[THE AMERICAN]
Bangkok, Oriental setting
And the city don't know that the city is getting
The creme de la creme of the chess world in a
Show with everything but Yul Brynner

Time flies -- doesn't seem a minute
Since the Tirolean spa had the chess boys in it
All change -- don't you know that when you
Play at this level there's no ordinary venue

It's Iceland -- or the Philippines -- or Hastings -- or --
or this place!

[COMPANY]
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you're lucky then the god's a she
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

[THE AMERICAN]
One town's very like another
When your head's down over your pieces, brother

[COMPANY]
It's a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pity
To be looking at the board, not looking at the city

[THE AMERICAN]
Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town --

[COMPANY]
Tea, girls, warm, sweet
Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite

[THE AMERICAN]
Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist
Whose every move's among the purest
I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine

[COMPANY]
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

[THE AMERICAN]
Siam's gonna be the witness
To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness
This grips me more than would a
Muddy old river or reclining Buddha

And thank God I'm only watching the game -- controlling it --

I don't see you guys rating
The kind of mate I'm contemplating
I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you

So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage
parlours --

[COMPANY]
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

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Lyrics submitted by jubjubgurl

One Night in Bangkok song meanings

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Song Meaning
I mostly agree with the above, but I think a few parts were thrown off by the line breaks in the lyrics (maybe its been a while since he heard the song). Because many parts that are separate lines in the lyrics are still the same sentence one sentence in the song. For example, "Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist Whose every move's among the purest"

is actually sung as: "Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist whose every move's among the purest" So he is describing this individual tourist (himself), not tourists in general. Anyway, here are my changes from AlbionHeroQueen's:

"All change -- don't you know that when you play at this level there's no ordinary venue' means that things change frequently, because they are high leveled chess players, so nothing can be ordinary."

It means that when you are a top chess player you play in exciting locales, not ordinary places like Idaho or Kansas (for example), but instead places like "Iceland -- or the Philippines -- or Hastings -- or --or this place [Bangkok]!" Manila-Philippines, ReykjavÃk-Iceland, and Hastings-UK, all had international grandmasters-level chess tournaments (and Hastings is home to the Hastings International Chess Congress). And obviously Bangkok is holding one in this musical.

'"Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist Whose every move's among the purest I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine"

This is saying that tourists are usually the ones who find entertainment in the innocent things in the city, such as operas or fine dining.'

No it's not. The sex industry of Bangkok was built on tourism (Bangkok is supposed to be the capital of sex tourism). As I mentioned above, in the song "You're talking to a tourist..." is all one sentence. He is differentiating himself from the tourists with darker motives, he is not differentiating tourists in general from those with darker motives.

"The American is saying that he doesn't swing on the darker sides of Bangkok." Exactly

"'I can feel the devil walking next to me' probably means that even a friend can betray you in that city." Since he is a tourist there for a chess tournament, I think he is talking about the locals or other tourists; I doubt he made any friends there. I think this chorus in general means basically that you have to be humble and careful, not cocky or arrogant, when you are in a strange city. Get drunk or seduced by the wrong person and you could get left penniless or worse. I think "the devil" is referring to what previously seemed to be "an angel" in the first chorus.

I pretty much agree with the rest. Also, I see you mentioned Yul Brenner in "the King and I" later in the interpretation.

I mostly agree with the above, but I think a few parts were thrown off by the line breaks in the lyrics (maybe its been a while since he heard the song). Because many parts that are separate lines in the lyrics are still the same sentence one sentence in the song. For example, "Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist Whose every move's among the purest" is actually sung as: "Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist whose every move's among the purest" So he is describing this individual tourist (himself), not tourists in general. Anyway, here are my changes from AlbionHeroQueen's: "All change -- don't you know that when you play at this level there's no ordinary venue' means that things change frequently, because they are high leveled chess players, so nothing can be ordinary." It means that when you are a top chess player you play in exciting locales, not ordinary places like Idaho or Kansas (for example), but instead places like "Iceland -- or the Philippines -- or Hastings -- or --or this place [Bangkok]!" Manila-Philippines, ReykjavÃk-Iceland, and Hastings-UK, all had international grandmasters-level chess tournaments (and Hastings is home to the Hastings International Chess Congress). And obviously Bangkok is holding one in this musical. '"Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist Whose every move's among the purest I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine" This is saying that tourists are usually the ones who find entertainment in the innocent things in the city, such as operas or fine dining.' No it's not. The sex industry of Bangkok was built on tourism (Bangkok is supposed to be the capital of sex tourism). As I mentioned above, in the song "You're talking to a tourist..." is all one sentence. He is differentiating himself from the tourists with darker motives, he is not differentiating tourists in general from those with darker motives. "The American is saying that he doesn't swing on the darker sides of Bangkok." Exactly "'I can feel the devil walking next to me' probably means that even a friend can betray you in that city." Since he is a tourist there for a chess tournament, I think he is talking about the locals or other tourists; I doubt he made any friends there. I think this chorus in general means basically that you have to be humble and careful, not cocky or arrogant, when you are in a strange city. Get drunk or seduced by the wrong person and you could get left penniless or worse. I think "the devil" is referring to what previously seemed to be "an angel" in the first chorus. I pretty much agree with the rest. Also, I see you mentioned Yul Brenner in "the King and I" later in the interpretation.

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allblackson March 17, 2011 Link
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