Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir film, directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne and starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston. The film features many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama. It was released by Paramount Pictures. The story, set in Los Angeles in 1937, was inspired by the California Water Wars, the historical disputes over land and water rights that had raged in southern California during the 1910s and 1920s, in which William Mulholland acted on behalf of Los Angeles interests to secure water rights in the Owens Valley. Chinatown was the last film Roman Polanski made in the United States before fleeing to Europe.
Chinatown has been called one of the greatest films ever made. It holds second position on the American Film Institute list of Best Mystery Films of all time. Chinatown was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning in the category of Best Original Screenplay for Robert Towne. It also won Golden Globe Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. In 1991, Chinatown was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Yin yang
A feeling's evolving through me
Sweet and sour
Is the taste you bring
When I said goodbye, you loved me
When I turned to you, you turned away
When I was so gung-ho
He said 'let me go?br>
He begged me to stay, stay, stay
If I try to find out what's on your mind
I'll find out in Chinatown
Chorus:
Chinatown
I don't know how to read you
Upside down
The signs will all mislead you
Like this town
You're such a mystery to me
Chinatown
I don't know how to read you
Upside down
The signs will all mislead you
I'll track you down
And you'll go crazy for me
So much smoke I can't get through to you
Eyes that I can't see
They stare me down
Here I'm chasin?you
Some crazy Fu Manchu
And it feels so wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong
When I try to find out what's on your mind
I'll find out in Chinatown
Chorus
Trying to find Chinatown
Trying to find Chinatown
A hungry man can hold out a long time
For some soul food, good food, whole food
I know I was that man
Maybe sometimes hold out a little too long
I took a right then I took a wrong turn
Someone asked me for a quarter
It didn't seem to fit
He didn't look too much like a Chinaman
Trying to find Chinatown
Trying to find Chinatown
An old black man pushing a shopping trolley
Filled with tin cans avoided his glance
I'm nervous and I'm lost
And I don't see too many restaurants
A guy laid out with a knife in his back
A cop came along, told him, move on
Go home and sleep it off
I didn't know if I should get involved
Trying to find Chinatown
Well, the moon is yellow and the people are too
They roll eggs on a bar-b-que
I was feeling kinda cocky with a head full of sake
Down in Chinatown
There was dragons flyin' kites high above the stores
Dead fish heads laying on the floor
I got a sideways hickey from a slant-eyed chickie
Down in Chinatown
And it was suddenly, was suddenly, whoa whoa
Yeah, suddenly Yeah, Suddenly whoa whoa
They smelled fish
We smelled like a meat
Sucking on a soda pop oh so sweet
Got a sugar rush that'd would make 'em blush
Down in Chinatown
Won ton two ton three ton four
Smoke a cigarette throw it on the floor
I killed the pie-faced mothey with a shoeshine clothy
Down in Chinatown
It was suddenly, was suddenly, whoa whoa
Yeah, suddenly, Yeah, suddenly whoa whoa
The moonie is yellowie and the people are too
They roll eggs on a bar-b-que
I was feeling kinda cocky with head full of Saki
Down in Chinatown
I got a sideways hickey from a slant-eyed chickie
Down in Chinatown
Hey, down in Chinatown
Hey, down in Chinatown
Living and dying in Chinatown
Yes they're living and dying down in old Chinatown
In Chinatown, you better look around
Man, you don't stand a chance if you go down in Chinatown
Man, you don't stand a chance if you go down in Chinatown
Laughing and crying you know it's a fact
They're not laughing, they are crying 'cause they won't be back
Oh no you don't come back, not from Chinatown
Man, you don't stand a chance if you go down in Chinatown
Man, you don't stand a chance if you go down in Chinatown
Chinatown, it's a different scene
There are people there, well they are so obscene
If you see what I mean then they've sold you the dream
Down in Chinatown what goes up it must come down
Living and dying, there is no release
Living and dying, there is no relief
There is no beliefs not in Chinatown
Man, you don't stand a chance if you go down in Chinatown
