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Cleaning My Gun Lyrics
I keep a weather eye on the horizon, my back to the wall
I like to know who's coming through the door, that's all
It's the old army training kicking in
I'm not complaining, it's the world we live in
Blarney and Malarkey, they're a devious firm
They'll take you to the cleaners or let you burn
The help is breaking dishes in the kitchen - thanks a lot
We hired the worst dishwasher this place ever got
Come in below the radar, they want to spoil our fun
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun
Remember it got so cold ice froze up the tank
We lit a fire beneath her just so she would crank
I keep a weather eye on the horizon, tap the stormglass now and then
I've got a case of Old Damnation for when you get here, my friend
We can have ourselves a party before they come
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun
We had women and a mirror ball, we had a dee jay
used to eat pretty much all that came his way
Ever since the goons came in and took apart the place
I keep a tyre iron in the corner, just in case
I gave you a magic bullet on a little chain
to keep you safe from the chilly winds and out of the rain
We're gonna might need bullets should we get stuck
Any which way, we're going to need a little luck
You can still get gas in Heaven, and a drink in Kingdom Come
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun
I like to know who's coming through the door, that's all
It's the old army training kicking in
I'm not complaining, it's the world we live in
They'll take you to the cleaners or let you burn
The help is breaking dishes in the kitchen - thanks a lot
We hired the worst dishwasher this place ever got
Come in below the radar, they want to spoil our fun
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun
We lit a fire beneath her just so she would crank
I keep a weather eye on the horizon, tap the stormglass now and then
I've got a case of Old Damnation for when you get here, my friend
We can have ourselves a party before they come
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun
used to eat pretty much all that came his way
Ever since the goons came in and took apart the place
I keep a tyre iron in the corner, just in case
to keep you safe from the chilly winds and out of the rain
We're gonna might need bullets should we get stuck
Any which way, we're going to need a little luck
You can still get gas in Heaven, and a drink in Kingdom Come
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun
Song Info
Submitted by
dogswede On Sep 10, 2009
More Mark Knopfler
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My read on this great song is that Knopfler is juxtaposing thoughts of a vet with those of an Irish terrorist, showing their common ground. Tanks vs tire irons....staying below the radar....having a party before they go...all visions that could apply to vets coming from or off to war, or terrorists plotting their attacks. The 'case of old damnation' is genius...it is also "case the whole damn nation" alluding to the terrorist plots. All in all I think this is unsurpassed in the amazing Knopfler catalog...Dire Straits included.
@mikekelsey This guy Kelsey is a music genius!
@mikekelsey This guy Kelsey is a music genius!
I feel like some of you guys are overthinking this to find some deeper meaning. Knopfler likes to writes songs about reality or realistic situations (even more now in his older years). I think he is singing about a situation where he runs a club that used to have a "mirror ball" and a DJ, and was popular, until some gangsters came in and damaged the place and scared the patrons. His reference to the "firm" of "Blarney and Malarkey" (Irish terms) is probably a tongue-in-cheek reference to Irish goons who were demanding payment for the club to stay in business and then wrecking the place when they didn't get paid. This is why Knopfler says they will "take you to the cleaners or let you burn". In other words, the extortion payments will be so high you can't make a profit, and if you don't pay, they'll destroy the place (figuratively, "let you burn"). The reference to "a case of Old Damnation" is definitely reference to whiskey. There are a number of cheap brands that are not high quality and they all start with the name "Old" (e.g., Old Crow, Old Forester, Old Grand Dad, Old Overholt, etc., etc.) and they've been around for generations. The bottom line is that as a club owner, he cannot afford to pay the extortion money, and law enforcement either cannot or will not do anything. So, he is going to have to confront them when they eventually come to wreck the place (or worse) for him not paying. That is why he now has a tire iron in the corner, and why he keeps repeating that he's keeping his back to the wall, his eye on the door, and cleaning his gun. He's expecting the person he is singing to to be making a visit to provide support. He figures the bad guys, when they come, will come in force, which is why he says they will need bullets and a little luck. He is not happy about the situation, but is resigned to do what it takes to survive, which is why he says, at the end of the first verse: "I'm not complaining. It's the world we live in."
@gordon1025
@gordon1025
@gordon1025 Agree completely with your interpretation. It's not allegorical but - like "5:15 AM" - it's a ballad. It tells a story, straight up. A great song
@gordon1025 Agree completely with your interpretation. It's not allegorical but - like "5:15 AM" - it's a ballad. It tells a story, straight up. A great song
@gordon1025 And the club owner is an Army veteran - it's the old Army survival training guiding his behavior - so it's about a vet too. As is true of so many of this brilliant poet/lyricist's ballads, there are at least two layers of meaning. What an amazing person; writes songs like this and plays guitar like that!
@gordon1025 And the club owner is an Army veteran - it's the old Army survival training guiding his behavior - so it's about a vet too. As is true of so many of this brilliant poet/lyricist's ballads, there are at least two layers of meaning. What an amazing person; writes songs like this and plays guitar like that!
He has said that this song is from the vet's viewpoint, the survivor's viewpoint. And also that he's a veteran at the 'music thing'. And even if the lyrics is about military, can it might be metaphorically a part from his own view.
in my interpretation it is about a guy who has stopped serving in the army, but his time in the army has made him suspicious, paranoid.. He hopes for a good future, but is very aware of all the possible dangers that he and his partner(s) might be confronted with..
I think this would make a wonderful bit of soundtrack for the 2013 movie The Colony, where a new ice age makes life a bit difficult ;-)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1160996/
It's commentary on oppressive government in general. Many veterans don;t trust the government...they see the hypocrisy a little clearer I think. But to me the song is about personal response to a growing tyranny.
What is Old Damnation? It sounds like vernacular for something and yet a Google search reveals little of use. I've seen it posited that this refers to a case of ammunition for the coming battle against Blarney & Malarkey. Yet somehow, I sense he is more likely talking about a case of whiskey.
I wonder if this guy is the flip side of the burnt-out vet in "Donkeytown."
Well, in the light of the latest happenings, and metaphorically speaking, this song could easily be about Britain's attitude towards the rest of Europe. Just look, "I like to know who's coming through the door" - and most of us do like to know who these asylum seekers really are, are they all genuine? "We hired the worst dishwasher" - could be referred to lots of unskilled workers who moved to the UK over the recent years. "Come in below the radar, they want to spoil our fun" - yep, they came in, and nobody noticed before there were too many. I don't want to say that was Mark's intention, but it certainly rings some bells if you give it some thought.