I think he is mixing chess with what's going on around him....
"Bangkok, Oriental setting
And the city don't know that the city is getting
The creme de la creme 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!"
He is there for the chess match...
"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"
Here he is using metaphor...
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free"
If you win you are the best...
The bars are temples...but the pearls...the prize in the oysters..the girls..are not..
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 god is a beautiful girl..you'll find one in every bar...and if you are lucky the girl is really a girl...not a he-she...which thailand is notorious for...
the angel is a girl...that is starting to move to him to pick him up...
"One town's very like another
When your head's down over your pieces, brother"
He doesn't notice the beauty of the city...he is only there for chess
"[COMPANY:]
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"
He should be looking at the city and not be so into the chess match
"[THE AMERICAN:]
Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town --"
He is saying...big deal all cities are the same..
"[COMPANY:]
Tea, girls, warm, sweet
Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite"
Instead of playing...why don't you get a girl?
"[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"
He is not from there and he his moves are on the chess board and is not interested in the girls..
"COMPANY:
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble"
Haha...
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"
Again...Metaphor here....the straight forward meaning is...in Bangkok the difference between winning and losing...isn't much...and no matter how good you are, you can lose...and the don't underestimate your opponent...
but...he is also saying in bangkok there isn't much differnce between picking up a hot girl...and a hot girl that is a guy...so you have to be somewhat careful at first until you figure out it is really a girl or not...
"THE AMERICAN:
Siam's gonna be the witness
To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness
This grips me more than would a
Muddy old river or reclining Buddha"
Again...all he cares about is the game..
"And thank God I'm only watching the game -- controlling it --"
he is playing or watching...
"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"
Once again...metaphor....it sounds like he is talking about chess...but his mate has to do with chess, not a girl..and the queens he deals with are on the chess board...not drag queens..
"So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage
parlours --
"
Go back to those places, because he is not interested..
I think he is mixing chess with what's going on around him....
"Bangkok, Oriental setting And the city don't know that the city is getting The creme de la creme 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!"
He is there for the chess match...
"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"
Here he is using metaphor...
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free"
If you win you are the best...
The bars are temples...but the pearls...the prize in the oysters..the girls..are not..
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 god is a beautiful girl..you'll find one in every bar...and if you are lucky the girl is really a girl...not a he-she...which thailand is notorious for...
the angel is a girl...that is starting to move to him to pick him up...
"One town's very like another When your head's down over your pieces, brother"
He doesn't notice the beauty of the city...he is only there for chess
"[COMPANY:] 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"
He should be looking at the city and not be so into the chess match
"[THE AMERICAN:] Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town --"
He is saying...big deal all cities are the same..
"[COMPANY:] Tea, girls, warm, sweet Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite"
Instead of playing...why don't you get a girl?
"[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"
He is not from there and he his moves are on the chess board and is not interested in the girls..
"COMPANY: One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble"
Haha...
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"
Again...Metaphor here....the straight forward meaning is...in Bangkok the difference between winning and losing...isn't much...and no matter how good you are, you can lose...and the don't underestimate your opponent...
but...he is also saying in bangkok there isn't much differnce between picking up a hot girl...and a hot girl that is a guy...so you have to be somewhat careful at first until you figure out it is really a girl or not...
"THE AMERICAN: Siam's gonna be the witness To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness This grips me more than would a Muddy old river or reclining Buddha"
Again...all he cares about is the game..
"And thank God I'm only watching the game -- controlling it --"
he is playing or watching...
"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"
Once again...metaphor....it sounds like he is talking about chess...but his mate has to do with chess, not a girl..and the queens he deals with are on the chess board...not drag queens..
"So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage parlours -- "
Go back to those places, because he is not interested..
Its a fun song...very different.
Peace.