A Mark In Time

Previous Albums => Tracker (2015) => Topic started by: shangri la 1 on March 02, 2015, 05:08:12 AM

Title: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: shangri la 1 on March 02, 2015, 05:08:12 AM
(http://amarkintime.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3806.0;attach=1420)

My Heart Has Never Changed (Mark Knopfler


LYRICS
   My car’s in for a brake job
Be ready in a while
Something about the waitress
Made me think about your smile
I tip her a ten spot
And I try to read her name
I’m just an old long hauler
A grinder at the game

Heaven knows the highways
Since we’ve been apart
But my heart don’t feel like leaving
Or you won’t leave my heart
Now and then I might take
A little something for pain
But there’s nothing much for heartache
And my heart has never changed
My heart has never changed

Now there’s no more rough and tumble
Down Highway 199
Nothing lasts forever
I just miss it sometimes

She comes to pour more coffee
But it’s time to see more world
I pick up my check and keys
And go and pay the girl
My mind’s in Hell’s Half Acre
And the rooms along Exchange
And the scenes are always shifting
But my heart has never changed
My heart has never changed
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Dutchessy on March 12, 2015, 07:57:20 PM
Ruth is singing on this one according to the official site: Guest vocals on tracks 2, 4, 7, 11 and 13: Ruth Moody

Does anybody hear her??  :hmm  ???

Or is she on the background, singing: hoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, hoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee  :P
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: dmg on March 12, 2015, 08:14:27 PM
Can't say I noticed.  I fell asleep!
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Maroretto on March 12, 2015, 09:11:59 PM
Another fantastic song  :clap  :clap  :clap  :clap
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Marijo58 on March 12, 2015, 10:11:14 PM
Quote from: Maroretto on March 12, 2015, 09:11:59 PM
Another fantastic song  :clap  :clap  :clap  :clap

Yes indeed it is!!! :thumbsup
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 14, 2015, 08:57:51 AM
Oh I really like this one!

LE
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: foma on March 14, 2015, 02:21:26 PM
Chords was added. I think it's the first time when Mark used such a strange tuning with low 6 string on acoustic. It's Dropped C actually.

And song is haunting, yes. Almost like 'Long Highway', but on its own... way.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 15, 2015, 01:15:22 PM
Yes, this song needs to be more focused on - it is really one of the best one. Among all those other great songs there might be a time when you all listen to this one and get your daily goosebumps MK is able to deliever at the moment..

LE
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Nick14 on March 16, 2015, 11:32:08 AM
Another belter - and another where you can hear the Dylan/Springsteen influence - this could have been on Devil's and Dust! Great song.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Maxx on March 16, 2015, 11:35:49 AM
Quote from: Nick14 on March 16, 2015, 11:32:08 AM
Another belter - and another where you can hear the Dylan/Springsteen influence - this could have been on Devil's and Dust! Great song.

Exactly what I meant to write! Or any Springsteen record for that matter. Just the line "Now there’s no more rough and tumble down Highway 199".  ;D
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: naif on March 16, 2015, 02:07:32 PM
Very good lyrics with the deep melody. One of the best of Tracker imho.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Mark Heritage on March 16, 2015, 02:31:10 PM
Heard this for the first time this morning; I really like the lyrics, it tells a story and the imagination sets off. Best of the 5 bonus tracks I have heard so far..
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Marikablue on March 16, 2015, 08:31:25 PM
It's really a good song this one  :thumbsup
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: richardmu on March 17, 2015, 08:04:45 PM
Lyrics are quite good I thought, musically not much in it. Reminds me of that track Beyond my wildest dreams.

With better melody and music this could have been a great track.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Guitarman1972 on March 17, 2015, 10:08:06 PM
Guess "My Heart Has Never Changed" has been inspired by Leonard Cohen's song "Suzanne".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otJY2HvW3Bw

What do you think?
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: koobaa on March 17, 2015, 10:15:15 PM
I can easily imagine Leonard Cohen singing this song. Nice little tune this one.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: nababo on March 18, 2015, 05:58:52 PM
It's among my favourites, too. Very touching lyrics
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 19, 2015, 12:39:39 PM
I repeat myself but this is SUCH a great song - gives me so much more than Terminal Of Tribute To.. So pure Mark Knopfler sound.. the atmosphere, Ruth is excellent doing her background job (as she does on Basil, too). Wow! Just Wow!

If this was a recent MK album, this track would have probably been my favourite, but among those other 17 songs, this ones has trouble not to be covered by sheer greatness of the other songs.

LE
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Nick14 on March 19, 2015, 01:18:25 PM
Out of the 18 songs this is certainly one of my favourites - wonderful song.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Marijo58 on March 24, 2015, 10:20:15 PM
Quote from: Maroretto on March 12, 2015, 09:11:59 PM
Another fantastic song  :clap  :clap  :clap  :clap

Totally agree with you Maroretto!! A really lovely song!!! :clap :thumbsup
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: border_reiver on March 25, 2015, 11:24:30 AM
This song was a grower.

