It’s difficult to imagine two more distinguished artists in their own right forming a duo than Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. The pair came together to make an album in 2006 that seamlessly combined their estimable talents.
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Considering their veteran status as musicians when it was recorded, it made sense that the pair chose “All The Roadrunning” as the title track. The song takes a piercing look at the itinerant life of a musician and the toll of the road.
“Road” Warriors
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris had long admired each other’s work from afar. When they both played on the same tribute to Chet Atkins, they finally got the chance to know each other. And they quickly hatched plans to work together.
The album All The Roadrunning was recorded in sessions stretched over several years, as the two musicians had to find time in their busy schedules. When it was released in 2006, the album immediately received immense praise. And the title track immediately established itself as one of the most astute songs ever recorded about the touring life.
Interestingly enough, the song works as a kind of companion piece to another song written by Knopfler. Back in 1978, “Sultans Of Swing”, the first single released by his band Dire Straits, examined a band that played music for the love of it, despite the indifference of the crowds.
You could imagine “All The Roadrunning” coming from the perspective of one of those same musicians many years down the road, recollecting the past and trying to figure out if it was all worth it. The touching shared vocals of Knopfler and Harris convey both the pride and the pain of a life spent in this manner.
Exploring the Lyrics of “All The Roadrunning”
Knopfler starts the song with some accounting. “A million miles our vagabond wheels clocked beneath the clouds,” he notes. He suggests that there’s no recompense that a musician can get to atone for the stress they face.
Harris enters in the second verse to sing the praises of those performing with her. “This is my piper, this is my drum,” she sings proudly. “So you never will hear me complain.” In the third verse, Knopfler implies that others will find a different life. And what’s left at the end for those who stick it out? “And when there is only a ring in your ears and an echo down memory lane,” he sings.
The fourth verse arrives, and Harris returns to say that it takes a certain kind of headstrong individual to choose this life. “And there’s no pretending that I’m not a fool for roaming around and around,” she trills.
In the last verse, the pair start trading off vocals as they note the “vagabond sky” and renew their commitment to the road. “As long as the dreamer remains,” there will be musicians plying their trade. “And if it’s all for nothing,” they lament in the refrain. “All the roadrunning will be in vain.”
You can’t say that this song was “all for nothing,” as it became a surprising hit single in Great Britain. Considering the wonderful careers of Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, there’s no doubting that “All The Roadrunning” can indeed lead to something truly special.
Photo by Albert Olive/EPA/Shutterstock
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