FIELDS OF GOLD........

Songs… They touch our souls in the most beautiful way.. Listening to a slow tune in the silence of the night.. it’s just too perfect. Sometimes… some songs leave behind stories in our lives. I’m going to tell you about a song.. which left me with an unforgettable memory.. A very special song in my life… This special song is Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’..

It was a day in July…. 2 years back.. I was going through a very difficult time in my life… I needed a big break in my life to get away from all the worries… My best friend… he called me all of a sudden.. told me to put on something… and run out… and he came to pick me up… There was a big silence… he didn’t tell me anything… A moment later… we were in front of the Parliament grounds… the place I like most in the city of Colombo… It was a perfect evening…. The sun was slowly sinking… The breeze was slow and smooth… I found myself smiling…

Just then.. he took out his guitar and played this lovely song for me… I listened and listened…. And slowly… my worries faded away… Some time after .. my best friend left this world.. leaving behind eternal memories for me.. last for a lifetime.. And this song… is one out of those unforgettable memories… Listen to the words…. Feel what it says..

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 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 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 fields of gold
We'll walk in 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 fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold

I do remember him that way… And it always brings tears to my eyes.. The way my friend sang it, really touched my heart so deeply. Yesterday, I wanted to find out the deeper meaning of this song.. and I searched the net to find an answer.. After reading a lot of criticisms and comments.. this was the final outcome….

This is about feeling joyous… but knowing that the joy is going to end someday… Sad.. isn’t it??? It’s about commitment too… This man who sings this.. is a man who broke promises in the past.. but he’s determined to make this present relationship last…

A major criticism goes like this… “The story is chronological. It is about courtship, marriage, and eventual death. The two people in the song meet, court, fall in love (at this point, he reveals that he has never really made such a strong promise/commitment to someone) but feels he is ready to now. "See the children run," their offspring and the "jealous sky" refer to the Heavens. Even Heaven is jealous of their love/relationship. The esteemed sun is jealous. Eventually, he dies and tells his love that they will always remember their love specifically, when she thinks of him, he wants to be personified as such... walking in fields of gold (barley).”

But what I found in most of the comments was…” This is about feeling joyous… but knowing that the joy is going to end someday”… It’s true isn’t it?? My best friend sang that song t me.. but I never thought I’d have to remember this part of the song ever…

“You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley.”

Today you’re happy with something very special in your life… and you definitely know that someway or the other.. some day.. this happiness will end… Knowing that.. you live your life… Sometimes when you look far and see that truth… it’s sad.. very very sad… This song is very special to me… One day.. when I gaze upon the starry sky and listen to the song.. I will have many things to remember…. Many stories to remember…