Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
[Opening]
Well, the [C6]shark has pretty [Dm]teeth dear
And he [G7]keeps them pearly [C6]white
Just a [Am]jackknife has old Mac [Dm]Heath dear
And he [G7]keeps it out of [C6]sight
[verse 2]
When the [C6]shark bites with his [Dm]teeth dear,
Scarlet [G7]billows start to [C6]spread
Fancy [Am]gloves though wears old Mac [Dm]Heath dear,
So there’s [G7]never a trace of [C6]red
[verse 3]
Sunday [C6]morning, on the [Dm]sidewalk,
Lies a [G7]body oozing [C6]life
And someone’s [Am]creeping, round the [Dm]corner.
Could that [G7]someone be Mack the [C6]Knife?
[verse 4]
From a [C6]tug boat on the [Dm]river
A ce[G7]ment bag’s dropping [C6]down
The ce[Am]ment’s just for the [Dm]weight, dear.
I bet you [G7]Macky is back in [C6]town
[verse 5]
Louis [C6]Miller dis[Dm]appeared, dear,
After [G7]drawing all his [C6]cash
And old Mac [Am]Heath spends like a [Dm]sailor,
Did our [G7]boy do something [C6]rash?
[verse 6]
Jenny [C6]Diver; Sukey [Dm]Tawdry;
Lotte [G7]Lenya; Sweet Lucy [C6]Brown
Well, the [Am]line forms on the [Dm]right girls
Now that [G7]Macky’s back in [C6]town!
[Closing]
Well, the [Am]line forms on the [Dm]right girls.
You know that [G]Macky. [G7]STOP
He’s back in [C]town!
How to play Mack The Knife on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife on guitar requires 6 chords and 8 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.
Mack The Knife uses these transitions most often: Dm → G7 (12), G7 → C6 (12), and Am → Dm (7). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C6 - Dm chord transition.
1. C6 → Dm chord transition
To move from C6 to Dm;
- While playing C6, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
2. Dm → G7 chord transition
To move from Dm to G7;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
3. G7 → C6 chord transition
To move from G7 to C6;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Place pinky on A string fret 3.
4. C6 → Am chord transition
To move from C6 to Am;
- While playing C6, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on G string fret 2.
5. Am → Dm chord transition
To move from Am to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
6. Dm → G chord transition
To move from Dm to G;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
7. G → G7 chord transition
To move from G to G7;
- Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
- Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.
8. G7 → C chord transition
To move from G7 to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
Mack The Knife chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Mack The Knife.
- Mack The Knife includes 47 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Mack The Knife contains 3 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Mack The Knife connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After C6, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G7 (33%), Dm7 (16%), and Am (14%).
- C6 → Am: 14%
- C6 → Dm: 12%
After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).- Dm → G: 16%
- Dm → G7: 6%