You can see from the top of the hill
Tangled streets and the mystery there
Painted lanterns hang from balconies
People running everywhere
Chinatown, with all your dark mystery
Chinatown, chinatown
Your spell is capturing me
Lovely ladies with almond eyes
Dressed in silk and laces
Twilight falls and the shadows move
Silently in secret places
Chinatown, with all your dark mystery
Chinatown, chinatown
Your spell is capturing me
You've got me under your spell
You've got me under your spell
You've got me under your spell
You've got me under your spell
Ah, ah
Chinatown, Chinatown hey,hey, hey
Chinatown, chinatown hey, hey, hey
Luna llena, llena,luna gatuna
Una noche en chinatown
Unos ojos fijos, verde aceituna
Que alucinan chinatown
Chinatown, Chinatown hey,hey, hey
Chinatown, chinatown hey, hey, hey
Esos labios rojos, brillo de lopio
Me han mirado en Chinatown
Deja de mirar con ese brillo hipnótico
Que sólo tiene Chinatown
Dulce, mandarina
Por purina, flor de té
Rosa de la china, bésame
Dónde estará la niña que quiero
Que espero y no consigo olvidar
Chinatown contigo no puede fallar
Chinatown, Chinatown hey,hey, hey
Chinatown, Chinatown hey, hey, hey
Chinatown, Chinatown, Chinatown
Hey, hey, hey, Chinatown
Yeah, how many hitters can stand the rain
This is only a test now
What we told you it was comin'
We in front of the scenes
And in back of the scenes
So what you gon' do now
Bitches wanna front on me
But know not to come to me
I keep ten glocks
Ten rotts up in front of me
Like they sprayin' sumin', like they sayin' sumin'
I gets my bark on like I'm DMX or somethin'
My reach is like Louis stiff eighty-four
Your's is like Evander seventy-seven slow
Thanks to Taebo, I'm thirty two and O
When I catch a knock out bitches bring the cops out
Two for five spots, I tear the rocks out
Pop the tops out then clear the spot out
Nigga or bitch, you don't want no problems
My revolver is a quick problem solver
Don't never think I'm slippin'
Bitch, I ain't dumb, I carry a stun gun inside of my hair bun
Hatin' ass niggas, I treat you like a bitch
Strap on a fake dick and stick you where you shit
I got warriors that's three time felons
Leave ya body swellin', leakin' from ya melon
And it ain't no tellin' when the bodies start smellin'
Somebody took the story and sold it to Helen Kelly
The guns and thing you sing about bring 'em out
Like I thought y'all havin' a gun drought
I'm a millionaire
I ain't rhymin' for the cash
I'ma relax and let my niggas
Get in ya ass
All ya'll niggas is narrow, straight parrel
Nigga like Banger make you swallow the barrel
Criminal I ain't tryna battle on a ground or gravel
Through four make the hollows travel
I got Montana nines, more tangled lines
Who wanna wine and dine with Bris get in line
I fight like I rhyme, niggas thirsty to shine
Can't jack mine, I'm one of a kind
Die slow, y'all niggas is dust like pyro
You sleep with your eyes close, might as well be blind fold
See how much my nine hold blast my one
Dos tres to the cuatro cinco, reload bitch
How you want it, head or gut? You soft like baby butt
When these Brooklyn niggas come threw their jewels they tuck
For what, intimidated how we hop out the truck
Or the S type Jag, y'all niggas straight fag
This is for my niggas who ain't never have shit
Ridin' round town with gun in masses
Copped out the ten years but only had six
All the ghetto hoods with only one bad bitch
This is for my bitches who ain't never have shit
Settin' niggas up for all they stashes
Love cats with Roleys and Carti glasses
Nasty hoes who take it in they asses
I ain't gotta tell y'all niggas where I'm from
I ain't never tell no bitch when I cum
I'm far from a lame you will never see me run
You know how we do it beef jump into it
Mafia's the gang max out the squadron
Nine millimeter team, Mack 11 mobs men
Who said we ain't rich, Kim's bling cost a fortune
Queen Bee niggas shootin' anything crawlin'
From now on it's on when I catch you niggas snorin'
Any fresh event you can bet niggas sportin'
Betta leave town catch a flight in the mornin'
Get the cold out ya eyes somebody 'bout to die
Three niggas got beef three, niggas got to go
Hit em all in the row like tic tac toe
Where you start is where you finish at
Show y'all the meanin' of fam, remember dat
This is for my niggas who ain't never have shit
Ridin' round town with gun in masses
Copped out the ten years but only had six
All the ghetto hoods with only one bad bitch
This is for my bitches who ain't never have shit
Settin' niggas up for all they stashes
Love cats with Roleys and Carti glasses
Got a room about 20 feet wide
