Dire Straits - Money For Nothing

DIRE STRAITS

MONEY FOR NOTHING (1988)

  1. Sultans Of Swing
  2. Down To The Waterline
  3. Portobello Belle
  4. Twisting By The Pool
  5. Tunnel Of Love
  6. Romeo And Juliet
  7. Where Do You Think You're Going?
  8. Walk Of Life
  9. Private Investigations
10. Telegraph Road
11. Money For Nothing
12. Brothers In Arms

DIRE STRAITS

MONEY FOR NOTHING

1. SULTANS OF SWING

You get a shiver in the dark
It's been raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing Dixie double four time
You feel all right when you hear that music ring

Now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
But the horns, they're blowing their sound
Way on downsouth, way on downsouth London town

You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm
He doesn't want to make it cry or sing
And an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Saving it up for Friday night
With the Sultans
With the Sultans of Swing

And a crowd of young boys
They're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies
And their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans played Creole
Creole

And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last, just as the time bell rings
"Goodnight, now it's time to go home"
And he makes it fast with one more thing
We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing.

2. DOWN TO THE WATERLINE

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

Well, near misses on the dogleap stairways
French kisses in the darkened doorways
A foghorn blowing out wild and cold
A policeman shines a light on 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 know
She can feel him in the places where the sailors go
When she's walking by the river or the railway line
She can still hear him whisper
Let's go down to the waterline

Come on.

3. PORTOBELLO BELLE (Live)

Belladonna's on the Highstreet
Her breasts upon the offbeat
And the stalls are just the side shows
Victoriana's old clothes
And yes, her jeans are tight now
She got to travel light now
She got to turn up all her roots now
She got to turn up for 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
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 ain't got no fingers
Blind man he's singing, says the Irish
He gets his money in a tin dish
Just a corner serenader
Once upon a time he could've 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, Portobello Belle

Yes, and these barrow boys are hawking
And a the parakeet is squawking
Upon a truck a paper rhino
She get the crying off the wino
And then she hears the reggae rumble
Belladonna's in the jungle
But she ain't no garden flower
There ain't no distress in the tower, not at all
Belladonna walks
Belladonna taking control
She don't care about your window box
Your button hole
Sing a song about a long gone Irish girl
But I got one for you, my Portobello Belle.

4. TWISTING BY THE POOL (Remix)

We're going on a holiday now
Gonna take a villa, a small chalet
Costa del Magnifico
Where the cost of living is so low
Yeah, we're gonna be so neat
Dance to the Eurobeat
Yeah, we're gonna be so cool
Twisting by the
Twisting by the
Twisting by the
Twisting by the
By the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool

Sitting in a small cafe now
Swing, swing, swinging to the cabaret
You wanna see movie, take in a show now
Meet new people at the disco
Yeah, we're gonna be so neat
Dance to the Eurobeat
Yeah, we're gonna be so cool
Twisting by the
Twisting by the
Twisting by the
By the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting, twisting by the pool

And we can still get information
Reading all about inflation
And you're never gonna be out of reach
There's a call-box on the beach
On the beach, on the beach

Twisting by the pool
And we're twisting
Twisting by the pool
You got me twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Yeah twisting, twisting by the pool

Mmm, you're gonna look so cute
Sunglasses and a bathing suit
Be the baby of my dreams
Like the ladies in the magazines
Yeah, we're gonna be so neat
Dance to the Eurobeat
Oh yeah, we're gonna be so cool
Twisting by the
Twisting by the
Let's go twisting by the
Twisting by the
By the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
I'm a twisting fool
Twisting by the pool
Yeah, twisting, twisting
By the pool

Twisting
Twisting by the pool
I'm a twisting fool
Twisting by the pool
You've got me twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Yeah, twisting, twisting
By the pool

Twisting by the pool
I'm a twisting fool
Twisting by the pool
You've got me twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Yeah, twisting, twisting
By the pool

Twisting
Twisting by the pool
I'm a twisting fool
Twisting by the pool
You've got me twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Yeah, twisting, twisting
By the pool

Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting by the pool
I'm a twisting fool
Twisting by the pool
Twisting, twisting by the pool.

