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Version 1 Version 2(Port of) AMSTERDAM Written by Jacques Brel (original lyrics in French, English by David Bowie – 1972) As performed by David Bowie [Verse 1] Am Em In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who sings F E Of the dreams that he brings from the wide open sea Am Em In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who sleeps Dm E Am While the river bank weeps to the old willow tree C G E In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who dies Am Em E Full of beer, full of cries in a drunken town fight F E In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who's born Dm E Am On a hot muggy morn by the dawn's early light [Instrumental] Am [Verse 2] Am Em In the port of Amsterdam where the sailors all meet F E There's a sailor who eats only fish heads and tails Am Em And he'll show you his teeth that have rotted too soon Dm E Am That can haul up the sails that can swallow the moon C G E And he yells to the cook with his arms open wide Am Em E Hey, bring me more fish, throw it down by my side F E And he wants so to belch but he's too full to try Dm E Am So he stands up and laughs and he zips up his fly [Verse 3] Am Em In the port of Amsterdam you can see sailors dance F E Paunches bursting their pants, grinding women to porch Am Em They've forgotten the tune that their whiskey voice croaked Dm E Am Splitting the night with the roar of their jokes C G E And they turn and they dance and they laugh and they lust Am Em E Till the rancid sound of the accordion bursts F E And then out of the night with their pride in their pants Dm E Am And the sluts that they tow underneath the street lamps [Verse 4] Am Em In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who drinks F E And he drinks and he drinks and he drinks once again Am Em He'll drink to the health of the whores of Amsterdam Dm E Am Who've given their bodies to a thousand other men C G E Yeah, they've bargained their virtue, their goodness all gone Am Em E For a few dirty coins, well he just can't go on F E Throws his nose to the sky and he aims it up above Dm E Am And he pisses like I cry on the unfaithful love Am Em In the port of Amsterdam, in the port of Amsterdam F E Am E Am