Tiny Dancer
Elton John; Bernie Taupin Lyrics
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Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows, the tune she hums
But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
In "Tiny Dancer," Elton John paints a vivid picture of a woman who is a seamstress for a band, a ballerina, and a woman with a pirate smile from L.A. The singer is telling her story, imagining her dancing in the sand, and then notes that now she is always with him, a tiny dancer in his hand. The song transitions to the scene of Jesus freaks out in the street handing tickets out for God, and the woman in question turns back and laughs, suggesting some level of defiance. Then we meet a piano man who "makes his stand in the auditorium" and the singer sees the woman again and notes how she knows the words and tune of the songs being played.
The chorus begins with the expression "oh how it feels so real, lying here with no one near, only you and you can hear me when I say softly, slowly," and then repeats the request to "hold me closer tiny dancer, count the headlights on the highway" and "lay me down in sheets of linen." The song ends with the repetition of the chorus and the description of the woman as a blue jean baby L.A. lady with a pirate smile, along with that of a ballerina. The overall theme of the song is about the longing for connection and feeling close to another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
A woman who wears blue jeans and lives in Los Angeles, who is a tailor for a musical group.
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
She has a beautiful gaze and a smile that is insidious, and she will eventually marry someone in the music industry.
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
She is a skilled ballerina, who one might have once witnessed dancing on the beach.
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
The memory of her is now a part of him and will always be with him, like a miniature dancer figurine he holds.
Jesus freaks out in the street
Religious zealots exhibit bizarre behavior on the city streets.
Handing tickets out for God
They are trying to convince people to join their religion by handing out flyers.
Turning back she just laughs
She doesn't take them seriously, and laughs as she walks away.
The boulevard is not that bad
Despite the commotion on the street, it isn't as bad as it seems.
Piano man he makes his stand, in the auditorium
A pianist performs and establishes his presence in a concert hall.
Looking on she sings the songs, the words she knows, the tune she hums
The woman attentively watches the performance, singing along with the verses she knows, humming the melody.
But oh how it feels so real
It truly feels alive, like it's happening here and now.
Lying here with no one near
He is alone and vulnerable, but comfortable in his sense of isolation.
Only you and you can hear me
He speaks intimately to her, with nobody else to listen.
When I say softly, slowly
He speaks gently and affectionately, taking his time with each word.
Hold me closer tiny dancer
He calls out to her for comfort and closeness, as if she is his little partner on stage.
Count the headlights on the highway
As they drive, she passes the time by counting the passing headlights.
Lay me down in sheets of linen
He is dreaming of her laying him down in crisp, comfortable sheets.
You had a busy day today
He tells her that she's been quite active, and that it's time to relax and snuggle up.
Hold me closer tiny dancer
He again calls out for comfort and connection with his petite dance partner.
Count the headlights on the highway
They are still driving, and she continues to count the passing vehicles.
Lay me down in sheets of linen
He continues to long for her gentle touch, and to dream of being in the soft sheets.
You had a busy day today
Once again, he reminds her that she's been working hard, and it's time to unwind together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@greg1mcintosh844
This is priceless. A crumpled sheet of paper, an old painted upright piano and a 23 yr old prodigy casually reciting. Could he have known then what he and this song would become? Genius. .
@Drenwickification
And what a privileged for the journalist to witness first hand. He maybe didn’t realise what he’d experienced at the time but surely he saw this years later and thought how lucky he was to be there to hear and see this first hand.
What a really cool video and such an insight into how Elton and Bernie made music.
@Josh-it6uy
i'm gay :)
@Paulo36431
I am gay too...
@MrSmid888
Bernie would post him these lyrics. He took his pick. Reg would write the pions parts to go with the lyrics exceptionally well
@preesi1403
The piano was made in 1910 and is currently in Canada on display
@paulmsandbergable
"Here's one here I've sort of done the other day"---the way the rest of us would talk about doing a load of laundry---and it's Tiny Dancer. Astonishing.
@Andy-lm2zp
rotfl
@greg1mcintosh844
Lol!
@oursecretlord9008
@Lisa Elissa Been looking for my Tiny Dancer since the song was released (around 1970), and been practicing playing the song actively for the last 9 years for that reason. My thrill was about the timing/tempo chnge, that's when the hand independence really kicks in, I hadn't heard it put like that before. Or missed it in dozens tutorials. Melody lines are kind of simple, they're normally what our voice sings, what's beautiful here is Elton John's composition. It's called his "comping," his unique style of playing piano. That's what we piano players are going for.