Billy Joel

thumb|right|I don't want clever conversationI never want to work that hard.I just want someone that I can talk toI want you just the way you are.~ Just the Way You Are William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949, in the Bronx, New York) is a pianist, singer and songwriter. A six-time Grammy award winner, he is one of the best selling artists in music history. Quotes Don't take any shit from anybody! After singing "Piano Man" at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, (25 February 2006), also used as farewell comment to the audience after many shows. And in truth, of course, I'm not just 60 - I'm twelve, I'm 23, I'm 37, I'm 42, I'm 18. I'm every age I've ever been. Depending on what day of the week it is and what the situation calls for at the moment. Without the Nazis, there wouldn't have been Billy Joel – Die Welt (10 May 2009) Song lyrics Cold Spring Harbor (1971) She's got a way about herI don't know what it is.But I know that I can't live without her.She's got a way of pleasin'I don't know what it isBut there doesn't have to be a reason anyway. She's Got a Way. She comes to me when I'm feelin' downInspires me without a soundShe touches me and I get turned around. She's Got a Way. You can walk away from your mistakesYou can turn your back on what you doJust a little smile is all it takesAnd you can have your cake and eat it too.Loneliness will get to you somehowBut ev'rybody loves you now. Everybody Loves You Now Piano Man (1973) It's nine o' clock on a SaturdayRegular crowd shuffles inThere's an old man sitting next to meMaking love to his tonic and gin. Piano Man. Sing us a song you're the piano manSing us a song tonight.Well we're all in the mood for a melodyAnd you've got us feeling alright. Piano Man. And the waitress is practicing politicsAs the businessmen slowly get stonedYes they're sharing a drink they call lonelinessBut it's better than drinking alone. Piano Man. If I traveled all my lifeAnd I never get to stop and settle downLong as I have you by my sideThere's a roof above and good walls all aroundYou're my castle, you're my cabin and my instant pleasure domeI need you in my house 'cause you're my home. You're My Home. From a town known as Wheeling, West VirginiaRode a boy with a six-gun in his handAnd his daring life of crime made him a legend in his timeEast and west of the Rio Grande.Well, he started with a bank in ColoradoIn the pocket of his vest a Colt he hid.And his age and his size took the teller by surprise,And the word spread of Billy the Kid. The Ballad of Billy the Kid. So you play your albums and you smoke your potAnd you meet your girlfriend in the parking lotOh, but still you're aching for the things you haven't got,What went wrong?And if you can't understand why your world is so deadAnd why you've got to keep in style and feed your headWell, you're twenty one and still you mother makes your bedAnd that's too long. Captain Jack. Streetlife Serenade (1974) Streetlife serenadersHave no obligationsHold no grand illusionsNeed no stimulation. Streetlife Serenader. Hiding up in the mountainsLaying low in the canyonsGoin' nowhere in the streetsWith the Spanish namesMakin' love with the nativesIn their Hollywood placesMaking up for all the time gone byLos AngelenosAll came from somewhere. Los Angelenos. I am the entertainer and I know just where I standAnother serenader and another long haired bandToday I am your champion, I may have won your hearts,But I know the game, you'll forget my name,And I won't be here in another yearIf I don't stay on the charts. The Entertainer. I am the entertainer, I've come to do my showYou've heard my latest record, it's been on the radioIt took me years to write it, they were the best years of my lifeIt was a beautiful song but it ran too longIf you're gonna have a hit you gotta make it fitSo they cut it down to 3:05. The Entertainer. I am the entertainer, the idol of my ageI make all kinds of money when I go on the stageYou see me in the papers, I've been in the magazinesBut if I go cold, I won't get soldI get put in the back in the discount rackLike another can of beans. The Entertainer. Turnstiles (1976) So many faces in and out of my lifeSome will lastSome will be just now and then.Life is a series of hellos and goodbyesI'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.Say goodbye to HollywoodSay goodbye my babySay goodbye to HollywoodSay goodbye my baby. Say Goodbye to Hollywood. Now we are forced to recognize our inhumanityOur reason coexists with our insanityAnd though we choose between reality and madnessIt's either sadness or euphoria. Summer, Highland Falls. Some folks like to get awayTake a holiday from the neighborhood.Hop a flight to Miami BeachOr to HollywoodBut I'm talking a GreyhoundOn the Hudson River Line.I'm in a New York state of mind. New York State of Mind. It was so easy living day by dayOut of touch with the rhythm and bluesBut now I need a little give and takeThe New York Times, The Daily News. New York State of Mind. There's a place in the world for the angry young manWith