Album: The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)

License This Song 

• Young men, soldiers, nineteen fourteen
  Marching through countries they'd never seen
  Virgins with rifles, a game of charades
  All for a children's crusade
  
  Pawns in the game are not victims of chance
  Strewn on the fields of Belgium and France
  Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade
  All of these young lives betrayed
  
  The children of England would never be slaves
  They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves
  The flower of England face down in the mud
  And stained in the blood of a whole generation
  
  Corpulent generals safe behind lines
  History's lessons drowned in red wine
  Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade
  All of those young lives betrayed
  All for a children's crusade
  
  The children of England would never be slaves
  They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves
  The flower of England face down in the mud
  And stained in the blood of a whole generation
  
  Midnight in Soho nineteen eighty four
  Fixing in doorways, opium slaves
  Poppies for young men, such bitter trade
  All of those young lives betrayed
  All for a children's crusade Writer/s: GORDON SUMNER
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

• Jorge Rodríguez from Badajoz, SpainThanks a lot. Just one tiny datail, if you allow me: 1212 would be the 13th century, wouldn't it? (It reads 'the 11th' in the last paragraph). Or is it that Sting did say the 11th century? Thanks again
• Angus from Ottawa, CanadaDid Sting really say this happened in the 11th century?
• Jesse from Pennsylvania UsaThere is a long running relationship between poppies, war, and death. Look up the 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields", Remeberence Poppy, or just do a general search on the subject.
• Martin Ferreira from PortugalI was in disbelief when found out that these WWI solders were children's whose lives were lost. This fact should be foremost in Rememberance Day commemorations. Instead it seems it serves to glorify war in general and honour those who survived in particular.
• Markantney from Biloxi, MsJul 2014,
  
  The lyrics to this song fascinated me so much (and how much I listened to it too BTW) I almost had to turn in my "Ghetto Pass", "Work the Black Seam", "Fragile", and the "King of Pain" also.
  
  Between Sting and Prince, man them dudes can write a song.
• Mandy from Juneau, AkAnnabelle -- The Flower of England is a metaphor for England's youth, especially young men. This contrasts with poppies, which are not native to the British Isles.
• Annabelle from Eugene, OrWhat is the Flower Of England? Does it refer to a flower? A Queen? A Princess? And, how can a flower be slaughtered?
• Steve from Torrance, CaThis album seems mostly forgotten today (2007), but at the time (1985) it introduced jazz musicians Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Daryl Jones, and Omar Hakim to a wider pop audience. Their performance on this song in particular is outstanding. The ironic lyrics poignantly juxtapose the lost generation of World War I England (whose children would never be slaves, memorialized with poppies) with the 1984 Soho generation, who are enslaved to opium (made from poppies).

More Songfacts:

Take Me Home Country RoadsJohn Denver

"Take Me Home Country Roads" is set in West Virginia, but John Denver had never been there when he recorded the song. The country roads represent a sense of belonging.

Everything ZenBush

After Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale coupled up in 1996, Rossdale's Bush bandmates referred to their hit song "Everything Zen" as "Everything Gwen."

Rose MarieSlim Whitman

Country star Slim Whitman's version of the 1920s song "Rose Marie" spent 11 consecutive weeks at #1 in the UK in 1955, a record until 1991 when Bryan Adams’ "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" spent 16 weeks at the top.

Forever Your GirlPaula Abdul

Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" was written by Oliver Leiber, who despite being the son of Jerry Leiber from Leiber & Stoller, was an unknown songwriter.

CreepRadiohead

One of the moodiest hits of the '90s is "Creep" by Radiohead. It was the group's first single, and to their dismay, it became their biggest hit - it wasn't the song they wanted to be known for.

Bug A BooDestiny's Child

In the 1999 Destiny's Child song "Bug A Boo," they complain about a guy who bugs them on MCI, AOL, and their pagers.

Editor's Picks

Justin Hayward of The Moody BluesSongwriter Interviews

Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

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

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.