Billy Joel

Piano Man (1973)

Piano Man (1973)

1. Travelin' Prayer
2. Piano Man
3. Ain't No Crime
4. You're My Home
5. The Ballad of Billy the Kid
6. Worse Comes to Worst
7. Stop in Nevada
8. If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)
9. Somewhere Along the Line
10. Captain Jack

Travelin' Prayer

(Billy Joel)

Hey Lord, take a look around tonight
And find where my baby's gonna be
Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight
'Cause she is far across the sea
Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight
And make sure she's gonna be alright
And things are gonna be alright with me

Hey Lord, would you look out for her tonight
And make sure all her dreams are sweet
Hey Lord, would ya guide her along the roads
And make them softer for her feet
Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight
And make sure that she's gonna be alright
Until she's home in here with me

Hey Lord, would you look out for her tonight
If she is sleepin' under the sky
Hey Lord, make sure the ground she's sleepin' on
Is always warm and dry
Hey don't you give her too much rain
But try to keep her away from pain
'Cause my baby hates to cry

Hey Lord, won't you look out for her tonight
'Cause it gets rough along the way
Said Lord, if this song sounds strange
It's just because I don't know how to pray
So won't you give her peace of mind
And if you ever find the time
Won't you tell her I miss her ev'ry day

Piano Man

(Billy Joel)

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Making love to his tonic and gin

He says, "Son can you play me a memory
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet
And I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes"

Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's someplace that he'd rather be

He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me"
As a smile ran away from his face
"Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place"

Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talking with Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be for life

And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly get stoned
Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinking alone

Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see
To forget about life for a while

And the piano sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say "Man what are you doing here?"

Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright

Ain't No Crime

(Billy Joel)

You got to open your eyes in the morning
Nine o'clock comin' with out any warnin'
And you gotta get ready to go
You say you went out late last evenin'
Did a lot of drinkin'
Come home stinkin'
And you went and fell asleep on the floor
And then your lady comes and finds you asleepin'
Starts in to weepin' 'bout the hours you been keepin'
And you better get your ass out the door

Ain't no crime
Say ev'rybody gets that way some time
Ain't no crime
You know it's good to get it on to get a load off your mind
Oh no, it ain't no crime. Oh.

You got to open your eyes in the morning
Nine o'clock comin' with out any warnin'
And you gotta get ready to go
Well now you tell me you love somebody
And you'll love 'em forever
You may love 'em forever
But you won't like 'em all of the time
Well now you tell me you need somebody for the rest of your life
You might have somebody
But you won't want 'em ev'ryday

Ain't no crime
Say ev'rybody gets that way some time
Ain't no crime
Well it's just human nature
Happens all the time
Oh no, it ain't no crime. Oh

And just as surely as the wind keeps blowin'
The grass keeps growin'
You gotta keep goin'
And the Lord have mercy on your soul
La, la la la.

You're My Home

(Billy Joel)

When you look into my eyes
And you see the crazy gypsy in my soul
It always comes as a surprise
When I feel my withered roots begin to grow
Well, I never had a place that I could call my very own
But that's alright my love,
'Cause your my home

When you touch my weary head
And you tell me ev'rything will be alright
You say use my body for your bed
And my love will keep you warm throughout the night
Well, I'll never be a stranger
And I'll never be alone
Where ever we're together that's my home

Home can be the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Indiana early morning dew
High up in the hills of California
Home is just another word for you

If I traveled all my life
And I never get to stop and settle down
Long as I have you by my side
There's a roof above and good walls all around
You're my castle, you're my cabin and my instant pleasure dome
I need you in my house 'cause you're my home

The Ballad of Billy the Kid

(Billy Joel)

From a town known as Wheeling West Virginia
Rode a boy with a six-gun in his hand
And his daring life of crime made him a legend in his time
East and west of the Rio Grande
Well he started with a bank in Colorado
In the pocket of his vest a Colt he hid
And his age and his size took the teller by surprise
And the word spread of Billy the Kid

Well he never traveled heavy,
Yes he always rode alone,
And he soon put many older guns to shame
Well he never had a sweetheart
And he never had a home
But the cowboys and the ranchers knew his name

Well he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma
And the law just couldn't seem to track him down
And it served his legend well
For the folks loved to tell
'Bout when Billy the Kid came to town

One cold day a posse captured Billy
And the judge said string him up for what he did
And the cowboys and their kin
Like the sea came pouring in to watch
The hangin' of Billy the Kid

Well he never traveled heavy,
Yes he always rode alone,
And he soon put many older guns to shame
Well he never had a sweetheart
Tho' he finally found a home
Underneath the boothill grave that bears his name

From a town known as Oysterbay, Long Island
Rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand
And his daring life of crime made him a legend in his time
East and west of the Rio Grande

Worse Comes to Worst

(Billy Joel)

Today I'm livin' like a rich man's son
Tomorrow mornin' I could be a bum
It doesn't matter which direction though
I know a woman in New Mexico
Oh worse comes to worse I'll get along

