Morning's Coming

Album: 44/876 (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This slow paced, horn-drenched, jaunty track references the sweet sounds of the nightingale.

    Sweet nightingale
    Why do you wake me so?
    Sweet nightingale
    You're telling me something I don't know


    Sting recounted the story behind the song to Genius:

    "I was walking in the woods in Tuscany, and I had this beat in my head, and I had this phrase,' "Sweet nightingale, why do you wake me so?' I think the nightingale's the only bird that sings at night, so what the hell is he singing? What are they singing about? Oh, he's just singing the obvious … morning's coming. So I thought that was a pretty optimistic and simple statement, that morning is coming. In the political sense, I think we have to assume that morning will come, even though it's getting pretty dark politically in the world.

    So it's a simple, childlike nursery rhyme, but it also has a political meaning. Then I played it to Shaggy. I said, 'Okay, give me your viewpoint on this theme,' and he went away and wrote his verses, and then we joined it together. So we have a kind of three-dimensional or two-dimensional conversation about this theme., written as a song of hope in turbulent times."
  • Despite the seemingly simple, jaunty lyrical content, there's a deeper meaning to the track. "There's a political sphere in this song," Sting explained. "There's also a romantic sphere in this song. Today might be the day when he meets the one of his dreams, the one who's gonna transform life for him."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.