Ride Across The River Lyrics By Dire Straits

I'm a soldier of freedom in the army of man
We are the chosen, we're the partisan
The cause it is noble and the cause it is just
We are ready to pay with our lives if we must
Gonna ride across the river deep and wide
Ride across the river to the other side
I'm a soldier of fortune, I'm a dog of war
And we don't give a damn who the killing is for
It's the same old story with a different name
Death or glory, it's the killing game
Gonna ride across the river deep and wide
Ride across the river to the other side
Nothing gonna stop them as the day follows the night
Right becomes wrong, the left becomes the right
And they sing as they march with their flags unfurled
Today in the mountains, tomorrow the world
Gonna ride across the river deep and wide
Ride across the river to the other side

Single Handed Sailor Lyrics By Dire Straits

Two in the morning, dry-dock town
The rivers rolls away in the night
Little gypsy moth she's all tied down
She quiver in the wind and the light
Yeah and a sailing ship just held down in chains
From the lazy days of sail
It's just lying there in silent pain
He lean on the turist rail
A mother and her baby and the colege war
and the concrete graves
You never wanna against the river law
Nobody rules the waves
Yeah and on the night when the lazy wind is a-wailing
Around the Cutty Sark
Single handed sailor goes sailing
Sailing away in the dark
He's upon the bridge on the self same night
The mariner of dry dock land
Two in the morning, but there is one green light
And the man on the barge of sand
She's gonna slip away below him
Away from the things he's done
But he just shouts "Hey man, what do you call this thing?"
He could have said "Pride of London"
On the night when the lazy wind is a-wailing
Around the Cutty Sark
Yeah the single handed sailor goes sailing
Sailing away in the dark

Portobello Belle Lyrics By Dire Straits

Belladonna's on the high street
Her breasts upon the offbeat
And the stalls are just the side shows
Victoriana's old clothes
Yeah she got the skirt so tight now
She wanna travel light now
She wanna tear up all her roots now
She got the turn-up on the boots now
She thinks she's tough
She ain't no English rose
But the blind singer
He's seen enough and he knows
He do a song about a long gone Irish girl
But I got one for you my Portobello Belle
She sees a man upon his back there
Escaping from a sack there
And Belladonna lingers
Her gloves they got no fingers
Blind man he's singing the Irish
He gets his money in a tin dish
Just a corner serenader
Once upon a time he could have made her
She thinks she's tough
She ain't no English rose
But the blind singer
He's seen enough and he knows
He do a song about a long gone Irish girl
But I got one for you my Portobello Belle
Yes and these barrow boys are hawking
And a parakeet is squawking
Upon a truck a paper rhino
She get the crying of a wino
And then she get the reggae rumble
Belladonna's in the jungle
But she ain't no garden flower
There ain't no distress in the tower
Belladonna walks
Belladonna taking control
She don't care about your window box
Or your button hole
She sing a song about a long gone Irish girl
But I got one for you my Portobello Belle

The Man's Too Strong Lyrics By Dire Straits

I'm just and ageing drummer boy
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune
To many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father please her my confession
I have legalised robbery
Called it a belief
I have run with the money
And hid like a theif
I have re-written history
With my armies and my crooks
Invented memories
I did burn all the books
And I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Well I have tried to be meek
And I have tried to be mild
But I spat like a woman
And sulked like a child
I have lived behind walls
That have made me alone
Striven for peace
Which I have never known
And I can still hear his laughter
And I can still hear his song
The man's too big
The man's too strong
Well the sun rose on the courtyard
And they all did hear him say
'You always were a Judas
But I got you anyway
You may have got your silver
But I swear upon my life
Your sister gave me diamonds
And I gave them to your wife'
Oh father please help me
For I have done wrong
The man's too big
The man's too strong

Industrial Disease Lyrics By Dire Straits

Warning lights are flashing down at Quality Control
somebody threw a spanner and they threw him in the hole
there's rumors in the loading bay and anger in the town
somebody blew the whistle and the walls came down
there's a meeting in the boardroom they're trying to trace the smell
there's leaking in the washroom there's a sneak in personnel
somewhere in the corridors someone was heard to sneeze
'goodness me could this be Industrial Disease?
The caretaker was crucified for sleeping at his post
they're refusing to be pacified it's him they blame the most
the watchdog's got rabies the foreman's got fleas
and everyone's concerned about Industrial Disease
there's panic on the switchboard tongues are ties in knots
some come out in sympathy some come out in spots
some blame the management some the employees
and everybody knows it's the Industrial Disease
The work force is disgusted downs tools and walks
innocence is injured experience just talks
everyone seeks damages and everyone agrees
that these are 'classic symptoms of a monetary squeeze'
on ITV and BBC they talk about the curse
philosophy is useless theology is worse
history boils over there's an economics freeze
sociologists invent words that mean 'Industrial Disease'
Doctor Parkinson declared 'I'm not surprised to see you here
you've got smokers cough from smoking, brewer's droop from drinking beer
I don't know how you came to get the Betty Davis knees
but worst of all young man you've got Industrial Disease'
he wrote me a prescription he said 'you are depressed
but I'm glad you came to see me to get this off your chest
come back and see me later - next patient please
send in another victim of Industrial Disease'
I go down to Speaker's Corner I'm thunderstruck
they got free speech, tourists, police in trucks
two men say they're Jesus one of them must be wrong
there's a protest singer singing a protest song - he says
'they wanna have a war to keep us on our knees
they wanna have a war to keep their factories
they wanna have a war to stop us buying Japanese
they wanna have a war to stop Industrial Disease
they're pointing out the enemy to keep you deaf and blind
they wanna sap your energy incarcerate your mind
they give you Rule Brittania, gassy beer, page three
two weeks in Espana and Sunday striptease'
meanwhile the first Jesus says 'I'd cure it soon
abolish monday mornings and friday afternoons'
the other one's on a hunger strike he's dying by degrees
how come Jesus gets Industrial Disease

