Here's David Bowie's version of Jacques Brel's Amsterdam
as sung by Mr Jones with accoustic guitar on 'Bowie at the
Beeb - the best of the BBC sessions 68-72'

Davey plays each chord once for the first verse and then
starts strumming with a driving rhythm enhanced by various
hammer-ons etc.  I love it.



 Am       
In the port of Amsterdam
 Em
There's a sailor who sings
 F
Of the dreams that he brings
 E
From a wide open sea
 Am
And in the port of Amsterdam
 Em
There's a sailor who sleeps
 F E7
While the river bank weeps
 Am
To the old willow tree
 C
And in the port of Amsterdam
 G7 E7
There's a sailor who dies
 Am
Full of beers full of cries
 E7
In a drunken down fight
 F
And in the port of Amsterdam
 Em
There's a sailor who is born
 Dm7 E7
On the hot muggy morn
 Am
By the dawns early light

 Am
In the port of Amsterdam
 Em
Where the sailors all meet
 F
There's a sailor who eats
 E
Only fish heads and tails
 Am
He'll show you his teeth
 Em
That have rotted too soon
 F E7
That can haul up the sails
 Am
That can swallow the moon
 C
And he'll yell to the cook
 G7 E7
With his arms open wide
 Am
Oh bring me more fish
 E7
Though it's down by my side
 F
And he wants so to belch
 Em
But he's too full to try
 Dm7 E7
So he stands up and laughs
 Am
And he zips up his flies

 Am
In the port of Amsterdam
 Em
You can see sailors dance
 F
Paunches bursting their pants
 E
Grinding women's with paunch     (not sure about this line)
 Am
They've forgotten the tune
 Em
That their whiskey voice croaks
 F E7
Splitting the night
 Am
With the roar of their jokes
 C
And they turn and they dance
 G7 E7
And they laugh and they lust
 Am
Till the rancid sound
 E7
Of the accordion bursts
 F
And then out of the night
 Em
With their pride in their pants
 Dm7 E7
And the slut that they tow
 Am
Underneath the street lamps

 Am
In the port of Amsterdam
 Em
There's a sailor who drinks
 F
And he drinks and he drinks
 E
And he drinks once again
 Am
Oh he drinks to the health
 Em
Of the whores of Amsterdam
 F E7
Who have given their bodies
 Am
To a thousand other men
 C
It's their worth and their goodness
 G7 E7
Their virtues all gone
 Am
For the few dirty coins
 E7
When he just can't go on
 F
Throws his nose to the sky
 Em
And he aims it up above
 Dm7 E7
And he pisses like I cry
 Am
For an unfaithful love

 Am
In the port of Amsterdam
 Em  Dm E7 Am
In the port of Amsterdam



Submitted by Mr Thyroid