Scott Walker - Jackie

And if one day I should become
A singer with a Spanish bum
Who sings for women of great virtue
I'd sing to them with a guitar
I borrowed from a coffee bar
Well, what you don't know doesn't hurt you
My name would be Antonio
And all my bridges I would burn
And when I gave them some they'd know
I'd expect something in return
I'd have to get drunk every night
And talk about virility
With some old grandmother
That might be decked out like a christmas tree
And though pink elephants I'd see
Though I'd be drunk as I could be
Still I would sing my song to me
About the time they called me "Jacky"

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute in a stupid ass way

And if I joined the social whirl
Became procurer of young girls
Then i would have my own bordellos
My record would be number one
And I'd sell records by the ton
All sung by many other fellows
My name would then be handsome Jack
And I'd sell boats of opium
Whisky that came from Twickenham
Authentic queers
And phony virgins
If I had banks on every finger
A finger in every country
And every country ruled by me
I'd still know where I'd want to be
Locked up inside my opium den
Surrounded by some china men
I'd sing the song that I sang then
About the time they called me "Jacky"

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute in a stupid ass way

Now, tell me, wouldn't it be nice
That if one day in paradise
I'd sing for all the ladies up there
And they would sing along with me
And we be so happy there to be
Cos' down below is really nowhere
My name would then be Junipher
Then I would know where I was going
And then I would become all knowing
My beard so very long and flowing
If I became deaf, dumb and blind
(was: If I could play deaf, dumb and blind)
Because I pitied all mankind
And broke my heart to make things right
I know that every single night
When my angelic work was through
The angels and the Devil too
Would sing my childhood song to me
About the time they called me "Jacky"

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute in a stupid ass way

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Scott walker
• jackie
• crooner
• Scott 2
• the man

[thefishermann]

beware one def person between us.

[RubberyCat]

I'm think the text is a bit wrong in the presentation ... even before this i had been thinking "cute cute"?

I think his text may actually be "acute cute" ...

In Marc Almond's, it is just "cute", though, for good and bad.

I came here from the Marc Almond thread, and have to agree: Much of the greatness of his interpretation comes from Scott Walkers.

Not all, though, Marc do brings his own to the mix.

And there's the original greatness: Brel, that gave such a great piece to begin with.

[thefishermann]

@RubberyCat dont know about Marc Almond's but I'll check

anyway Walker done a great Brel's version, unstoppable.

[thefishermann]

exactly, that was the idea ;)

[vversatile27]

@RubberyCat

The french lyrics are "beau et con à la fois" which translates to "beautiful and idiot at the same time" so I think "cute in a stupidass way" is a good rendering of that to fit the scan of the song.

[scanningpiranhas]

This is loveable

[VengeanceIsMineBitch]

now i know where adam green gets his hand gestures from.

[LoletteBelette]

Fake! Its a remake of the great song of Brel..

[madamewoselle]

Happy birthday, Scott Engel!

[normasarse]

Brilliant song,great lyrics the BBC didn't like. Caused the downfall of Simon Dee as he dared to play it twice against the BBC ban! Good lad!

[aleemotomato]

CUTE IN A STUPID ASS WAY!

[RubberyCat]

@thefishermann

There is a risk you'll think Marc has copied all ... he has copied most, that's for sure, though.

I think it is good to see the versions though, so one may compare them.