David Bowie - Port of Amsterdam: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Port of Amsterdam" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

Learn Port of Amsterdam Guitar Chords and Lyrics by David Bowie

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Port of Amsterdam" smoothly on your guitar.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

Am
In the port of Amsterdam
          Em
there's a sailor who sings
         F
Of the dreams that he brings
          E
from the wide open sea
       Am
In the port of Amsterdam
           Em
there's a sailor who sleeps
           F          E
While the river bank weeps
       Am
to the old willow tree
        C
In the port of Amsterdam
           G          E/G#
there's a sailor who dies
         Am
Full of beer, full of cries
      Em
in a drunken town fight
        F
In the port of Amsterdam
           Em
there's a sailor who's born
     Dm         E
On a hot muggy morn
        Am
by the dawn's early light

In the port of Amsterdam
Where the sailors all meet
There's a sailor who eats
Only fish heads and tails
And he'll show you his teeth
That have rotted too soon
That can haul up the sails
That can swallow the moon
And he yells to the cook
With his arms open wide
"Hey, bring me more fish
Throw it down by my side"
And he wants so to belch
But he's too full to try
So he stands up and laughs
And he zips up his fly

In the port of Amsterdam
You can see sailors dance
Paunches bursting their pants
Grinding women to porch
They've forgotten the tune
That their whiskey voice croaked
Splitting the night
With the roar of their jokes
And they turn and they dance
And they laugh and they lust
Till the rancid sound of the accordion bursts
And then out of the night
With their pride in their pants
And the sluts that they tow
Underneath the street lamps

In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who drinks
And he drinks and he drinks
And he drinks once again
He'll drink to the health
Of the whores of Amsterdam
Who've given their bodies
To a thousand other men
Yeah, they've bargained their virtue
Their goodness all gone
For a few dirty coins
Well, he just can't go on
Throws his nose to the sky
And he aims it up above
And he pisses like I cry
On the unfaithful love

In the port of Amsterdam
In the port of Amsterdam


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am

Guitar chord Am

C

Guitar chord C

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

E

Guitar chord E

Em

Guitar chord Em

F

Guitar chord F

G

Guitar chord G

G#

Guitar chord G#

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Port of Amsterdam" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Port of Amsterdam" by David Bowie.

David Bowie Song List