5. TUNNEL OF LOVE

Getting crazy on the waltzers
But it's the life that I choose
Sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback
And a torture tattoo
And I been riding on a ghost train
Where the cars they scream and slam
And I don't know where I'll be tonight
But I'd always tell you where I am

In a screaming ring of faces
I seen her standing in the light
She had a ticket for the races
Just like me, she was a victim of the night
I put my hand upon the lever
Said let it rock and let it roll
I had the one arm bandit fever
There was an arrow through my heart and my soul

And the big wheel keep on turning
Neon burning up above
And I'm just high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me, girl
On the tunnel of love
Yeah, love

It's just the danger
When you're riding at your own risk
She said you are the perfect stranger
She said, baby, let's keep it like this
It's just a cakewalk twisting baby
Step right up and say
Hey mister, give me two, give me two
'Cause any two can play

And the big wheel keep on turning
Neon burning up above
And I'm just high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me, girl
On the tunnel of love
Oh, love

Well, it's been money for muscle on a
Another whirligig
Money for muscle and another girl I dig
Another hustle just to, just to make it big
And rockaway, rockaway
Rockaway, rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me
Just like it always did
Like the Spanish City to me
When we were kids
Oh, girl it looks so pretty to me
Just like it always did
Like the Spanish City to me
When we were kids

Check it out

She took off a silver locket
She said remember me by this
She put her hand in my pocket
I got a keepsake and a kiss
And in the roar of dust and diesel
I stood and watched her walk away
I could have caught up with her easy enough
But something must have made me stay

And the big wheel keep on turning
Neon burning up above
And I'm just high on this world
Come on and take a low ride with me, girl
On the tunnel of love
Yeah, love, love
Oh, tunnel of love
Oh, love, love

And now I'm searching through these carousels
And the carnival arcades
Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades
In any shooting gallery where promises are made
To rockaway, rockaway
To rockaway, rockaway
From Cullercoats and Whitley Bay out to rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me
Like it always did
Like the Spanish City to me
When we were kids
Girl it looks so pretty to me
Like it always did
Like the Spanish City to me
When we were kids.

6. ROMEO AND JULIET

A lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsuss serenade
Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
Finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like, you and me babe, how about it?

Juliet says, hey it's Romeo
You nearly gimme a heart attack
He's underneath the window
She's singing, hey la my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here
Singing up at people like that
Anyway, what you gonna do about it?

Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded into my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize
It was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet

Come up on different streets
They both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean
Yes, and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you
And now your dream is real
How can you look at me
As if I was just another one of your deals?

When you can fall for chains of silver
You can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers
And the promises they hold
You promised me everything
You promised me thick and thin
Now you just say oh Romeo, yeah
You know I used to have a scene with him

Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above
I'll love you till I die
There's a place for us
You know, the movie song
When you gonna realize
It was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet

I can't do the talk
Like they talking on the TV
And I can't do a love song
Like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you

And all I do is miss you
And the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and bad company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time

Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above
I'll love you till I die
There's a place for us
You know the movie song
When you gonna realize
It was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet

And a lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsuss serenade
Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
Finds a convenient streetlight, steps out of the shade
Says something like, you and me babe, how about it?

7. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?

Where do you think you're going
Don't you know it's dark outside
Where do you think you're going
Don't you care about my pride
Where do you think you're going
I think you don't know
You got no way of knowing
There's really no place you can go

I understand your changes
Long before you reach the door
I know where you think you're going
I know what you came here for
And now I'm sick of joking
You know I like you to be free
Where do you think you're going
I think you'd better go with me

You say there is no reason
But you still find cause to doubt me
You ain't with me girl
You're gonna be without me

Where do you think you're going
Don't you know it's dark outside
Where do you think you're going
Wish you didn't care about my pride
And now I'm sick of joking
You know I like you to be free
Where do you think you're going
You better go with me, girl

Come on.

