Lyric discussion by berzerk 

Cover art for Imelda lyrics by Mark Knopfler

This song is obviously about Imelda Marcos, the wife of late Philipine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. She was famous for her shopping tours in Paris, New York, etc. in the 80s. She was said to have one of the largest collections of shoes in the world. The song depicts one of her shopping tours paid for by the Philipine people. The last line of the refrain foreshadows the revolution of 1984

hmm...i've gotta consider an interview i watched wherein he said the "Imelda" reference wasn't necessarily about her specifically; rather, it was . . . and then something i didn't quite catch. but i agree there're all kinds of reasons to think exactly what you wrote, berzerk.

p.s.--are you? =0)