Testo di Bertolt Brecht
Oh the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And he shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old Macheath, babe
And he keeps it outta sight
You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears ol' Macheath, babe
So there's never, never a trace of red
Now, on the side walk, ooh Sunday morning, uh huh
Lies a body just oozing life, eek
And someone's sneaking 'round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?
There's a tugboat down by the river, don't you know
Where a cement bag's just a-drooping on down
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten, ol' Mackie's back in town
Now did ya hear 'bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawing out all his hard earned cash
And now Macheath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done something rash?
Now, Jenny Diver, ho ho, Suky Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and ol' Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Mackie's back in town
I said, Jenny Diver, woah, Suky Tawdry
Look out, Miss Lotte Lenya and ol' Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Mackie's back in town
Look out ol' Mackie is back
" Mack the Knife " o " La ballata di Mack the Knife " (in tedesco: " Die Moritat von Mackie Messer " ) è una canzone composta da Kurt Weill con testo di Bertolt Brecht per il loro dramma musicale del 1928 "L'opera da tre sold" (in tedesco: Die Dreigroschenoper ). La canzone racconta di un criminale della malavita londinese armato di coltello chiamato Macheath , il "Mack the Knife" del titolo. La canzone è diventata uno standard popolare eseguito da molti artisti dopo essere stata registrata da Louis Armstrong nel 1955.