8. WALK OF LIFE

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-bop-a-lula, baby what I say
Here comings Johnny singing 'I gotta woman'
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day

He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life

Here comes Johnny and he'll tell you the story
Hand me down my walkin' shoes
Here comes Johnny with the power and the glory
Backbeat the talkin' blues
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day

He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-bop-a-lula, baby what I say
Here comings Johnny singing 'I gotta woman'
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day

And after all the violence and double talk
There's just a song in all the trouble and the strife
You do the walk, you do the walk of life
Do the walk of life.

9. PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS

It's a mystery to me
The game commences
For the usual fee
Plus expenses
Confidential information
It's in a diary
This is my investigation
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
No compensation
Private investigations.

10. TELEGRAPH ROAD (Live - Remix)

And a long time ago came a man on a track
Walking thirty miles with a sack on his back
And he put down his load where he thought it was the best
Made a home in the wilderness

Built a cabin and a winter store
He ploughed up the ground by the cold lake shore
The other travellers came riding down the track
They never went further, they never went back
Then came the churches, then came the schools
Then came the lawyers, then came the rules
Then came the trains and the trucks with their loads
And the dirty old track was the Telegraph Road

Then came the mines, then came the ore
Then there was the hard times, then there was a war
Telegraph sang a song about the world outside
Telegraph Road got so deep and so wide
Like a rolling river

My radio says tonight it's gonna freeze
People driving home from the factories
Now you've got six lanes of traffic
Three lanes moving slow

Used to like to go to work, but they shut it all down
I've got a right to go to work
No work here to be found
Yes and they say we're gonna have to pay what's owed
We're gonna have to reap from some seed that's sowed
When the birds up on the wires and up on poles
They can always get out from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way
Down the Telegraph Road

And I'd sooner forget but I remember those nights
Yeah, life was just a bet on a race between the lights
You had your head on my shoulder
And you had your hand in my hair
Now you act a little colder like you don't seem to care
But just believe in me baby and I'll get you away
I'm gonna get you out of this darkness and into the day
From these rivers of headlights from these rivers of rain
From the anger that lives on the streets with these names
'Cause I've run every red light on memory lane
I've seen desperation explode into flames
And I don't wanna see it again

From all of these signs just saying "Sorry, but we're closed"
All the way
Down the Telegraph Road.

11. MONEY FOR NOTHING

I want my MTV

Now look at them yo-yo's, that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb

We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these colour TV's

We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these colour TV's

See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy, that's his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet aeroplane
That little faggot he's a millionaire

I shoulda learned to play the guitar
I shoulda learned to play them drums
Look at that mama, she got it stickin' in the camera
Man, we could have some
And he's up there, what's that? Hawaiian noises?
You're bangin' on the bongos like a chimpanzee
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Get your money for nothin', get your chicks for free

We gotta install microwaves ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these colour TV's

Listen here
Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Money for nothin'
Chicks for free

Get your money for nothin'
And your chicks for free

O, money for nothin'
And your chicks for free
Get your money for nothin'
And your chicks for free

Money for nothin'
Chicks for free
Get your money for nothin'
And chicks for free

Get your money for nothin'
And your chicks for free

Get your money for nothin'
And your chicks for free

Look at that, look at that

Get your money for nothin'
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
Chicks for free

Money for nothin'
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
Chicks for free

Get your money for nothin'
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
And the chicks for free

Get your money for nothin'
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
Chicks for free

Easy, easy money for nothin'
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
Ease easy chicks

Easy, easy money for nothin'
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
Chicks for free

That ain't workin'

Money for nothin'
Chicks for free
Money for nothin'
Chicks for free.

12. BROTHERS IN ARMS

These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms

Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I've witnessed your suffering
As the battle raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms

There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Now the sun's gone to hell
And the moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it's written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
We're fools to make war
On our brothers on arms.

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