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.
Mack the Knife
Kurt Weill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has MacHeath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight
When the shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
So there's not a trace of red
On the sidewalk, sundayy morning, baby
Lies a body oozin' life
Someone's sneakin' 'round the corner
Is this someone Mack the Knife?
From a tugboat, by the river
A cement bag's drooppin' down
Yes, the cement's just for the weight, dear
Bet you Macky's back in town
Lookie here, Louie Miller disappeared, dear
After drawin' out his cash
And MacHeath spends like a sailor
Did our boy do somethin' rash?
Sukey Tawdry, Jenny Diver, Lotte Lenya, sweet Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, dears
Now that Macky's back in town
Take it, Satch!
The song "Mack the Knife" was composed by Kurt Weill and lyricist Bertolt Brecht for their musical The Threepenny Opera. This song has been covered by several musicians over the years and has become a jazz standard. The song portrays the life and exploits of a notorious criminal named Mack the Knife.
The opening line of the song, "Dig, man, there goes Mack The Knife!" sets the tone for the song. The following lines about the shark's teeth and the jackknife that Mack carries give a sense of danger surrounding the character. The song goes on to describe a scene where someone is killed, and there is suspicion that Mack may be the culprit. The lyrics "On the sidewalk, Sunday morning, baby, lies a body oozin' life" provide a visual description of the aftermath of the crime. The lyrics "From a tugboat by the river, a cement bag's droppin' down" suggest that Mack is disposing of the body. Throughout the song, the lyrics reference several characters who have been associated with Mack or have had interactions with him, including Sukey Tawdry, Jenny Diver, Lotte Lenya, and Lucy Brown.
Overall, "Mack the Knife" is a story of criminal activity and the infamous Mack's reputation for violence and murder. The lyrics create a vivid portrait of the world that Mack inhabits, where life is cheap, and people are disposable. The song's darkly humorous tone and catchy melody make it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Dig, man, there goes Mack The Knife!
Look over there, it's Mack the Knife!
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Mack is handsome and charming, but underneath there's something dangerous
Just a jackknife has MacHeath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight
When the shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears MacHeath, dear
So there's not a trace of red
Mack is a killer, but he's clever and doesn't get caught
On the sidewalk, sundayy morning, baby
Lies a body oozin' life
Someone's sneakin' 'round the corner
Is this someone Mack the Knife?
Mack has killed someone and people are suspicious of him
From a tugboat, by the river
A cement bag's drooppin' down
Yes, the cement's just for the weight, dear
Bet you Macky's back in town
Mack is disposing of evidence, but people know he's back in town
Lookie here, Louie Miller disappeared, dear
After drawin' out his cash
And MacHeath spends like a sailor
Did our boy do somethin' rash?
Mack has robbed and possibly killed Louie Miller, leading people to question his motives
Sukey Tawdry, Jenny Diver, Lotte Lenya, sweet Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, dears
Now that Macky's back in town
Mack has a history with many women and now that he's back, they're all lining up to be with him again
Take it, Satch!
Refers to Louis Armstrong, asking him to take over the song
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexandrapedersen829
And the shark, he has teeth;
he has them in his face.
And Macheath, he has a knife,
but no one sees the knife.
On a beautiful, blue-skied Sunday
a dead man lies on the Strand
and someone turns the corner,
the one they call Mack the Knife.
And Schmul Meier's still not been found,
and many such a rich man
and his money has Mack the Knife,
against whom no one can prove anything.
Jenny Towler was found
with a knife in her chest
and on the embankment there's Mack the Knife,
who knows nothing of any of it.
And the great fire in Soho,
seven children and an old man.
In the crowd Mack the Knife, whom
one asks nothing, and who knows nothing.
And the underage widow,
whose name everyone knows,
woke up and was defiled.
Mack, what was your price?
@WeicheWotan
There is nothing like this original Lotte Lenya version. Sinister, pessimistic underneath the jaunty carnival rhythm. A perfect expression of the Weimar Repubic's mood.
@Geonorth1
@Bruno56 And a smaller brain.
@mostrange-monsters1302
GeoNorth _ and half as much the lower brains
@tousdr
Stimmt!
@cockhammer09
and unfortunately also apropos in the failed Amerikkka
@psychoprosthetic
@@bobsemple7660- You sound a bit bitingly critical of the Weimar republic there, was that intended?
I think the hyperinflation happened in 1923 and was over by 1924. But Germany had to pay 50 billion Marks in reparation to the other countries from the end of WW1. After 23 it was buoyed up by US loans. The Wall Street crash and the concomitant end of US support caused the collapse of the Weimar republic and Hitler, who did not like relying on US loans before the crash, was seen as prescient and insightful when this happened and his popularity increased.
The golden age was highly cultural, and very artistic, and some of its leading lights were half a century ahead of the rest of Europe in attitudes towards gay people and transgendered people, as well as art, design, music and architecture.
This song is part of a drama derived from an earlier drama from England and was embraced partly because of the criticism of the wealthy with regards to the poor and had a socialist message (not a Nazi message but proper socialism as Brecht was inclined towards). It was written in 1928 when the economy looked pretty good, albeit with the help of JP Morgan. Alas, the performance was popular among the smart set, ironically, not the poor so much.
But Weimar didn't have a chance financially with the reparation payments. The treaties at the end of WW1 set them up for collapse.
@Commanderjaywalker
I think this is the proper way to sing Mack the Knife. The oddly cheerful tone creates an image of an environment where people go about their daily lives despite the fact that murder is an everyday occurrence, and that is precisely what makes the song so chilling.
@LandersWorkshop
Slightly OTT with that comment TH.
@Commanderjaywalker
Over the top? Sure, essentially it is "just" a murder ballad, and you don't have to agree with me. But during his early career, before he fled from Nazi Germany, Kurt Weill worked and even lived in places where people witnessed crime and poverty and joked about death or even murder. I'm sure his life experience had some influence on Threepenny Opera.
@LandersWorkshop
Well we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.