I don't know how but sometimes I can be strong
And if I don't have a car I'll hitch
I got a thumb and she's a son of a b****
I'll do my writing on my road guitar
And make a living at a piano bar
Oh worse comes to worse I'll get along
I don't know how but sometimes I can be strong

Oo lighting and thunder
Flashed across the roads we drove up on
Oh but it's clear skies we're under
When we are together, when I sing my song

Fun ain't easy if it free
Too many people got a hold on me
But I know a woman in New Mexico
Oh worse comes to worse I'll get along
I don't know how but sometimes I can be strong

Stop in Nevada

(Billy Joel)

He always found it hard to take her
She wouldn't listen to advice
And though he never tried to make her
She often thought it would be nice

Oh-and now she's headin' out to California
It's been a long time comin' but she's feelin' like a woman tonight
And she left a little letter said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada
Good bye, goodbye

She tried for years to be a good wife
It never quite got off the ground
And all those stories of the good life
Convinced her not to hang around

Oh-and now she's headin' out to California
It's been a long time comin' but she's feelin' like a woman tonight
And she left a little letter said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada
Good bye, goodbye

And though she finds it hard to leave him
She knows it would be worse to stay
He wouldn't understand the reasons
That make a woman run away

Oh-and now she's headin' out to California
With some money in her pocket, she's a rocket on the Fourth of July
And she left a little letter said she's gonna make a stop in Nevada
Good bye, goodbye

If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)

(Billy Joel)

If I only had the words to tell you
If you only had the time to understand
Though I know it wouldn't change your feelings
And I know you'll carry on the best you can

If I only had the urge to tell you
If you only know how hard it is to say
When the simple lines have all been taken
And the radio repeats them ev'ry day

If I never find the song to sing you
If you always find it hard to comprehend
Well you know there wouldn't be much meaning
If I had to sing those tired words again
Life goes on and on, and tonight will soon be gone
But if we try we can be sure

If I only had the words to tell you
If you only had the time to understand
But I only have these arms to hold you
And it's all that you can ask of any man

Somewhere Along the Line

(Billy Joel)

Well, it's a rainy night in Paris,
And I'm sitting by the Seine,
It's a pleasure to be soaking in the European rain,
Now my belly's full of fancy food and wine
Oh but in the morning there'll be hell to pay
Somewhere along the line
In the morning there'll be hell hell to pay
Somewhere along the line

Sweet Virginia cigarette burin' in my hand
Well you used to be a friend of mine but now I understand
You've been eating up inside me for some time
Oh and I know you're gonna get me
Somewhere along the line
Well I know you're gonna get me
Somewhere along the line
Somewhere along the line
Well I know it's just a matter of time
Well the fun falls through and the rent comes due
Somewhere along the line

Well you know I love my woman,
And I would not let her down,
And I did my share of lovin' when I used to get around
Now I'm satisfied,
And she is lookin' fine
Oh but you pay for your satisfaction
Somewhere along the line
But you pay for your satisfaction
Somewhere along the line

Hey it's good to be a young man
And to live the way you please
Yes a young man is the king of ev'ry kingdom that he sees
But there's an old and feeble man not far behind
Oh that surely will catch up to him
Somewhere along the line
That surely will catch up to him
Somewhere along the line

Captain Jack

(Billy Joel)

Saturday night and you're still hangin' around
You're tired of livin' in your one horse town
You'd like to find a little hole in the ground for a while

So you go to the village in your tie-dye jeans
And you stare at the junkies and the closet queens
It's like some pornographic magazine, and you smile

But Captain Jack will get you high tonight
And take you to your special island
Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Just a little push 'n' you'll be smilin'
Oh yeah, yeah

Your sister's gone out, she's on a date
And you just sit at home and masturbate
Your phone is gonna ring soon,
But you just can't wait, for that call

So you stand on the corner in your new English clothes
And you look so polished from your hair down to your toes
But still your fingers gonna pick your nose, after all

But Captain Jack will get you high tonight
And take you to your special island
Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Just a little push 'n' you'll be smilin'
Oh yeah, yeah

So you decide to take a holiday
You got your tape deck and your brand new Chevrolet
Ah, but there's no place to go anyway and what for
You've got everything, but nothin's cool
They just found your father in the swimming pool
And you guess you won't be going back to school anymore

But Captain Jack will get you high tonight
And take you to your special island
Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Just a little push 'n' you'll be smilin'
La da, da
Oh yeah, yeah

So you play your albums and you smoke your pot
And you meet your girlfriend in the parking lot
Oh, but still you're aching for the things you haven't got,
What went wrong

And if you can't understand why your world is so dead
And why you've got to keep in style and feed your head
Well, you're twenty one and still you mother makes your bed
And that's too long

But Captain Jack will get you high tonight
And take you to your special island
Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Just a little push 'n' you'll be smilin'
Yeah, Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Yeah, Captain Jack will get you by tonight

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