I like the very familiar (almost cliché) singer/songwriter approach to it.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Fletch on March 25, 2015, 12:08:58 PM
All 3 (this, Heart of Oak & Time...Sorrow) of the acoustic bonus songs are achingly beautiful.
I can only dream of a future boxset containing acoustic demos of so many released and unreleased songs, just MK and his guitar.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: LoveExpresso on March 25, 2015, 08:40:36 PM
Yes indeed, River Of Grog was a first hint in that direction (ok, Marbletown album version was, but that was ages ago..)

LE
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: nababo on March 26, 2015, 12:22:12 AM
Quote from: Fletch on March 25, 2015, 12:08:58 PM
All 3 (this, Heart of Oak & Time...Sorrow) of the acoustic bonus songs are achingly beautiful.
I can only dream of a future boxset containing acoustic demos of so many released and unreleased songs, just MK and his guitar.

Oh, boy, we dream about a lot of things.... I dream about a superbox with all the DS inputs, plus b-sides and rarities, and about the same from the solo career!!!
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: ingridswing on March 26, 2015, 10:26:40 AM
Quote from: nababo on March 26, 2015, 12:22:12 AM
Quote from: Fletch on March 25, 2015, 12:08:58 PM
All 3 (this, Heart of Oak & Time...Sorrow) of the acoustic bonus songs are achingly beautiful.
I can only dream of a future boxset containing acoustic demos of so many released and unreleased songs, just MK and his guitar.

Yes dreaming about this too, it's not a boxset by the way, it has to be a megaboxset ;-)
Oh, boy, we dream about a lot of things.... I dream about a superbox with all the DS inputs, plus b-sides and rarities, and about the same from the solo career!!!
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: zigner on April 01, 2015, 10:22:05 PM
Anyone know what this line is talking about?

"And the rooms along Exchange"

Note the upper case on Exchange.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: superval99 on April 02, 2015, 12:38:26 PM
This is a beautiful song and it is very reminiscent to me of Dylan's "Highlands" especially in the lyrics - the waitress for example.  :)
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: LoveExpresso on April 02, 2015, 12:43:52 PM
Quote from: superval99 on April 02, 2015, 12:38:26 PM
This is a beautiful song and it is very reminiscent to me of Dylan's "Highlands" especially in the lyrics - the waitress for example.  :)

Yes, exactly!  :thumbsup :)

LE
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Justme on April 06, 2015, 02:35:30 PM
Today, I nearly fell off my chair when I tried to further investigate this little "ditty". As with most of his songs, it works on many different levels. If you dig a little deeper, it will appear even more meaningful and you may find information that contributed as an inspiration to write the song. Ragpicking.

This is kind of unstructured, as I'm not sure yet....

What initially struck me to look further into this song was the phrase "Hell's Half Acre": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_Half_Acre_%28disambiguation%29
Ah, there it goes, so many different possibilities.

Here used to be a restaurant called Hell's Half Acre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_Half_Acre_%28Wyoming%29
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8451

In Ford Worth there had been a red light district called HHA, formerly a saloon district, aimed at catering to cowboys on Chisholm Trail: http://www.fwtx.com/articles/highway-hell

There even is an "Exchange Avenue", hence the capital letter in "the rooms along Exchange": http://fortworthgazette.blogspot.de/2011/07/where-heck-was-hells-half-acre-probably.html
(I was always sure that this wasn't a hint at his IT guys at BGS (Microsoft Exchange Server) - hahaha  :P)
Today there only exists a church from ye olden days: http://www.redriverhistorian.com/badtarrantcounty.html

Okay, I didn't stop the ragpicking, what shall I do with the next information: the book "An Epic Life - Fort Worth" by JN Patoski about Willie Nelson, Fort Worth is described as the "Cradle Of Western Swing".
https://books.google.com/books?id=1To7AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT49&lpg=PT49&dq=highway+199+hell's+half+acre&source=bl&ots=LzfW2Ive9e&sig=wGB_EsCyGTtJAin7rxafto5gzB0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9XMiVcGwG4aVsAGuhISQDQ&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAw

And what the heck does Highway 199 represent, it's a Californian Highway? Although in that book about Willie Nelson, it is described as "Jaxbeer Highway" - there would have been something for everyone: drinking, gambling etc.

To me, this is a mix-up of cowboy-romantic motives, Telegraph-Road-esque boom and decline metaphors, travelling musician's tales and the lives of ordinary people. But there is no singular clue, TOE (theory of everything), to interpret this song.

Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Justme on April 06, 2015, 02:51:23 PM
...and then in 1950 a car of some big cheese had been blown up, please read the last paragraph: http://www.fwtx.com/articles/highway-hell

That initiated the decline of Jacksboro Highway, the authorities had to act.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Rail King on April 09, 2015, 01:07:50 PM
I love this one (and all other bonus tracks); it's further proof that you could lock MK in some cabin, with just a couple of guitars, and out would come a great record.

