Down to the Waterline

About Down to the Waterline

"Down to the Waterline" is a 1978 song written by Mark Knopfler and first released by Dire Straits as the first song on their debut album, Dire Straits. It was also included on the demo tape that the band sent to Charlie Gillett, which led to their first recording contract. It was subsequently released as the B-side of the "Water of Love" single. The lyrics of "Down to the Waterline" tell of a brief sexual tryst. Cary Darling of Billboard praises the song as superior to the other love songs on side 1 of Dire Straits, including "Water of Love. " According to Mark Knopfler's brother and fellow Dire Straits member David, the song's imagery is based on Mark's memories of walking along the River Tyne at night under the lights with his girlfriend when he was a teenager. Darling praises the lyrics as "incisive" but "never cliched." Darling also praises the moody foghorn sound that opens the song, Knopfler's "quick finger picking" guitar playing and the tightness of the band on this song. Author Joel McNally describes how "the band appears out of the fog" to start the song, noting that the effect is "not hokey." High Fidelity also commented on the song's "tender, passionate, and yet unsentimental" erotic imagery. Hi-Fi News & Record Review described the song as "bouncy and punchy." The Rolling Stone Album Guide commented on the song's "galloping groove." Montreal Gazette critic Bubert Bauch claims that "Once Upon a Time in the West", the song that opened Dire Straits' second album, Communiqué, sounded very similar to "Down to the Waterline", which opened their debut album."Down to the Waterline" later appeared on Dire Straits live album Live at the BBC and on the Dire Straits "Best of" compilation album Money for Nothing. more »

Year:

1995

4:10

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Sweet surrender on the quayside
You remember we used to run and hide
In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one time
And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline

Near misses on the dog leap 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 nihgt
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

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Dire Straits

Dire Straits were a British rock band, formed in 1977 by former journalist and teacher Mark Knopfler, initially composed of Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). more »

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