his working class ties and his radical plansHe refuses to bend he refuses to crawlAnd he's always at home with his back to the wallAnd he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lostAnd struggles and bleeds as he hangs on his crossAnd likes to be known as the angry young man. Angry Young Man. I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rageI found that just surviving was a noble fightI once believed in causes tooI had my pointless point of viewAnd life went on no matter who was wrong or right. Angry Young Man. So before we end and then beginWe'll drink a toast to how it's beenA few more hours to be completeA few more nights on satin sheetsA few more times that I can sayI've loved these days. I've Loved These Days. Seen the lights go out BroadwayI saw the Empire State laid lowAnd life went on beyond the PalisadesThey all bought CadillacsAnd left there long ago. Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway). You know those lights were bright on BroadwayThat was so many years agoBefore we all lived here in FloridaBefore the Mafia took over Mexico.There are not many who rememberThey say a handful still surviveTo tell the world aboutThe way the lights went outAnd keep the memory alive. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway). The Stranger (1977) thumb|right|She can kill with a smileShe can wound with her eyesShe can ruin your faith with her casual liesAnd she only reveals what she wants you to seeShe hides like a childBut she's always a woman to me.~ She's Always a Woman It seems such a waste of timeIf that's what it's all aboutIf that's movin' up then I'm movin' out. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song). Well, we all fall in loveBut we disregard the dangerThough we share so many secretsThere are some we never tell.Why were you so surprisedThat you never saw the stranger?Did you ever let your lover seeThe stranger in yourself? The Stranger. I don't want clever conversationI never want to work that hard.I just want someonethat I can talk toI want you just the way you are.I need to know that you will always beThe same old someone that I knewWhat will it take till you believe in meThe way that I believe in you. Just the Way You Are. I remember those days hanging outAt the village greenEngineer boots, leather jacketsAnd tight blue jeansDrop a dime in the box play theSong about New OrleansCold beer, hot lightsMy sweet romantic teenage nights. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Brenda and Eddie were the popular steadiesAnd the king and the queen of the promRiding around with the car top down and the radio onNobody looked any finerOr was more of a hit at the Parkway DinerWe never knew we could want more than that out of lifeSurely Brenda and Eddie would always know how to survive. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Brenda and Eddie had had it alreadyBy the summer of '75From the high to the lowTo the end of the showFor the rest of their lives.They couldn't go back to the greasers.The best they could do was pick up the pieces.We always knew they would both find a way to get by.That's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie.Can't tell you more than I told you already.And here we are wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. But you know you can't always see when you're rightYou got your passion you got your prideBut don't you know only fools are satisfied?Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come trueWhen will you realizeVienna waits for you? Vienna. You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowdWe ain't too pretty we ain't too proudWe might be laughing a bit too loudBut that never hurt no one.Come on Virginia show me a signSend up a signal I'll throw you the line.The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behindNever lets in the sun.And only the good die young. Only the Good Die Young. They say there's a heaven for those who will waitSome say it's better but I say it ain't.I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saintsSinners are much more fun...And only the good die young. Only the Good Die Young. She can kill with a smileShe can wound with her eyesShe can ruin your faith with her casual liesAnd she only reveals what she wants you to seeShe hides like a childBut she's always a woman to me. She's Always a Woman. Oh, she takes care of herselfShe can wait if she wantsShe's ahead of her timeOh, and she never gives outAnd she never gives inShe just changes her mind. She's Always a Woman. 52nd Street (1978) thumb|right|Honesty is such a lonely wordEveryone is so untrueHonesty is hardly ever heardAnd mostly what I need from you.