Piano Man – English Lyrics

• By: Billy Joel
• Album: Piano Man

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant story behind Billy Joel's iconic "Piano Man," a song that immortalizes the characters and atmosphere of a Los Angeles bar in the 1970s. This classic not only offers a glimpse into Joel's early career but also provides a rich tapestry of American life, exploring themes of dreams, disappointments, and the unifying power of music. Learn about the real-life inspirations behind the lyrics and how this song became a timeless anthem.

[English]

(gentle music)

(upbeat music)

♪ 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 ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ 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-di-da ♪

♪ La-la, di-di-da, da-dum ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ 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' all right ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ 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 a 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-di-da ♪

♪ La-la, di-di-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 ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ 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 ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ Sing us the 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' all right ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ 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-di-da ♪

♪ La-la, di-di-da, da-dum ♪

(upbeat music continues)

♪ Sing us the 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' all right ♪

(upbeat music continues)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
song /sɔːŋ/ A1	noun - a short musical composition with words
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to perform music on an instrument
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of time when it is dark
crowd /kraʊd/ A2	noun - a large number of people gathered together
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
drinks /drɪŋks/ A1	noun - a liquid for drinking verb - to take liquid into the mouth and swallow
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position, point, or area in space; a location
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front of a person's head, from the forehead to the chin
star /stɑːr/ A2	noun - a celestial body noun - a famous performer
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter
melody /ˈmelədi/ B1	noun - a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying.
waitress /ˈweɪtrəs/ A2	noun - a woman who serves food and drinks in a restaurant
businessman /ˈbɪznɪsmæn/ B1	noun - a man who works in business, especially one who has a high position in a company
loneliness /ˈləʊnlɪnəs/ B1	noun - the state of being alone
manager /ˈmænɪdʒər/ B1	noun - a person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a facial expression showing pleasure verb - form one's face into a smile
piano /piˈænəʊ/ A2	noun - a musical instrument
beer /bɪər/ A1	noun - an alcoholic drink made from yeast and hops
bar /bɑːr/ A1	noun - a counter in a pub or restaurant where drinks and sometimes food are served.

Key Grammar Structures

• It's nine o'clock on a Saturday

  ➔ Present simple for stating facts/time

  ➔ The sentence uses the present simple tense "It's" (It is) to state a current fact - the time and day. This is a common structure for expressing the present time and facts.

• There's an old man sittin' next to me

  ➔ There is/are + present participle

  ➔ This sentence uses the structure "There's" (There is) followed by a present participle "sittin'" (sitting). This structure is used to describe the existence of someone/something and what they are doing. Note the informal dropping of the 'g' in "sitting".

• When I wore a younger man's clothes

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ This sentence uses the past simple tense "wore" to describe a completed action in the past. It's used here to evoke nostalgia and reference a time that has already passed.

• I'm not really sure how it goes

  ➔ Indirect question with "how"

  ➔ This sentence contains an indirect question "how it goes" embedded within the statement "I'm not really sure". This structure is used to report questions without using direct question syntax.

• Sing us a song, you're the piano man

  ➔ Imperative form + vocative address

  ➔ This sentence begins with an imperative "Sing us a song" which is a command or request, followed by a vocative address "you're the piano man" which directly addresses the person being spoken to. This structure is common for making requests while identifying the person.

• If I could get out of this place

  ➔ Second conditional

  ➔ This sentence uses the second conditional structure "If + past simple, would + base verb" (though the second part is implied). It expresses a hypothetical or unlikely situation in the present or future. Here, it conveys a desire that is currently difficult or impossible to fulfill.

• Paul is a real estate novelist who never had time for a wife

  ➔ Relative clause with "who"

  ➔ This sentence uses a relative clause "who never had time for a wife" introduced by the relative pronoun "who" to provide additional information about Paul. Relative clauses are essential for adding descriptive details about a noun (in this case, Paul) without starting a new sentence.

• We're all in the mood for a melody

  ➔ Present continuous + prepositional phrase

  ➔ This sentence uses the present continuous tense "We're all" (We are all) combined with the prepositional phrase "in the mood for" to express a current state or feeling. This structure is commonly used to describe temporary states or desires that are happening at the present moment.