Mark Knopfler
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Song For Sonny Liston

Read Song For Sonny Liston lyrics by Mark Knopfler on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

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Page type: lyric reference Artist: Mark Knopfler Canonical path: /mark-knopfler/song-for-sonny-liston Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Song For Sonny Liston

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So many mouths to feed on the farm

Sonny was the second to the last one born

His mamma ran away and his daddy beat him bad

And he grew up wild good love he never had

He had a left like henry's hammer

A right like betty bamalam

Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread

And all them sluggers went down like lead

Well he hung with the hoods he wouldn't stroke the fans

But he had dynamite in both his hands

Boom bam like the slammer door

The bell and the can and the bodies on the floor

Beware

The bear's in town

Somebody's money says

The bear's going down

Yeah, the bear never smiles

Sonny's going down for miles and miles

Sonny's going down for miles and miles

The writers didn't like him the fight game jocks

With his lowlife backers and his hands like rocks

They didn't want to have a bogey man

They didn't like him and he didn't like them

Black cadillac, Alligator boots

Money in the pockets of his sharkskin suits

Some say the bear took a flop

They couldn't believe it when they saw him drop

He had a left like henry's hammer

A right like betty bamalam

Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread

And all them sluggers went down like lead

Joe Louis was his hero, he tried to be the same

But a criminal child wears a ball and chain

So the civil rights people didn't want him on the throne

And the hacks and the cops wouldn't leave him alone

Beware

The bear's in town

Somebody's money says

The bear's going down

Yeah, the bear never smiles

Sonny's going down for miles and miles

Sonny's going down for miles and miles

At the foot of his bed with his feet on the floor

There was dope in his veins and a pistol on the drawer

There was no investigation as such

He hated needles but he knew too much

Criss-crossed on his back

Scars from his daddy like slavery tracks

The second-last child was the second-last king

Never again was it the same in the ring

He had a left like henry's hammer

A right like betty bamalam

Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread

And all them sluggers went down like lead

They never could be sure about the day he was born

A motherless child set to working on the farm

And they never could be sure about the day he died

The bear was the king they cast aside

Beware

The bear's in town

Somebody's money says

The bear's going down

Yeah, the bear never smiles

Sonny's going down for miles and miles

Sonny's going down for miles and miles

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Who performs "Song For Sonny Liston"?

Mark Knopfler performs "Song For Sonny Liston", and this lyric page sits inside the Mark Knopfler catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Song For Sonny Liston"?

Yes. The related section below points to Tunnel Of Love and The Car Was The One with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Mark Knopfler?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Mark Knopfler's lyric pages.

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