What I don't quite get yet is the reference to the "rooms along Exchange". I've read about the saloon district and about that particular road, but I've no idea what rooms he talks about and why.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Justme on April 09, 2015, 05:07:52 PM
Quote from: Rail King on April 09, 2015, 01:07:50 PM
I love this one (and all other bonus tracks); it's further proof that you could lock MK in some cabin, with just a couple of guitars, and out would come a great record.

What I don't quite get yet is the reference to the "rooms along Exchange". I've read about the saloon district and about that particular road, but I've no idea what rooms he talks about and why.

I'd like to think that he means the rooms used for (illegal) gambling.

Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Rail King on April 10, 2015, 03:01:04 PM

Quote from: Rail King on April 09, 2015, 01:07:50 PM
What I don't quite get yet is the reference to the "rooms along Exchange". I've read about the saloon district and about that particular road, but I've no idea what rooms he talks about and why.

I'd like to think that he means the rooms used for (illegal) gambling.
[/quote]

That may well be the case, yes. Any idea what the narrator's profession might be (long hauler, grinder at the game ...)?
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Slavi on April 18, 2015, 12:29:02 AM
Love this song very much - the music and the lyrics. Along Silver Eagle is my fav from the album.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Lis on April 21, 2015, 07:40:20 AM
Quote from: Rail King on April 10, 2015, 03:01:04 PM

...Any idea what the narrator's profession might be (long hauler, grinder at the game ...)?

A long-hauler is a long-distance trucker.  Not sure about grinder at the game...
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Rail King on April 21, 2015, 03:27:21 PM
Quote from: Lis on April 21, 2015, 07:40:20 AM
Quote from: Rail King on April 10, 2015, 03:01:04 PM

...Any idea what the narrator's profession might be (long hauler, grinder at the game ...)?

A long-hauler is a long-distance trucker.  Not sure about grinder at the game...

Thanks, Lis, that makes sense. No wonder some websites had the album name "Trucker" in the first place. ;-) And I guess "grinder at the game" could probably apply to many jobs, it just means hard work.
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Stanko on May 23, 2015, 08:18:56 PM
"grinder at the game"

maybe describe him as one who is going to the end when it comes to gambling?
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Marijo58 on May 24, 2015, 10:05:55 PM
Quote from: Slavi on April 18, 2015, 12:29:02 AM
Love this song very much - the music and the lyrics. Along Silver Eagle is my fav from the album.

Same for me Slavi!!! These 2 are really awesome!!! :thumbsup :wave
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Stanko on August 02, 2015, 10:16:07 PM


And what the heck does Highway 199 represent, it's a Californian Highway?

[/quote]

 http://www.fwtx.com/articles/highway-hell
 
you can find explanation for Highway 199 there...
"From military men to plant workers to degenerate gamblers, Jacksboro Highway’s few miles of roadway (officially known as Texas Highway 199)"
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: texmilo on November 21, 2019, 03:36:26 AM
Hello!

Highway 199 is Jacksboro Highway, it goes all the way from Downtown Fort Worth through Azle, Springtown, Poolville, then on to Jakcsboro. Exchange is a street in North Fort Worth near the famous Stock Yards. 199 is lined with a million car repair places so it's interesting that he mentions that in the song. Jacksboro Highway had a reputation, and today to an extent, as a den of sin. As a lifelong Knopfler fan and a current Fort Worth resident it was great to hear all of this in a song! Makes me wonder if he has traveled down Jacksboro Highway like he did Telegraph Road...

Regards,
DM
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Stanko on December 08, 2019, 10:15:50 AM
cool to hear it from a local!
thanks!
Title: Re: (13) My Heart Has Never Changed (3:48)
Post by: Lis on January 22, 2020, 06:45:38 AM
Quote from: texmilo on November 21, 2019, 03:36:26 AM
Hello!

Highway 199 is Jacksboro Highway, it goes all the way from Downtown Fort Worth through Azle, Springtown, Poolville, then on to Jakcsboro. Exchange is a street in North Fort Worth near the famous Stock Yards. 199 is lined with a million car repair places so it's interesting that he mentions that in the song. Jacksboro Highway had a reputation, and today to an extent, as a den of sin. As a lifelong Knopfler fan and a current Fort Worth resident it was great to hear all of this in a song! Makes me wonder if he has traveled down Jacksboro Highway like he did Telegraph Road...

Regards,
DM
Hi texmilo/DM!
Thanks so much for the background you were able to provide in your post.  I had previously tried to figure out where Mark was geographically, as there are many Highway 199s, but I wasn't getting anywhere!!  So Texas it is!!  (I also learned Texas is/was home to a Hell's Half Acre... pretty colorful place, indeed!).
Thanks again for the post!!!