Sultans of swing
Wanderley Andrade Lyrics

You get a shiver in the dark
You feel a shiver in your body when you hear the start of the music

It′s raining in the park but meantime
Although it's raining in the park, the music gives you a good feeling

South of the river you stop
You stop south of the river to hear the music

And you hold everything
You are so captivated by the music that you stop everything and just listen

A band is blowing Dixie
A band is playing a jazz tune called 'Dixie'

Double four time
They are playing in a fast 4/4 rhythm

You feel alright
You feel good and happy when you hear the music

When you hear that music ring
The sound of the music gives you a sense of excitement

Well, now you step inside
You go inside the club to hear the music better

But you don't see too many faces
There aren't many people inside the club

Coming in out of the rain
People are coming out of the rain into the club

To hear the jazz go down
They come to the club to hear the jazz music being played

To competition in other places
There is competition with other clubs that play jazz music

But now the horns
But now the horns, the instruments being played, are blowing that sound

They blowin′ that sound
The horns are playing the jazz music that people love

Way on down south
The music is being played in the southern part of London

Way on down south, London town
The music is being played in the southern part of London, known as London town

You check out Guitar George
You notice Guitar George, the guitarist in the band

He knows all the chords
He knows how to play all the guitar chords in the song

Mind he's strictly rhythm
He only plays rhythm guitar, not lead guitar

He doesn't want to make it cry or sing, yeah
He doesn't want to play the guitar in a way that will make it sound like it's crying or singing

And then his old guitar is all he can afford
He can only afford to play his old guitar

When he gets up under the lights
When he goes up on stage and is illuminated by the lights

To play his thing
To play his part in the song

And Harry doesn′t mind
Harry, another member of the band, doesn't care

If he doesn′t make the scene
If he doesn't become famous or well-known

He's got a daytime job
He has a regular job during the day

He′s doing alright
He's doing well in life, despite not being famous for his music

He can play the Honky Tonk
He can play the piano in a style called Honky Tonk

Like anything
He can play it really well

Saving it up for Friday night
He saves his music skills for playing on Friday nights

With the Sultans
Together with the members of his band

With the Sultans of Swing
The Sultans of Swing are the main subject of the song and are a group of jazz musicians

And a crowd of young boys
And a group of young men

They're fooling around in the corner
They are goofing off in a corner of the club

Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies
They are drunk and wearing their best brown pants

And their platform soles
They are wearing shoes with high platform soles

They don′t give a damn
They don't care

About any trumpet playing band
They don't care about bands that play trumpet, which is another type of jazz music

It ain't what they call rock and roll
It's not the type of music that is popularly known as rock and roll

And the Sultans
The band, the Sultans of Swing

Yeah, well, the Sultans, they play Creole
The Sultans play a type of jazz music called Creole

Creole
Creole is a type of jazz music that originated in Louisiana, USA

And then the man
The lead singer of the band

He step right up to the microphone
He walks up to the microphone to sing

And says at last just as the time bell rings
He says it's time to end the show as the final bell rings

"Goodnight, now it′s time to go home"
He says goodnight and it's time for everyone to leave

Then he makes it fast with one more thing
He quickly says one more thing before they leave

We are the Sultans
He reminds the audience that they are the Sultans of Swing

We are the Sultans of Swing
He repeats that they are the Sultans of Swing