“They're sharing a drink they call ‘Loneliness,’ But it's better than drinking alone”

song ~ “Piano Man”  
artist ~ Billy Joel  

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."

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 alright

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 someplace 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."

Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talking with Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be for life

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 drinking alone

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 alright

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 coming to see
To forget about life for a while

And the piano 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 doing here?"

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 alright     _{(Image source)}

Comments 

On my list of all-time favorite songs, there are very few ‘70s pop songs. But “Piano Man”  has been on that list for a long time, and it has always ranked high – very high. 

A Grand Tale of Small People

More than just a simple pop song, “Piano Man”  is a magnificent vignette of a small group of unremarkable characters who live on the boulevard of broken dreams. We can recognize each of them as they shuffle into the dingy little piano bar and sit in their usual spots.   

Forget about Life, Remember to Drink 

Some of the characters are sad, some are nostalgic, some are frustrated, some are just plain bored, and all of them are lonely. They’ve all come to the bar to listen to music, have a few drinks, and “forget about life for a while.”    

Yep, “Piano Man”  is much more than a pop song. It’s the kind of song that can lighten up our evening, no matter how bad our day has been, and no matter how sad or lonely we are. It’s the kind of song that can get us “feeling all right.” 

Yep, it’s a drinking song. ☺     _{(Image source)}
Billy Joel – "Piano Man"  _{(Right-click to hear on YouTube)}
Lyrics by Billy Joel, courtesy of – AZLyrics.com
References – Wikipedia

    A Compilation of My Previous Lyrics Posts 3~30

    This is my entry in the 60-Day Lyrics Challenge.
    Click here to learn about @SteemitCentral’s – Lyrics Challenge.