Sumner's Tales: Sting talks...

"'The Soul Cages' is an old British folk tale I remembered from bring a child and I wrote the song - there was nothing else to call the record. I think it's a powerful image. The folk tale is about the souls of the dead being kept under the sea by an old fisherman and if you want to free the souls of the dead you have to go under the sea yourself and drink with him. If you drink him under the table the souls will go free. If he drinks you under the table he keeps you forever in a lobster cage. I think that says something about death. What it's saying is that to understand about death you have to die a little bit yourself. It might say something about drink too, but I won't go into that! But once I'd written that song, it was going to be the album title."
'The Soul Cages' Promotional Interview Disc, '91

The title track from 1991's 'The Soul Cages' album is a strong rocker which was released as single which sadly failed to dent the top 50. An excellent video was shot for the song, but sadly it is rarely seen. Each of the five different official,UK release featured a live version of 'Walking In Your Footsteps' recorded during the '...Nothing Like The Sun' tour, but it is the 12" releases that contain most excitement. One features a live version of 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' and the other, a limited edition tour pack, has an excellent medley of 'The Lazarus Heart/Too Much Information', again from the 'Sun' tour. Acoustic versions of the 'Soul Cages' track also exist, perhaps best is the version recorded at the Buddle Arts Centre in Wallsend in 1991, and which can be found on the 'Seven Days' CD single. The song won the Grammy in 1991 for "Best Rock Song".