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:

KokomoThe Beach Boys

"Kokomo" gave The Beach Boys their first #1 hit in 22 years. They picked the title because it sounded tropical.

True CompanionMarc Cohn

When Marc Cohn played "True Companion" to his girlfriend, she thought he was proposing. He wasn't, but he did eventually marry her.

She Blinded Me With ScienceThomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct the video, which was inspired by silent films and set in a "home for deranged scientists."

RudeMagic!

"Magic" was the first word to serve as both the title of a #1 hit (Olivia Newton-John's 1980 tune "Magic") and the name of an artist behind a chart-topping song (Magic!'s 2014 hit "Rude").

Dust In The WindKansas

The philosophical Kansas song "Dust In The Wind" is inspired by a line of Native American poetry: "For all we are is dust in the wind."

Amber311

The 311 song "Amber" is likely about Nicole Scherzinger, who was dating the band's lead singer Nick Hexum.

Editor's Picks

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.