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Sting/Big Enough Umbrella question

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Amanda Bradford

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May 8, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/8/96
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bers...@aol.com (Bersicker) wrote:
>I've heard the phrases "It's a big enough umbrella, so how come I always
>end up getting wet" two times from Sting. (the first was in the Police
>song "Every little thing she does is Magic", the second off of "ten
>Summoners Tales, on the sone "Seven Days". Are there any other
>appearances? What does this phrase mean, and why does he keep using it?
>


Well, in addition to being in "Every Little Thing" and "Seven
Days" , the phrase also appears in "Oh My God" off of
Synchronicity.

I always took the phrase as a kind of reiteration of murphy's
law. Sting basically saying, even when the circumstances seem to
be in my favor, whatever possibly can go wrong, always does for
me. The umbrella is big enough, but of course, he still only
gets wet nevertheless. I think it fits in pretty well with his
"king of pain" persona of the Police days. But this would just be
my interpretation--any other ideas?

-Amanda Bradford
abra...@sas.upenn.edu

Christopher Alan Adolph

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May 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/9/96
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Amanda Bradford (abra...@sas.upenn.edu) wrote:

I think this is certainly what the lines mean in general, but I think
their appearance in Every Little Thing and Seve Days is suggestive. In
other words, I think the Umbrella lines refer specifically to a sort of
lovesick despair; in Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, it's a
hopelessness the speaker has felt ever since he met this this special
woman. In Seven Days, it's the foreboding that not matter what he does,
he'll lose her (the rain will get through any umbrella, not matter how
big). I must confess my interpretation is largely based on the image of
rain in King of Pain:
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain,
With the world turning circles, running round my brain
I guess I always hoped that you could end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the King of Pain.
Same rain, same idea that he's been there before (and always goes back),
same defenselessness, same desparate (but ultimately unfulfilled) hope
resting on an unrequited love. KoP, 7 Days and Every Little Thing are
all, at bottom, songs about love which goes unfulfilled.
In O My God, things don't work out as neatly. The same element
of loneliness and (almost existential) isolation is there, but it is
directed to an aloof God. The lines I tie most closely in this song to
the umbrella verse are:
Take this space between us
Fill it up some way
It's a cry for connection, just as the umbrella line is the desire for a
love (which, after all, is this most vital, and strongest, connection b/w
two souls). The same not of desparation is there, even if this is
directed to God (and not a woman). Yet I'd also like to point out that
"us" in the above lines is never explicitly defined; it could be that the
speaker in O My God, having "given up" (at least temporarily) on a deep,
sympathetic link with God, is turning to anyone else-- he want to fill
the space b/w himself and other consciousnesses. So this could still be
a reference to the woman he tries to call up every day (ELTSDIM) or the
one he must win back in a week (7Days).

On the other hand, rain could be simply Sting's favorite symbol
of emotional distress. It even appears in Mercury Falling (which
incidentally, is itself a vision of rain, if we're talking about drops of
Mercury falling from the sky-- okay, maybe that's a bit over the top), in
All Four Seasons (with a reference to an umbrella-- which is perhaps, in
a general sense, Sting's way of refering to his emotional defenses,
especially the emotionally safety net of relationships with others).

I know there are a number of other references to rain which fall into
this framework (maybe Fragile? rain as the insensitive assaults on our
emotions by the heartless actions of others; see liner notes on Nothing
Like the Sun for explanation of Fragile's origin/meaning), many of which
I cannot remember.

For something completely different, who else here sees a connection b/w
Pirate's Bride and Why Should I Cry For You? (the Soul Cages in general,
in fact).


Chris Adolph
cad...@rice.edu

JacobsRoom

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May 10, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/10/96
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I think the important thing to remember is the line is actually the
following:

"It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always ME that ends up getting
wet."

ME as opposed to HER...I don't think he meant anything deep or
philosophical,
but something very simple yet universally true. How many people haven't
felt
they always manage to embarass themselves by saying or doing something
stupid in front of the person they are attracted to and trying to
impress?? It's
that unsure time in the beginning stages of a relationship, or when
you're trying
to figure out if the other person fells the same as you.

That's part of the beauty of Sting's songs. For all his erudition, he
can still be
very simple and still be unique. That's much harder than the
intellectual
posturing he is frequently accussed of in the media.

