A Mark In Time

Previous Albums => Tracker (2015) => Topic started by: shangri la 1 on February 22, 2015, 03:02:05 AM

Title: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: shangri la 1 on February 22, 2015, 03:02:05 AM
(http://amarkintime.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3806.0;attach=1412)
Mighty Man (Mark Knopfler)


LYRICS
   A room on the top floor
And the chest all but knackered
Two fingers not working
And the back’s shot to hell
It’s a lifetime of digging trenches
In the cold and wet weather
And for laying half the roadway
In England as well

You’d finish in the one place
It was straight to the next one
And you never could settle
And you were always alone
Just a drifter in limbo
I was best off away, son
Just one of the thousands
Who could never go home

That’s your mighty man, son
Your mighty man

Well, the boat and the train ride
In a misty November
We had the worst of the lodgings
And we hated the subs
Ma’s face on the leaving
I will always remember
And we wouldn’t get paid
Until they had closed up their pubs

And I could stand up on horseback
Was the man for the singing
Put my hand up for boxing
At the fairground on the heath
I could play my accordion
And charm all of the women
And dance round the taproom
With a chair in my teeth

That’s your mighty man, son
Your mighty man
That’s your mighty man, son
Your mighty man
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Dutchessy on March 10, 2015, 11:36:45 AM
Intro of interviews part 1 is from Mighty Man. Just confirmed from a reliable source.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: shangri la 1 on March 10, 2015, 10:46:15 PM
 :thumbsup Thanks Dutchessy. For me it means another one I'm going to like.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 11, 2015, 07:45:59 AM
Yes me too, the intro alone has such a great atmosphere, even if it will develop to another Fish And The Bird it would be ok with me, I like that one, too!

LE
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: MisterYES on March 12, 2015, 12:33:12 AM
Yes me too, the intro alone has such a great atmosphere, even if it will develop to another Fish And The Bird it would be ok with me, I like that one, too!

LE
It is quite a bit Fishy, or Birdy actually, with some "Gas & TV" ingredients ;)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: jbaent on March 12, 2015, 09:13:22 AM
This is the skipper to me in this record. A song that he already has done, "The Fish and the Bird"...

We know that MK uses to file some songs until he finds the correct music for the song, well, in this case, he's using a music that already was used, so I don´t get why he did it this way... This song could had been great, but like this, for me it´s just a copy of a song he already made.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Dutchessy on March 12, 2015, 09:32:41 AM
This is the skipper to me in this record. A song that he already has done, "The Fish and the Bird"...

We know that MK uses to file some songs until he finds the correct music for the song, well, in this case, he's using a music that already was used, so I don´t get why he did it this way... This song could had been great, but like this, for me it´s just a copy of a song he already made.

It's an upgraded version of the Fish and the Bird. I like this one! It's more powerful and the singing is great.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: border_reiver on March 12, 2015, 10:36:07 AM
I think it's on par with Fish+Bird. But as jbaent said, it's too alike - it's been done and heard already.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Marijo58 on March 12, 2015, 11:36:44 AM
This is the skipper to me in this record. A song that he already has done, "The Fish and the Bird"...

We know that MK uses to file some songs until he finds the correct music for the song, well, in this case, he's using a music that already was used, so I don´t get why he did it this way... This song could had been great, but like this, for me it´s just a copy of a song he already made.

Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question but are you talking about the lyrics or about the music?? In the last case where did you hear the songs as the album Tracker isn't yet out.  :wave
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Dutchessy on March 12, 2015, 11:38:24 AM
This is the skipper to me in this record. A song that he already has done, "The Fish and the Bird"...

We know that MK uses to file some songs until he finds the correct music for the song, well, in this case, he's using a music that already was used, so I don´t get why he did it this way... This song could had been great, but like this, for me it´s just a copy of a song he already made.

Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question but are you talking about the lyrics or about the music?? In the last case where did you hear the songs as the album Tracker isn't yet out.  :wave

