We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

King of the Gangsters

from Klezmer Mongrels by Geoff Berner

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 CAD  or more

     

lyrics

To live outside the law, you must be vicious,
To live inside you must depend upon the viciousness of strangers.
Of the Odessa thugs, Benya was most ambitious,
He had a warm, close intimate relationship with danger.

He was the king, the king, the king,
He was the king of the gangsters.

The new Odessa chief of police
Said "at his sister's wedding, I will bring young Benya down."
By coincidence, during the feast,
Somebody burned the new Odessa Police Station to the ground.

He was the king, the king, the king,
He was the king of the gangsters.

The Goyim always said they were afraid
Of the Jews, but they act different when it's actually true.
He turned every funeral into a parade,
We were proud of Benya even when he robbed us too.

He was the king, the king, the king,
He was the king of the gangsters.

In his red sash, he swaggered through the marketplace,
With a pretty ghetto girlie and his Turkish cutlass.
The Red Army shot him in the face,
So they could build a brand new world, without crime or injustice.

He was the king, the king, the king,
He was the king of the gangsters.

credits

from Klezmer Mongrels, released January 25, 2009
Words and music by: Geoff Berner

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Geoff Berner Vancouver, British Columbia

Singer / songwriter / accordionist / novelist Geoff Berner's music combines klezmer, punk, political satire and Balkan dance rhythms. He writes sharp, literate songs that make you want to weep, laugh, grind your teeth, or kick out a window - often all at the same time. Having built a cult following with his weirdly compelling stage presence, G.B. has a strange ability to create fun chaos. ... more

contact / help

Contact Geoff Berner

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Geoff Berner, you may also like: