I listened to this song many times years ago without understanding the meaning. Then I moved to London and visited Greenwich with the reference to the Cutty Sark in this song in the back of my mind. Listening to the song and reading the lyrics I later realised that it all makes sense now. If you are ever in London, visit Greenwich, take a copy of the lyrics to this song and see how many references you can find.
This is my interpretation:
The "dry-dock town" is Greenwich in London and the river is the Thames. The "Little gypsy moth" is Sir Francis Chichester's Gipsy Moth IV in which he circumnavigated the globe single handedly. The boat is quite small and is overshadowed by the impressive "Cutty Sark" tea clipper which is also in dry dock nearby.
At the time Knopfler wrote this song, the Gipsy Moth IV was in a dry dock at Greenwich "she’s all tied down", "a sailing ship just held down in chains" and slowly rotting away in quite a poor state "lying there in silent pain" after years of neglect and walked on by millions of tourist feet "He lean on the tourist trail".
I am not sure who the "mother and her baby" are but the "college of war" is the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.
The second half of the song seems to have darker overtones. Chichester hated the boat ("hey man, what do you call this thing") and said 'Gipsy Moth IV has no sentimental value for me at all' ("he could have said 'pride of London'") and sold it for 1 pound and a gin and tonic.
In June 2005 the Gipsy Moth IV was relaunched after a full restoration and is now sailing around the world again, this time crewed by a group of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sailing away in the dark.
I listened to this song many times years ago without understanding the meaning. Then I moved to London and visited Greenwich with the reference to the Cutty Sark in this song in the back of my mind. Listening to the song and reading the lyrics I later realised that it all makes sense now. If you are ever in London, visit Greenwich, take a copy of the lyrics to this song and see how many references you can find.
This is my interpretation:
The "dry-dock town" is Greenwich in London and the river is the Thames. The "Little gypsy moth" is Sir Francis Chichester's Gipsy Moth IV in which he circumnavigated the globe single handedly. The boat is quite small and is overshadowed by the impressive "Cutty Sark" tea clipper which is also in dry dock nearby.
At the time Knopfler wrote this song, the Gipsy Moth IV was in a dry dock at Greenwich "she’s all tied down", "a sailing ship just held down in chains" and slowly rotting away in quite a poor state "lying there in silent pain" after years of neglect and walked on by millions of tourist feet "He lean on the tourist trail".
I am not sure who the "mother and her baby" are but the "college of war" is the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.
The second half of the song seems to have darker overtones. Chichester hated the boat ("hey man, what do you call this thing") and said 'Gipsy Moth IV has no sentimental value for me at all' ("he could have said 'pride of London'") and sold it for 1 pound and a gin and tonic.
In June 2005 the Gipsy Moth IV was relaunched after a full restoration and is now sailing around the world again, this time crewed by a group of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sailing away in the dark.
@Skippy19 The Mother is he Cutty Sark, the Daughter the Gypsy Moth IV. (Ships are always female to sailors, recall).
@Skippy19 The Mother is he Cutty Sark, the Daughter the Gypsy Moth IV. (Ships are always female to sailors, recall).
Nice explanation of all the environmental stuff.
Nice explanation of all the environmental stuff.
Sorry for the spelling mistakes. Bad carpal tunnel in effect.
Sorry for the spelling mistakes. Bad carpal tunnel in effect.