Mack the Knife
Louis Armstrong * Track #4 On Satchmo the Great
Download "Mack the Knife"
Album Satchmo the Great
- #1
When It’s Sleepy Time Down SouthLouis Armstrong
- #2
(Back Home Again In) IndianaLouis Armstrong
- #3Oh, Didn’t He Ramble
Louis Armstrong
- #4Mack the Knife
Louis Armstrong
- #5
Mahogany Hall StompLouis Armstrong
- #6
(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue?Louis Armstrong
- #7St. Louis Blues (Concerto Grosso)
Louis Armstrong
- #8
Royal Garden BluesLouis Armstrong
- #9
Bucket’s Got a Hole In ItLouis Armstrong
Mack the Knife by Louis Armstrong
Performed by
Louis ArmstrongProduced by
George AvakianWrited by
Kurt Weill & Bertolt BrechtAbout
Cover version of the standard by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, first performed in their 1928 anti-capitalist musical drama, The Threepenny Opera.
Brecht and Weill were heavily influenced by American jazz. Weill’s widow, Lotte Lenya was present in the studio when Armstrong recorded his 1956 version...
Mack the Knife Lyrics
Dig, man, there goes Mack The Knife!
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear
And he shows them, a-pearly white
Just a jackknife 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, mmm, of red
On the sidewalk, Sunday mornin', baby
Lies a body, oozin' life
Someone sneakin' 'round the corner
Is the someone Mack the Knife?
From a tugboat by the river, baby
A cement bag's drooppin' down
Yeah the cement's just for the weight, dear
Bet you Mack, he's back in town
Lookie here, Louie Miller, disappeared, dear
After drawing out his cash
And MacHeath spends like a sailor
Did our boy do somethin' rash?
Suky Tawdry, Jenny Diver
Lotte Lenya, sweet Lucy Brown
Yes, the line forms on the right, dears
Now that Mackheath's back in town
Take it, Satch
Mack the Knife Q&A
Who wrote Mack the Knife's ?
Mack the Knife was written by Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht.
Who produced Mack the Knife's ?
Mack the Knife was produced by George Avakian.
Scarlet billows, what's the definition?
Since Mack – a serial killer – is referred to as a shark, ‘scarlet billows’ refers to the blood spreading in the water.