| Mark Knopfler – Haul Away Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The story told in Haul Away is not immediately apparent as (like in other MK songs) it is masked a bit by the lovely music and clever writing. The story begins clearly enough with the falling overboard of a sailor but the first clue that this may be no ordinary accident is the opening line that it was a windless night. You might expect such a fall to occur in a storm but not in calm seas. The next clue is the narrator's comment "You never were a steady bold one" which reveals a bit of his feelings toward the unfortunate victim. Another clue is the use of "ah" in the line "I gave my hand, Ah but you did slip." This indicates a certain degree of resignation over the incident - as if the narrator doesn't feel quite so bad about the event. He certainly never expresses any sadness about it. Why would he feel that way? The answer is in the next verse which turns, rather abruptly, from talk of the accident to the narrator's wife. He speaks of her beauty and says his wedding ring is a heavy gold one - an interesting way of stating how strongly he feels about his commitment to her - particularly so with the use of "heavy." The very next line takes us back to the drowned sailor. On the album Mark sings: "Now you lie alone" (not "lay" as shown in the lyrics above) as if to indicate the other fellow may have once laid next to the narrator's wife (or at least tried to) and has now paid for his indiscretion with his life. There's also the double meaning of "lie" in this case - a comment on the deceitful actions of the victim - just as the line "...and you're a cold one" may well be commentary on the actions of the dead man. The closing verse and the lines about how the morning brings a new start and ends the doldrums (an end to both windless weather and to the narrator's depression) indicates he's putting things behind him and ready for a fresh start with his wife upon his return home. So with all that, and getting back to that first verse, the question becomes did the fellow really fall? Or did he have a little help on the night he "left the ship?" |
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