(9) Silver Eagle (5:01)

[Mossguitar]

Maybe it is obvious, but can someone tell me what a "Silver Eagle" actually is? And his Silver Eagle passing... What is passing?

Thank you

I think "Silver Eagle" is Bob Dylan's tour bus.   

"Silver Eagle" is a make of motor coaches. So I guess the song is about some bus driver, and has nothing to do with Bob Dylan.

[yontwocrows]

Wrong. It has to do with Bob Dylan. This is a quote from Rolling Stone Magazine, interview with MK:

Notoriously fastidious, Knopfler says he has Bob Dylan to partly thank for Tracker. Knopfler toured as Dylan's opening act in Europe in 2011, followed by a swing through the States the following year. Two songs on Tracker, "Silver Eagle" (named after the iconic line of tour buses) and "Lights of Taormina," were written during those dates. "I wouldn't have written those songs without doing two tours with Bob on buses," he says.

During those tours, Knopfler would often join Dylan and his band for the first four songs of Dylan's set, playing along with "Tangled Up in Blue," "Things Have Changed," and other Dylan songs. "Bob was quite thoughtful about it," Knopfler says. "I'd play and then change my shirt and jump with Bob and his band. I'd play about four songs and then I'd get on my coach and get on down the road and get a running start on Bob. Then they'd get on their buses and come on down the road after us." (In the CD booklet for Tracker, Knopfler included a photo of him and Dylan at the microphone, from earlier tours, as a nod to those collaborations.)

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/hear-mark-knopfler-tracker-new-album-20150313#ixzz3WWCvThqv

[Jarle]

Maybe it is obvious, but can someone tell me what a "Silver Eagle" actually is? And his Silver Eagle passing... What is passing?

Thank you

I think "Silver Eagle" is Bob Dylan's tour bus.   

"Silver Eagle" is a make of motor coaches. So I guess the song is about some bus driver, and has nothing to do with Bob Dylan.

Mark said that this song came out of the Dylan tours, where they were touring in buses. I think it is about some artist in general, not necessarily Dylan, who is back in a place where he once knew someone. These lines gives a hint that the person is an artist, standing on the stage in front of a sea of faces:

At his feet a sea of faces
Make devotions with their love
Clap their hands and plead their cases
Call for blessings from above

[Justme]

To me, it is another song that works on many levels.

Sure, Mr. Bob D has his appearance in it ("At his feet a sea of faces[...]". But somehow it strikes me, that also the driver, or another passenger of the Silver Eagle gets in the spotlight here. Imagine this: MK travels with BD in his silver eagle. One night MK takes a seat alongside the bus driver and they start a conversation: "Ahh, I used to have a girl here....", and so on.

Could this be possible?

[Mossguitar]

Ok, maybe "nothing to do with" was a bit too strong, but I still don't believe the song is about His Bobness and his bus. It's obvious that BD, the bus rides, the tours and the situation inspired MK to wright the song, though.

[Lis]

I apologize for not researching this first, but hoping someone has an easy answer...  Did Bob/Mark also use the Silver Eagle in Europe, or was this just a N America thing?   

[Slavi]

The lyrics and musicarrangments on this song are very moving. I don't know what it exactly is that brings tears in my eyes but for me one of my favorites from this album.

Listening the whole day...can't stop! Definitely my favorite from the album along My Herat Never Change! ??

[Rkd]

I apologize for not researching this first, but hoping someone has an easy answer...  Did Bob/Mark also use the Silver Eagle in Europe, or was this just a N America thing?   

Well Lis, I am not really answering your question, but it brings to mind an observation I made at one of the concerts in NA. We were all standing in the lobby, waiting to be allowed into the hall and were actually being treated to MK's sound check (Kingdom of Gold, no less) when a big, silver/black bus drove right past where we were standing and someone in the crowd stated, "Here comes Bob." I could be wrong but I never got the idea that Bob and Mark traveled together "on the bus". MK and Company had their set of buses and the Dylan folks moved in a parallel universe, so to speak.

[yontwocrows]

In an interview Mark referred to when he played the few songs in Dylans set. MKs Band had a runner with their cars, and Mark had a runner together with Bob Dylan and Band in their Busses after the Dylan set. So according to Mark, there were times when they shared bus travels.

[Jarle]

The lyrics and musicarrangments on this song are very moving. I don't know what it exactly is that brings tears in my eyes but for me one of my favorites from this album.

Listening the whole day...can't stop! Definitely my favorite from the album along My Herat Never Change! ??

Same here, Slavi. My two favourites

[Slavi]

The lyrics and musicarrangments on this song are very moving. I don't know what it exactly is that brings tears in my eyes but for me one of my favorites from this album.

Listening the whole day...can't stop! Definitely my favorite from the album along My Herat Never Change! ??

Same here, Slavi. My two favourites

Hehe, it's great!
Must admit over the years I love more and more MK's slow and tenders songs ??

[dmg]

The lyrics and musicarrangments on this song are very moving. I don't know what it exactly is that brings tears in my eyes but for me one of my favorites from this album.

Listening the whole day...can't stop! Definitely my favorite from the album along My Herat Never Change! ??

Same here, Slavi. My two favourites

Hehe, it's great!
Must admit over the years I love more and more MK's slow and tenders songs ??

That's a sign of old age Slavi!    Listen to the faster songs and stay young at heart! 

[Slavi]

The lyrics and musicarrangments on this song are very moving. I don't know what it exactly is that brings tears in my eyes but for me one of my favorites from this album.

Listening the whole day...can't stop! Definitely my favorite from the album along My Herat Never Change! ??

Same here, Slavi. My two favourites

Hehe, it's great!
Must admit over the years I love more and more MK's slow and tenders songs ??

That's a sign of old age Slavi!    Listen to the faster songs and stay young at heart! 

Well, agree! But especially in Tracker imho the slow songs are better if we even could talk about faster here. Still listening often ( and dancing at) Don't You Get It...another one my all time favorite. 

[dmg]

That's a sign of old age Slavi!    Listen to the faster songs and stay young at heart! 

Well, agree! But especially in Tracker imho the slow songs are better if we even could talk about faster here. Still listening often ( and dancing at) Don't You Get It...another one my all time favorite.

I sometimes try to second guess Mark's thinking - is he saying to himself that his fans aren't allowed to listen to rock tunes at their care homes?  Mustn't get the old dears too excited or they'll never get them to bed so easy listening only.  We still wanna rock Mark! 

P.S.  Keep dancing!

[Marikablue]

The lyrics and musicarrangments on this song are very moving. I don't know what it exactly is that brings tears in my eyes but for me one of my favorites from this album.

Listening the whole day...can't stop! Definitely my favorite from the album along My Herat Never Change! ??

Same here, Slavi. My two favourites

Hehe, it's great!
Must admit over the years I love more and more MK's slow and tenders songs ??

That's a sign of old age Slavi!    Listen to the faster songs and stay young at heart! 

Well, agree! But especially in Tracker imho the slow songs are better if we even could talk about faster here. Still listening often ( and dancing at) Don't You Get It...another one my all time favorite.

Lovely that you like Don't You Get It.....Marks guitar is on fire in that song