Amsterdam
Mort Shuman & Company Lyrics
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Of the dreams that he brings from the wide open sea
In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sleeps
While the river-bank weeps to the old willow tree
In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who dies
Full of beer, full of cries, in a drunken down fight
But in the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who's born
In the port of Amsterdam, where the sailors all meet
There's a sailor who eats only fish-heads and -tails
And he'll show you his teeth that have rotted too soon
That can drink down the moon, that can haul up the sails
And he turns to the cook, with his arms open wide
"Bring me more fish, put it down by my side"
And he wants so to belch, but he's too full to try
So he gets up and he laughs, and he zips up his fly
In the port of Amsterdam, you can see sailors dance
Paunches bursting their pants, grinding women to paunch
They've forgotten the tune that their whiskey-voice croaks
Splitting the night with the roar of their jokes
And they turn and they dance and they laugh and they lust
Til the rancid sound of the accordion bursts
And it's into the night with their pride in their pants
And the slut that they tow underneath the streetlamps
In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who drinks
And he drinks, and he drinks, and he drinks once again
He drinks to the health of the whores of Amsterdam
Who have promised their love to a thousand other men
They have bargained their bodies, their virtues all gone
For a few dirty coins, and when he can't go on
He puts his nose in the air, and he wipes it up above
And he pisses like I cry for an unfaithful love
In the port of Amsterdam, in the port of Amsterdam
In the port of Amsterdam
The song "Amsterdam" by Mort Shuman and Wolfgang Knittel tells the story of life in the port of Amsterdam from the perspective of a sailor. The first verse introduces us to a sailor who sings of his dreams from the open sea, while another sailor sleeps in a drunken stupor under an old willow tree. The second verse describes the birth and death of sailors in the port, with one dying in a drunken fight and another being born in the early light of dawn.
The third verse introduces us to a sailor who eats only fish heads and tails, whose teeth have rotted too soon. He is a hard-drinking man who can haul up the sails and drink down the moon, but is too full to belch after eating fish. The fourth verse tells of the sailors dancing and grinding the women of Amsterdam, forgetting the tune they are singing, and roaring with drunken jokes. They parade through the streets with their pride in their pants and their sinful women.
Finally, the song brings us back to a sailor who drinks to the health of the whores of Amsterdam - women who have sold their purity for mere coins. Desperate and alone, the sailor puts his nose in the air and cries like the songwriter for an unfaithful love. The poem is a vivid portrayal of a world of darkness and sin, where the sailors seem to be trapped in a life of drunkenness, lust, and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sings
A sailor in the Amsterdam port is singing of his adventurous and dreamy experiences from the sea.
Of the dreams that he brings from the wide open sea
The sailor sings of his dreams and fantasies that he has brought back with him from the vast expanse of the sea.
In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sleeps
Another sailor in the port of Amsterdam is sleeping while the surrounding willow tree sheds tears for him.
While the river-bank weeps to the old willow tree
The river-bank is crying for the plight of the sleeping sailor, who seems to be in a wretched situation.
In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who dies
A sailor in the Amsterdam port dies amidst a drunken brawl while being fully intoxicated.
Full of beer, full of cries, in a drunken down fight
The sailor passes away, utterly drunk, and involved in a chaotic drunken brawl with others.
But in the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who's born
Even amidst all this chaos, another sailor is being born in the port of Amsterdam in the early hours of the morning.
On a muggy hot morn, by the dawn's early light
The sailor is born on a hot and sticky morning with the first rays of the sun just beginning to show.
In the port of Amsterdam, where the sailors all meet
The port of Amsterdam becomes a place of convergence for all sailors from different parts of the world.
There's a sailor who eats only fish-heads and -tails
A strange sailor who only eats the head and tails of fish can be found in Amsterdam's port.
And he'll show you his teeth that have rotted too soon
This sailor will go so far as to show you his teeth, which have begun to rot before their time, probably from his peculiar diet.
That can drink down the moon, that can haul up the sails
Despite his strange eating habits, he is still a skilled sailor who can pull up the sails with ease and drink endless amounts of alcohol.
And he turns to the cook, with his arms open wide
The strange fish-eating sailor turns to the cook with open arms, hungry and looking for more fish.
"Bring me more fish, put it down by my side"
He requests the cook to bring him more fish and lay it down beside him so that he can feast on it.
And he wants so to belch, but he's too full to try
After stuffing himself with fish, he wants to belch, but he is too stuffed to do so.
