As a lifelong avid motorcyclist, I remember realizing back when the song came out that the line "he just kicks it alive" referred to kick starting a motorcycle. Long after that I learned more about Mark Knopfler I found out that he is also an avid car and motorcycle fan / rider. Also, Dire Straits was originally called the Cafe Racers, referring to the (somebody from the UK help me out here) culture of riding / racing motorcycles around from cafe to cafe in the evenings in London and so on. So to me the song has always been about a cafe racer type guy who may have been riding a little impaired - "He’s burning the grass He take up a glass He swallow it neat" and ended up crashing and possibly getting killed. The line "You know it may be a game But I won’t play to lose" may refer to actual legitimate motorcycle racing, I sometimes have imagined an actual rider in the Isle of Mann TT... many riders have gotten killed at that event and ended up "a line on the news".
As a lifelong avid motorcyclist, I remember realizing back when the song came out that the line "he just kicks it alive" referred to kick starting a motorcycle. Long after that I learned more about Mark Knopfler I found out that he is also an avid car and motorcycle fan / rider. Also, Dire Straits was originally called the Cafe Racers, referring to the (somebody from the UK help me out here) culture of riding / racing motorcycles around from cafe to cafe in the evenings in London and so on. So to me the song has always been about a cafe racer type guy who may have been riding a little impaired - "He’s burning the grass He take up a glass He swallow it neat" and ended up crashing and possibly getting killed. The line "You know it may be a game But I won’t play to lose" may refer to actual legitimate motorcycle racing, I sometimes have imagined an actual rider in the Isle of Mann TT... many riders have gotten killed at that event and ended up "a line on the news".