Songfacts®:

• This was the third single from the Soul Cages album. Although it didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, it did peak at #7 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #9 on the Modern Rock chart.
• The roots of this song are buried in British folklore. Sting explained in Lyrics By Sting: "There is an old British folktale about the souls of the dead being kept under the sea in the lobster cages of a creature who is half man, half fish. Anyone who dares try to free the souls of the dead must go under the sea himself and drink with the creature. If he drinks him under the table, the souls will go free. If, on the other hand, the creature prevails, the challenger will be imprisoned forever in the cages at the bottom of the sea. You need a strong stomach to treat with this creature."
• This won the first Grammy Award in the inaugural Best Rock Song category in 1992, beating Metallica's "Enter Sandman," Jane's Addiction's "Been Caught Stealing," Bryan Adams' "Can't Stop This Thing We Started," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Learning To Fly," and Queensryche's "Silent Lucidity."