Sting

“Fields of Gold”

Ten Summoner’s Tales

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in the fields of gold

So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold
We'll walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, also known as Sting, wrote the lyrics to “Fields of Gold”. Sting is a famous singer and songwriter, but few know that he was trained as a teacher and taught English for two years. These lyrics are a love story with a past and a present. We begin with the end. The poet wants his love to remember. Then the poet switches to the present and urges his love to stay and eventually remember the days in the “fields of gold” as they watch their children play among those same fields.

This poem revolves around the images of a field of golden barley. The field, sun, and wind are personified and brought to life just like the relationship. The poet writes about a “jealous sky” and wind that “moves like a lover”. It seems that even the elements—the sun, the wind, and the sky—are envious of this relationship. Sting uses a refrain that slightly changes though out the poem. “We’ll walk in fields of gold” to “When we walked in fields of gold”. This slight change of refrains signifies the passage of time and remembering.

This poem represents a person vs. person or person vs. nature conflict. It is obvious that this song is about two people who are trying to make a relationship work. However, I feel like the conflict lies deeper. It is more a conflict with time (person vs. nature) that is always moving forward and requires us to place a high priority on remembering and finding ways to remember. This field of barley is this couple’s symbol. It is a significant place for them to overcome the conflict of nature and time.

It is easy to notice the yellow, gold and sun imagery that is woven into this poem. The gold and sun imagery are important because they signify the wealth and value of this relationship. They also suggest the tone of this poem which warm and inviting. This poem’s mood is reminiscent. It invites the reader into the warmth of remembering and cherishing as it walks the reader steadily from the heady beginnings to the fond remembrances of a well trod relationship.