The Police: Message in a Bottle Meaning

Song Released: 1979

Message in a Bottle Lyrics

Just a castaway
An island lost at sea
Another lonely day
No one here but me
More loneliness than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair

I'll send an SOS to the world
I'll send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone...

1. anonymous

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   Jun 1st 2016 !⃝

   This song was and is a cry for help by sending out a S.O.S call as the ''message in the bottle'' from this Person[most likely a boy] that had his heart broken by his then girlfriend. This boy who grew up with a loving crush for Jeannie on the ''I Dream Of Jeannie'' t.v sitcoms and relating to the space astronaut who found a bottle on the beach, where a beautiful Genie came out've it and magically fell in love with the space astronaut, granting him wishes. Now when this Person[boy] got a little older in his wild imagination and magical thinking, one day mixing too many concoctions to feel good and for some self asteem that met this young girl named ''Jeannie in real life'' who fell in love with her and dreams to be his wife one day that transported him in thoughts of ''Jeannie'' that he once loved on the t.v shows, believed that anything she would do will be magic and love that needed to be preserved and saved with love in the present ''time'' with her for a heavenly future together. Sadly for the young man the dream ended when she broke up with him, leaving him with a emty bottle, especially whenever he drank to much, thinking of Jeannie and how to send a S.O.s message in the bottle that he's in by himself now, wondering and dreaming of her to save him out of his depression and disillusionment.
2. anonymous

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   Mar 26th 2012 !⃝

   This song reminds me of my time at Hazelden. It is a treatment center for alcoholics and addicts. Most of the addicts drank heavily too so they would understand the appeal of the song "Message In A Bottle."
   
   
   My first day at "Lilly" happened to be the one day a month that the entire dorm (as a special deal) got to leave to go on a field trip. Lilly is the name for the dorm at Hazelden which houses the long-term patients. This means the severe addicts; the ones who had been through treatment 7-9 times. A standard 28 day program is not enough for these people. These women had seen and vividly described some underbellies of life that I never even knew existed. (The name "Lilly" is professing Hazelden's love for Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company.) We, the patients, were all under the impression that our field trip was going to be relaxing. We were told that we were going to see some sort of a performance at The Brave New Workshop. It is located on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis about 10 blocks from my house. (Which caused me a spectrum of fear.) All of the inmates were looking forward to a break in the routine and some laughs. I had not spoken with any of my new dorm mates much except for introductions at breakfast and a bit of chit chat on the van. Then we get to The Brave New Workshop and the news was thrown at us the WE were the entertainment. The counselors would comprise the audience. We, the patients, were the show. We were directed on to the stage in two separate lines facing each other and given instructions. The first women on stage right approached the first woman on stage left. The designated giver was to hand an air gift to the designated recipient. The recipient was told that no matter WHAT, she had to accept the gift with much gratitude and in the span of about 5 seconds, comment on what she will do with the gift, before she marches off stage to the back of the other line. Here are some examples.
   
   Giver: I am giving you genital herpes. Recipient: Thank you, I am thankful it isn't AIDS.
   
   Giver: Here is a present of cancer. Recipient: Thank you, I am going to use that to live each day to the fullest.
   
   Giver: My gift to you is vast regret. Recipient: Thank you, I'll regret my regret one day, so I will work to forget my regret.
   
   Giver: Here is a big old box of shame. Recipient: Thanks! I am going to leave that in the trash up at Hazelden.
   
   Giver: My present to you is calling you a ho for kissing your neighbor on the cheek. Recipient: Thanks. I'll try to live up to it!
   
   You get the idea. On my first day with the Lilly women, I figured it would be too much to present my fellow patients with a gift of a "delusional diagnosis". I wasn't sure how they'd receive me. I was concerned that they might not cotton to me as quickly as they hopefully would otherwise. The entire exercise made me think of my life over the past few years...
   
   Giver: Here is a gift of being bullied, abused, exploited, treated like poop on the internet. Me: Thank you! I'll develop a thick skin.
   
   Giver: Now here is a gift of treatment for three months away from your family over the holidays. (Treatment for addiction when you really were in Love and were brutally wounded from the traumas you had endured.) Me: Thanks! Great! I'll try to learn as much as I can. I'll write a lot.
   
   Giver: I want you to be considered delusional. Me: Really? I mean.. Okay, I'll start drooling and groaning immediately. Maybe I'll wet my pants for good measure.
   
   I had no idea what would be coming next in my life. I was constantly bracing myself for the worst. I was learning quickly that life- in and out of treatment -was a war zone. I learned that I needed to take each devastating blow that was being delivered at me with grace & humour and try to learn how to cope with the changes. I stayed very calm. I learned to rise above the madness and stay un-phased. I had trauma after trauma flung at me and each time I said, thanks so much. I was dealing with all of it in the most positive, healthy & peaceful way I could. After our morning at The Brave New Workshop, more than ever I realized my strength and resiliency. I felt so proud of myself that I was becoming a Brave & New Shipwreck.
   
   I think "Message In A Bottle" is just like the song Robert Shaw sung in the film Jaws....
   
   "Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I wanna go to bed. Well I had a little drink about an hour ago and it went straight to my head. Wherever I may roam, on land or sea or foam, you will always here me singing this song, 'Show Me The Way To Go Home' ".. I think Sting must have been inspired by the film Jaws when he wrote this song.
   
   I know I have been inspired by movies & music and bottles too. I hope I can find my way home someday. "Sending out an SOS"..

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