This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing Dixie, double four time
You feel alright when you hear the music ring
Well now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain they hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Uh but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south
Way on down south
London town
You check out guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind, it's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
They said an old guitar is all, he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind, if he doesn't, make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the Honky Tonk like anything
Savin' it up, for Friday night
With the Sultans
We're the Sultans of Swing
Then a crowd a young boys they're foolin' around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playin' band
It ain't what they call Rock and Roll
And the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole
Creole
And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
"Goodnight, now it's time to go home"
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
"We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing"
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing Dixie, double four time
You feel alright when you hear the music ring
Well now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain they hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Uh but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south
Way on down south
London town
You check out guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind, it's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
They said an old guitar is all, he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind, if he doesn't, make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the Honky Tonk like anything
Savin' it up, for Friday night
With the Sultans
We're the Sultans of Swing
Then a crowd a young boys they're foolin' around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playin' band
It ain't what they call Rock and Roll
And the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole
Creole
And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
"Goodnight, now it's time to go home"
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
"We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing"
Lyrics submitted by Novartza, edited by jan1097800
Sultans of Swing Lyrics as written by Mark Knopfler
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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There was an actual jazz band that mark knopfler had witnessed playing in a dingy local pub in south london, near to where he was living at the time.
And there really were just a few lads playing pool in the corner. ignoring the band as it played on regardless, until finally announcing " Thank you for coming along we are ..The Sultans Of Swing !"
I suggest we track down that original band, get them back together. and have them record their own version of this classic song.. maybe mark could even guest on it with them !
THANK YOU!! I've come on to pretty much say exactly that. As a song MEANINGS website, I'd expected everyone to have written that but instead people are leaving comments such as "great song", "Amazin' solo" etc. The only thing missing from your meanings is that he had no intention of going into the pub but wanted to take shelter from the London rain... but that's not really relevant except it directly addresses the line "Coming in out of the rain they hear the jazz go down".<br /> <br /> BTW, (for everyone else who may have been offended) I'm not suggesting this isn't a great song or an amazing solo as I've just finished learning it on guitar but that's not the really the point of songmeanings.net
@TheMindField Hi, the pub was Oxford Arms and was on the corner of Crossfields estate Deptford. The estate was a ‘hard to let’ council estate and mostly occupied by young sharers, a lot of them having just left home or university and trying to find their way. The flats were rough, very basic small kitchen and a bathroom with just a bath no wash hand basin. No central heating and a fireplace in the front room. Yes it was dire, but it was very cheap when you shared the cheap rent between 3! This afforded you the joy to grab a pint just before closing time most nights just before 11pm. Anyway, on most weekday evenings you would find me and my mate w in the Oxford Arms playing pool and feeding the jukebox. Our favourite was Hotel California -Eagles. And yes we were almost always wearing brown bell bottom trousers cos that was considered smart at the time, we both had good jobs. We were rock and roll obsessed and my mate had just bought a sunburst telecaster guitar for about £75 which was a lot in 1977. Anyway as I remember it, in the Oxford arms which was a small pub, this group was playing and we thought they were awful, just from a different time from us, we just ignored them and played pool. It was raining hard and a guy came in on his own, wet and he was wearing an unusual hat, he started talking to us and I can’t remember exactly what we talked about but he definitely wasn’t a lad from south London. He didn’t hang about but we did have a reasonable chat before he left. I never made the connection until a year or so ago as I never really listened that hard to the song. It’s very possible that we were the drunk yobbos he referred to. Marks brother lived in Tanners Hill estate and the Oxford arms was about midway between the two, so it’s all possible. So that's my little story, not saying it’s anything to do with Sultans but it just possible.<br /> My mate was one of the few who went to the Crossfields music festival and said Dire straits were excellent. Dire straits continued to live in Farrer House for years even when they were famous! Their 2 big white VW lorries would be parked outside most nights which I found amazing coz they must have been pulling in good money. Well we all moved on, none more so the Dire Straits who became world renowned and rightly so.
