Billy Joel
River of Dreams (1993)
1. No Man's Land
2. The Great Wall of China
3. Blonde Over Blue
4. A Minor Variation
5. Shades of Grey
6. All About Soul
7. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
8. The River of Dreams
9. Two Thousand Years
10. Famous Last Words
No Man's Land
(Billy Joel)
I've seen those big machines come rolling through the quiet pines
Blue suits and bankers with their Volvos and their valentines
Give us this day our daily discount outlet merchandise
Raise up a multiplex and we will make a sacrifice
Now we're gonna get the big business
Now we're gonna get the real thing
Everybody's all excited about it
Who remembers when it all began - out here in No Man's Land
Before they passed the master plan - out here in No Man's Land
Low supply and high demand - here in No Man's Land
There ain't much work out here in our consumer power base
No major industry, just miles and miles of parking space
This morning's paper says our neighbor's in a cocaine bust
Lots more to read about Lolita and suburban lust
Now we're gonna get the whole story
Now we're gonna be in prime time
Everybody's all excited about it
Who remembers when it all began - out here in No Man's Land
We've just begun to understand - out here in No Man's Land
Low supply and high demand - here in No Man's Land
I see these children with their boredom and their vacant stares
God help us all if we're to blame for their unanswered prayers
They roll the sidewalks up at night this place goes underground
Thanks to the Condo Kings there's cable now in Zombietown
Now we're gonna get the closed circuit
Now we're gonna get the Top 40
Now we're gonna get the sports franchise
Now we're gonna get the major attractions
Who remembers when it all began - out here in No Man's Land
Before the whole world was in our hands - out here in No Man's Land
Before the banners and the marching bands - out here in No Man's Land
Low supply and high demand - here in No Man's Land
The Great Wall of China
(Billy Joel)
Advice is cheap you can take it from me
It's yours to keep 'cause opinions are free
Nobody knows about the trouble I've seen
Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean
It cost too much and takes too long to find out too late
Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken
Your role was protective, your soul was too defective
Some people just don't have a heart to be broken
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China
You take a piece of whatever you touch
Too many pieces means you're touching too much
You never win if you can't play it straight
You only beat me if you get me to hate
It must be so lonely to think that you have only
Somebody else's life to live if they let you
I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective
To find out how fast your friends will forget you
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
Now all you're going to be is history
Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the Empire Diner tonight
You coulda had class, you coulda have been a contender
Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
You could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
This was not your calling, just look how far you've fallen
I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking
Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective
Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
Blonde Over Blue
(Billy Joel)
Some days when I'm far away
In a lonely room in a cold seclusion
Some nights when I'm wound so tight
There is no release, there is no solution
In hell there's a big hotel
Where the bar just closed and the windows never opened
No phone so you can't call home
And the T.V. works, but the clicker is broken
But in the darkness I see your light turned on
You know my weakness, you know how I respond to
Blonde over blue...your hands are cold, your eyes are fire
Blonde over blue...they shine as though you're burning inside
One word from you is all I need to be inspired
Blonde over blue...I need your inspiration tonight
These days there's a million ways
To be pulled and torn, to be misdirected
These times there are sins and crimes
On the morning shows for the disconnected
I look and I write my book
And I walk away with the wrong impressions
I don't care 'cause I've done my share And I need some time for my own obsessions
It doesn't matter, I've let that life go by
It's been forgotten 'cause all I wanted was you
Blonde over blue...your hands are cold, your eyes are fire
Blonde over blue...they shine as though you're burning inside
One word from you is all I need to be inspired
Blonde over blue...I need your inspiration tonight
These days not a damn soul prays
And there is no faith 'cause there's nothing to believe in
These days only good luck pays
If we don't get paid then we try to get even
I look and I write my book
And I have my say and I draw conclusions
Some nights when I'm wound so tight
There is no release there is no solution
But in the darkness I see your light turned on
You know my weakness, you know how I respond to
Blonde over blue...your hands are cold, your eyes are fire
Blonde over blue...they shine as though you're burning inside
One word from you is all I need to be inspired
Blonde over blue...I need your inspiration tonight
A Minor Variation
(Billy Joel)
Some days I have to give right in to the blues
Despite how I try to keep fightin'
It's a sure shot I'm going to lose
And I'll tell you why
You think I'm crazy
It's such a sad composition
But can you blame me
For what's been causing my bad disposition?
