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Mack The Knife

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Cmajor

90BPM

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1/4

Tempo 80 BPMVol

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Step 1 / 4Position: 3

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The Ballad Of Mack The Knife (Der Moritat Von Mackie Messer)
Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht
From the play "The Threepenny Opera" (1928)
Standard Tuning
Chords for the first 2 lines of every verse (with high note for singing reference)
e|----C65-----Dm5-----G95------G95-----|
B|----5-----6-----3------0-----|
G|----5-----7-----4--OR--0-----|
D|----5-----7-----3------0-----|
A|----3-----5-----5------2-----|
E|----------------3------3-----|
Oh, the C6shark has pretty Dmteeth, dear,
And he sG9hows them pearly C6white;
Just a jAmack-knife has MacDm7heath, dear,
And he kDm7eeps it out of siC6ght!
When the C6shark bites with his Dmteeth, dear,
Scarlet G9billows start to C6spread;
Fancy Amgloves, though, wears Dm7Macheath, dear,
So there's Dm7not a trace of C6red!
On the C6sidewalk Sunday Dmmorning
Lies a G9body oozing C6life;
Someone Amsneaking 'round the Dm7corner;
Is that Dm7someone Mack the C6Knife?
From a C6tugboat by the Dmriver,
A ceG9ment bag's dropping C6down;
The ceAmment's just for the Dm7weight, dear;
Bet ya Dm7Mackie's back in C6town!
Louie C6Miller disapDmpeared, dear,
After G9drawing out his C6cash,
And MacAmheath spends like a Dm7sailor;
Did our Dm7boy do something C6rash?
Suky C6Tawdry, Jenny DmDiver,
Polly G9Peachum, Lucy C6Brown;
Oh, the Amline forms on the Dm7right, dears,
Now that Dm7Mackie's back in C6town!
Oh, the C6shark has pretty Dmteeth, dear,
And he G9shows them pearly C6white;
Just a Amjack-knife has Dm7Macheath, dear,
And he Dm7keeps it out of C6sight!
Just a Amjack-knife has Dm7Macheath, dear,
Slow down
And he Dm7keeps it out of C6sight!

All chords in this song (5)

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Mack The Knife

by Kurt Weill

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Dm7

The Ballad Of Mack The Knife (Der Moritat Von Mackie Messer)

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht

From the play "The Threepenny Opera" (1928)

Standard Tuning

Chords for the first 2 lines of every verse (with high note for singing reference)

C6 Dm G9 G9

e|----5-----5-----5------5-----|

B|----5-----6-----3------0-----|

G|----5-----7-----4--OR--0-----|

D|----5-----7-----3------0-----|

A|----3-----5-----5------2-----|

E|----------------3------3-----|

C6 Dm

Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,

G9 C6

And he shows them pearly white;

Am Dm7

Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear,

Dm7 C6

And he keeps it out of sight!

C6 Dm

When the shark bites with his teeth, dear,

G9 C6

Scarlet billows start to spread;

Am Dm7

Fancy gloves, though, wears Macheath, dear,

Dm7 C6

So there's not a trace of red!

C6 Dm

On the sidewalk Sunday morning

G9 C6

Lies a body oozing life;

Am Dm7

Someone sneaking 'round the corner;

Dm7 C6

Is that someone Mack the Knife?

C6 Dm

From a tugboat by the river,

G9 C6

A cement bag's dropping down;

Am Dm7

The cement's just for the weight, dear;

Dm7 C6

Bet ya Mackie's back in town!

C6 Dm

Louie Miller disappeared, dear,

G9 C6

After drawing out his cash,

Am Dm7

And Macheath spends like a sailor;

Dm7 C6

Did our boy do something rash?

C6 Dm

Suky Tawdry, Jenny Diver,

G9 C6

Polly Peachum, Lucy Brown;

Am Dm7

Oh, the line forms on the right, dears,

Dm7 C6

Now that Mackie's back in town!

C6 Dm

Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,

G9 C6

And he shows them pearly white;

Am Dm7

Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear,

Dm7 C6

And he keeps it out of sight!

Am Dm7

Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear,

Slow down

Dm7 C6

And he keeps it out of sight!

About Mack The Knife Chords by Kurt Weill

Learn how to play Mack The Knife by Kurt Weill with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Mack The Knife chords”, “Mack The Knife guitar chords”, or “Kurt Weill Mack The Knife chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Mack The Knife chords and for experienced players who want accurate Mack The Knife lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C6, Dm, G9, B, G, D.

FAQ — Mack The Knife by Kurt Weill

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Is "Mack The Knife" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Mack The Knife" in?

The chords for "Mack The Knife" show the original chord names (including C6, Dm, G9, B, G, D). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.