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After two thousand came two thousand and one
To be the new champions we were there for to run
From springtime in Arizona 'til the fall in Monterey
And the raceways were the battlefields and we fought 'em all the way
Was at Phoenix in the morning I had a wake-up call
She went around without a warning put me in the wall
I drove Long Beach, California with three cracked vertebrae
And we went on to Indianapolis, Indiana in May
Well the Brickyard's there to crucify anyone who will not learn
I climbed a mountain to qualify I went flat through the turns
But I was down in the might-have-beens and an old pal good as died
And I sat down in Gasoline Alley and I cried
Well we were in at the kill again on the Milwaukee Mile
And in June up in Michigan we were robbed at Belle Isle
Then it was on to Portland, Oregon for the G.I. Joe
And I'd blown off almost everyone when my motor let go
New England, Ontario we died in the dirt
Those walls from mid-Ohio to Toronto they hurt
So we came to Road America where we burned up at the lake
But at the speedway at Nazareth I made no mistake
To be the new champions we were there for to run
From springtime in Arizona 'til the fall in Monterey
And the raceways were the battlefields and we fought 'em all the way
Was at Phoenix in the morning I had a wake-up call
She went around without a warning put me in the wall
I drove Long Beach, California with three cracked vertebrae
And we went on to Indianapolis, Indiana in May
Well the Brickyard's there to crucify anyone who will not learn
I climbed a mountain to qualify I went flat through the turns
But I was down in the might-have-beens and an old pal good as died
And I sat down in Gasoline Alley and I cried
Well we were in at the kill again on the Milwaukee Mile
And in June up in Michigan we were robbed at Belle Isle
Then it was on to Portland, Oregon for the G.I. Joe
And I'd blown off almost everyone when my motor let go
New England, Ontario we died in the dirt
Those walls from mid-Ohio to Toronto they hurt
So we came to Road America where we burned up at the lake
But at the speedway at Nazareth I made no mistake
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The beginning of the season (or life) is full of hope, a new chance is there. You have a long way to go to archive happiness.
The first things don't come easy. Once you realize that, that's the wake-up call. Then there is the struggle to make things better, but at first, you don't succeed. You'll get the three-cracked-vertibrae.
Then it all goes on, and it seems to get better, but some people dear to you may get lost... And then you see the improvement...
You'll get better, almost get your successes that you need so badly, and the joy in life, but not quite, your motor let you down... But you're still strong, and the last few knocks don't really bother you... Because at the end, at the Speedway at Nazareth, you made no mistake... You won, and everything was complete.
Conclusion: The meaning of the song, is that at the end, everything will be fine... Just don't give up!!
And this because of this moral it is my all-time favorite song.
One thing I would personally add, is that end destination "Nazareth". I think it's a metaphor for heaven (As Nazareth has a biblical connotation as well).
In light of that I feel that the song talks about how people chase after happiness all their lives, how they feel that happiness can only be obtained by racing harder and harder to get success in the eyes of the world... where, in my opinion anyways, true happiness is only found when you reach heaven on earth (God's presence in your life).
Like I said, this is what I take away from the song. Absolutely amazing how Knopfler can extract so much feeling and symbolism, never mind the fact that the guitar work itself tells a story all of its own!
The championship chase is largely a survival and endurance ordeal for the mid to lower-echelon car/driver teams.
The reverence for Indy is right on target. There is so much to learn from every veteran you can corner for a beer or coffee, and every practice lap. Try going 230mph and make a nano mistake - you are toast.
Scott Dixon ran in the CART races in 2001, but his victory at Nazareth came in early May (6th), before Indy. He finished on the lead lap at Toronto and Mid-Ohio, so he must not have hit the wall hard enough to make it hurt.
But, as a fan of open-wheel racing, I must congratulate Mark on giving me a glimpse of the grind that drivers feel as they go through a season. Just to keep at it and take away the one time you made no mistake as the shining moment, that is why so few can do what these guys do. (Sorry, Danika).
First, Dale Earnhardt died in the first NASCAR race of the year in February 2001 in Daytona, before springtime and the first race mentioned in the song.
Second, there's only one race in Indianapolis, Indiana in May, probably the most famous race in the world, the Indy 500. In 2001 that was an Indy Racing League (IRL) race, in which CART racers were allowed to compete, and one won the race.
NASCAR does race at Indy, but in August.
The other track locations in the song hosted CART races (except Arizona) in 2001, most also NASCAR. Toronto has a CART race but never NASCAR.
For non-racing fans, the Brickyard is a nickname for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a reference to a time when it was actually paved with bricks. Gasoline Alley is the garage area.
"So we came to Road America where we burned up the lake" - The Road America race runs at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Just a coincidence, but the winner of the 2001 CART race at the Speedway at Nazareth was Scott Dixon. Interesting (to me, anyway) on an album that features a song about the surveyor Jeremiah Dixon.