Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear And he shows'em, pearly white Just a jack knife has Macheath, dear And he keeps it, keeps it way out of sight ... When that shark bites with his teeth, dear Scarlet billows, they begin to spread Fancy white gloves though has Macheath, dear So there's rarely, never one trace of red ... On the sidewalk, one Sunday mornin' Lies a body oozin' life Someone's sneaking 'round the corner Could that someone, perhaps, perchance, be Mack the Knife? From a tugboat on the river goin' slow A cement bag, it is dropping down Yeah, the cement is just for the weight, dear You can make a large bet Macheath is back in town ... My man Louie Miller, he split the scene, babe After drawin' out all the bread from his stash Now Macheath spends just like a pimp, babe Do you suppose that our boy, he did something rash? Ah, old Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darrin They did this song nice, Lady Ella too They all sang it, with so much feeling That Old Blue Eyes, he ain't gonna add nothing new ... But with Quincy's big band, right behind me Swinging hard, Jack, I know I can't lose When I tell you, all about Mack the Knife babe It's an offer, you can never refuse ... We got George Benson, we got Newman & Foster We got the Brecker Brothers, and Hampton's bringing up the rear All these bad cats, and more, are in the band now ... They make the greatest sounds, you ever gonna hear Hey Sookie Taudry, Jenny Diver, Polly Peachum, Old Miss Lulu Brown Oh the line forms, on the right dear ... Now that Macheath, I mean that man Macheath Yeah he's bad, mercy mercy Yeah he's badder than old Leroy Brown You better lock your door, and call the law Because Macheath's, that bum, He's back in town ... 

Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear
And he shows'em, pearly white
Just a jack knife has Macheath, dear
And he keeps it, keeps it way out of sight ...

When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows, they begin to spread
Fancy white gloves though has Macheath, dear
So there's rarely, never one trace of red ...

On the sidewalk, one Sunday mornin'
Lies a body oozin' life
Someone's sneaking 'round the corner
Could that someone, perhaps,
perchance, be Mack the Knife?

From a tugboat on the river goin' slow
A cement bag, it is dropping down
Yeah, the cement is just for the weight, dear
You can make a large bet
Macheath is back in town ...

My man Louie Miller, he split the scene, babe
After drawin' out all the bread from his stash
Now Macheath spends just like a pimp, babe
Do you suppose that our boy,
he did something rash?

Ah, old Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darrin
They did this song nice, Lady Ella too
They all sang it, with so much feeling
That Old Blue Eyes,
he ain't gonna add nothing new ...

But with Quincy's big band, right behind me
Swinging hard, Jack, I know I can't lose
When I tell you, all about Mack the Knife babe
It's an offer, you can never refuse ...

We got George Benson, we got Newman & Foster
We got the Brecker Brothers,
and Hampton's bringing up the rear
All these bad cats, and more,
are in the band now ...

They make the greatest sounds, you ever gonna hear
Hey Sookie Taudry, Jenny Diver,
Polly Peachum, Old Miss Lulu Brown
Oh the line forms, on the right dear ...

Now that Macheath, I mean that man Macheath
Yeah he's bad, mercy mercy
Yeah he's badder than old Leroy Brown
You better lock your door, and call the law
Because Macheath's, that bum,
He's back in town ... 

shark: carnivorous fish (tiburón); tooth (sing) = teeth (pl)
pearly-white: a white the color of pearls
jack knife: a large knife with folding blades (navaja)
out of sight: hidden, not accessible to view (oculta)

to bite: to cut or tear with the teeth (morder)
scarlet billows: red sea waves (olas rojas)
fancy: ornamented, fashion (decorativos, de moda)
a trace of red = a touch of red (un toque de rojo)

sidewalk (US) = pavement (UK) (vereda)
oozin' = oozing: exhudating (transpirando)
sneaking 'round = sneaking around (furtivamente)
perhaps: by chance (quizás)
perchance (archaic): possibly (quizás, posiblemente)

tugboat: towboat (bote remolcador); goin' = going
cement bag: bag full of cement (bolsa de cemento)
weight: heavy force (peso)
a large bet: money on a gamble (apuesta fuerte)
is back in town = came back to town

my man: a male subordinate (mi colaborador)
stash: a secret store of money (dinero escondido)
pimp: procurer (customers for prostitutes) (proxeneta)
oozin' = oozing: exhudating (transpirando)
rash: imprudent (imprudente)

Satchmo, Louis Amstrong, Bobby Darrin = singers
Lady Ella = Ella Fitzgerald (singer)
to sing/sang/sung (cantar)
Old Blue Eyes = Frank Sinatra
he ain't gonna add = he isn't going to add (no agrega)

Quincy = Quincy Jones (a famous song writer)




George Benson, Joe Newman, Frank Foster (musicians)
Michael Brecker (saxophonist), Randy Brecker (trumpeter)
Lionel Hampton (vibraphone player)
bad cat: informal term for a youth or man








mercy: compassion (piedad, compasión)
badder = worst (peor); Click here for LEROY BROWN lyrics.
lock: close with a key; call the law: call the police
that bum: that disreputable man (ese rufián)
is back in town = came back to town