Water Of Love Lyrics By Dire Straits

High and dry in the long hot day
Lost and lonely in every way
Got the flats all around me sky up above
I need a little water of love
I've been too long lonely and my heart feels pain
Crying out for some soothing rain
I believe I have taken enough
I need a little water of love
Water of love deep in the ground
No water here to be found
Some day baby when the river runs free
It'll carry that water of love to me
There's a bird up in a tree sitting up high
Waiting for me to die
If I don't get some water soon
I'll be dead and gone in the afternoon
Once I had a woman I could call my own
Once I had a woman now my woman is gone
Once there was a river now there's a stone
You know it's evil when you're living alone

Down To The Waterline Lyrics By Dire Straits

Sweet surrender on the quayside
You remember we used to run and hide
In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one at a time
And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline
Near misses on the dogleap stairways
French kisses in the darkened doorways
A foghorn blowing out wild and cold
A policeman shines a light upon my shoulder
Up comes a coaster fast and silent in the night
Over my shoulder all you can see are the pilot lights
No money in our jackets and our jeans are torn
Your hands are cold but your lips are warm
She can see him on the jetty where they used to go
She can feel him in the places where the sailors go
When she's walking by the river and the railway line
She can still hear him whisper
Let's go down to the waterline

Kingdom Come Lyrics By Dire Straits

Performed by Dire Straits.
Released as the B side of the single "Heavy Fuel".
(Mark Knopfler) 4:14
Transcribed from CD single by Eric Adcock, April 1993.
I tell you what!
They don't mess with me, I'm a wild man, son
I got me my very own anti tank gun
I got a jack rabbit with it, guess he was a mean one
Yeah, I've always been a sportsman
Now, there wasn't much left when I got to him
Them big old shells didn't just go through him
Just lumps of fur and that was it
Guess you could say he sure took a hit, alright
Yeah, you want to see my fire power, see my collection
Cause that's my thing, man, perfection
Now I'm talking power in the barrel of a gun
I'll blow anything I want to Kingdom Come
Ba ba boom
Ba ba ba ba bomb
And I'll blow anything I want
To Kingdom Come
Yeah, all you got to do is sqeeze on the trigger
And a little bitty human get a whole lot bigger
Cause there's a time for talking and a time to shoot them down
And this mama-jama [?] don't pussy foot around, alright
Yeah, let them laugh, let them say we're strange
Me and my buddies on the rifle range
But you won't be laughing when it hits the fan
You're going to want to be a survivor, man
Yeah, you got to see my fire power, see my collection
Cause that's my thing, man, perfection
Now, I'm talking power in the barrel of a gun
I'll blow anything I want to Kingdom Come
Ba ba boom
Ba ba ba ba bomb
And I'll blow anything I want
To Kingdom Come
Ba ba ba ba boom
I say we ought to drop the bomb
Yes, and I'll blow anything I want
To Kingdom Come.

When It Comes To You Lyrics By Dire Straits

if we can't get along we oughta be apart
and I'm wondering where'd you get that cold, cold heart
set me free - sign my release
I'm tired of being the villain of the peace

you been giving me a bad time
tell me what I'd do
how come I always get a hard time
honey when it comes to you
sayin' things that you didn't have to
how come I always get a hard time
honey when it comes to you

you only get one life - this I know
I wanna get my licks in now before I go
the fire of love is dead and cold
I gotta satisfy the hunger in my soul

and you been giving me a bad time
tell me what I'd do
how come I always get a hard time
honey when it comes to you
sayin' things that you didn't have to
how come I always get a hard time
honey when it comes to you

Communique Lyrics By Dire Straits

They wanna get a statement for Jesus sake
It's like talking to the wall
He's incommunicado no comment to make
He's saying nothing at all
But in the communique you know he's gonna come clean
Think what he say, say what he mean
Maybe on Monday he got something to say
Communication
Communique
Communique
Maybe he could talk about the tricks of the trade
Maybe he could talk about himself
Maybe he could talk about the money that he made
Maybe he'd be saying something else
But in the communique you know he's gonna come clean
Think what he say, say what he mean
Maybe on Monday he got something to say
Communication
Communique
Communique
And now the rumors are flying
Speculation rising
Say that he's been trying someone else's wife
Somebody at the airport
Somebody on the phone
Says he's at the station and he's coming on the noon
Then we get the story a serious breeze
And a photograph taken in the hall
You don't have to worry with the previous release
Right now, he's saying nothing at all
But in the communique you know he's gonna come clean
Think what he say, say what he mean
Maybe on Monday he got something to say
Communication
Communique
Communique

Private Investigations Lyrics By Dire Straits

It's a mystery to me - the game commences
for the usual fee - plus expenses
confidential information - it's not a public inquiry
I go checking out the reports - digging up the dirt
you get to meet all sorts in this line of work
treachery and treason - there's always an excuse for it
and when I find the reason I still can't get used to it
And what have you got at the end of the day?
what have you got to take away?
a bottle of whisky and a new set of lies
blinds on the windows and a pain behind the eyes
Scarred for life - nocompensation
private investigations