Basil

Album: Tracker (2015)
Play Video
  • My Saturday job pays six and six down
    A copy boy at the Chronicle
    Five cigarettes and two silver half crowns
    Meeting Vince at Mark Toney's in town
    Boy, do we get around

    Basil sits there on the table for subs
    But not a part of the Bri-nylon club
    Ancient blue sweater, too old for the job
    Bored out of his mind
    With the Colins and Bobs

    I'm a jack and a lad
    And I'm up for the world
    And I've kissed a Gateshead girl

    He calls for a copy boy, grumpy as hell
    Poets have to eat as well
    What he wouldn't give just to walk out today
    To have time to think about time
    And young love thrown away

    I'm a jack and a lad
    And I'm up for the world
    And I've kissed a Gateshead girl

    Starlings swarming
    A cloud over Grainger Street
    Over the black church
    Over the Black Gate
    And the shadowy Keep

    He peers through his wire rims
    At the fish and chip words
    He's supposed to dish up and forget
    His drudgery now has become slightly blurred
    By one of his Players untipped cigarettes

    Bury all joy
    Put the poems in sacks
    And bury me here with the hacks

    In the summer the fair
    Will stretch over the Moor
    Lovers will lie and make out in the park
    Basil puts on his old duffel and scarf
    And goes out into the dark Writer/s: MARK KNOPFLER
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Len from Texas UsaI had gone through inflationary historical data and all that, and determined that MK's "six and sixpence" (in 1965, my guess was close) equates to about L7.43 in 2023, which sounds about right for a Saturday afternoon job but should be much more than 5 cigarettes and two half crowns (1/4 pound). "Poetic license"?
  • Leah Barbee from Colorado, U.s.Basil Bunting is my great-grandfather & this was so interesting to learn about! Thank you :)
  • Juanjo from SpainThanks for the explanation.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."