Jackie
Mort ShumanWolfgang Knittel Lyrics
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A singer with a Spanish bum
Who sings for women of great virtue
I'd sing to them with a guitar
I borrowed from a coffee bar
Well, what you don't know doesn't hurt you
My name would be Antonio
And all my bridges I would burn
I'd expect something in return
I'd have to get drunk every night
And talk about virility
With some old grandmother
That might be decked out like a Christmas tree
And though pink elephants I'd see
Though I'd be drunk as I could be
Still I would sing my song to me
About the time they called me "Jacky"
If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute in a stupid ass way
And if I joined the social whirl
Became procurer of young girls
Then I would have my own bordellos
My record would be number one
And I'd sell records by the ton
All sung by many other fellows
My name would then be handsome Jack
And I'd sell boats of opium
Whiskey that came from Twickenham
Authentic queers
And phony virgins
If I had banks on every finger
A finger in every country
And every country ruled by me
I'd still know where I'd want to be
Locked up inside my opium den
Surrounded by some china men
I'd sing the song that I sang then
About the time they called me "Jacky"
If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute in a stupid ass way
Now, tell me, wouldn't it be nice
That if one day in paradise
I'd sing for all the ladies up there
And they would sing along with me
And we be so happy there to be
Cause down below is really nowhere
My name would then be Juniper
Then I would know where I was going
And then I would become all knowing
My beard so very long and flowing
If I became deaf, dumb and blind
(was: If I could play deaf, dumb and blind)
Because I pitied all mankind
And broke my heart to make things right
I know that every single night
When my angelic work was through
The angels and the Devil too
Would sing my childhood song to me
About the time they called me "Jacky"
If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute in a stupid ass way
The song "Jackie" by Mort Shuman and Wolfgang Knittel is a melancholic reflection of the singer's escapist fantasies. The lyrics depict a man who imagines himself as Antonio, a Spanish bum who sings to women with a borrowed guitar. His bridges are all burned, indicating that he has decided to let go of his past and present life to start afresh. He is very desperate to be someone else, with a different name and identity.
Additionally, in the second verse, the singer imagines himself as "Handsome Jack," a man who runs his own brothels and sells opium and whiskey. In his imagination, he would be successful and wealthy, and he would rule over every country. However, despite his success, he chooses to lock himself up in his opium den, surrounded by China men. This verse highlights the man's dissatisfaction with life and desire to escape from reality.
In the last verse, the singer imagines himself in paradise, where he would be known as Juniper, and he would sing for all the ladies up there, and they would sing along with him. The song ends on a somewhat hopeful note, where Jackie, now Juniper, performs for angels and the devil, up in paradise.
Line by Line Meaning
And if one day I should become
If by chance someday I become
A singer with a Spanish bum
A musician who's down on his luck
Who sings for women of great virtue
Performing for women who are pure and virtuous
I'd sing to them with a guitar
I'd play for them with my guitar
I borrowed from a coffee bar
I got it on loan from a coffee shop
Well, what you don't know doesn't hurt you
If you're unaware of something, then there's no harm done
My name would be Antonio
I'd use the name Antonio
And all my bridges I would burn
I'd alienate everyone I knew
And when I gave them some they'd know
If I did something for them, they'd realize there was a catch
I'd expect something in return
I'd want something back in exchange for my efforts
I'd have to get drunk every night
I'd have to drink excessively every night
And talk about virility
And discuss my masculinity
With some old grandmother
With some elderly lady
That might be decked out like a Christmas tree
Who might be excessively adorned in jewelry and accessories
And though pink elephants I'd see
Despite hallucinating pink elephants
Though I'd be drunk as I could be
Even if I were as inebriated as possible
Still I would sing my song to me
I would still sing my song to myself
About the time they called me "Jacky"
About the time I was known as Jacky
If I could be for only an hour
If only I could experience this for one hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could have this experience every day for an hour
If I could be for just one little hour
If I could have just one brief hour of this experience
Cute in a stupid ass way
Adorably foolish
And if I joined the social whirl
If I became part of high society
Became procurer of young girls
And arranged for young women to be involved in questionable activities
Then I would have my own bordellos
Then I would own my own brothels
My record would be number one
My music would be the most popular
And I'd sell records by the ton
And I'd sell an immense amount of records
All sung by many other fellows
All sung by other men
My name would then be handsome Jack
I'd go by the name Handsome Jack
And I'd sell boats of opium
And I'd make significant profits from opium sales
Whiskey that came from Twickenham
Whiskey that was made in Twickenham
Authentic queers
Genuine homosexuals
And phony virgins
And fake virgins
If I had banks on every finger
If I were immensely wealthy
A finger in every country
If I had influence and power in every nation
And every country ruled by me
If I were the leader of every country
I'd still know where I'd want to be
I'd still want to be in the same place
Locked up inside my opium den
Imprisoned in my opium den
Surrounded by some china men
Surrounded by Chinese men
I'd sing the song that I sang then
I'd sing the same song I used to sing
Now, tell me, wouldn't it be nice
Wouldn't it be pleasant to think
That if one day in paradise
That if someday in heaven
I'd sing for all the ladies up there
I'd perform for all the women there
And they would sing along with me
And they would join in singing with me
And we be so happy there to be
And we would be filled with joy to be there
Cause down below is really nowhere
Because the world below is insignificant
My name would then be Juniper
I'd be called Juniper
Then I would know where I was going
Then I'd have a clear direction
And then I would become all knowing
And then I'd become all-wise
My beard so very long and flowing
My beard would be tremendous and majestic
If I became deaf, dumb and blind
If I lost all sensory functions
Because I pitied all mankind
Because I have compassion for all humans
And broke my heart to make things right
And I sacrificed myself to make things better
I know that every single night
I realize that every night
When my angelic work was through
When I finished with my divine duties
The angels and the Devil too
Both angels and demons
Would sing my childhood song to me
Would sing the song from my youth to me
About the time they called me "Jacky"
About the time I was known as Jacky
If I could be for only an hour
If only I could experience this for one hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could have this experience every day for an hour
If I could be for just one little hour
If I could have just one brief hour of this experience
Cute in a stupid ass way
Adorably foolish
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERARD JOUANNEST, JACQUES ROMAN BREL, MORT SHUMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind