunger stikes in HMP Maze, the "H-blocks", near Belfast. At that time Sting was married to Francis Tomelty, an actress from Belfast, and one would expect that she an influence on his perspective of what was happening in NI.

It was a pretty horrific time, I guess I was lucky to spend some of that era away from Belfast (home) attending college in England.

The video (not the record) was banned by the BBC as it contained footage of events in Northern Ireland that must have been regarded as too partisan. That was probably influenced by the ban that the UK government placed, during the 1980's, on Irish Republican's directly appearing on UK broadcast media (that led to a ridiculous situation where their words spoken were voiced, verbatim, by an actor). On a pedantic note, the Armalite wasn't the standard issue British Army foor soldier's weapon, that was the FN SLR. The Armalite was the IRA's "standard issue" weapon, hence, the Republican strategy of attaining its objective of a united Ireland through "a ballot paper in this hand and an Armalite in the other".

My tuppence worth is that the song speaks of the futility of what was going on, to all perspectives, and expresses hope that the light to illuminate a way out will be found. It was but it took another 15 years and many more lives lost. I won't say countless lives, they are all counted here.

The Police's most underrated album (no thanks to all the Sting haters here!) — dark, unnerving, and slightly "off"...

shades of Synchronicity here, and that is not a good thing. You can almost feel the point where they said "they say this will sell more albums, so let's give it a whirl"

stop bashing sting he is cool you reatards. ever heard of "freedom of art"? sorry for my bad english i am from mars.

I'm slightly jealous... what prices are we talking about? It was about 110 US here...

going to their final show in NYC at MSG this Thursday!  (5th show this tour)