Song For Sonny Liston
Read Song For Sonny Liston lyrics by Mark Knopfler on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Song For Sonny Liston
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
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
What this page can answer fast
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.
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
What people are saying
No listener comments on Song For Sonny Liston yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.