The Ballad Of Mack The Knife (Der Moritat Von Mackie Messer)
Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht
From the play "The Threepenny Opera" (1928)
Standard Tuning
Chords for the first 2 lines of every verse (with high note for singing reference)
e|----5-----5-----5------5-----|
B|----5-----6-----3------0-----|
G|----5-----7-----4--OR--0-----|
D|----5-----7-----3------0-----|
A|----3-----5-----5------2-----|
E|----------------3------3-----|
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,
And he shows them pearly white;
Just a jack-knife 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!
On the sidewalk Sunday morning
Lies a body oozing life;
Someone sneaking 'round the corner;
Is that someone Mack the Knife?
From a tugboat by the river,
A cement bag's dropping down;
The cement's just for the weight, dear;
Bet ya Mackie's back in town!
Louie Miller disappeared, dear,
After drawing out his cash,
And Macheath spends like a sailor;
Did our boy do something rash?
Suky Tawdry, Jenny Diver,
Polly Peachum, Lucy Brown;
Oh, the line forms on the right, dears,
Now that Mackie's back in town!
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,
And he shows them pearly white;
Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear,
And he keeps it out of sight!
Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear,
Slow down
And he keeps it out of sight!