~ Honesty Because you had to be a big shot, didn't youYou had to open up your mouthYou had to be a big shot, didn't youAll your friends were so knocked outYou had to have the last word, last nightYou know what everything's aboutYou had to have a white hot spotlightYou had to be a big shot last night. Big Shot. Honesty is such a lonely wordEveryone is so untrueHonesty is hardly ever heardAnd mostly what I need from you. Honesty. I can always find someoneTo say they sympathizeIf I wear my heart out on my sleeve.But I don't want some pretty faceTo tell me pretty lies.All I want is someone to believe. Honesty. I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright.I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home.I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life.Go ahead with your own life and leave me alone. My Life. I never said you had to offer me a second chance.I never said I was a victim of circumstance.I still belong, don't get me wrong.And you can speak your mindBut not on my time. My Life. They will tell you, you can't sleep alone in strange place.Then they'll tell you, you can't sleep with somebody else.Ah, but sooner or later you sleep in your own space.Either way, it's okay, you wake with yourself. My Life. Glass Houses (1980) Now think of all the years you tried toFind someone to satisfy you.I might be as crazy as you say.If I'm crazy then it's trueThat it's all because of youAnd you wouldn't want me any other way.You may be rightI may be crazy.But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for.It's too late to fightIt's too late to change me.You may be wrong for all I knowBut you may be right. You May Be Right. It's just a fantasyIt's not the real thingIt's just a fantasyIt's not the real thing.But sometimes a fantasyIs all you need. Sometimes a Fantasy. All your life you had to stand in lineStill you’re standing on your feet.All your choices made you change your mindNow your calendar's complete.Don't wait for answersJust take your chancesDon't ask me why. Don't Ask Me Why. Yesterday you were an only childNow your ghosts have gone away.You can kill them in the classic style.Now you, "parlez vous francais"Don't look for answersYou took your chancesDon't ask my why. Don't Ask Me Why. What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing?"Don't you know that they're out of touch?"Should I try to be a straight 'A' student?"If you are then you think too much.Don't you know about the new fashion honey?All you need are looks and a whole lotta money."It's the next phase, new wave , dance craze, anywaysIt's still rock and roll to me.Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new soundFunny, but it's still rock and roll to me. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me. The Nylon Curtain (1982) Every child had a pretty good shotTo get at least as far as their old man gotBut something happened on the way to that placeThey threw an American flag in our face. Allentown. Well I'm living here in AllentownAnd it's hard to keep a good man downBut I won't be getting up today. Allentown. You have to learn to pace yourself.Pressure.You're just like everybody else.Pressure.You've only had to run so far,So good.But you will come to a placeWhere the only thing you feelAre loaded guns in your face.And you'll have to deal withPressure. Pressure. We held the coastlineThey held the highlandsAnd they were sharpAs sharp as knivesThey heard the hum of our motorsThey counted the rotorsAnd waited for us to arrive.And we would all go down togetherWe said we'd all go down togetherYes we would all go down together. Goodnight Saigon An Innocent Man (1983) You don't have to start a fightI'm a man who can't say noIf you've got a little risky businessJust point me where you want to goTake me to the powerTake me to the heatTake me to the cleanersIf it's open to the streetSomething's got to pay offSomething's got to breakSomeone's got a fortune that they're beggingMe to take. Easy Money. Some people stay far away from the doorIf there's a chance of it opening upThey hear a voice in the hall outsideAnd hope that it just passes by.Some people live with the fear of a touchAnd the anger of having been a fool.They will not listen to anyoneSo nobody tells them a lie. An Innocent Man. Some people hope for a miracle cureSome people just accept the world as it is.But I'm not willing to lay down and dieBecause I am an innocent man. An Innocent Man. If you said goodbye to me tonightThere would still be music left to write.What else could I do?I'm so inspired by you.That hasn't happened for the longest time. The Longest Time. I don't care what consequence it bringsI have been a fool for lesser things.I want you so bad.I think you ought to know thatI intend to hold you forThe longest time. The Longest Time. Didn't I say I wasn't ready for romance?Didn't we promise we would only be friends?And so we danced, though it was only a slow dance.I started breaking my promises right there and then.Didn't I swear there would be no complications?Didn't you want someone who's seen it all before?Now that you're here, it's not the same situation,Suddenly, I don't remember the rules anymore.This night is mine.It's only you and I.Tomorrow is a long time away;This night can last forever. This Night Listen boyDon't want to see you let a good thingSlip away.You know I don't like watchingAnybody make the same mistakesI made.She's a real nice girlAnd she's always there for you.But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do. Tell