Inspired by the story of King David and Bathsheba, the song belongs to the concept album 'The Soul Cages' by Sting.

Listen to the unplugged version here with a brief explanation of the song by Sting himself.

A stone's throw from Jerusalem
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
And through a million stars were shining
My heart was lost on a distant planet
That whirls around the April moon
Whirling in an arc of sadness
I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand
And fall into the sea
I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you

And from the dark secluded valleys
I heard the ancient songs of sadness
But every step I thought of you
Every footstep only you
And every star a grain of sand
The leavings of a dried up ocean
Tell me, how much longer?
How much longer?

They say a city in the desert lies
The vanity of an ancient king
But the city lies in broken pieces
Where the wind howls and the vultures sing
These are the works of man
This is the sum of our ambition
It would make a prison of my life
When you became another's wife
With every prison blown to dust
My enemies walk free
I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you

And I have never in my life
Felt more alone than I do now
Although I claim dominion over all I see
It means nothing to me
There are no victories
In all our histories, without love

A stone's throw from Jerusalem
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
And through a million stars were shining
My heart was lost on a distant planet
That whirls around the April moon
Whirling in an arc of sadness
I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you

And though you hold the keys to ruin
Of everything I see
With every prison blown to dust,
My enemies walk free
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand
And fall into the sea

I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you

I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you

Taken straight from the Bible, Sting discusses the appeal of Biblical stories, and this story in particular, saying: "These stories of murder and obsessive, jealous love appeal to me for some reason".

The imagery of this song is particularly vivid, with the structure of the poetry and the repeated verses echoing the chiasmic structure of the Bible. It also brings a particularly human element to the story. David and Bathsheba is one of the most famous "love stories" in the Bible, but the actual language is extraordinarily dry and passionless. Why would the king commit such a terrible crime? "And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent [it] by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die" (2 Samuel 11:14-15).

Sting gives us a glimpse inside the heart of what made this most favored son of God fall. "But every step I thought of you, every footstep only you. And every star a grain of sand, the leavings of a dried-up ocean. Tell me how much longer? How much longer?"