 :-X
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: foma on March 13, 2015, 10:00:19 PM
Mighty Man chords just was added in my Tracker Songbook: http://amarkintime.org/forum/index.php?topic=4152.msg90543#msg90543
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: schmonka on March 14, 2015, 08:34:39 AM
Fish and The Bird Aside......Nice Slide Intro... ;D
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: superval99 on March 14, 2015, 02:20:26 PM
"Mighty Man" is definitely one of my favourites.  The intro is terrific and it is certainly in the vein of "The Fish and the Bird", but also very like the old Irish song "She Moves Through the Fair".  I can hear some notes from "You're All That I Have in the World" at the end of some lines too!   :)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: holaknopfler on March 14, 2015, 02:59:14 PM
I don't know why: but from all of the tracks which are on the album I skip none of them, because I like them (really) all. And now I'm sitting hear listening and keep skipping this one. It's not that I absolutely don't like it.. But, you know.. I don't know. Maybe it has to grow on me. The slide intro is nice though!!
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: superval99 on March 14, 2015, 03:07:49 PM
I don't know why: but from all of the tracks which are on the album I skip none of them, because I like them (really) all. And now I'm sitting hear listening and keep skipping this one. It's not that I absolutely don't like it.. But, you know.. I don't know. Maybe it has to grow on me. The slide intro is nice though!!

I loved MM straight away, but give it some time, I'm sure it will grow!   ;)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 14, 2015, 05:10:45 PM
@holaknopfler: Same here!
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: ingridswing on March 14, 2015, 05:16:03 PM
So far it's not a real skipper but it doesn't do much to me. Maybe it will grow
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: dustyvalentino on March 14, 2015, 11:11:54 PM
A real snoozefest.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: foma on March 15, 2015, 12:09:12 AM
A real snoozefest.

Initially it was a skipper for me, now I love it. I don't know why, but when I play it the beauty of it seem obvious for me. Goosebumps all over, tempo is OK.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 15, 2015, 12:04:15 PM
Who is the man on the picture in the album notes beside the lyrics of Mighty Man?
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Throttle on March 15, 2015, 10:18:34 PM
Powerful song!
Just sends shivers down the spine.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 15, 2015, 10:37:31 PM
Yes, this is the song that could bring me to tears (if I wasn't just such a tough bastard  ;D) - old people, when they live their last years, often get the former children's rooms when they are at their own children's home, aren't they? So the first sentence ("a room on the top floor") puts us into the right direction. The last paragraph however is really touching - telling what he COULD have been able to do in his life, that he was young and lively and was able to '"stand up on horseback", was the man for the singing, put his hand up for boxing. He charmed all the women and danced round the taproom with a chair in his teeth.".. but the hard labour has made him what he is today, wrecked off, hurt, empty, worn out.

I knew some people in my life that had hard (working) lifes and two of them died and their deaths were happening pretty close to me. Nothing sentimental about that, only saying it to illustrate that I had an immediate connection to this song. An old man, looking back on a hard life and remembering what COULD have been... stuff like this can really break your heart, don't you think?

Mark Knopfler has pretty deep lyrics on Tracker, I can't see any song on Privateering (apart from Today Is Okay) which would have this MK touch. Most of them are pretty artificial instead of artistic. I was never getting warm with the Submariner or Kingdom of Gold for example. I went through all the songs of Privateering this afternoon: maybe Seattle and Yon Two Crows have the usual quality.  This time, there are some songs on Tracker which immediately reached me not only musically but also lyrically. Mighty Man is one of them.

LE

 
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 15, 2015, 11:30:24 PM
LE, i like Privateering. But what you say about the lyrics is perfectly right. I suppose it's the personal approach.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: surferboy on March 16, 2015, 07:40:30 AM
Mark Knopfler has pretty deep lyrics on Tracker, I can't see any song on Privateering (apart from Today Is Okay) which would have this MK touch. Most of them are pretty artificial instead of astistic. I was never getting warm with the Submariner or Kingdom of Gold for example. I went through all the songs of Privateering this afternoon: maybe Seattle and Yon Two Crows have the usual quality.  This time, there are some songs on Tracker which immediately reached me not only musically but also lyrically. Mighty Man is one of them.

LE

Disagree partially.
Haul Away is a very beautiful attempt to put into words the painful inner process of having to endure the death of a close and loved person and the process of finally overcoming it. The doldrums is such a beautiful, soothing and consoling picture for a soul that is in the state of painful paralyzation after the death of a loved one when everything in life comes to a standstill and before eventually the doldrums are overcome and the soul gets the wind again to continue the journey of life. Can it get any deeper than that? The poet is once more a compassionate consoler ("to help people through their days... and through their nights").
One could say similar things about Submariner.
Redbud Tree is existential as well.
Privateering has its very deep moments that are hard to sound the depth of.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Vesper on March 16, 2015, 05:21:45 PM
Who is the man on the picture in the album notes beside the lyrics of Mighty Man?
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 16, 2015, 05:34:50 PM
Klaas, we solved that riddle in the Broken Bone Thread. It's art photography be Steve Pyke: http://www.pyke-eye.com/I-Could-Read-The-Sky/33/caption (http://www.pyke-eye.com/I-Could-Read-The-Sky/33/caption) The identity of the man is not important for the song understanding.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: dmg on March 16, 2015, 06:19:52 PM
Who is the man on the picture in the album notes beside the lyrics of Mighty Man?

