Dire Straits – The Man's Too Strong

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  General Comment:It's Oliver fecking Cromwell you goons.

  Flag commoduson August 21, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:The man is the Devil. I'm surprised nobody mentioned this.

  Flagged piperfooton June 01, 2012   Link

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    Nobody except for FirstPrinciple... oops.

    Flag piperfooton June 01, 2012  

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    hahaha :)

    Flag thnks0fr0th0mmrson June 01, 2012  

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    I'm surprised at the lack of knowledge in this thread. Are you all American or has British education really fallen so low?
    
    It's Oliver fecking Cromwell you goons.

    Flag commoduson August 21, 2012  
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  General Comment:First - I think the person singing is like many have noted - a War Criminal - I think some sort of Dictator - but in any case someone with a lot of power to influence (Burn Books, Remake history with propaganda etc...)
  I think it's pretty likely that "The Man" is Satan (I am an agnostic - so I don't usually look to biblical references).
  I think the Singer/Protagonist was finally caught (brought to justice) - and he is giving his final confession to a priest (or God) having been turned in by one a Traitor (Judas) who was paid in Silver for betraying him.
  The Singer/Protagonist when In the courtyard - about to be executed - and having given his final confession - turns to his betrayer (Judas character) - and in one Final act of Sin (In front of the entire onlooking crowd) - tells his Judas that while Judas may have got his Silver for the betrayal - the Protagonist had Already committed a much worse Sin/Betrayal of having "Relationships - Sex" etc...) with Judas' Daughter who gave him Diamonds - Which he then gave to Judas Wife - Probably the most Painful act of betrayal a human could perform - and proving that Satan is to Big and Strong to be resisted even seconds before the singer dies.

  Flag FirstPrincipleon March 10, 2012   Link

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  Song Meaning:Basicly the same message than on "Ride across the river". It really looks MK was inspired by the thing. Pure duality about what's wrong and right on wars. He can be just a drummer boy or a dictator, it doesn't matter. The guy also is confessing, both interrogued (when he calls god in torture sessions, which might mean he apealed to that reasons for what he did, both being tortured or applying torture himself, again intentional ambiguity)and to God (father) at the end of the song, and whe he says "The man's..." he refers to the human being on the whole, obviously included himself. The confession itself is maybe a realistic thing or even a cinical one which the song would be criticising. MK very usually impersonates (as the one who tells the story) the one the song is criticising. This one, Ticket to heaven, RATR, All the songs about "jerks" as himself says, etc.. In fact very few times he takes a 3rd person point of view, as in "Iron hand", where he seats apart, watches and tells, probably because it's about a particular fact that impressed him so much.
  In this one, I don't think there's forgiving for the baddie.
  BTW, sometimes live "I gave 'em to your wife" ends it with a "...with your wife", but I can't understand the verb, I mean it'd be as "I spent them"... anyone knows? cheers

  Flag sapitoon January 23, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I've always seen it as any one of the lunatics who have lead nations, or been senior in the hierarchy. It seems like the confession allowed to the condemned, the court yard being where the gallows are.
  
  The Man is mankind. Mankind is too strong, and always beats the dictators eventually. In the end even his sister and wife betrayed him.

  Flag LastHussaron December 30, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:To me, the confessor is humankind and its attempts to reach God through religion and the man is Jesus, who's truth continues, in spite of all their misdeeds

  Flag btrollon October 08, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I recall hearing a radio programme about Brothers In Arms in the 1980s. Mark Knopfler said of this son that it was about someone who he felt had done him some kind of wrong. Rather than pursuing the grievance, he decided to leave it this person's conscience. The song came from imagining a war criminal who was looking back on his life and remembering the wrong he'd done and thought he'd gotten away with. That level of meaning is fairly obvious from the lyrics.
  
  I have also heard a rumour about who the person Knopfler was thinking about is. I don't want to name him, because it is just speculation, but having heard the rumour I looked again at the lyrics. This is someone who Knopfler worked with in the early 80s and probably had some kind of falling out with. The most obvious references in the lyrics are to 'the man' and 'Judas'. This person had also undergone a religious conversion at the time he was working with Knopfler.
  
  As I say, it's just speculation.

  Flag JasonDJon August 14, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:LEGALIZED ROBBERY AND CALLAD IT BELIEF , sound like what Scientology is all about to me , INVENTED MEMORIES , another Scientology gimmick .

  Flag workdogon August 01, 2011   Link

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  Song Meaning:There really are some odd conspiracy theories in some of these explanations! ‘The Man’ is, I’d say fairly obviously, the narrator’s own psyche – the wicked not-so-subconscious that motivates all the wicked things he has done – most of which are entirely metaphorical – and reflect the way the other, guilty, side of the narrator’s psyche haunt him as he wrestles with his conscience.
  
  There are, to the best of my knowledge no references to religion or personal faith in any of Knopfler’s songs. As far as I can tell Mark is at least agnostic and possibly an atheist – again I don’t ever recal him offering a single comment or observation about faith in any interview – and I doubt very much that there is any specific religious intent in this song. Moreover as pointed out – he’s English – and one thing we *do not do* as a nation is wear our faith on our sleeves – even those very few who would even protest to religious belief. So even if I’m wrong about Mark’s religious belief I can’t imagine that he would ever express it so overtly and clumsily as suggested. What he is is a song-writer and lyricist of some genius and he is capable of using multiple layers of imagery drawn out from numerous sources within human expression and experience and weave them into his lyrics to express what he wants to say. That’s what poets and artists do. That some of those reference religious imagery is not an indication of faith but of an understanding of, and a need to portray, the confusion that exists in the minds of most us when we consider such things as morality, right and wrong, our mortality and the consequences of our actions.
  
  Which, coincidentally, is what the song is about. I think it's best to try not to interpret it literally.

  Flag oldoneeyeon July 21, 2011   Link

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  My Interpretation:I think it's about a natzi soilder, thinking about what he did in the WWII. Now he's being prosecuted for the things he did under order from Hitler and his men. He didn't agree with these things but what could he do Hitler was too big, too strong. When he is interogated he rats everybody else out-being Judas. He was rewarded for that but that didn't make him feel better so he kills himself.

  Flag rock13on April 05, 2011   Link

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    I think he's partly talking about someone he knowns about, and partly telling a fairy tale. A good way to tell a good song. Might be about Satan, Goebbles, Hess, Hitler, or someone else. Fill in the blank for yourself.
    

    Flag loderunneron March 30, 2013  

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