June 11, 2009

Theme Thursday - Swing



You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowin' Dixie double four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring

And now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Comin' in out of the rain you hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Oh but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south, way on down south London town

You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't wanna make it cry or sing
Yes and an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doin' alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Savin' it up for Friday night
With the Sultans... with the Sultans of Swing

And a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans... yeah the Sultans play Creole

And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
'Goodnight, now it's time to go home'
And he makes it fast with one more thing
'We are the Sultans... We are the Sultans of Swing'

Mark Knopfler/Vertigo Records

Please check out the other, more prompt, participants at Theme Thursday.

18 comments:

Brian Miller said...

better late than never and DIre Straights at that! got a cassette tape of one of their albums for christmas and remember thinking...what is this? but it got wore out. happy TT!

The Silver Fox said...

I remember when that song came out. Several people said, "Hey, Bob Dylan has a new release?" And then it seemed like almost every musician with a recording contract wanted Mark Knopfler to play guitar on their LPs.

Sandra Leigh said...

Hmmmm. Blogger couldn't complete my request the first time, or so they said.

What I said was, you may be late, but you knocked it out of the park with this post. What a beautiful, mesmerizing performance. Thank you.

tony said...

I'm Not A Big Dire Straights Fan But I Love The Early Stuff such as this!
Funny enough,I was humming this Toon all yesterday!
Have AQ Fine weekend
regards
T.

sallymandy said...

Classic and just as great as ever!

Baino said...

I went to see Dire Straits years ago, I was quite the fan but found them so boring on stage. Why? Because they were perfect, technically perfect . . no live flaws . .it was like watching an MTV video.

Tom said...

yeah, that's a cool classic!

Susan said...

Ah, Mark & the boys. And someone complains about perfection? I find that hilarious.

My memory of one DS concert is a crazed scene in Jerusalem with protests: people on all sides hating them, those of us at the concert...maybe one needs to be in the middle of about-to-be-mayhem to appreciate a calmer, more "perfect" performance. And yeah, yeah, I "get" it, I know what Baino means, theoretically.

Still. After years of enduring the gripes of friends about "[insert name/group] sound nothing like they do on record/cd/cassette..." my sympathies are wearing thin on this score. Man, can't win for losing.

H-pup, though I can't watch the video due to dial-up, I don't need to...I can see it all--perfectly.

Spot on. And btw, congrats on the Ducking Stool.

xo

Kat Mortensen said...

I have always loved this song! Excellent! I don't know how we forgot it.

I love where the Knopfler voice takes the turn at "And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene" sooo good!

Oh, and that one word "Creole" is wow!

Have you seen "Local Hero" CP?

Kat

The Clever Pup said...

Hi Kat, yup I've seen Local Hero a few times. Is Knopfler's music in it?

I have not seen Cal although we do have the soundtrack. And of course, Princess Bride.

ramidonya said...

I love this song so much. Makes me think of rainy days devouring books in my childhood home in Victoria...very nostalgic. I was little when this album came out, but my dad was cool to the music of the moment...lucky me!

Mrsupole said...

Hi Hazel,

Just sitting here listening to the song is great. Although it is sometimes hard to understand all the words, so I appreciate that you wrote them down.

I am so bad with the words to songs. When I see the words written done to some songs, I am shocked at what I had thought the words were for years. Might be why I cannot sing.

God bless.

Marie Reed said...

ooor... I can just keep scrolling and rock out to Dire Straits!! Love it!

Megan said...

I can't believe I didn't think of that song until just now when I came over here. I love that song!

Kat Mortensen said...

Oh, yes. Knopfler's music is all through "Local Hero". I've seen "Cal", but don't remember too much about it. "Princess Bride" was eons ago for me.

Kat

ratatouille's archives said...

Hi! Clever,
Nice post!...Thanks for sharing!
The video and the lyrics...I don't
live by time, but action..In other words, I try not to worry!(small things) and I
try to rush!(What will be..will be)...both are impossible to accomplish, but believe me I'am working on it!
DeeDee ;-D

ratatouille's archives said...

Hi! Clever pup,
Oops! I have to correct a typo!
"and I
try "not" to rush!(What will be..will be)..."

Wow!...I just noticed your paintings...(really I noticed them before, but this is my first time
complimenting you, on your artwork.)
Your paintings are really nice!...very "Hopperesque"
Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee ;-D

Ronda Laveen said...

Nice post pup. This time I didn't have any trouble getting in.