Piano Man
Billy Joel Lyrics


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It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sittin' next to me
Makin' 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"

La, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

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 feelin' 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 some place 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"

Oh, la, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' 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 drinkin' 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 feelin' 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 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?"

Oh, la, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

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 feelin' alright

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Piano Man by Billy Joel describe the scene in a bar on a Saturday night, where the "regular crowd" comes in to drink and forget about their troubles. The singer notes an "old man" sitting next to him who asks him to "play a memory." This old man is feeling nostalgic for a time in his past when he was happier and more carefree, represented by the line "but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes."


The rest of the lyrics introduce other characters in the bar, including John who works at the bar, Bill who dreams of being a movie star, Paul who writes "real estate novels," and Davy who is in the Navy. All these characters have their own struggles and hardships but find solace in the bar and the music played by the piano man. The chorus repeats the request for the piano man to play a song, as the crowd is in the mood for a melody and the music makes them feel better.


Overall, the song is about the power of music to bring people together and provide a temporary escape from their problems. The bar and the piano man become a sort of refuge for the characters in the lyrics, a place where they can forget their troubles for a while and just enjoy the music and each other's company.


Line by Line Meaning

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
It's the weekend and the bar is packed


The regular crowd shuffles in
The usual customers come and take their seats


There's an old man sittin' next to me
An elderly man is sitting beside the singer


Makin' love to his tonic and gin
He's drinking and enjoying his drink


He says, "Son, can you play me a memory?
The old man asks the artist to play a particular song from the past


I'm not really sure how it goes
He's unsure of the song's details


But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
It's a song that's both happy and sad, but he used to know it by heart


When I wore a younger man's clothes"
He knew the song back when he was younger


Sing us a song, you're the piano man
The patrons ask the pianist to play them a song


Sing us a song tonight
They want to hear some music tonight


Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
Everyone is ready to hear some good music


And you've got us feeling' alright
The music is making everyone feel good


Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
The singer knows one of the customers named John


He gets me my drinks for free
John pays for the singer's drinks


And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
He's a funny guy who would light up someone's cigarette if asked for it


But there's someplace that he'd rather be
John isn't happy being at the bar


He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me"
He doesn't like this lifestyle


As the smile ran away from his face
The mention of his dissatisfaction made him lose his smile


"Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star
John thinks he has the potential to become a movie star


If I could get out of this place"
But he feels trapped


Now Paul is a real estate novelist
There's another customer named Paul who writes stories about real estate


Who never had time for a wife
Paul never got married


And he's talking with Davy, who's still in the Navy
Paul is having a conversation with Davy, who is still serving in the navy


And probably will be for life
Davy will likely be in the navy for the rest of his life


And the waitress is practicing politics
The waitress is talking about politics and practicing her beliefs


As the businessmen slowly get stoned
The businessmen at the bar are getting drunk


Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
They are drinking as a way to distract themselves from their feelings of loneliness


But it's better than drinking alone
They would rather be drinking together than by themselves


It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
There are a lot of people at the bar for a Saturday


And the manager gives me a smile
The manager is friendly with the singer


'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
The people are coming to hear the singer play music on the piano


To forget about life for a while
The piano music is a way to escape from their problems for a little while


And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
The sound of the piano is like a celebration


And the microphone smells like a beer
The microphone smells like someone spilled beer on it


And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
The customers tip the singer for playing music


And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"
The tips they give make the artist wonder why he plays piano at a bar




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Joel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@leokimvideo

How the hell did a 24 year old write one of the greatest songs of all time as his first single.

@tierneebailey375

ong

@hansgarcia1268

he don't know

@HolyManOfficial

Anyone can write a good song :D

@JBofBrisbane

Where's yours?

@kingkylie9655

This is not that impressive for a 24 year old? 24 year olds are capable young adults at that core part of their life where they have the accessibility to create great things thanks to the foundation theyve built over their years AND they make refined things

467 More Replies...

@JuanAlvarez-et5vv

I just want to thank my old man for showing me this... Music has been a very important friend in my life, and this song is very special to me. We live in Colombia, my father could not speak English, but I remember one time that he put this on Youtube in the T.V. He said: "Escucha esto, es tremenda historia" (Listen to this, it is such a story"). He didn't understand a single word, but the video gave him the clues that he needed to consider this song a "masterpiece". You don't need to understand music, you just need to feel it.
R.I.P to my daddy, I will love you forever, and I am very grateful for everything that you taught me.

@Smartass_Jedi

1973: masterpiece
2024: masterpiece
Stills speaks to me after 50 years. Incredible

@dwarian5252

same.
Also I think bittersweet songs in general resonate much better, thus making them better in most cases.
I would also say the bittersweet feeling is very similar to nostalgia, which is something we seek at least every once in a while.
Have an amazing day. :)

@GabeTheSilly

@@dwarian5252 You aswell! To the amazing day part-

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