Mark Knopfler
Lyric guide

The Ragpicker's Dream

Read The Ragpicker's Dream lyrics by Mark Knopfler on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Mark Knopfler visibility2 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Mark Knopfler Canonical path: /mark-knopfler/the-ragpicker-s-dream Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

The Ragpicker's Dream

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

When jack frost came for christmas

With a brass monkey date

The rail-king and the scarecrow

Hopped a florlda freight

And they blew on their paper cups

And stared through the steam

Then they drank half a bottle

Of ragpicker's dream where

The whiskey keeps following

Cold pitchers of beer

Me and my associate

Like the clientele here get

The onions and the 'taters

Rib-eyes on the grill

Toothpicks and luckies

And a coffee refill as

The rail-king lay rocking

He was leaving the ground

Then he was flying like santa claus

Over the town where

He came to the window

Of a house by a stream

It was a family christmas

In the ragpicker's dream there

Were kids at the table

All aglow in the light

Music in the wintertime

Sure carries at night there

Was turkey and gravy

Pie and ice-cream

And gifts for each and everyone

In the ragpicker's dream where

The red-eye keeps tumbling

In our glasses of beer

Me and my associate

Like the service in here there's

A ten for your trouble

You have beautiful hair

Make the last one two doubles

It's a cold one out there where

The scarecrow and the rail-king

Have started to dance

But a nightstick and a billyclub

Won't give peace a chance here

I think they went thataways

Your song and dance team

Heading home for the holidays

With the ragpicker's dream on

His knees like a fighter

The rail-riding king

Like a sack of potatoes

Like a bull in the ring where

The scarecrow falls over

With a tear in the seam

Home for the rover

In the ragpicker's dream where

The red-eye keeps tumbling

Like tears in our beer

Me and my associate

Like the ambience here where

They cornered two castaways

In a white flashlight beam

Merry christmas and happy days

In the ragpicker's dream

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "The Ragpicker's Dream"?

Mark Knopfler performs "The Ragpicker's Dream", and this lyric page sits inside the Mark Knopfler catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "The Ragpicker's Dream"?

Yes. The related section below points to Tunnel Of Love and The Car Was The One with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Mark Knopfler?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Mark Knopfler's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on The Ragpicker's Dream yet.