There€™s a blue light bulb
hanging from the sky
Threw a mattress on the floor where we can hide
Hold my hand to the subway door
I can make us invisible
All the way to Chinatown
Steam is rising from the street below
Neon sign like a carnival
You bring the color to a grey rainbow
My guitar and a bottle of the red
So much pain that I want to forget
On our way to Chinatown
Take you over to my side of town
Show you how the real world gets down
Trouble I thought I could hold you down
All the way to Chinatown
Sheets of rain banging on the window
Turning into a blanket of snow
Getting good of pulling over the wool
Miles away there€™s another world
I know I am the luckiest girl
Found my heart in Chinatown
Take you over to my side of town
Show you how the real world gets down
Trouble I thought I could hold you down
All the way to Chinatown
There's a mad wind blowin' down the ninety nine
And the ghosts of NYC they'll be doin' just fine
When that little Smith and Wesson gonna light up the night
All she show'd when she heard were them cold pearly whites
None of them kisses dropped down in the hole
While the midnight sun played the starring role
Was gonna turn the tide in that black Cadillac
Next to them little white rails and cold hard facts
So when you get done dancing and the rain slows down
(Rain's all gone)
We'll all meet up at Eddy's o'er in Chinatown
(In the great beyond)
Now you think you know the answer but you got it all wrong
And the days too short and the nights too long
And you wake up to find your worlds falling apart
In a fifty dollar dress over a broken heart
Dig in the dirt dance with the dogs
Roll around on the ground lost in the fog
Stomp on tomorrow like a big black drum
Pull your head back and spit at the sun
So when you get done dancing and the lights go down
(Sunshine's gone)
We'll all meet up at Eddy's o'er in Chinatown
(In the great beyond)
There's a fifty on the table theirs trouble down the line
200,000 dollars in a bag they'll never find
You know you'll never see her walking through your door
And the bars about to close and the sky's about to pour
You take your last slug and stumble to the street
Pull the gun out of your pocket and you whisper trick or treat
And as you pull the trigger beyond a shadow of a doubt
You hear her whispering your name and then the lights go out
So when you get done dancing and your six feet underground
(Sun's all gone)
We'll all meet up at eddy's o'er in Chinatown
In the tiny tiny hours
Between the evening and the day
We have placed our final bets
We have come out to play
Fancy drinks and a lucky toasts
I like this time the most
You're out all night, chasin' girlies
You're late to work and you go home earlies
Lookin' lost in Chinatown
Why are we hidin' from our friends?
Rushing 'round in taxi cabs
Is it time to make amends?
You'll get yours and I'll get mine
You can't be lucky all the time
You're out all night chasin' girlies
Big Orange rolled into Boston headed straight for Chinatown
To find the native restless and see what's going down
We hit the streets a walking, checked out a rated X
It was all about a woman and a donkey named Rex
Get me out of Chinatown
Get me out of Chinatown
I don't like what's going down
So get me out of Chinatown
See the big man dressed in ladies clothes, he looks really rude
I guess he forgot to look at himself when he was in the nude
Jeff and Jimmy had to laugh when he lost his hair
Rolled up in the Cadillac's window that left him standing there
Get me out of Chinatown
Get me out of Chinatown
I don't like what's going down
So get me out of Chinatown
I seen bigger towns than this
And this is one town I won't miss
Just let me go, I won't leave a thing
CHINATOWN
Call me honey down in Chinatown.
I'll be waiting like a faithful hound.
Can't get enough of your sweet talk, baby,
can't get you out of my head.
Can't get you out of my shark soup, lady,
can't get you out of my bed.
Call me baby on the telephone.
I'll be waiting, chewing on my bone.
Can't get enough of your heating, baby,
can't get enough of your fox.
Can't get you out of my mind now, lady,
can't get you outta my socks.
Call me sugar down in Chinatown.
I'll be waiting in the Canton Lounge.
Can't get enough of your noodles, baby,
can't get enough of your ribs.
Can't get enough of your heating, lady,
can't get you outta my lips.
Call me honey down in Chinatown.
I'll be waiting like a faithful hound.
Can't get enough of your sweet talk, baby,
can't get you out of my head.
Can't get you out of my shark soup, lady,
can't get you out of my bed.