Her About It. Tell her about itTell her everything you feelGive her every reason to acceptThat you're for real.Tell her about it.Tell her all your crazy dreams.Let her know you need herLet her know how much she means. Tell Her About It. Tell her about itLet her know how much you careWhen she can't be with youTell her you wish you were there.Tell her about it.Every day before you leavePay her some attentionGive her something to believe. Tell Her About It. Uptown girlShe's been living in her uptown world.I bet she never had a backstreet guyI bet her mama never told her why.I'm gonna try for an uptown girl.She's been living in her white bread worldAs long as anyone with hot blood canAnd now she's looking for a downtown manThat's what I am. Uptown Girl. I know the moment isn't rightTo tell the girl a comical lineTo keep the conversation lightI guess I'm just frightened out of my mind.But if that's how I feelThen it's the best feeling I've ever knownIt's undeniably realLeave a tender moment alone. Leave a Tender Moment Alone. Learned stickball as a formal education.Lost a lot of fightsBut it taught me how to lose O.K..Oh, I heard about sexBut not enough.I found you could danceAnd still look tough anyway.Oh yes I did.I found out a man ain't just being macho.Ate an awful lot of late night drive-in food, drank a lot of take home pay.I thought I was the Duke of EarlWhen I made it with a red-haired girlIn the Chevrolet. Keeping the Faith. You can get just so muchFrom a good thing.You can linger too longIn your dreams.Say goodbye to theOldies but goodies.You know the good ole days weren't always good,And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems. Keeping the Faith. I told you my reasonsFor the whole revival.Now I'm going outside to haveAn ice cold beer in the shade.Oh, I'm going to listen to my 45's.Ain't it wonderful to be aliveWhen the rock 'n' roll plays, yeah.When the memory stays, yeah.I'm keeping the faith.Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahKeeping the faith. Keeping the Faith. Greatest Hits - Volume I & Volume II (1985) You're having a hard time and lately you don't feel so good;You're getting a bad reputation in your neighborhood.It's alright, it's alright;Sometimes that's what it takes.You're only human, you're allowed to make your share of mistakes. You're Only Human (Second Wind). Don't forget your second wind;Sooner or later you'll get your second wind.It's not always easy to be living in this world of pain.You're gonna be crashing into stone walls again and again.It's alright, it's alright. You're Only Human (Second Wind). I'm young enough to still see the passionate boy I used to be.But I'm old enough to say I got a good look at the other side.I know we got to work real hard, maybe even for the rest of our lives.But right now I just want to take what I canGet tonight.While the night is still young,I want to keep making love to you,While the night is still young. The Night Is Still Young. The Bridge (1986) This is the time to remember'Cause it will not last forever.These are the days to hold on to'Cause we won't, although we'll want to.This is the time,But time is gonna change.You've given me the best of youBut now I need the rest of you. This Is the Time. Some love is just a lie of the heartThe cold remains of what began with a passionate start.And they may not want it to endBut it will, it's just a question of when.I've lived long enough to have learnedThe closer you get to the fire the more you get burned.But that won't happen to usBecause it's always been a matter of trust. A Matter of Trust. She's got style and she's got her own moneySo she's not another honey you can quickly disarmShe's got the eyes that make you realizeShe won't be hypnotized by your usual charm.You've got your plan of attackThat won't attract the modern womanWhen you're an old fashioned manShe understands the things you're doin'She's a modern woman. Modern Woman. Late at nightWhen it's dark and coldI reach outFor someone to holdWhen I'm blueWhen I'm lonelyShe comes throughShe's the only one who canMy baby grandIs all I need. Baby Grand (sung with Ray Charles). They say that no one's gonna play this on the radioThey said the melancholy blues were dead and goneBut only songs like thesePlayed in minor keysKeep those memories holding on. Baby Grand. I'm so romanticI'm such a passionate manSometimes I panicWhat if nobody finds out who I am? Big Man on Mulberry Street. Storm Front (1989) We didn't start the fireIt was always burningSince the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo we didn't light itBut we tried to fight it. We Didn't Start the Fire. I've got bills to pay and children who need clothes.I know there's fish out there but where God only knows.They say these waters aren't what they used to be.But I've got people back on land who count on me. The Downeaster Alexa. Sometimes I'm tired, sometimes I'm shot.Sometimes I don't know how much more I've got.Maybe I'm headed over the hillMaybe I've set myself up for the kill.Tell me how much do you think you can takeUntil