| Mark Knopfler – Haul Away Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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Ostensibly, this song refers to a timid sailor who has gone overboard and drowned, possibly by suicide, while the narrator, who offered to help him, is returning after the voyage to his beautiful gal and happy marriage. The meaning underneath is likely a reference to Knopfler's ex- and current wives. He gave his ex-wife his hand (in marriage), but she did something (slipped) to destroy it, leaving the ship (their marriage), and now she lies cold and alone (in her bed, not in the ocean). Knopfler, on the other hand, is happy and secure in his next relation-"ship" (I feel like that pun was probably intentionally implied by Knopfler) that he feels lucky to be a part of. (At the point that the song's album was released, Knopfler had been married to his new wife for quite some time.) The heavy gold ring, not only a symbol of a strongly committed marriage also echoes the "Golden Heart" necklace from another of his songs about her. It's also interesting to note that these slow, Celtic-inspired ballads of Knopfler's tend to be intensely personal in nature, like "A Night In Summer Long Ago," a song about Knopfler's knight-like (yes, double meaning of "night") pledge to his lady. "Piper to the End" is another one, about Knopfler's uncle who died in WW2. |
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