"Somewhere there are Brownings in a two-hand hold,
Cocked and locked, one up the spout."
Another lyric indicating that Ian Anderson is somewhat more erudite than most rockers when it comes to firearms (see my offering under "I'm Your Gun" for some technical details). As if I needed another reason, this solidifies Tull and Ian as my favorites - an enthusiastic following which now spans 50 years of my life.
This lyric refers to the Browning P-35 or "High Power" 9mm pistol, initially developed by American firearms genius John Moses Browning as the intended successor to his very successful M1911 .45 caliber pistol, which had been adopted by the US military as its standard issue sidearm in 1911. The Browning High Power first saw service during WW2 and was the issued sidearm to the British SAS at the time. The High Power is a single action semi-automatic pistol, meaning that the hammer must be cocked to the rear manually or by movement of the slide for each round to be fired. "Cocked and locked, one up the spout" refers to the ready condition of the pistol, which means the hammer is back (cocked), the safety on (locked) with a live round chambered (one up the spout).
"Somewhere there are Brownings in a two-hand hold, Cocked and locked, one up the spout."
Another lyric indicating that Ian Anderson is somewhat more erudite than most rockers when it comes to firearms (see my offering under "I'm Your Gun" for some technical details). As if I needed another reason, this solidifies Tull and Ian as my favorites - an enthusiastic following which now spans 50 years of my life.
This lyric refers to the Browning P-35 or "High Power" 9mm pistol, initially developed by American firearms genius John Moses Browning as the intended successor to his very successful M1911 .45 caliber pistol, which had been adopted by the US military as its standard issue sidearm in 1911. The Browning High Power first saw service during WW2 and was the issued sidearm to the British SAS at the time. The High Power is a single action semi-automatic pistol, meaning that the hammer must be cocked to the rear manually or by movement of the slide for each round to be fired. "Cocked and locked, one up the spout" refers to the ready condition of the pistol, which means the hammer is back (cocked), the safety on (locked) with a live round chambered (one up the spout).