Amsterdam
The Styles Lyrics

In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sings
A sailor in Amsterdam serenades the locals with tales of his high-seas adventures.

Of the dreams that he brings from the wide open sea
He shares dreams of freedom and adventure that he acquired while sailing the open seas.

In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who sleeps
One of the sailors sleeping against the willow trees in the city's harbors, causing nearby gardens to cry.

While the river-bank weeps to the old willow tree
The nearby riverbank is saddened by the sleeping sailor's presence.

In the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who dies
Sadly, one of the seafarers who made Amsterdam port his home has died as a result of too much alcohol and a bar fight.

Full of beer, full of cries, in a drunken down fight
The sailor passed away amidst a rowdy brawl after drinking too much beer and shouting out loud.

But in the port of Amsterdam, there's a sailor who's born
A new sailor is welcomed into the port, born in the early hours of the morning on a muggy, hot day.

On a muggy hot morn, by the dawn's early light
The sailor was born on a warm, misty morning, during the earliest moments of daylight.

In the port of Amsterdam, where the sailors all meet
Sailors from all over the world come together in Amsterdam's port to chat, chill and unwind.

There's a sailor who eats only fish-heads and -tails
One of the sailors prefers to eat only parts of fish which others have discarded.

And he'll show you his teeth that have rotted too soon
He reveals his decayed teeth, which is a sign of poor health due to his peculiar eating habits.

That can drink down the moon, that can haul up the sails
Despite his unhealthy eating, he is still strong enough to do the work of two men, powering through any hard task set before him.

And he turns to the cook, with his arms open wide
With an excited grin, he beckons the cook over, arms flung wide open.

"Bring me more fish, put it down by my side"
He asks for more of the same type of fish to be brought out so that he can indulge himself in his favorite food.

And he wants so to belch, but he's too full to try
Despite being extremely full, the sailor wants to let out a burp through his mouth, but due to overeating, he is unable to.

So he gets up and he laughs, and he zips up his fly
He stands up, laughing in high spirits and zips up his pants before rushing back to join the group of other sailors.

In the port of Amsterdam, you can see sailors dance
"From the port of Amsterdam you can look out and see groups of sailors dancing wildly."

Paunches bursting their pants, grinding women to paunch
The sailors, who are often overweight, are seen dancing raunchily with young women as their bellies burst against their tight pants.

They've forgotten the tune that their whiskey-voice croaks
All sailors are lost deep in the moment that they have forgotten the words to their songs, their vocals becoming more like a raspy alcoholic howl, rather than anything understandable.

Splitting the night with the roar of their jokes
The sailors tell increasingly ridiculous and offensive jokes, making their laughter roll through the entire city.

And they turn and they dance and they laugh and they lust
The sailors collectively dance, laugh and feel strong desires of passion throughout their entire beings all at once.

Til the rancid sound of the accordion bursts
The sailors keep on dancing until the accordion makes a sound like a river of sour liquid suddenly bursting loose.

And it's into the night with their pride in their pants
The sailors left the scene at night, with their drunkenness driving their walks and swelling their hearts with pride.

And the slut that they tow underneath the streetlamps
They left accompanied by a woman of low morals, with her reputation preceding her, towed by sailors under the bright light of a streetlamp.

In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who drinks
In the city's port, there's a sailor who drinks loads of liquor every day.

And he drinks, and he drinks, and he drinks once again
He is an alcoholic, constantly drinking and never letting go of his addiction.

He drinks to the health of the whores of Amsterdam
He dedicates his drinking and all that it brings into his life to the good health of the ladies of the night in Amsterdam.

Who have promised their love to a thousand other men
These women, in return, have promised their love to countless other men as part of their jobs and means of living.

They have bargained their bodies, their virtues all gone
The prostitutes gave up their honor and dignity, using their bodies as a tool to make money and survive.

For a few dirty coins, and when he can't go on
For insufficient money, the prostitutes had to bear their bodies as a means of income, and when the sailor runs out of money, he can't continue buying drinks for himself or them.

He puts his nose in the air, and he wipes it up above
To show his frustration over the cost and his inability to pay, the sailor puts his nose in the air and rubs it dramatically as if to say he doesn't care.

And he pisses like I cry for an unfaithful love
The sailor relieves himself on the dock, causing one to think it was out of anger as if the man cried out for the love that was never faithful to him.

In the port of Amsterdam, in the port of Amsterdam
This line repeats the title of the song, emphasizing the setting and reiterating the sailor's connection to that place.