Why aye man, a guess

Mark Knopfler has a song titled "Why Eye Man" and it is used as an expression in the song. What is the meaning of this and the derivation?

Many sites have the lyrics as "Why Aye Man". No luck as to finding the meaning, though.

I am guessing it means literally 'why yes, man". However, it sounds to me like a Geordie flavoring element, a bit like 'ye kenn'(you understand or know) in some parts of Scotland, or 'all right?'(pronounced 'aw rite?' in the East End of London. In other words, the actual meaning is a bit by-the-by at this point. Geordie accents are notoriously difficult to understand however so I defer to any Geordies in the house. There must be one at least, no?