Songfacts®:

• Written by Sting and Police drummer Stewart Copeland, this is the seventh track on the Ghost in the Machine album. The song is about how we can become disconnected from our humanity when placed in certain situations, like a police officer who takes on a different persona when he puts on the uniform, or a factory worker who can't see the result of his labor.
• The line "They kick a boy to death 'cause he don't belong," from the first verse was inspired by a real-life tragedy that unfolded near Sting's home when a gang of skinheads kicked a young man to death. Sting remembered in Lyrics By Sting: "It was around the time my first son was born. When you become a father for the first time, peace and nonviolence becomes even more of an imperative."
• This was featured in the 1984 comedy Bachelor Party, starring Tom Hanks.