Album: Ghost in the Machine (1981)

Charted: 2

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• One, two, three, four, five, six
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  
  I don't want to spend the rest of my life
  Looking at the barrel of an Armalite
  I don't want to spend the rest of my days
  Keeping out of trouble like the soldiers say
  
  I don't want to spend my time in hell
  Looking at the walls of a prison cell
  I don't ever want to play the part
  Of a statistic on a government chart
  
  There has to be an invisible sun
  It gives its heat to everyone
  There has to be an invisible sun
  That gives us hope when the whole day's done
  
  It's dark all day and it glows all night
  Factory smoke and acetylene light
  I face the day with my head caved in
  Looking like something that the cat brought in
  
  There has to be an invisible sun
  It gives its heat to everyone
  There has to be an invisible sun
  That gives us hope when the whole day's done
  
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  
  And they're only going to change this place
  By killing everybody in the human race
  They would kill me for a cigarette
  But I don't even wanna die just yet
  
  There has to be an invisible sun
  It gives its heat to everyone
  There has to be an invisible sun
  That gives us hope when the whole day's done
  
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh
  Whoa-oh, oh, whoa-oh Writer/s: Gordon Sumner
  Publisher: Songtrust Ave, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 18

• Mickeyt52 from WnyI used to drive by this old body shop on my way to work. One cold morning (below 0 deg. f), as I was driving by, I could see through the window a guy holding an oxy/acetylene torch right at the same time Sting sings "factory smoke and acetylene light", and for a moment, I envied him - he had heat and I didn't, not yet, anyway. And now, that image always accompanies this song whenever I hear it. Love the song.
• Bill from JerseyHeliotropism. No matter the weather you follow the sun (Jesus) which gives it's heat (grace) to everyone.
• Matt from Pennsylvania, UsaI always thought the "Invisible Sun"
  That indiscriminately gave its heat to everyone was a reference to the/a God.
  The article did not elaborate on the meaning, just the content.
• Fuzzyfish80549usa from ColoradoTo A. Decker: the faint vocal line Sting is singing at the very end is from My Fair Lady. The song is "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" The lines Sting sings are "All I want is a room somewhere, Far away from the cold night air".
• A. Decker from UsaAt the end of the song, after the music has stopped, Sting sings another line but it's so low volume I can't turn up enough to hear it all. Anybody know what he says there?
• Rang Bhavan from UsaI remember reading in the music rags of the day that the album The Ghost In The Machine, was inspired by reading a book of the same name, by Arthur C. Koestler.
• Angus from Ottawa, OnYou're all *still* wrong. The M16 is based on the AR-15, but it wasn't invented by Armalite.
• Jim from Enid, OkArmalite is an American company famous for their floating 22 caliber utility rifle. Later they became famous for inventing the M-16. My take on the song was that it was a North Ireland working man talking about his day to day existence. He encounters the British soldiers on patrol, street crime like strongarm robbery and coming home exhausted from his factory job. He wants change like any decent person would.
• Mick from Las Vegas, NvI always thought the invisible sun was the unconquerable human spirit.
• Xanacore from Daphne, AlInteresting. Few British musicians that I know of have ever spoken of the war in Ireland. Well, the FORMER war in Ireland.
  
  Oh, and IRA FTW.
• Drew from Buffalo, NyThis song is one of the the several songs that i smoke up to from The Police. Anyone else agree?
• Jeff from Liverpool, Englandthis song was originally banned by the bbc in the uk ,due to the content of the song which probably prevented it reaching #1 although without the ban soft cell's tainted love would have still kept it off top spot
• Paul from Bham, EnglandYou're wrong, folks! The Armalite (a version of the US army's M-16)was the weapon of choice of the IRA, sent by supporters in the USA. Hence the Sinn Fein strategy of pursuing power with 'the ballot box in one hand and the Armalite in the other'.
• John from Melbourne, Australia, Australiai have been a Police fan since I can remember.
  This is by far my favorite Police song.
  although - Born in the 50s , Bring on the night and regatta de blanc - are right up there too.
• Dave from Cardiff, WalesAnnabelle - an Armalite is a type of firearm used by the armed forces in the UK
• Brian from Washington, DcI always thought it was about living in an greedy, industrial world with no soul, how there is some unseen faith/hope that makes most people keep going and caring about life.
  
  Annabelle: he doesn't say "THE sun." He says "A sun;" it's a poetic metaphor. Also, there are countless suns in the universe.
• Annabelle from Eugene, OrFor one, what in the world is an Armalite? and for two, how can the sun be invisible?
• John from Levittown, NyThe Armalite mentioned in the song is the Armalite AR 15, the British version of the M-16

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