This Blue Line (The Police Song)

The Story Behind the Song

A tribute to the people who answer when something has already gone wrong -- the toll of the job, the bond between people who've seen the same things, and the quiet cost of showing up for tragedy again and again. It doesn't shy away from how heavy that repetition gets; the "thin blue line" here is less a slogan than a description of how thin the margin actually feels from the inside.

Performances

Sadie McCoy's "Hers" edition performs the same twelve songs with her own vocal performance; per-track durations for her edition aren't published yet.

Lyrics

(Oooh-ahhh... Ahhh-ahhh-oooh...) Some are born with fire in their veins, Chasin’ down thunder, outrunnin’ the rain. Some are kids of the ones who stood before, Swearin’ their oaths on a courthouse porch. Some are broken souls still reachin’ up for the light, Gettin' dragged through Hell in the still of the night. When this big broken world turns away from the call, That thin blue line holds it together for us all. Standin’ with the law, I found my band of brothers, Got all these scars tryin’ to keep ‘em off others. We’ve seen too much pain and a thousand cryin’ mothers, Give it a little time… and we’ll be holdin’ up another. Blue lights pierce the night of an empty street, Rollin’ so fast you get sucked back in the seat. Throw it in park and step out on the scene, A hundred folks around but nobody saw anything. Another shout echoes, then it dies in the dark, Leaves a hurt in your bones and a weight on your heart. Another cry for help fades in the midnight air, But we’re holdin’ the line ‘cause somebody’s gotta care. Standin’ with the law, I found my band of brothers, Got all these scars tryin’ to keep ‘em off others. We’ve seen too much pain and a thousand cryin’ mothers, Give it a little time… and we’ll be holdin' up another. Standin’ with the law, I found my band of brothers! Got all these scars tryin’ to keep ‘em off others! We’ve seen too much pain and a thousand cryin’ mothers! We know all too well... there’ll always be another... (Oooh-ahhh... Ahhh-ahhh-oooh...)