the heart in you is starting to break?Sometimes it feels like it will. I Go to Extremes. Well I'm shameless when it comes to loving you.I'd do anything you want me toI'd do anything at all.And I'm standing here for all the world to seeThere ain't that much left of meThat has very far to fall. Shameless. And so my child and I came to this placeTo meet him eye to eye and face to face.He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced.We never knew what friends we hadUntil we came to Leningrad. Leningrad. But darling there you go, slipping away into a state of graceGranted, this world is not a perfect place.Still it's the world that I'm in.Here I am talking while you don't hear a word I say.Knowing you're watching me from far awaySomewhere that I've never been. State of Grace. And every time I've held a roseIt seems I only felt the thorns.And so it goes, and so it goes.And so will you soon I suppose. And So It Goes. River of Dreams (1993) I've seen those big machines come rolling through the quiet pines.Blue suits and bankers with their Volvos and their valentines.Give us this day our daily discount outlet merchandise.Raise up a multiplex and we will make a sacrifice.Now we're gonna get the big business.Now we're gonna get the real thing.Everybody's all excited about it. No Man's Land. Advice is cheap you can take it from me.It's yours to keep 'cause opinions are free.Nobody knows about the trouble I've seen.Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean.It cost too much and takes too long to find out too late.Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken.Your role was protective, your soul was too defective.Some people just don't have a heart to be broken. The Great Wall of China. We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of ChinaIf you'd only had a little more faith in me.In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum, reminders will still shine bright.All the king's men and all the king's horsesCan't put you together the way you used to be.We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China. These days there's a million waysTo be pulled and torn, to be misdirected.These times there are sins and crimesOn the morning shows for the disconnected.I look and I write my bookAnd I walk away with the wrong impressions.I don't care 'cause I've done my share. And I need some time for my own obsessionsIt doesn't matter, I've let that life go by.It's been forgotten 'cause all I wanted was you. Blonde Over Blue. Some days I have to give right in to the bluesDespite how I try to keep fightin'.It's a sure shot I'm going to lose.And I'll tell you why.You think I'm crazy.It's such a sad composition.But can you blame meFor what's been causing my bad disposition?Ain't nothing new with my blue situationAnd nothing's fine it's just a minor variation. A Minor Variation. Some things were perfectly clear, seen with the vision of youth.No doubts and nothing to fear, I claimed the corner on truth.These days it's harder to say I know what I'm fighting for.My faith is falling away.I'm not that sure anymore.Shades of grey wherever I goThe more I find out the less that I know.Black and white is how it should beBut shades of grey are the colors I see. Shades of Grey. She waits for me at night, she waits for me in silence.She gives me all her tenderness and takes away my pain.And so far she hasn't run, though I swear she's had her moments.She still believes in miracles while others cry in vain. All About Soul. It's all about soul.It's all about faith and a deeper devotion.It's all about soul.'Cause under the love is a stronger emotion.She's got to be strong'Cause so many things getting out of controlShould drive her away.So why does she stay?It's all about soul. All About Soul. Goodnight, my angelTime to close your eyes.And save these questions for another day.I think I know what you've been asking me.I think you know what I've been trying to say.I promised I would never leave you.And you should always knowWherever you may goNo matter where you areI never will be far away. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel). Goodnight, my angelNow it's time to dream.And dream how wonderful your life will be.Someday your child may cryAnd if you sing this lullabyeThen in your heartThere will always be a part of me.Someday we'll all be gone.But lullabyes go on and on...They never die.That's how youAnd IWill be. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel). In the middle of the nightI go walking in my sleepThrough the valley of fearTo a river so deep.And I've been searching for somethingTaken out of my soulSomething I would never loseSomething somebody stole. The River of Dreams. External links Billy Joel's Official Site Category:Pianists from the United States Category:Composers from the United States Category:Rock singers Category:Singer-songwriters from the United States Category:Jews from the United States Category:Atheists from the United States Category:People from New York City Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Organists from the United States