Fields of Gold

I am writing this wishing it could be some other day, maybe one last week. So before I disappear under the duvet covers, my random title selection for today is 'Fields of Gold'.

The english language is a facinating thing and as I writer I probably spend more time than the average person thinking about it. One thing that interests me is the meaning of words. Now the phrase Fields of Gold in the context of Sting's song clearly refers to the barley fields (golden in colour) mentioned in the song. However, when took out of context a whole host of other meanings can be coined using the 22 definitions of field and 8 definitions of gold found at the ever-helpful dictionary.com.

Here are some other possible meanings put together with the song:

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold

This phrase could refer to fields in which the metal gold grows. Very handy when strapped for cash. Obviously the sun and sky are jealous because they are broke.

In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

This could be about a woman, shot by the enemy falling into the arms of her soldier lover in a battlefield in a place called Gold. Very dramtic. Not sure why she was running amongst the gunfire. That is probably explained earlier in the song.

I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We will walk in fields of gold
We'll walk in fields of gold

A scientific context this- force field. A savvy scientist promises to save the world by developing his force-fields of gold that will protect us when alien attack.

See the children run as the sun goes down
As you lie in fields of gold

A sportsfield belonging to a sportsteam known as Gold. An old legendary sportsmans ashes are spread across the field so he can watch over it as the new generations carry the team onwards into the future.

I could go on withother meanings like professional fields and the colour Gold and the metal Gold and the sense of worth attatched to Gold. My point being that although most of my interpretations are a little ridiculous and far fetched there is no reason why the song could not be referring to such events (apart from the mention of the Barley fields...). However, most of us still instictively would interpret that song as it was intended. Our brains are very good at drawing meanings out of language. Even with highly metaphorical sources like song lyrics and poems with thought we can come to conclusion about what is meant by the author.