Your Latest Trick
Dire Straits;Mark Knopfler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴All the late night bargains have been struck
Between the satin beaus and their belles
Prehistoric garbage trucks
Have the city to themselves
Echoes roars dinosaurs
They're all doing the monster mash
And most of the taxis, most of the whores
I don't know how it happened
It all took place so quick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick
Well now my door was standing open
Security were laid back and lax
But it was only my heart that got broken
You must have had a pass key made out of wax
You played robbery with insolence
And I played the blues in twelve bars down Lover's Lane
And you never did have the intelligence to use
The twelve keys hanging off from my chain
I don't know how it happened
It all took place so quick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick
Now it's past last call for alcohol
Past recall has been here and gone
The landlord he finally paid us all
The satin jazzmen have put away their horns
And we're standing outside of this wonderland
Looking so bereaved and so bereft
Like a bowery bum when he finally understands
The bottle's empty and there's nothing left
I don't know how it happened
It was faster than the eye could flick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick
Overall Meaning
The lyrics of Dire Straits' song Your Latest Trick present a vivid picture of a late-night adventure in the city. The opening lines suggest that all the deals have been made, and the city belongs to the garbage trucks, while the sound of echoes, roars, and dinosaurs, hint at the prehistoric atmosphere of the place. The imagery also contains references to taxi drivers and prostitutes out for business. The singer admits that he doesn't know how it happened, but he finds himself handing it to the person who has just performed his latest trick.
The second verse describes how the singer's heart was broken by someone who had made an undetected entry, with a "pass key made out of wax." The culprit is described as playing "robbery with insolence," while the singer plays the blues. The third and final verse takes place after last call, and everyone has left. The scene is somber, and the people look "bereaved and bereft." The end result is that the singer has been outsmarted and humbled by the other character's latest trick.
Line by Line Meaning
All the late night bargains have been struck
All of the deals for the night have already been made
Between the satin beaus and their belles
Between the wealthy lovers, who are dressed in expensive satin clothing
Prehistoric garbage trucks
The noisy, old garbage trucks
Have the city to themselves
The city is now empty and quiet, except for the garbage trucks
Echoes roars dinosaurs
The echoes of the past, like the roars of dinosaurs
They're all doing the monster mash
The past seems to be alive, like they're all doing the popular dance 'Monster Mash'
And most of the taxis, most of the whores
Most of the taxis and prostitutes are only available for cash transactions
Are only taking calls for cash
They are only interested in cash transactions
I don't know how it happened
I am not sure how it all unfolded
It all took place so quick
It all happened very fast
But all I can do is hand it to you
All I can do is give you credit for your actions
And your latest trick
And your latest accomplishment
Well now my door was standing open
My door was unlocked and unguarded
Security were laid back and lax
The security was careless and not strict
But it was only my heart that got broken
It was only my emotions that got hurt
You must have had a pass key made out of wax
You must have had a key made specifically to unlock my door
You played robbery with insolence
You played the role of a robber with arrogance and disrespect
And I played the blues in twelve bars down Lover's Lane
And I played sad music on my guitar in a street named Lover's Lane
And you never did have the intelligence to use
You never had the intelligence to take advantage of
The twelve keys hanging off from my chain
The twelve keys that were hanging from my chain
Now it's past last call for alcohol
The time for drinking alcohol has ended
Past recall has been here and gone
The time for remembering things has passed
The landlord he finally paid us all
The landlord finally paid us all our money
The satin jazzmen have put away their horns
The satin wearing jazz musicians have stopped playing their instruments
And we're standing outside of this wonderland
We are standing outside of a magical place
Looking so bereaved and so bereft
Appearing very sad and hopeless
Like a bowery bum when he finally understands
Like a poor man in the street who finally realizes
The bottle's empty and there's nothing left
The bottle is empty and there is no more alcohol left
It was faster than the eye could flick
It was faster than the eye could see
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mark Knopfler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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