Ain't nothing new with my blue situation
And nothing's fine it's just a minor variation
When troubles want to find me, I ain't hard to find
They know where I am
Like a hungry pack of wolves when it's feeding time
They tear up a man
And it's a strange thing
'Cause now it don't really matter
More of the same thing
Don't even hurt it's a part of the pattern
But still in all it's a small consolation
I just define it as a minor variation
Ain't no way to fight 'em, darling
Ain't no way around 'em baby
Ain't no way to take 'em, honey
No where to hide and believe me I've tried to shake 'em
I'm getting to the point where I don't feel the pain
And I've had enough
I'm ready for the next time it hits me again
Cause I've gotten tough
It doesn't faze me
And now I've made my decision
I may be crazy
It's not as though I don't know that condition
Until I'm through with this blue situation
Pass me the wine, it's just a minor variation
Ain't nobody's business, baby
Ain't nobody's worry darlin'
Ain't nobody's problem
No way to win when you've already been forgotten
And it's a strange thing
'Cause now it don't really matter
More of the same thing
Don't even hurt it's a part of the pattern
Until I'm through with this blue situation
Pass me the wine, it's just a minor variation
Shades of Grey
(Billy Joel)
Some things were perfectly clear, seen with the vision of youth
No doubts and nothing to fear, I claimed the corner on truth
These days it's harder to say I know what I'm fighting for
My faith is falling away
I'm not that sure anymore
Shades of grey wherever I go
The more I find out the less that I know
Black and white is how it should be
But shades of grey are the colors I see
Once there were trenches and walls and one point of every view
Fight 'til the other man falls - kill him before he kills you
These days the edges are blurred, I'm old and tired of war
I hear the other man's words
I'm not that sure anymore
Shades of grey are all that I find
When I look to the enemy line
Black and white was so easy for me
But shades of grey are the colors I see
Now with the wisdom of years, I try to reason things out
And the only people I fear are those who never have doubts
Save us all from arrogant men, and all the causes they're for
I won't be righteous again
I'm not that sure anymore
Shades of grey are all that I find
When I look to the enemy line
Ain't no rainbows shining on me
Shades of grey are the colors I see
Shades of grey wherever I go
The more I find out the less that I know
Ain't no rainbows shining on me
Shades of grey are the colors I see
All About Soul
(Billy Joel)
She waits for me at night, she waits for me in silence
She gives me all her tenderness and takes away my pain
And so far she hasn't run, though I swear she's had her moments
She still believes in miracles while others cry in vain
It's all about soul
It's all about faith and a deeper devotion
It's all about soul
'Cause under the love is a stronger emotion
She's got to be strong
'Cause so many things getting out of control
Should drive her away
So why does she stay?
It's all about soul
She turns to me sometimes and she asks me what I'm dreaming
And I realize I must have gone a million miles away
And I ask her how she knew to reach out for me at that moment
And she smiles because it's understood there are no words to say
It's all about soul
It's all about knowing what someone is feeling
The woman's got soul
The power of love and the power of healing
This life isn't fair
It's gonna get dark, it's gonna get cold
You've got to get tough, but that ain't enough
It's all about soul
There are people who have lost every trace of human kindness
There are many who have fallen, there are some who still survive
She comes to me at night and she tells me her desires
And she gives me all the love I need to keep my faith alive
It's all about soul
It's all about joy that comes out of sorrow
It's all about soul
Who's standing now and who's standing tomorrow
You've got to be hard
Hard as the rock in that old rock 'n roll
But that's only part, you know in your heart
It's all about soul
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
(Billy Joel)
Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark
And deep inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullabye
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me
Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabyes go on and on...
They never die
That's how you
And I
Will be
The River of Dreams
(Billy Joel)
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To a river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
And even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore
And try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find out what I've been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
And I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I would never lose
Something somebody stole
I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is that I've been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To a river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night
I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That runs to the promised land
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night
Two Thousand Years
(Billy Joel)
In the beginning
There was the cold and the night
Prophets and angels gave us the fire and the light
Man was triumphant
Armed with the faith and the will
That even the darkest ages couldn't kill
Too many kingdoms
Too many flags on the field
So many battles, so many wounds to be healed
Time is relentless
Only true love perseveres
It's been a long time and now I'm with you
After two thousand years
This is our moment
Here at the crossroads of time
We hope our children carry our dreams down the line
They are the vintage
What kind of life will they live?
Is this a curse or a blessing that we give?
Sometimes I wonder
Why are we so blind to fate?
Without compassion, there can be no end to hate
No end to sorrow
Caused by the same endless fears
Why can't we learn from all we've been through
After two thousand years?
There will be miracles
After the last war is won
Science and poetry rule in the new world to come
Prophets and angels
Gave us the power to see
What an amazing future there will be
And in the evening
After the fire and the light
One thing is certain: nothing can hold back the night
Time is relentless
And as the past disappears
We're on the verge of all things new
We are two thousand years
Famous Last Words
(Billy Joel)
Sitting here in Avalon, looking at the pouring rain
Summertime has come and gone and everybody's home again
Closing down for the season, I found the last of the souvenirs
I can still taste the wedding cake and it's sweet after all these years
These are the last words I have to say
That's why this took so long to write
There will be other words some other day
But that's the story of my life
There's comfort in my coffee cup and apples in the early fall
They're pulling all the moorings up and gathering at the Legion Hall
They swept away all the streamers after the Labor Day parade
Nothing left for a dreamer now, only one final serenade
And these are the last words I have to say
Before another age goes by
With all those other songs I'll have to play
But that's the story of my life
And it's so clear standing here where I am
Ain't that what justice is for?
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn anymore
Stack the chairs on the table tops
Hang the sheets on the chandeliers
It slows down but it never stops
Ain't it sweet after all these years
And these are the last words I have to say
It's always hard to say goodbye
But now it's time to put this book away
Ain't that the story of my life