Sailing to Philadelphia Lyrics
[Verse 1: Mark Knopfler]
I am Jeremiah Dixon
I am a Geordie boy
A glass of wine with you, sir
And the ladies I'll enjoy
All Durham and Northumberland
Is measured up by my own hand
It was my fate from birth
To make my mark upon the earth
[Verse 2: James Taylor]
He calls me Charlie Mason
A stargazer am I
It seems that I was born
To chart the evening sky
They'd cut me out for baking bread
But I had other dreams instead
This baker's boy from the West Country
Would join the Royal Society
[Chorus: James Taylor, Mark Knopfler & James Taylor]
We are sailing to Philadelphia
A world away from the coaly Tyne
Sailing to Philadelphia
To draw the line
The Mason-Dixon Line
I am Jeremiah Dixon
I am a Geordie boy
A glass of wine with you, sir
And the ladies I'll enjoy
All Durham and Northumberland
Is measured up by my own hand
It was my fate from birth
To make my mark upon the earth
[Verse 2: James Taylor]
He calls me Charlie Mason
A stargazer am I
It seems that I was born
To chart the evening sky
They'd cut me out for baking bread
But I had other dreams instead
This baker's boy from the West Country
Would join the Royal Society
[Chorus: James Taylor, Mark Knopfler & James Taylor]
We are sailing to Philadelphia
A world away from the coaly Tyne
Sailing to Philadelphia
To draw the line
The Mason-Dixon Line
[Verse 3: James Taylor]
Now you're a good surveyor, Dixon
But I swear you'll make me mad
The West will kill us both
You gullible Geordie lad
You talk of liberty
How can America be free
A Geordie and a baker's boy
In the forests of the Iroquois
[Verse 4: Mark Knopfler]
Now hold your head up, Mason
See, America lies there
The morning tide has raised
The capes of Delaware
Come up and feel the sun
A new morning has begun
Another day will make it clear
Why your stars should guide us here
[Chorus: Mark Knopfler, Mark Knopfler & James Taylor]
We are sailing to Philadelphia
A world away from the coaly Tyne
Sailing to Philadelphia
To draw the line
The Mason-Dixon Line
The Mason-Dixon Line
Now you're a good surveyor, Dixon
But I swear you'll make me mad
The West will kill us both
You gullible Geordie lad
You talk of liberty
How can America be free
A Geordie and a baker's boy
In the forests of the Iroquois
[Verse 4: Mark Knopfler]
Now hold your head up, Mason
See, America lies there
The morning tide has raised
The capes of Delaware
Come up and feel the sun
A new morning has begun
Another day will make it clear
Why your stars should guide us here
[Chorus: Mark Knopfler, Mark Knopfler & James Taylor]
We are sailing to Philadelphia
A world away from the coaly Tyne
Sailing to Philadelphia
To draw the line
The Mason-Dixon Line
The Mason-Dixon Line
About
Genius Annotation
“Sailing to Philadelphia” by Mark Knopfler appears on his album of the same name (2000).
This is a story song, told in two monologues between Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon as they travel from Great Britain to Pennsylvania for the survey work that created the Mason-Dixon Line in 1763.
The song was inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Mason and Dixon.
Besides providing a wonderful history lesson, it also humanizes these people for us; giving us some perspective on their motives and emotions.
– Charles Mason
– Jeremiah Dixon
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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Credits
Featuring
Producers
Writer
Vocals
Keyboards
Piano
Guitar
Bass
Drums
Mastering Engineer
Assistant Mastering Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Recording Engineer
Assistant Engineer
Pedal Steel Guitar
Recorded At
Ocean Way Recording and Tracking Room, Nashville, Tennessee
Released on
September 25, 2000
Sailing to Philadelphia Live Performances
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