Pianoman
Ari Koivunen Lyrics

Its nine o'clock on a Saturday
The song starts on a Saturday night, and it's nine o'clock.

The regular crowd shuffles in
People come to the bar every week, and they're all entering the establishment.

There's an old man sitting next to me Makin' love to his tonic and gin
Right next to the singer is an old man who is enjoying his drink excessively.

He says, son, can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes But its sad and its sweet and I knew it complete When I wore a younger mans clothes
The old man asks the singer if he can play a song that he remembers from his youth, but he doesn't recall exactly; it's significant to him, but he can't quite explain why or how he knew it.

La la la, de de da La la, de de da da da
These are just filler sounds and not meant to convey meaning; they are part of the song's melody.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, were all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright
People in the bar request the piano man to play a song, and they're all in the mood for some music, and the singer is successful in making them feel good.

Now john at the bar is a friend of mine He gets me my drinks for free And hes 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 the 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
The singer knows a friend named John, who works at the bar and is a friendly person but is unhappy with his job and his life. He feels trapped and thinks he could've been a famous movie star had he not been stuck at the bar.

Now Paul is a real estate novelist Who never had time for a wife And hes talkin' with davy who's still in the navy And probably will be for life
The song describes another person named Paul, who is a writer but works in real estate, and he's never found time for a partner. He's talking with someone else named Davy, who's still in the navy and seems like he'll stay there forever.

And the waitress is practicing politics As the businessmen slowly get stoned Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness But its better than drinkin' alone
The bar's waitress is pretending to be interested in politics, the businessmen are slowly getting drunk, and they're all drinking together so they can keep their loneliness at bay, even if the company isn't ideal.

Its a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the manager gives me a smile 'Cause he knows that its me they've been comin' to see To forget about life for a while And the piano, it 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 doin' here?
The bar is crowded and the manager is pleased to see the singer because he knows that people come to the bar to hear him play and escape their troubles. The noise level of the piano is loud, and the singer jokes about how the microphone smells of beer. People at the bar are kind enough to share some of their earnings with him and wonder why he's playing music in the bar.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, were all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright
People at the bar ask the singer to sing them another song since they're all in the mood for music, and it's making them feel good.