Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[mwey]

I don't know if anyone can help me with this. I study Bob Darin's this song, trying to find out what it means. I know it's a story about a guy called Mack. There is one of the verses that lists the people he killed:

"Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky's back in town"

I don't get what "the line forms on the right" means. That made me think he reserves the line on the left for other purpose. but in the following verses it does not further explain.

Any thought of what it might be?

Thank you,
Mark

[CP]

First, it's Bobby Darin, the stage name for the singer born Walden Robert "Bobby" Cassotto. "Mack the Knife" was a song about MacHeath, a character in Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera.

The phrase "the line forms on the right" is used to indicate that there is a large number of things or people to be included in a group. It is customary for people to line up (British queue up) to buy tickets or get into some place, and one will hear "the line forms on the right" or "on the left" to tell people where to start lining up.

Here, there are so many victims of MacHeath, or potential victims, that you might as well start lining them up.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[mwey]

Thanks, CP.

It makes sense now.