Questions about lyric of Lions

[Straitian]

Sorry for my poor english

I have had difficulties in understanding certain things in the letter of Lions:

Crazy shoals?>> When it says> "Starling are sweeping around" like crazy shoals
? he refers to what they eat dirt?

Plays it chime? "Nobody cares to depend upon the ..." Chime to play is the alarm clock of the church?


Congregations late again?>> Would ironically faithful late again because of the prayer by train?

Flagpoles days? "It's getting darker all the time ..." but what would be Flagpoles days?

Then she read about the swing to the Right? He is reading about something related to politics?

Some knowledgeable of the DS and expert in obscure aspects like this could help give me a better understanding of this fantastic song, no doubt is in my top Five ^ ^

(And if you can, feel free to explore further details of this song will be welcome and constructive)

Many thanks! 

[Straitian]

What happened to the expert in Dire Straits? allen, Pottel, IrisRose, dustyvalentino...
can you give me a light?
Still awaiting!

[Ian Lewis]

I will try my understanding, doesn't mean it is right though!

"Crazy shoals" - I thought it was 'crazy shows', but having checked the internet for lyrics it does appear to be 'shoals.'. In which case I can't make sense of it, as a shoal is basically a sandbar from what I can find.  I have always thought it was 'crazy shows', as Starlings can fly in quite large flocks and change direction almost all at the same time.  It is quite some display.

"Chime it plays" - I believe Mark is saying no one is depending on the church bell chimes for the train because the train will be late whatever.

"Congregation late again" - Just refers to the train being late again.

"Flagpole days." - Not entirely sure.  Could refer to the time of year.  It's getting dark early?  Could be winter and therefore the flags blowing around in the wind?  In fact if you look at the first verse "Wind it blows around in her hair and the flags upon the poles."

"Swing to the right." - I agree with you, it is related to politics.

Hope this helps.

[dustyvalentino]

Need to listen to the song again and report back.

Don't consider myself an expert though.

[Justme]

I may be wrong there, but isn't flagpole days referring to the time around Remembrance Day in November?

[Love Expresso]

Starlings are sweeping around crazy shoals

is the original line. If you change it in

Starlings are sweeping around, and it looks like crazy shoals

maybe it gets clearer then? The starling is a migrant bird, (although in Great Britain it is a sedentary bird, which means he doesn't leave the country during winter. Migrant birds however congregate in September and start to fly away during autumn, which would also connect to the flagpole days - Remembrance Day.)

Chimes it plays can't be seen without the rest of the sentence:


Church bell clinging on just a-trying to get a crowd for Evensong
Nobody cares to depend upon the chime it plays

refers to a real church. Maybe even Westminster Abbey? To show the real city situation in the middle of London. MK really has a way to describe time and place of a song situation from the first album on. Evensong at Westminster Abbey  is at 5:00 pm, which is a perfect time for leaving off work and going home like this high heel lady is obviously doing. And because of the rush hour, all those pedestrians end up at the tube, praying for trains, but the train is late again.
 
LE

[dustyvalentino]

Crazy shoals?>> When it says> "Starling are sweeping around" like crazy shoals
? he refers to what they eat dirt?

OK, all this is just my opinion

Shoals I see the birds moving together like a shoal of fish.

Plays it chime? "Nobody cares to depend upon the ..." Chime to play is the alarm clock of the church?

Well the chime is the church bell, "nobody cares to depend upon the chime it plays" I read as "nobody depends/cares about the church anymore". This ties to the church bell "clinging on".

Congregations late again?>> Would ironically faithful late again because of the prayer by train?

I see the "congregation" in this case as the crowd waiting for the late train.

Flagpoles days? "It's getting darker all the time ..." but what would be Flagpoles days?

Don't know what flagpole days are. You used to get flag days in Britain which were charity collection days, but never heard of flagpole days.

Then she read about the swing to the Right? He is reading about something related to politics?

Yeah, politics, apparently there was a swing to the right in the Dutch elections last week.

[mr2bur]

In past discussions various people have commented that this song is literally an observation by MK of London's Trafaglar Square. I tend to agree. See:

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858496086/ and
http://www.markknopfler.com/forums/31/9301/ShowThread.aspx about half way down the page begins the discussion of Lion.

I believe the shoals lyric has to do with how the starling bird(s) rapidly change direction in mid-air much like water currents shift over shoals. Or perhaps since it was a windy day the water in the fountain pool was rippling as if there were shoals under it and the birds were sweeping close to the moving water.

The observation about the chime indicates that no one is going to the Evensong service, but rather everyone is trying to get to home via train at one of the tube stations, hence the reference to the late congregation may refer to the commuters being late and hurried for their trains.

Flagpole days, not sure what this is either - perhaps related to flag days when the Union Jack could be flown on government buildings? Darker all the time - maybe related to the general economic and welfare climate of the late 1970's.

Swing to the right - perhaps a reference to the political activities leading up to the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the UK in 1979?



 

[Love Expresso]

Boy, do they have long topics on MK.com forum! 

LE

[Jules]

Sorry for bringing up this old topic...

I was thinking that I read once that Lions was a late song, that it was written when recording the first DS record at Basing Street, or very short after, but I can't find where I read that...

Anyone remembers?