In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
He sticks to his guns
He take the road as it comes
It take the shine off his shoes
He says it's a shame
You know it may be a game
Ah, but I won't play to lose
He's burning the grass
He take up a glass
He swallow it neat
He crosses the floor
He open the door
He take a sniff of the street
And she tell him that he's crazy
She's a-saying listen baby
I'm your wife
She tell him that he's crazy
For gambling a-with his life
But he climbs on his horse
You know he feel no remorse
He just kicks it alive
His motor is fine
He take it over the line
Until he's ready to dive
And she tell him that he's crazy
Yes she's saying listen baby
I'm your wife
Yeah she tell him that he's crazy
For gambling with his life
He sticks to his guns
He take the road as it comes
It take the shine off his shoes
He says it's a shame
You know it may be a game
Ah but I won't play to lose
He sticks to his guns
He take the road as it comes
It take the shine off his shoes
He's too fast to stop
He take it over the top
He make a line in the news
He take the road as it comes
It take the shine off his shoes
He says it's a shame
You know it may be a game
Ah, but I won't play to lose
He's burning the grass
He take up a glass
He swallow it neat
He crosses the floor
He open the door
He take a sniff of the street
And she tell him that he's crazy
She's a-saying listen baby
I'm your wife
She tell him that he's crazy
For gambling a-with his life
But he climbs on his horse
You know he feel no remorse
He just kicks it alive
His motor is fine
He take it over the line
Until he's ready to dive
And she tell him that he's crazy
Yes she's saying listen baby
I'm your wife
Yeah she tell him that he's crazy
For gambling with his life
He sticks to his guns
He take the road as it comes
It take the shine off his shoes
He says it's a shame
You know it may be a game
Ah but I won't play to lose
He sticks to his guns
He take the road as it comes
It take the shine off his shoes
He's too fast to stop
He take it over the top
He make a line in the news
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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As a lifelong avid motorcyclist, I remember realizing back when the song came out that the line "he just kicks it alive" referred to kick starting a motorcycle. Long after that I learned more about Mark Knopfler I found out that he is also an avid car and motorcycle fan / rider. Also, Dire Straits was originally called the Cafe Racers, referring to the (somebody from the UK help me out here) culture of riding / racing motorcycles around from cafe to cafe in the evenings in London and so on. So to me the song has always been about a cafe racer type guy who may have been riding a little impaired - "He’s burning the grass He take up a glass He swallow it neat" and ended up crashing and possibly getting killed. The line "You know it may be a game But I won’t play to lose" may refer to actual legitimate motorcycle racing, I sometimes have imagined an actual rider in the Isle of Mann TT... many riders have gotten killed at that event and ended up "a line on the news".