A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Marijo58 on November 04, 2014, 04:59:51 PM
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Hi everybody, Have anyone of you heard what gave MK the idea to write this song? I'm very interested in knowing why he wanted to talk about our famous Little Corporal from Corsica mainly because I'm french and Bonaparte is a part of our history!! Thanks... ;)
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I have no idea, Anyone else perhaps....
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There was Golden Heart interview CD somewhere, I assume Mark said something about Bonaparte there, but can't find it in my collection.
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mark was reading a book which was all about the diaries of a soldier during that terrible war,he says he wrote the song after reading the diaries,i think the book may be called "diaries of a napolionic footsoldier" or something similar
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Thanks a lot for your answers!! I guessed that it was probably the result of a book or a historical documents's reading because I heard that he often composes songs with this method but I wasn't
sure!!! Anyway I simply like very much this song!!! :wave
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Marijo58 :) I like your avatar :D :D :D thanks for using it :D
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I don't want to spoil the party but I'm done with Bonaparte.....
glad it's not on the setlist anymore....
;)
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Marijo58 :) I like your avatar :D :D :D thanks for using it :D
Thanks Knopflerized!!!!! Yes I like it very much as well!! You're french that's great and you're like me you prefer to use the english corner!! Merci beaucoup. Nice to meet you!!!! :wave
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I don't want to spoil the party but I'm done with Bonaparte.....
glad it's not on the setlist anymore....
I can understand that you don't like the song because everybody can't like the same songs, it would be boring on a Forum!! No worry about that Zeeley, you must have your reason for not liking Done with Bonaparte, do feel free to tell us why!!! :wave
;)
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I don't want to spoil the party but I'm done with Bonaparte.....
glad it's not on the setlist anymore....
;)
That was not the question anyway.
LE
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I don't want to spoil the party but I'm done with Bonaparte.....
glad it's not on the setlist anymore....
;)
:lol :lol
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I always wondered if the title means "made" or "tired"
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I always wondered if the title means "made" or "tired"
Finished with, fed up with, had enough of, etc! :)
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Bonaparte is a kind of song which I never heard a good cover-version of. The illusion of simplicity.
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I always wondered if the title means "made" or "tired"
I think Jbaent that it means that he got tired to fight for Bonaparte's tremendous ambition who killed a lot of people!! So he had enough!! This part of Napoleon Ist history was the worst because the french soldiers were not used to the cold weather of Russia and they suffered a great deal then many died!!!
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Here's a piece about the songs on GH. Also made me think DWB had a parallel with DS being on long tours and referring to Ed Bicknell, MK was tired of it all!
http://www.oocities.org/shoaib_knopfler/interview/golden.html (http://www.oocities.org/shoaib_knopfler/interview/golden.html)
:)
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Thanks Sak4 for the link to the interview on Golden Heart's tracklist!! Really interesting and it confirms what I thought about how he got the idea to write Done with Bonaparte!!!!
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I always wondered if the title means "made" or "tired"
Finished with, fed up with, had enough of, etc! :)
for many years, I thought it was the former : "made". meaning his life had been "made" through Bonaparte's wars. His life has been all the way "directed" governed" "conducted" by Bonaparte
but now I am discovering the right meaning...thanks Superval
why is the english learning so bad in France's schools.... :smack
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http://youtu.be/cOaytyiWuXw
Here is a very well done video on You Tube!!!
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I always wondered if the title means "made" or "tired"
Finished with, fed up with, had enough of, etc! :)
for many years, I thought it was the former : "made". meaning his life had been "made" through Bonaparte's wars. His life has been all the way "directed" governed" "conducted" by Bonaparte
but now I am discovering the right meaning...thanks Superval
why is the english learning so bad in France's schools.... :smack
I shouldn't worry too much about French teaching, JF. Your English is extremely good, no matter what you may think! :thumbsup
I do, however, worry about the English taught in British schools, particularly grammar and spelling. ;)
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I agree with superval. Grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence construction in English have all been neglected in schools over here.
Creativity and expressing one's feelings have been encouraged, which is great, but it has been at the expense of the "nuts and bolts" of the language. At times, it has resulted in a lack of clarity in meaning and understanding and the need to re-read a sentence several times in order to divine exactly what the writer is trying to convey.
You need to know, to understand and to apply the "rules" of a language before you can go on to break those "rules" in order to increase the impact of what you are writing.
The difference between everyday spoken English and more formal written English has been underplayed in schools, not to say ignored.
I love the English language - its vast vocabulary, its many different words with similar but slightly different meanings, its pliability, its regional and national variations (some expressive words used in Scotland but rarely elsewhere, for example), its ability to absorb from other languages, the way it evolves and develops and so on - but I do wish that some of its more formal aspects were better understood and applied.
Good grief, I sound like an old fogey! Perhaps that's my role from now on - grumpy old man!
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If you are a grumpy old man, then I am the grumpy old woman! ;D
One of my biggest gripes is "could of", "should of", etc!
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This is very interesting, but of course it's also daunting to non English-speaking people like me. The problem is, you don't know if you made a mistake or not - ;D and of course no one should hestitate to post at AMIT only because his or her writing skills are not excellent..
There are helpful tools like LEO, but sometimes the effort has to stand back on hehalf of a fast, fitting and flowing forum post..
Facebook is a painful source for all kinds of misspelling and lazy use of 've or 's..
But generally, the level and quality of AMIT postings is very high, compared to many German spoken forums I got insight in..
LE
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LE, I have the highest regard for all of the posters on this forum, especially those for whom English is not their first language. It never ceases to amaze me how well they all speak/write English. I wish I could speak German as proficiently as you speak English, for example! ;D btw I think twm's post explained it all perfectly! ;)
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Thanks (but I was not fishing for compliments here), it is really hard work sometimes.. harder than it looks.. but of course, when it comes to MK stuff, working never is a great barrier.
But AMIT is also a great source of learning it, alongside.
I remember sitting in Oberhausen in the Irish Pub 2011, before the Bob show, sitting there at a table with three or four different languages.. speaking German, listening to Dutch, French, English speaking people at the same minute, Mr. Pottel speaking three languages at least, trying to answer in English... my head was swirling and I only had a cup of coffee! :o ;)
LE
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.. but of course, when it comes to MK stuff, working never is a great barrier.
LE
Yes, I agree! I always read (and try to understand) the comments on the German Amazon site and then use the translator to see if I was anywhere near correct! Sometimes I surprise myself! ;D
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I learned a lot (and I am still learning) about english language, just by reading and posting here :)
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My previous post was solely about what I regard as the decline in the teaching of English language skills in schools in this country and the resulting "errors", large and small, that I see and hear almost daily here.
I am all for breaking "rules" - when appropriate to emphasise a particular point and when done knowingly - but I fear that the "errors", the "rule breaking" to which I refer, were made out of ignorance of the basics of English.
By the way, if any non-native English speakers reading my previous post interpreted it as a sleight on their contributions to this forum, rest assured that the thought was not in my mind. Indeed, I am humbled by your proficiency in English.
I will go further and add that, within "Dylan World", I have had overseas contacts talk to me about the standard of English exhibited by some of our native English speakers. When a "foreigner" comments on the poor English of someone born, bred and educated here, it must surely show that something is seriously amiss.