Richard sure looks different without his beard!  :lol
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: goldenheart96 on March 22, 2015, 05:19:08 PM
This song is so boring musically. "Fish and the Bird" Part 2 indeed, whereas I personally like the "original" better. As for the lyrics, we've had that fairground/circus metaphor plenty of times now. "Mighty Man" confirms my impression that MK has become the master of copying himself.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 22, 2015, 05:26:48 PM
Nothing to do with fairground or circus.

LE
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: goldenheart96 on March 22, 2015, 05:43:23 PM
Nothing to do with fairground or circus.

LE

Then what's with the last verse?
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 22, 2015, 05:51:26 PM
Things that he COULD have done in another, happier version of his life if the hard labour for the Ro
roads of England had not destroyed his health and body. Telling it to his son from the bed in the room of the top floor where he is supposed to spend the last days of his life. See this wrecked man was once the man for the singing, dancing, charming ladies etc. Very touching. My take anyway.

LE
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Rail King on March 23, 2015, 04:28:57 PM
Mark Knopfler has pretty deep lyrics on Tracker, I can't see any song on Privateering (apart from Today Is Okay) which would have this MK touch. Most of them are pretty artificial instead of astistic. I was never getting warm with the Submariner or Kingdom of Gold for example. I went through all the songs of Privateering this afternoon: maybe Seattle and Yon Two Crows have the usual quality.  This time, there are some songs on Tracker which immediately reached me not only musically but also lyrically. Mighty Man is one of them.

LE

Disagree partially.
Haul Away is a very beautiful attempt to put into words the painful inner process of having to endure the death of a close and loved person and the process of finally overcoming it. The doldrums is such a beautiful, soothing and consoling picture for a soul that is in the state of painful paralyzation after the death of a loved one when everything in life comes to a standstill and before eventually the doldrums are overcome and the soul gets the wind again to continue the journey of life. Can it get any deeper than that? The poet is once more a compassionate consoler ("to help people through their days... and through their nights").
One could say similar things about Submariner.
Redbud Tree is existential as well.
Privateering has its very deep moments that are hard to sound the depth of.

I agree with LE about this being very emotional, and I also agree with surferboy that Privateering had such moments, too. All MK albums have them, don't they? They're the reason a always come back to MK. He never fails to make me cry, which is the highest sort of praise I have to offer for any kind of art.
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Nick14 on March 23, 2015, 04:35:30 PM
The problem with Privateering, for me at least, was that there was no reason for it to be 20 odd songs long - I think we could all make a great 10 track album of our own from the songs - far too many similar blues songs - which themselves recalled previous songs like You Can't Beat the House etc. So the standouts got a bit lost - but when you consider the great songs on the album...Haul Away, Submariner, Radio City, Yon Two Crows, Miss You Blues - they are great and powerful but sit them alongside lots of blues - which sound a little inauthentic - and the power is diluted. The slightly odd thing is that there was much more cause for a double album for this project as the standard of songs is so high - much less so so over the piece on Privateering. 
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Marikablue on March 23, 2015, 07:37:47 PM
The problem with Privateering, for me at least, was that there was no reason for it to be 20 odd songs long - I think we could all make a great 10 track album of our own from the songs - far too many similar blues songs - which themselves recalled previous songs like You Can't Beat the House etc. So the standouts got a bit lost - but when you consider the great songs on the album...Haul Away, Submariner, Radio City, Yon Two Crows, Miss You Blues - they are great and powerful but sit them alongside lots of blues - which sound a little inauthentic - and the power is diluted. The slightly odd thing is that there was much more cause for a double album for this project as the standard of songs is so high - much less so so over the piece on Privateering.
Agree a lot with you, to many weak songs for the Privateering double album. It could have been a very very perfect and strong album, if only 12 songs were released as a standard album  ;)

PS : I like the song Mighty Man, but it's not one of my faves........
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: nababo on March 23, 2015, 10:21:04 PM
The problem with Privateering, for me at least, was that there was no reason for it to be 20 odd songs long - I think we could all make a great 10 track album of our own from the songs - far too many similar blues songs - which themselves recalled previous songs like You Can't Beat the House etc. So the standouts got a bit lost - but when you consider the great songs on the album...Haul Away, Submariner, Radio City, Yon Two Crows, Miss You Blues - they are great and powerful but sit them alongside lots of blues - which sound a little inauthentic - and the power is diluted. The slightly odd thing is that there was much more cause for a double album for this project as the standard of songs is so high - much less so so over the piece on Privateering.