Ravi Sadamitsu Hayashida

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May 11, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/11/96
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Christopher Alan Adolph (cad...@rice.edu) wrote:

: Amanda Bradford (abra...@sas.upenn.edu) wrote:
: : bers...@aol.com (Bersicker) wrote:
[a LOT omitted]
: In O My God, things don't work out as neatly. The same element
: of loneliness and (almost existential) isolation is there, but it is
: directed to an aloof God. The lines I tie most closely in this song to
: the umbrella verse are:
: Take this space between us
: Fill it up some way
: It's a cry for connection, just as the umbrella line is the desire for a
: love (which, after all, is this most vital, and strongest, connection b/w
: two souls).
While I will agree with Amanda's interpretations [and a very
thorough interpretation at that!], the symbolisms she refers to
all seem to revolve the rain. However, the umbrella itself offers
several interpretations either directly or more subtly:
Initially , an umbrella is used as a symbol [and in actuality]
for protection. Protection from what depends on the
verses prior to and those images that appear to
involve the image of the umbrella. Rain, as was discussed
previously, can be a shower of emotion of love, regret, anxiety,
even the weight of responsibility. Standing underneath the umbrella
supposedly will help protect the narrator from these emotions.
-The umbrella also is a symbol for holistic ideas and/or groups.
Basically, it's used in terms of one group or organization
being the 'umbrella group' for a host of smaller and related
organizations that have formed under the guidence and protection
of the greater organization. While this is probably a greater
stretch of meaning than necessary for our uses, the umbrella in this
interpretation becomes more of a 'Mother figure' [hmm, Mother's
Day is nearing...interesting!] to the narrator. the umbrella becomes
a source of protection and guidence against the unpredictable
devices of Mother Nature [humans vs. Nature??]...[and yet another
Mother image].

I think it would be in my best interests and those of the groups
to stop now before the interpretations become too Freudian
for my own Psyche. i probably went too far anyway.

great topic, though.

Ravi

--

dk

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May 13, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/13/96
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bers...@aol.com wrote:

>>I've heard the phrases "It's a big enough umbrella, so how come I
>>always
>>end up getting wet" two times from Sting. (the first was in the
>>Police
>>song "Every little thing she does is Magic", the second off of "ten
>>Summoners Tales, on the sone "Seven Days". Are there any other
>>appearances? What does this phrase mean, and why does he keep using
>>it?

Amanda Bradford wrote:

>Well, in addition to being in "Every Little Thing" and "Seven
>Days" , the phrase also appears in "Oh My God" off of
>Synchronicity.

It is also at the end of "If you love someone set them free" aint it?

Just Another Ant

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May 13, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/13/96
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Of course, this is only an interpretation, but after reading another's
post, a thought just occurred to me...

Now, if Sting uses the object "rain" as a symbol of falling in love or
emotions coming about, and the umbrella maintains its representation
of being a security blanket of sorts, or to develop it further, a way
of protecting you from outer elements beyond your control. What if
Sting isn't necessarily saying that no matter what happens in his
life, it's always him that ends up getting `the short end of the
stick' or hurt despite his efforts at protecting himself; but, rather
that no matter how many times he distances or protects himself (w/ his
colloquial umbrella) from falling in love (the rain), he always ends
up finding himself in love with someone. Personally, everytime I hear
the song, I think of the traditional meaning, the always getting hurt
scenario. However, I gotta say that this interpretation is
interesting, isn't it? Hmmm, lemme see if I start "seeing" this
meaning from now on :) !

Just Another Ant

Rhonda Jones

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May 13, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/13/96
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In <4mtd38$e...@larry.rice.edu> cad...@rice.edu (Christopher Alan

Well, the Soul Cages is Sting's way of dealing with the death of both
of his parents. If I remeber correctly, they died within a short span
of time and hit him rather hard. So he worked it out in song. The
whole album has a melancholy tone throughout, including "Sister Agnes
and the Runaway Train" (0ne of my personal faves.)
yontz.
>
>
>


Rimbaud234

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May 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/14/96
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I think he uses the line because after he used it for a second song (kind
of a cool idea), he got a lot of attention for it and thought, "Hey, I'll
throw it in other songs and it'll be cool". I think that's the extent of
the "meaning".

Jorge Aranda

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May 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/14/96
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> "It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always ME that ends up getting
> wet."

I'm sure that the phrase appears in at least three of Sting's
songs: Every little thing she does is magic, Seven Days, and... also in a
song of the Synchronicity album... I think it's in Oh My God or something
like that, at the end of the song...

Jorge Aranda

Bruce D. Falconer

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May 16, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/16/96
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Hey Ravi....I think you may be reading into the Sting's lyrics a little
bit too much.

estarl...@gmail.com

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Jun 17, 2017, 12:28:53 AM6/17/17
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"Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days
Since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me that ends up getting wet"

It's very clear to me.
It hit me when I was holding an umbrella for someone I loved.
I was holding it in such a way that she would not get wet -- which meant I got wet.
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