Piano Man
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in. There's an old man sitting next to me, making 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, dee dee dah. La la, dee dee dah, da da.
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 feeling all right.
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..." ...wait, ran away? Shouldn't that be runs away? The rest of the song is in present tense, but this one line isn't? Fuck, why do I have to notice this every time I sing along to this damn song? Why do I always have to comment on it? If Billy Joel hadn't cocked it up this song would be perfect. Oh, shit—la la, dee dee dah da da.
Now Paul is a real estate novelist, who... is that the right word? Novelist? It could be novice? Neither of them make sense. Ugh, FOCUS, best part of the song.
And the WAITRESS is PRAHCticing POLITICS, AAAAHHHS a BUSinessman slowly gets STOHNED... YES THEY'RE SHAHRING a DREHNK THEY CAHLL LONEliness, but it's BETTAAHHR—*cough cough* ow, shit, nailed it.
Budda-budda-budda BA DUH budda DUN DUN budda budda why am I singing the piano solo UGH. Stop it.
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 feeling all right.
It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday... and the manager gives me a smile; because he knows that it's me they've been coming to see to forget about life for a while.
And the PIAHHno it SOUNDS like a CAHRNIVAAHL, aaand the mic-rophone smells like ah beehr; and they sit at-the BAHR and put BREAD in my JAHR and say "MAAAHHHNN WHAHT AHRE YOou doin' heaahhre?"
Oh-h la, la-la, dee dee dah... la la, dee dee dah, dah dah... DUN DUN DUN...
SING US AH SONG, you're the piAAHNO MAHN; SING US a soong toniiIGHT... WELL WE'RE AHLLLL in the MOOD for a MELody... and you've, got us feeling, allll riiight...
Dah dah dun, da dun, duh da dun... daah, dah dah dun-budda-budda dun-budda-budda dun-budda-budda dun dun dun duuuuuuun.
God I love that song.