This is a great song which captures what music is all about. It doesn't matter what your position is, or the wins and losses; all that matters is playing the music and feeling the soul of the song. It's not about fancy guitars, record deals, insane soloing, pleasin' the ladies; it's about feeling the music and playing with heart and soul.
@abuseforapie Amen.
OMG!! This is the songmeanings website!! You post the meaning of the song. It´s not the write your age and say what you think of the band/artist.
Relax, many comments on this forum aren't discussing the meaning. They're discussing its meaning to themselves. You could ditch the 'OMG' and all the exclamation marks - sentences carry their weight just fine without them, everything looks full of rage otherwise. Take it easy.
It's about the grass roots of music - these guys who aren't trying to become famous or make lots of money out of music. They are just there for the love of the art and to try and make the lives of people around them brighter.
I think it's a beautiful celebration of this kind of part time musician, there is a certain romance about playing your music just for pure enjoyment.
It's a cold and rainy night in London. A man is out walking south of the river, perhaps through Battersea Park towards Brixton when suddenly he hears music coming from a local pub. It's the sound of a band playing jazz - it's fast and it sounds great and makes him feel good.
He goes into the pub. There aren't too many people in there taking shelter from the rain to listen to the band. There's too much competition from places playing trendier music. But the sound coming from the saxophone and trumpet is fantastic - a bit of the American deep south right here in London.
He watches the guitar player - he's playing some fruity jazz chords - rhythm guitar is his thing, leaving the soloing to the horns. The band don't make much and the guitar is old and battered.
The piano player doesn't mind if they don't make the big time - he's got a decent job and happy to wait for Friday night to let rip with the band. He's a brilliant player.
There's a crowd of young trendy boys in the corner - drunk and messing about. They don't care about the band, they don't get this music. The band play on - this tune now Louisiana creole.
And then, as the bell behind the bar rings to signal last orders, the lead band member announces that the next tune will be their last. '"We are the Sultans of Swing" - he says as the band play one more tune, hard and fast.
This is my favorite song of all time along with Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd...The intro is just amazing i really feel alright when I here this song...I remember many years ago when my dad would play it on the cars CD player and Id tell him that Dire Straits, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin and many other Greats sucked and that Linkin Park and all the new rock bands are better and he'd laugh at me and say "when u grow up ull understand" and I do now and laugh at how stupid I was back then
PS: for those who didn't listen to the Alchemy live version of the song I recommend u do its out of this world..the whole alchemy live is amazing
@ktk2002 After you listen to their Alchemy live there is no going back. It's a solid 5 minutes of that amazing riff and it is amazing. You can really feel the song.
Sultans of Swing, Alchemy Live, July 1983 @ Hammersmith Odeon....
Bloody Hell! Fantastic!
If it doesn't make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, then you've got no soul... it's out of this world and makes me smile from ear to ear totally involuntarily, and bop around with the rhythm.
Just incredible. I haven't figured out the meaning of this song yet, but to be honest, it's one of those rare few that don't need a meaning... just listening to them for the sheer musical prowess is enough.
I can only thank my Dad for getting me interested in Dire Straits when i was a very young child... it's a love of music that I hope will never leave me...
Guitar George and Harry - - - -
ever heard of the band THE EASYBEATS thats who Mark is talking about.
George Young - Guitarist Harry Vander - Guitarist
Two of the savours of rock and roll in Australia. George Young is Angus Youngs older brother and Harry and George were main push in recording ACDC.
Yeah!
One of the best songs ever made. :)
During the week these guys, they do the usual things, go to work etc., and then on the Friday night they go play at the local club, they don't care how old the equipment is, or whos listening to them or not, they just go there to play, You know? It's what they do.
P.S. I love Dire Straits. I'm 18, and I likethis way better than all that new age crap out there at the moment.