Songs
Piano Man
words & music Billy Joel
from Billy Joel’s 1973 album Piano Man
(harmonica intro)
It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sitting next to me
Makin’ love to his tonic and gin
(harmonica)
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 de da
La la, di de da da dum
(Chorus)
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 all feelin’ alright
(harmonica)
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 his 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 de da
La la, di de da da dah
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 he will be for life
(harmonica)
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessman slowly gets stoned
Yes, they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it’s better than drinkin’ alone
(piano solo)
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 got us all feeling alright
(harmonica)
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 their 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 de da
La la, di de 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 got us all feeling alright
(harmonica)
It’s Too Late
Words by Toni Stern, Music by Carole King
from Carole King’s 1971 album Tapestry.
Stayed in bed all mornin’ just to pass the time
There’s somethin’ wrong here, there can be no denyin’
One of us is changin’, or maybe we’ve just stopped tryin’
And it’s too late, baby now, it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Somethin’ inside has died, and I can’t hide
And I just can’t fake it, oh, no, no
It used to be so easy, livin’ here with you
You were light and breezy, an’ I knew just what to do
Now you look so unhappy, and I feel like a fool
And it’s too late, baby now, it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Somethin’ inside has died, and I can’t hide
And I just can’t fake it, oh, no, no
(guitar solo)
There’ll be good times again for me and you
But we just can’t stay together, don’t you feel it, too?
Still I’m glad for what we had and how I once loved you
But it’s too late, baby now, it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it (we can’t make it right)
Somethin’ inside has died, and I can’t hide
And I just can’t fake it, oh, no, no, no, no, no
(piano solo)
It’s too late, baby,
it’s too late now, darling
It’s too late
Desperado
by Glen Frey & Don Henley
from Eagles 1973 album Desperado
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You’ve been out riding fences for so long now.
Oh you’re a hard one.
I know that you’ve got your reasons.
These things that are pleasing you, can hurt you somehow.
Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds boy.
She’ll beat you if she’s able.
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet.
Now it seems to me some fine things have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get.
Desperado. Oh you ain’t gettin no younger.
Your pain and your hunger they’re drivin’ you home.
and freedom, oh freedom.
That’s just some people talking.
Your prison is walking through this world all alone.
Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
Its hard to tell the night time from the day.
Your losing all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes, away.
Desperado. Why don’t you come to your senses
Come down from your fences, open the gate.
It may be raining, but there’s a rainbow above you.
You better let somebody love you
(let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late.
Listen To The Music
By Tom Johnston.
Doobie Brothers on their second album Toulouse Street
Don’t you feel it growing, day by day
People getting ready for the news
Some are happy, some are sad
Whoa, gotta let the music play
What the people need is a way to make ’em smile
It ain’t so hard to do if you know how
Gotta get a message, get it on through
Oh, now momma don’t you ask me why
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
All the time
Well I know, you know baby, everything I say
Meet me in the country for a day
We’ll be happy, and we’ll dance
Oh, we’re gonna dance our blues away
And if I’m feeling good to you and you’re feeling good to me
There ain’t nothing we can’t do or say
Feeling good, feeling fine
Oh, baby, let the music play
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
All the time
Like a lazy flowing river
Surrounding castles in the sky
And the crowd is growing bigger
Listening for the happy sounds
And I got to let them fly
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
All the time
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
Whoa, oh listen to the music
All the time
American Pie
By Don McLean
Don McLean from the American Pie album in 1971
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more step
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you’re in love with him
‘Cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Now, for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that’s not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
‘Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend
Oh and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan’s spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
They were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die