(B. Andersson / T. Rice / B. Ulvaeus)

The dirt, the history, the temples, the massage parlours, the river and its boats, the houses on its banks with naked children leaping in and out of the muddy water, the Buddhas…

THE AMERICAN

Bangkok! Oriental setting
And the city don't know what the city is getting
The crème de la crème of the chess world in a
Show with everything but Yul Brynner

Time flies! Doesn't seem a minute
Since the Tirolean spa had the chess boys in it
All change! Don't you know that when you
Play at this level there's no ordinary venue

It's Iceland - or the Philippines - or Hastings - or - or this place!

CHORUS

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you're lucky then the god's a she
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

THE AMERICAN

One town's very like another
When your head's down over your pieces, brother

CHORUS

It's a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pity
To be looking at the board, not looking at the city

THE AMERICAN

Whaddya mean? You've seen one crowded, polluted,
stinking town -

CHORUS

Tea, girls – warm and sweet – warm, sweet
Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham Suite

THE AMERICAN

Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist
Whose every move's among the purest
I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine

CHORUS

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

THE AMERICAN

Siam's gonna be the witness
To the ultimate test in cerebral fitness
This grips me more than would a
Muddy old river or reclining Buddha

And thank God I’m only watching the game –
controlling it –

I don't see you guys rating
The kind of mate I'm contemplating
I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you

So you'd better go back to your bars, your temples,
your massage parlours

CHORUS

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me