Over fifty years after his death, his music continues to be performed both in popular and classical contexts. In Weill's lifetime, his work was most associated with the voice of his wife, Lotte Lenya, but shortly after his death "Mack the Knife" was established by Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin as a jazz standard; his music has since been recorded by other performers ranging from The Doors, Lou Reed, Sting and PJ Harvey to New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; singers as varied as Teresa Stratas, Ute Lemper, and Marianne Faithfull have recorded entire albums of his music.
Happy End
Kurt Weill Lyrics
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I won't forget it soon (doo doo)
That old Bilbao moon (doo doo)
Just like a big balloon (doo doo)
That old Bilbao moon (doo doo)
Would rise above the dune (doo doo)
While Tony's Beach Saloon (doo doo)
Rocked with an old-time tune (doo doo)
We'd sing a song the whole night long and I can still recall
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest nights of them all
No paint was on the door (no paint was on the door)
The grass grew through the floor (the grass grew through the floor)
Of Tony's Two By Four (of Tony's Two By Four)
On the Bilbao shore (on the Bilbao shore)
But there were friends galore (howdy do, howdy do)
And there was beer to pour (chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug)
And moonlight on the shore (and the moon shines above)
That old Bilbao shore (on the shore, not the floor)
We'd sing all night with all our might and I can still recall
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (the greatest) nights of them all
That old Bilbao moon
I won't forget it soon
That old Bilbao moon
Just like a big balloon
That old Bilbao moon
Would rise above the dune
While Tony's Beach Saloon
Rocked with an old-time tune
We'd sing all night with all our might and I can still recall
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (the greatest) nights of them all
The song "That Old Bilbao Moon" from Kurt Weill's musical "Happy End" is a nostalgic reminiscence of a simpler, carefree time. The singer remembers spending nights at Tony's Two By Four, a rundown shack on the Bilbao shore. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the saloon was a welcoming haven for the singer and his friends, who would sing and drink beer while basking in the moonlight on the shore. The image of the Bilbao moon, a huge luminous sphere rising over the dunes, is a recurring motif in the song, conveying a sense of wonder and enchantment.
The lyrics evoke a sense of longing for a bygone era of youthful indulgence, where the only concern was to have a good time with friends. The absence of paint on the door and the grass growing through the floor suggests a rustic, unsophisticated setting that is nevertheless imbued with warmth and conviviality. The repetition of the phrase "Those were the greatest nights of them all" underscores the nostalgia and underscores the idea that the past is always more idealized than the present.
Overall, the song is a wistful tribute to the power of memories to transport us to a different time and place, and to evoke emotions that are both bittersweet and comforting.
Line by Line Meaning
That old Bilbao moon (doo doo)
The intense memory of the moon in Bilbao.
I won't forget it soon (doo doo)
The memory of the moon in Bilbao is memorable.
Just like a big balloon (doo doo)
The moon in Bilbao looks huge like a balloon.
Would rise above the dune (doo doo)
In Bilbao, the moon would look bigger as it rose above the dunes.
While Tony's Beach Saloon (doo doo)
The events happened while Tony's Beach Saloon existed.
Rocked with an old-time tune (doo doo)
Old-time music was playing at Tony's Beach Saloon.
We'd sing a song the whole night long and I can still recall
The characters used to sing all night and the memory is still with them.
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
The experiences at Tony's Beach Saloon were the greatest.
No paint was on the door (no paint was on the door)
Tony's Beach Saloon was not well maintained.
The grass grew through the floor (the grass grew through the floor)
The establishment was not well kept.
Of Tony's Two By Four (of Tony's Two By Four)
The establishment's name was Tony's Two By Four.
On the Bilbao shore (on the Bilbao shore)
Tony's Beach Saloon was situated on the Bilbao shore.
But there were friends galore (howdy do, howdy do)
Despite the establishment's lack of maintenance, there were always plenty of friends around.
And there was beer to pour (chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug)
There was plenty of beer to drink at Tony's Beach Saloon.
And moonlight on the shore (and the moon shines above)
The shimmering moon reflected on the Bilbao shore.
On the shore, not the floor
The memory is of the location in Bilbao and not the condition of Tony's Beach Saloon.
We'd sing all night with all our might and I can still recall
The characters sang all night with passion and the memory still endures.
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
The memory of the experience is one of the greatest.
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
The memory of the experience is one of the greatest.
Those were the greatest (the greatest) nights of them all
Memories of Tony's Beach Saloon are some of the greatest for the characters.
That old Bilbao moon
Reference to the intense memory of the moon in Bilbao.
I won't forget it soon
The memory of the Bilbao moon remains strong.
Just like a big balloon
The memory of the Bilbao moon is pictorial and grand like a balloon.
That old Bilbao moon
The Bilbao moon memory still endures.
Would rise above the dune
In the memory of the Bilbao moon, it rises above the dunes.
While Tony's Beach Saloon
Tony's Beach Saloon is mentioned again as a reference point.
Rocked with an old-time tune
The music played at Tony's Beach Saloon is remembered as 'old-time'.
We'd sing all night with all our might and I can still recall
The memory of singing in Bilbao with full force still remains.
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
The memories of Tony's Beach Saloon are exceptional.
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Strong memory of the best times at Tony's Beach Saloon.
Those were the greatest (the greatest) nights of them all
The memories of the experiences the characters had at Tony's Beach Saloon are the greatest.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERTOLT BRECHT, EUGEN BERTHOLD BRECHT, JOHNNY MERCER, KURT WEILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Baum
I've known much of the music from Happy End but have never seen it performed. Thank you very much for posting this!
louieshotpants
It’s so hard to find filmed performances of this. Thank you for uploading!