Sting: Moon over Bourbon Street

There’s a moon
Over Bourbon Street tonight
I see faces as they pass
Beneath the pale lamplight
I’ve no choice
But to follow that call
The bright lights, the people
And the moon and all
I pray everyday
To be strong
For I know what I do
Must be wrong
Oh, you’ll never see my shade
Or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon
Over Bourbon Street

It was many years ago
That I became what I am
I was trapped in this life
Like an innocent lamb
Now I can never show
My face at noon
And you’ll only see me walking
By the light of the moon
The brim of my hat
Hides the eye of a beast
I’ve the face of a sinner
But the hands of a priest
Oh, you’ll never see my shade
Or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon
Over Bourbon Street

She walks everyday
Through the streets of New Orleans
She’s innocent and young
From a family of means
I have stood many times
Outside her window at night
To struggle with my instinct
In the pale moonlight
How could I be this way
When I pray to God above?
I must love what I destroy
And destroy the thing I love
Oh, you’ll never see my shade
Or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon
Over Bourbon Street

(1986)