Mack The Knife
Mack The Knife: Jazz's Shadowy Tale Unveiled
Lyrics
Dig, man, there goes Mack The Knife
Mack the Knife is spotted
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear
The shark has conspicuous, attractive teeth
And it shows them pearly white
It displays its teeth which are white
Just a jackknife has MacHeath, dear
MacHeath owns a concealed jackknife
And he keeps it out of sight
He keeps it hidden from view
When the shark bites with his teeth, dear
When the shark attacks, trouble starts
Scarlet billows start to spread
Bloody aftermath becomes visible
Fancy gloves, though, wears MacHeath, dear
MacHeath wears elegant gloves
So there's not a trace of red
No signs of blood on them
On the sidewalk, sundayy morning, baby
Describes a scene on a Sunday morning sidewalk
Lies a body oozin' life
A body is lying there, losing life
Someone's sneakin' 'round the corner
Suspect observed lurking nearby
Is this someone Mack the Knife?
Questioning if this person is Mack the Knife
From a tugboat, by the river
From a boat on the river
A cement bag's drooppin' down
A bag of cement drops down
Yes, the cement's just for the weight, dear
The cement is for weighting purposes
Bet you Macky's back in town
Indication that Mack is likely back in town
Lookie here, Louie Miller disappeared, dear
Reference to Louie Miller's disappearance after withdrawing money
After drawin' out his cash
Speculation about Mack's spending recklessly
And MacHeath spends like a sailor
Suggesting Mack acts extravagantly
Did our boy do somethin' rash?
Questioning if Mack did something impulsive
Sukey Tawdry, Jenny Diver, Lotte Lenya, sweet Lucy Brown
Names of women associated with Mack
Oh, the line forms on the right, dears
An indication of people lining up on the right side now that Mack is back
Now that Macky's back in town
Confirming Mack's return to town
Take it, Satch
A cue for Satchmo (Louis Armstrong) to perform
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