Movin' Out
Billy Joel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
Savin' his pennies for someday
Mama Leone left a note on the door
She said, "Sonny, move out to the country"
Workin' too hard can give you
A heart attack (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)
You oughta know by now (oughta know)
Who needs a house out in Hackensack
Is that what you get for your money?
It seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama if that's movin' up
Then I'm movin' out
I'm movin' out
Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders
It seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama if that's movin' up
Then I'm movin' out
I'm movin' out
You should never argue with a crazy mind (mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-)
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money
If that's what you have in mind
If that's what you're all about
Good luck movin' up
'Cause I'm moving out
I'm moving out (mmm)
Ou, ou, uh huh (mmm)
I'm moving out
The song "Movin' Out" by Billy Joel is a commentary on the American Dream and the different paths that people take to achieve it. Each of the characters in the song is working hard and saving their money, but they all have different ideas of what it means to move up in the world. The first verse introduces us to Anthony, who works in a grocery store and is saving his pennies for someday. His mother thinks he should move out to the country to escape the stress and potential danger of his job. She warns him that working too hard can give you a heart attack and asks, "Who needs a house out in Hackensack? Is that what you get for your money?" Anthony, however, is not content with a quiet life in the country and is ready to move out and pursue his dreams.
The second verse introduces us to Sergeant O'Leary, a police officer who works as a bartender at night. He plans to trade in his Chevy for a Cadillac and dreams of a better life. However, he is also aware that he can't keep working like this forever, and he jokes that at least he can polish the fenders if he can't drive with a broken back. The chorus reinforces the theme that pursuing the American Dream can seem like a waste of time if you don't know what you're striving for.
Overall, the song presents a critique of the traditional American values of hard work and upward mobility without clear ideas of what that might mean. The song urges the listener to consider what they want from life and what sacrifices they are willing to make to achieve it.
Line by Line Meaning
Anthony works in the grocery store
Anthony's job is at a grocery store
Savin' his pennies for someday
He saves to buy bigger things in the future
Mama Leone left a note on the door
His mom left a note for him
She said, "Sonny, move out to the country"
His mom wants him to move to the countryside
Workin' too hard can give you A heart attack (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)
Working too much can be dangerous to his health
You oughta know by now (oughta know)
He should already know this
Who needs a house out in Hackensack
Why would he need a house in Hackensack?
Is that what you get for your money?
Is that what he wants to spend his money on?
It seems such a waste of time
That seems like a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
If that's all life is about
Mama if that's movin' up
If that's what moving up means
Then I'm movin' out
Then he's leaving
Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
A police sergeant named O'Leary walks on his patrol route
At night he becomes a bartender
At night he works as a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down On Sullivan Street
He works at Mister Cacciatore's restaurant on Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
The restaurant is located across from a medical center
He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack)
He's exchanging his Chevy for a Cadillac
And if he can't drive With a broken back At least he can polish the fenders
If he can't drive due to his back issue, he can still clean his Cadillac
You should never argue with a crazy mind (mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-)
It's not sensible to argue with someone who's irrational
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Working hours more than the regular will help him pay taxes
Is that all you get for your money
Is that all he'll get in return for his hard work?
If that's what you have in mind
If that's his plan
If that's what you're all about
If that's all he wants to focus on
Good luck movin' up
Good luck with his career advancement
'Cause I'm moving out
Because he's leaving
I'm moving out (mmm)
He's leaving (mmm)
Ou, ou, uh huh (mmm)
Humming sound to emphasize his departure (mmm)
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Billy Joel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hilde
Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin' his pennies for some day
Mama Leone left a note on the door
She said
"Sonny, move out to the country"
Oh but workin' too hard can give you a heart attack
You oughta know by now
Who needs a house out in Hackensack?
Is that all you get for your money?
And it seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama, if that's movin' up, then I'm movin' out
Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down on Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
And he's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders
And it seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama, if that's movin' up, then I'm movin' out
You should never argue with a crazy mind
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money?
And if that's what you have in mind
Yeah, if that's what you're all about
Good luck, moving up, 'cause I'm movin' out
I'm movin' out
Elias
As a man once said "this is a straight up banger bruh".
Jordan Batka
This man really came from nothing
MC Rivas
😂😂
Elijah Helsel
That was me discovering this at work 5 months ago lmao
Elias
@Ian Reed the legend replied 🔥
Ian Reed
you crave me
Chris Gross
This album is just ridiculously amazing. Hit after hit on it. Joel’s unreal.
William Pakuch
Your Right,HIT after hit
Ranse Danny
The Stranger was rated 70 of the top 500 albums of all time by the Rolling Stones magazine. I can hear why. Excellent album, every song a hit.
Brandon J Lutz
Man this song gives me the chills!