The song “Mack the Knife” dates back to 1928, when it was written for a German play. It was first known as “Theme from The Threepenny Opera” or “Die Moritat von Mackie Messer,” which is German for “The Murder Ballad of Mackie Messer.” Kurt Weill supplied the music with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. The main character is a murderer and rapist. The translation to English watered down some of the harsh realities of the original German version. Let’s look behind the meaning of “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin.
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Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight
You know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there’s never, never a trace of red
Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh
Lies a body just oozin’ life, eek
And someone’s sneakin’ ’round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?
Other Versions
The Dick Hyman Trio, Richard Hayman & Jan August, Les Paul & Mary Ford, and Lawrence Welk all appeared on the Billboard charts in 1956 with instrumental versions of the song. Louis Armstrong recorded both an instrumental version and one with lyrics. The vocal version peaked at No. 20. Billy Vaughn recorded the song later that same year. But it was singer/actor Bobby Darin who had the most success, with the song going all the way to the top spot in 1959. Ella Fitzgerald won a Grammy for her 1960 version. Many other artists have recorded the song, including Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Buffett, Nick Cave, Dave Van Ronk, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Brian Setzer, Marianne Faithful, Dr. John, The Psychedelic Furs, David Cassidy, Michael Bublé, Sonny Rollins, and Bill Haley.
There’s a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river, don’tcha know
Where a cement bag’s just a-drooppin’ on down
Oh, that cement is just, it’s there for the weight, dear
Five’ll get ya ten. Old Macky’s back in town
Now, did ya hear ’bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin’ out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy’s done somethin’ rash?
Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town
Modulations
Darin began including “Mack the Knife” in his nightclub show and went on to record it on an album of standards. Darin’s arrangement was similar to Armstrong’s except for the key changes. The version on Darin’s That’s All includes no less than four modulations.
Sinatra called Darin’s recording the definitive version. “Bobby Darin took the song by the scruff of the neck and turned it into the swing classic widely known today,” he said. “Unlike the Brecht-Weill original, which remains in the same key throughout, Darin’s version changes key, chromatically, no fewer than five times, ratcheting up the tension.”
Atco Records released Darin’s version as a single in August 1959, which went to No. 1. American Bandstand host Dick Clark warned Darin not to release the song; it was from an opera, he said, and would turn his rock ‘n’ roll fans off. Of course, he later had to admit he was wrong.
I said Jenny Diver, whoa, Sukey Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town
Look out, old Macky’s back
The German Original
When the song debuted, it was presented at the beginning and end of The Threepenny Opera. With the literal translation, these German lyrics shed light on Mackie Messer’s harsher actions, including a knife in the chest and violation of a minor. Kurt Weill was married to Lotte Lenya, who played Jenny in the original production. As Armstrong gathered characters’ names to include in his version, he mistakenly used the actress’s name, forever immortalizing her.
Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne
Und die trägt er im Gesicht
Und MacHeath, der hat ein Messer
Doch das Messer sieht man nicht
And the shark, he has teeth
And he wears them in his face
And MacHeath, he has a knife
But the knife you don’t see
An ‘nem schönen blauen Sonntag
Liegt ein toter Mann am Strand
Und ein Mensch geht um die Ecke,
Den man Mackie Messer nennt
On a beautiful blue Sunday
Lies a dead man on the Strand
And a man goes around the corner
Whom they call Mack the Knife
Und Schmul Meier bleibt verschwunden
Und so mancher reiche Mann
Und sein Geld hat Mackie Messer
Dem man nichts beweisen kann
And Schmul Meier is missing
And many a rich man
And his money has Mack the Knife,
On whom they can’t pin anything
Jenny Towler ward gefunden
Mit ‘nem Messer in der Brust
Und am Kai geht Mackie Messer,
Der von allem nichts gewußt
Jenny Towler was found
With a knife in her chest
And on the wharf walks Mack the Knife,
Who knows nothing about all this
Und die minderjährige Witwe
Deren Namen jeder weiß
Wachte auf und war geschändet
Mackie welches war dein Preis?
And the minor-aged widow,
Whose name everyone knows,
Woke up and was violated
Mack, what was your price?
Und die einen sind im Dunkeln
Und die anderen sind im Licht
Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte
Die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
And some are in the darkness
And the others in the light
But you only see those in the light
Those in the darkness you don’t see
Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte
Die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
But you only see those in the light
Those in the darkness you don’t see
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