around the curve of a parrot bar   a broken-down old movie star   hustling an Easterner   bringing out the beast in him   a high dive on a swimming pool   filled with needles and with fools   the memories are short but the tales are long   down there in the reeperbahn      they called her Rosie when she was a girl   for her bright red cheeks and strawberry curls   when she would sing the river would run   she said she'd be a comedian   oh what a pity, oh what a shame   when she said "come calling" nobody came   now her bright red cheeks are painted on   and she's laughing her head off in the reeperbahn      now little Hans was always strange   wearing women's underthings   his father beat him but he wouldn't change   he ran off with a man one day   now his lingerie is all the rage   in the black on every page   his father proudly calls his name   down there in the reeperbahn      now if you've lost your inheritance   and all you're left is common sense   and you're not too picky about the crowd you keep   or the mattress where you sleep   behind every window, behind every door   the apple's gone but there's always the core   the seeds will sprout up right through the floor   down there in the reeperbahn   down there in the reeperbahn