Shipbuilding

In 1982 when the Argentinian military invaded the Falklands, Britain's Northern cities were falling apart, largely due to Thatcher's economic policies. Unemployment was rising at a dizzying rate, and heavy industry was closing down whilst the new "service economy" was still decades away for anywhere outside London. Of the 1.1m jobs lost between 1980 and 1985, 1m were in the Northern half of the country. Set against this, the first thought of many working class long-term unemployed on hearing about the "Task Force" to be sent to the Falklands was that Britain would need to make more ships, and that therefore the shipyards might reopen, providing work. It is not so much that an individual father might build a ship only for his own son to die in it - more that working men were building ships that younger working class men and boys would die in. To me it sounds more than an indictment of government policy, but is also critical of the working men who turned a blind eye to this fact in order to buy "a new winter coat and shoes for the wife". I think this is one of the most powerful songs ever written, even though I think that not having experienced being a long-term unemployed man trying to provide for a family makes Costello harsher than necessary on the working man's actions.

The "back by Christmas" is (as lunaspie mentions) a cliche from WW1 (and WW2) where both conflicts were expected to be short-lived.

"..take me to task" is a pun linked to the reference by Thatcher to the fleet as a "Task Force".

This is better than the Wyatt version better than the Suede version. Simply stunning musically, lyrically and jazzy solo at the end blows your fucking socks off.

Fuck Thatcher , declan i'll help tramp the dirt down

This is one of Elvis' truely great songs: Strangely direct, evocative, plaintive, beautifully executed, as a tender ballad to a spiritually primitive mankind. This is a lament about how the common man finds himself feeling locked into an economic system which renders him a cog in a war machine; complicit in state-sanctioned mass murder. The sadness lies in the dual nature of that person; feeling trapped, while at the same time sensing that the way out of the trap is as close as their own mind and hands--and it is.

Well said Razajac. I know it was written with specific reference to the Falklands war revitalising the industry in the North.

I think one other thing is this- they're building the ships to support themselves, but then their own sons are the one's going off to die. It's a lose-lose situation for the common man.

As ever with him,a many layered song,with an air of universality to it.The Falklands yes,but also WW 1,where the troops would be home from France 'by Christmas',from a conflict partly engendered by the Dreadnaught shipbuilding race with Germany in the early 1900s.

I don't think Costello is unsympathetic to their dilemma. First line: "Is it worth it?" They're talking among themselves. They're well aware of the implications. How many employees of, say, General Electric or Raytheon possess the same consciousness?

Costello generously allowed Robert Wyatt to record this song first, when it was more topical. It became one of Wyatt's best-known performances. Not that Wyatt needed help. His critical reputation has always been impeccable, and he made the best LP of his career (Rock Bottom) while recovering from the accident which made him a paraplegic & hence no longer able to play drums.

Never looked at it that way foreverdrone - you could be right. And although I still prefer EC's version, I also love Robert Wyatt's.

Incidentally - it's probably only fair to note that the music was written not by Elvis, but by Clive Langer ("Cliff Hanger" of Deaf School fame and acclaimed producer of Madness amongst others).

That's a really great analysis, thankd for that. While written for the Falklands war, it has so much resonance with other, more current conflicts that it's scary. You absolutely MUST hear Robert Wyatt's version of this song. It will haunt your dreams.