Fragile

'Fragile' opens with an image of blood drying in evening light, the stains washed away by tomorrow's rain whilst something permanent remains in memory. Sting frames the song around a central assertion: that nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could. The lyric moves from visceral detail to a plea for remembrance, the refrain built on the phrase "how fragile we are" repeated over the image of rain falling like tears from a star. The track appears on '...Nothing Like The Sun (Expanded Edition)', where Sting's lyricism finds its clearest expression on a handful of songs including this one. The album's political engagement runs through several tracks, though here the focus narrows to a quieter meditation on human vulnerability rather than direct protest. The repetition of the title phrase anchors the song's structure, the gentleness of the delivery carrying the weight of the argument against force.