“Every Breath You Take” Lyrics & Meaning (The Police)

Every Breath You Take by The Police is one of the most famous love songs ever written.

Except it’s not a love song. Not at all.

But it has often been treated as such, in movies, at weddings, etc.

It is still often seen as a love song today. Could it be that it actually is a love song?

No. And there is no doubt.

Certain lines in the lyrics make it blatantly obvious what the song is about.

Plus, Sting himself has explained the Every Breath You Take lyrics meaning on multiple occasions. Often with a bit of frustration.

We’re going to clear this up once and for all right here. Keep reading to learn the true meaning of the lyrics to The Police’s Every Breath You Take.

 

Every Breath You Take Lyrics And Meaning

At first listen, you might think that Every Breath You Take by The Police was a love song. However, Sting has confirmed that this top hit is anything but a song of love and romance.

Every Breath You Take is about an obsessive person, a stalker, who is trying to control someone. Despite objections, Sting is adamant that the song is meant to be sinister.

The lyrics are describing the feelings of a jilted lover who is expressing his jealousy. He doesn’t want to (or can’t) let her go and spends all his time watching her.

While there was some confusion over the meaning of the song, it didn’t stop it from becoming a hit. Sting wrote the song in 1982 and it was released on the album, Synchronicity in 1983.

Every Breath You Take is now known as The Police’s signature song and is ranked number 84 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 

The Police broke up shortly after this song was released. There is speculation that the members’ disagreements were somehow connected to the production of “Every Breath You Take”, but it seems that they were having issues before Sting wrote this song.

Let’s take a closer look at the lyrics, before diving in and analyzing their meaning. We’ve also got the music video for this song.

 

Every Breath You Take Lyrics

Verse 1

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you
Every single day
And every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I’ll be watching you

Chorus

Oh, can’t you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take

Verse 2

Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you

Bridge

Since you’ve gone, I’ve been lost without a trace
I dream at night, I can only see your face
I look around, but it’s you I can’t replace
I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please

Chorus

Oh, can’t you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take

Verse 3

Every move you make
And every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you
Every move you make
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you
I’ll be watching you

Outro

(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I’ll be watching you

(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I’ll be watching you

(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake)
I’ll be watching you

(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I’ll be watching you

(Every breath you take)
(Every move you make)
(Every bond you break)
(Every step you take)
I’ll be watching you

(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I’ll be watching you

(Every move you make)
(Every vow you break)
(Every smile you fake)
(Every claim you stake)
I’ll be watching you

(Every single day)
(Every word you say)
(Every game you play)
(Every night you stay)
I’ll be watching you

 

Every Breath You Take Meaning

I am always surprised when I hear someone refer to this as a love song. As we will now see, the lyrics make it quite obvious that it is about a stalker with an unhealthy, creepy, and probably dangerous obsession with a woman. Let’s take a closer look at some key lines.

I’ll be watching you
Every breath you take, every move you make

This is the lyric that caused the most confusion over the intent of the song. At first, several fans thought this was a romantic line. A man in intense love is so enamored with his lover that he can’t stop looking at her.

However, Sting has been firm in his correction of this interpretation. This line is referring to a stalker. A man is watching every move of a woman without her knowledge. It is a sinister statement that implies she will never be able to escape him.

I look around but it’s you I can’t replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace

These lines show the obsession the man has with the woman he is watching. He doesn’t believe he can live without her and wants her back.

This part of the song seems like a request or pleading. He is begging her to come back. While still creepy, these lines are some of the few in the song that don’t seem threatening. 

Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you

This line connects back to the idea of jealousy. He doesn’t believe the woman is happy with her new lover and is faking the romance. Since this song has several obsessive overtones, it would be safe to assume that he thinks she is pretending to love another man to make him jealous. 

Oh, can’t you see you belong to me?

Here, the obsession becomes blindingly clear and makes us wonder why anyone believed this to be a love song. This line clearly shows that he feels he has possession of this woman and her feelings.

There is an underlying threat in this line that implies he will do anything to get her back. Whether she wants to be with him or not, he will find a way for them to be together.

Every game you play
Every night you stay
(I’ll be watching you)

This line is an admission that he is watching her. His love is staying with someone else and he is watching them. It seems that he is staying outside wherever they are and waiting to watch her come and go. If nothing else, this line very clearly shows this song is about a stalker.

 

Every Breath You Take Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

The Police had many hit songs, but none was bigger than Every Breath You Take. But the song was always just as misunderstood as it was popular. Surprisingly so, to be honest.

If you listen to the lyrics, it seems very apparent that this is not a love song. Add to that Sting’s explanation of his lyrics, and there is no reason this misunderstanding should continue. This is a great song, but it is a song about a stalker, not a song about true love.

That said, everyone is free to take whatever meaning they want from a song. That is one reason we included this song in our list of great detective songs. It works for an investigator, too.

We also listed Sting in our article on lead singers who also play bass. Of course he had to have a spot on that list, right?

Another non-love song that is often misunderstood comes from UK band Procol Harum. We examine the Whiter Shade Of Pale lyrics meaning in this article.

We also wrote about another song about a loser, though one in which the artist sings about himself in a self-deprecating way. See our article on the Beck Loser lyrics meaning for more.

For an actual love song, though it also has a bit of creepiness in the lyrics, see our analysis of Meat Loaf’s I Would Do Anything For Love and its lyrics’ meaning.

And finally, a love song about a toxic relationship full of domestic violence. Check out our look at the lyrics and meaning of Cherry Wine by Hozier.