Amsterdam
500 Choristes Lyrics

In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sings
There's a sailor in Amsterdam who sings about his dreams from the sea.

Of the dreams that he brings from the wide open sea
He sings about the dreams he brings from the vast sea.

In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sleeps
There's also a sleeping sailor in Amsterdam.

While the river-bank weeps to the old willow tree
But the weeping river-bank watches him as he sleeps under an old willow tree.

In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who dies
There's also a sailor who dies while in Amsterdam.

Full of beer, full of cries, in a drunken down fight
He dies drunk, loud, and fighting in a brawl.

But in the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who's born
In contrast, there's a sailor born in Amsterdam.

On a muggy hot morn, by the dawn's early light
He's born on a hot and humid morning as the sun rises.

In the port of Amsterdam, where the sailors all meet
The sailors all gather in the port of Amsterdam.

There's a sailor who eats only fish-heads and -tails
One of the sailors only eats fish-heads and -tails.

And he'll show you his teeth that have rotted too soon
This sailor will show you his teeth that have decayed too quickly.

That can drink down the moon, that can haul up the sails
His teeth are strong enough to drink and haul things.

And he turns to the cook, with his arms open wide
The sailor then turns to the cook with his arms wide open.

"Bring me more fish, put it down by my side"
He asks the cook for more fish to be placed by his side.

And he wants so to belch, but he's too full to try
He wants to belch but cannot due to being too full from the fish.

So he gets up and he laughs, and he zips up his fly
He then laughs, and zips up his fly before leaving.

In the port of Amsterdam, you can see sailors dance
Sailors in Amsterdam can be seen dancing.

Paunches bursting their pants, grinding women to paunch
They dance with their bellies bursting their pants, grinding against women.

They've forgotten the tune that their whiskey-voice croaks
The whiskey-voiced sailors have forgotten the tune they were singing.

Splitting the night with the roar of their jokes
They laugh loudly, splitting the night with their jokes.

And they turn and they dance and they laugh and they lust
They continue to dance, laugh, and lust.

Til the rancid sound of the accordion bursts
Until the sound of the accordion becomes foul.

And it's into the night with their pride in their pants
Then they continue into the night, proud of their dance and audience.

And the slut that they tow underneath the streetlamps
They also bring along the woman they consider to be promiscuous.

In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who drinks
There's a sailor who drinks endlessly in the port of Amsterdam.

And he drinks, and he drinks, and he drinks once again
He drinks repeatedly and excessively.

He drinks to the health of the whores of Amsterdam
He drinks to the health of the prostitutes in Amsterdam.

Who have promised their love to a thousand other men
These prostitutes have given their love to thousands of other men.

They have bargained their bodies, their virtues all gone
The prostitutes in Amsterdam have lost their virtues and sold their bodies.

For a few dirty coins, and when he can't go on
They do this for only a small amount of money, and when he can no longer drink.

He puts his nose in the air, and he wipes it up above
The drunk sailor then sniffs and wipes his nose in the air.

And he pisses like I cry for an unfaithful love
He urinates while crying, just like someone who has been cheated on.

In the port of Amsterdam, in the port of Amsterdam
The song ends with a repetition of the title, emphasizing the setting.