One of the problems is that no-one in this forum would agree on which songs to keep out. For me, for instance, Haul away wasn't a good song...
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Simon on March 27, 2015, 03:58:59 PM
Dream of the Drowned Submariner/Haul Away?
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Dutchessy on March 27, 2015, 04:39:54 PM
Dream of the Drowned Submariner/Haul Away?

No, Fish and the Bird  ;D  :P
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Simon on March 27, 2015, 04:40:45 PM
Yep missed that one  :)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 27, 2015, 08:58:54 PM
I get the idea, Simon. Very clever to find the old songs in the new ones, but it was worked out already in all those endless single song threads weeks ago..

LE
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 29, 2015, 08:53:09 PM
I just put the informations from the interview to the right song, so that the don't get lost. That's what Mark said about the song:

Quote
"It’s the same with “Mighty Man,” for instance. It’s from reading about about the navvies who came over to the UK from Ireland and built the whole infrastructure that we have now — the dams and canals, then later on the railways and roads and houses. You name it, they built it. I happened to read a lovely book called “I Could Read the Sky.” It’s beautifully written by Timothy O’Grady, but Steve Pyke plays just as important a role with these wonderful photographs and portraits. It’s a very moving book, and one of the things that this character says he can do is, “I could read the sky.” I didn’t use that line, obviously. I wouldn’t. But the third verse of “Mighty Man” is about him listing the things he could do, like standing up on horseback. That was from “I Could Read the Sky.”
(http://www.salon.com/2015/03/28/mark_knopfler_this_getting_older_stuff_ain%E2%80%99t_for_wimps/( Interview by Stephen Deusner)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: superval99 on March 29, 2015, 08:57:31 PM
I just put the informations from the interview to the right song, so that the don't get lost. That's what Mark said about the song:

Quote
"It’s the same with “Mighty Man,” for instance. It’s from reading about about the navvies who came over to the UK from Ireland and built the whole infrastructure that we have now — the dams and canals, then later on the railways and roads and houses. You name it, they built it. I happened to read a lovely book called “I Could Read the Sky.” It’s beautifully written by Timothy O’Grady, but Steve Pyke plays just as important a role with these wonderful photographs and portraits. It’s a very moving book, and one of the things that this character says he can do is, “I could read the sky.” I didn’t use that line, obviously. I wouldn’t. But the third verse of “Mighty Man” is about him listing the things he could do, like standing up on horseback. That was from “I Could Read the Sky.”
(http://www.salon.com/2015/03/28/mark_knopfler_this_getting_older_stuff_ain%E2%80%99t_for_wimps/( Interview by Stephen Deusner)

Good idea, yontwocrows!   :thumbsup     

Thanks RKD, I enjoyed it very much!   :)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 30, 2015, 08:19:41 AM
Thanks very much! Haven't read this interview, so these lines are a real surprise for me - as I love this track so much, one of my favourite tracker tracks.
Will honestly have a look after this book later today.

LE
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 30, 2015, 11:31:45 AM
It's the same book from where the art pictures in the album notes are taken. Maybe the title was also an inspiration for the album cover...
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 30, 2015, 11:38:22 AM
It seems the book had a short life as German translation. It is out-of-print now but I found and ordered a copy. Steve Pyke is mentioned as co-author. Mark was obviously quite impressed by this book.

LE
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on March 30, 2015, 01:29:49 PM
I ordered it too. I read some reviews and got hooked  ;)
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Lestroid on March 30, 2015, 10:47:36 PM
For what it's worth, I started a reading list over in the MK Discussion thread of MK songs inspired by books or short stories.  It is by no means comprehensive, so go over there and add to it.  I did include this song, as mentioned by Mark in the interview.

http://amarkintime.org/forum/index.php?topic=4262.0
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: yontwocrows on April 03, 2015, 12:08:04 PM
I just finished with reading "I could read the sky". A beautiful, but sad book. It's obvious that MK feels attracted by it, there are so many parallels to his songwriter topics/style. And also the music takes a big part. I've now certainly a better understanding of this song, actually it sums up many topics of the novel. A good read and a good addition to the song!
Title: Re: (5) Mighty Man (5:55)
Post by: Robson on May 13, 2018, 05:32:58 PM
This song Mark could write from the perspective of my country too. Emigration yesterday and today. Invariably. A great song.