1
I am just an aging drummer boy
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune to many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father, please hear my confession
I have legalized robbery
Called it belief
I have run with the money
I have hid like a thief
Rewritten history with armies and my crooks
Invented memories
I did burn all the books
And I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Well, I've tried to be meek
I have tried to be mild
But I spat like a woman
And I sulked like a child
I have lived behind walls that have made me alone
Striven for peace
Which I never have known
And I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Well, the sun rose on the courtyard
And we all did hear him say
"You always was a Judas,
But I got you anyway.
You may have got your silver
But I swear upon my life
Your sister gave me diamonds
And I laid down with your wife."
Oh father, please help me
For I have done wrong
The man's too big
The man's too strong
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune to many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father, please hear my confession
I have legalized robbery
Called it belief
I have run with the money
I have hid like a thief
Rewritten history with armies and my crooks
Invented memories
I did burn all the books
And I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Well, I've tried to be meek
I have tried to be mild
But I spat like a woman
And I sulked like a child
I have lived behind walls that have made me alone
Striven for peace
Which I never have known
And I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Well, the sun rose on the courtyard
And we all did hear him say
"You always was a Judas,
But I got you anyway.
You may have got your silver
But I swear upon my life
Your sister gave me diamonds
And I laid down with your wife."
Oh father, please help me
For I have done wrong
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by OtterSpotter, KoosG
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I was thinking about this song- thought it was about the human condition to do evil deeds, with "the man" being Satan, but after reading this last log, I think I might agree it was about Goebbels. The lyric that makes me think it's about being evil, is "Your sister gave me diamonds, and I gave them to your wife". I think Knoffler perhaps was writing about Goebbles and Hitler, but it could still be the evil condition that some are atracted to. "The man" is probably Hitler, but possibly might be Satan as well. The lyric "You always was a Judas, but I got you anyway" could refer to----- ??????? now I',m confused- it was Herman Hess that parachuted into England. Not Goebbels. Could the song be about Hess, Goebbels, Satan, or someone else. I think it's about choosing between evil and good. Starts with a druumer boy, and ends in the time of Christ. It's certainly open to interpretation. The man that sings the song in the first stanza is not the one in the last.