So he gets up and he laughs, and he zips up his fly
He stands up, laughing at his own gluttonous behavior and zips up his pants.
In the port of Amsterdam, you can see sailors dance
There are many sailors in the Amsterdam port who are dancing away, enjoying themselves.
Paunches bursting their pants, grinding women to paunch
The sailors are so heavily overweight that their bellies are bursting out of their pants as they dance and grind on the women present.
They've forgotten the tune that their whiskey-voice croaks
Their alcohol-fueled singing has reached a point where they've completely forgotten the lyrics of the song they're croaking out.
Splitting the night with the roar of their jokes
Their laughter and jokes are so loud that they seem to reverberate throughout the entire night.
And they turn and they dance and they laugh and they lust
The sailors continue to dance, laugh, and indulge in their physical desires without any worries or care in the world.
Til the rancid sound of the accordion bursts
However, the sound of the accordion eventually overpowers their raucous behavior and comes across as a rancid and unpleasant noise.
And it's into the night with their pride in their pants
The sailors continue to make merry and revel in their own pride as they venture further into the night.
And the slut that they tow underneath the streetlamps
Along with them, they also continue to tow around promiscuous women showing off their 'prizes' under streetlamps.
In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who drinks
One sailor, in particular, is a heavy drinker in Amsterdam's port.
And he drinks, and he drinks, and he drinks once again
He drinks an endless amount of alcohol, to the point of being unable to stop himself.
He drinks to the health of the whores of Amsterdam
His drinking is a toast to the health and prosperity of the prostitutes of Amsterdam.
Who have promised their love to a thousand other men
The sex workers of Amsterdam have already made promises of love, affection, and care to a vast number of men.
They have bargained their bodies, their virtues all gone
Despite their promises, these women have sold their bodies, leading to their loss of morals, notions, and virtues.
For a few dirty coins, and when he can't go on
They have sold everything for nothing more than a handful of dirty coins, and when the sailor can't continue drinking, he just collapses on the ground.
He puts his nose in the air, and he wipes it up above
He tries to demonstrate how proud he is by raising his nose in the air and wiping it off as if unfaithful love is a thing of the past.
And he pisses like I cry for an unfaithful love
He urinates in the same manner and direction that someone would cry for being cheated on in love.
In the port of Amsterdam, in the port of Amsterdam
The entire song is an ode to the sailors, sex workers, and all other individuals and their lives centered around Amsterdam's port.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACQUES ROMAN BREL, MORT SHUMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
fek2000
This is the best version of this song done in English. Shuman was vastly underrated as a vocalist.
Jacqueline Waechter
La timidité, le raffinement, l'élégance, la sensibilité, qui caractérisent les belles créations musicales singulières de Mort Shuman, son amour de la langue française, tout cela forme un certain décalage romantique avec une époque en somme assez clinquante: il me bouleverse, tout comme Jacques Brel, par ces qualités d'hommes de cœur, et ces offrandes du meilleur d'eux-même perdurent intactes hors du temps mécanique. "Pourquoi vouloir décrocher la lune quand on a les étoiles ? "E. D.
Jacqueline Waechter
Merci pour votre témoignage ...et l'accompagnement dans le souvenir hommage...
Jacqueline Waechter
Aimer jusqu'à la déchirure Aimer, même trop, même mal, Tenter, sans force et sans armure, D'atteindre l'inaccessible étoile... Jacques Brel
Jacqueline Waechter
La mise en mirroir et l'ajout de de modifications à la vidéo originale font apparaître certains motifs et les mettent en lumière, en font disparaître d'autres...cela m'a semblé émouvant aussi... Si cela pose problème au niveau des droits d'auteur, les intéressés ont toujours loisir de supprimer le clip... cette vidéo n'a pas d'autre vocation que de rendre hommage à Mort Shuman, les auteurs du clip et Jacques Brel...
Jacqueline Waechter
" Et maintenant, réfléchissez, les miroirs." Jacques Rigaut Extrait de Ecrits, le miroir Les relations sont sûrement le miroir dans lequel on se découvre soi-même. Jiddu Krishnamurti La vie est un miroir dans lequel l'homme n'est jamais que le reflet de lui-même. [Chamfort]
Jacqueline Waechter
MORT SHUMAN "Sorrow in the morning Sorrow Sorrow late at night Like a ship without a sailor That's how I am wihout your arms To hold me tight"
J B
beautiful song!
merci for uploading
dear Amie !!!
J B
@Jacqueline Waechtermy pleasure.
Jacqueline Waechter
Merci mon ami !