candle is blue could see me through but I'm color blind
they tell me it's blue and I'm a believer that's why I'm blind
live on the freeway listen to signs and we drive by feel
be a believer believe everything you'll be right
half the time
candle is waxing takes my apartment I bask in its magic
all of the firefighters put out my fires took all my matches
staying up later waking up old and I'm leaving her never
ordering in all friends and lovers and we're making our weather with a lone light bulb
I'm tired of fighting
I'm tired of fighting, so I'm demolished - that's the way
some make exhaustion a mode of expression and that's their way
I'm just a question knowing my answer I hope I'm wrong
but I know the answer it's four in the morning I'm right again and I'm chinatown
now in a hurry, rubbing up urgent to get home to dot
was my missed mistress messed up my mattress I missed the catch
last of the pitchers catfish done hunting harry lundt
most of the killers never get famous and it's hard on everyone
Soul searching brought me nowhere
Just gave me a scare
I was daydreaming in the night
Something wasn't right
You know it's hard, babe (Make up your mind)
Come on, darling (Don't let me down)
You make me feel lost
Like I'm some kind of
Country boy in Chinatown
I smiled, I shrugged, I acted like a man
Hoping it was all right
Reality came as no surprise
Turned me upside down
You got my letter, babe (Drop me a line)
So come on, darlin' (Don't let me down)
You make me feel lost
Like I'm some kind of
Country boy in Chinatown
Don't let me down
So come on, darlin'
You know it's hard, babe (Make up your mind)
Come on, darling (Don't let me down)
You make me feel lost
Like I'm some kind of
Sleep there's nothing to do today
Watch the vegetables rot
The monkfish flop
Down in Chinatown
Find your hand between your legs
The fortune teller frowns
Packs her cards away
She tells you she won't say
Down in Chinatown
Let the bath tub overflow
It's time to go
Your bourbon on the rocks
You're running out the clock
In Chinatown
Gather yourself together
And meet me where the
West Side highway roars
Don't listen to the story they tell you
The Emperor snores
Down in Chinatown
Hearts may break by morning
A soldier's a dime a dozen
Kiss your little yellow cousins
In Chinatown
Swallow your holy water
And wake beneath a shady lichee tree
So much water under so many bridges
The Communists won't call you
And the children won't harm you
Playing in the hall
In Chinatown
Bury a jar of shao-sing
When the girl is born
Surely you know the wine will age
Till she's fully grown
Dont fly into the night
Soon enough the world will end
While the lantern is right
Chorus
I could find a good time girl in chinatown
Chinatown
Dancing in my shoes
See the eastern ladies walking chinatown
Chinatown
Chain me down
Chinatown
Maybe ill drink your jasmine tea
Then ill hurry home
Surely you know the likes of me
Should be left alone
Why they like a me for
Soon enough the world will end
If I answer the door
Chorus
Look at the tall pagoda through
Through your window pane
Watching it by your dragon night
On a cocoa day
Youll discover the white
Orchids in my humble moon
While the lantern is right
I like the Downtown girls
I like the way that they talk to me
I like the messed up girls
They're pretty good company
I like the way that you walk
And maybe tonight, I can make you mine
And if it's all right, we can dance in the white light
In the white light
In the white light, oh
In the white light
I got the punk rock love
Feels like it's 1963
And the girls all dance
While I'm feeling like a refugee
I want to take you home
And maybe tonight, I can make you mine
And if it's all right, we can dance in the white light
In the white light, oh
In the white light, oh
In the white light
Maybe I'm crazy, crazy
Maybe I've got no guarantee
But I've been thinking lately
I'm going to let it be a dream
Baby dream
Baby dream
Baby dream
I want to take you home
Maybe tonight, I can make you mine
And if it's all right,
We can dance,
We can dance,
We can dance,
And come together in the white light
In the white light, oh
In the white light, oh
In the white light, oh
In the white light, oh
In the white light, oh
In the white light, oh
Innocent love
I need someone, somewhere
I need some way to come down
I need some way to make things right
Innocent love
I need someone, somewhere
I need some way to come down
I need some way to make things right
We're not happy til we're running away
Clouds in your eyes
We're nothing but the foggiest day
One of a kind
I need to keep you here
I need to picture you still
I need to clear the fog
One of a kind
I need to keep you here
I need to picture you still
I need to clear the fog
We're not happy til we're running away
Clouds in your eyes
We're nothing but the foggiest day
Clouds in your eyes
We're not happy til we're running away
Clouds in your eyes
Un soir d'hiver dans Chinatown
On s'est promené devant les vitrines
On a trouvé un magasin qui sentait l'orient
On a marché toute la soirée
Tes bottes te faisaient mal aux pieds
Les vieux Chinois nous regardait
Nous autres, on souriait
La première neige est tombée sur le Chinatown
Les rues sont glissantes, y a un accident
Au coin de St-Hubert et Jean Talon
Dans l'escalier de ton appartement
Ta main cherchait ta clé en tremblant
Les voisins d'à côté criaient
Tout d'suite on est entré
Dans ta chambre on n'a rien allumé
Par la fenêtre on voyait la neige tomber
Tu m'as d'mander combien de temps l'hiver allait durer
La première neige est tombée sur le Chinatown
Au coin du boulevard pis la 22-ème
Y'on trouvé un char abandonné
Un soir d'hiver dans Chinatown
On s'est promené devant les vitrines
Le lendemain la neige avait disparu, le lendemain la neige
Le lendemain la neige avait disparu, le lendemain la neige
You can't believe
The way the wind's talking to the sea.
I heard that someone said it before,
I don't care,
I can't walk away, I can't walk away...
In Chinatown...
The wind and the rain:
To your detriment you try to explain
A government swallowed up in the squall.
I can't walk away, at all,
In Chinatown...
You can't believe,
Though I'm sure somebody's said it before:
I know you and I know the score...
I can't walk away, you can't walk away...
I can't walk away, you can't walk away...
I can't walk away, you can't walk away...
I can't walk away, you can't walk away...