Billy Joel - 12 Gardens Live [compilation, live] (2006) by Billy Joel (보컬) on maniadb.com

Got a call from an old friend
We used to be real close
Said he couldn't go on the American way
Closed the shop, sold the house
Bought a ticket to the West Coast
Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.

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

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 mind
But not on my time

They will tell you: you can't sleep alone
In a strange place
Then they'll tell you: you can't sleep
With somebody else
But sooner or later you sleep
In your own space
Either way it's okay
You wake up with yourself

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

Baby all the lights are turned on you
Now you're in the center of the stage
Ev'rything revolves on what you do
Ah, you are in your prime
You've come of age
You can always have your way somehow
'Cause ev'rybody loves you now

You can walk away from your mistakes
You can turn your back on what you do
Just a little smile is all it takes
And you can have your cake and eat it too
Loneliness will get to you somehow
But ev'rybody loves you now

Ah, they all want your white body
And they await your reply
Ah, but between you and me and the Staten Island ferry
So do I

All the people want to know your name
Soon there will be lines outside your door
Feelings do not matter in your game
'Cause nothing's gonna touch you anymore
So your life is only living anyhow
And ev'rybody loves you now

Close your eyes when you don't want to see
And stay at home when you don't want to go
Only speak to those who will agree
Yeah, and close your mind when you don't want to know
You have lost your innocense somehow
But ev'rybody loves you now
Ah, you know that nothin' lasts forever
And it's all been done before
Ah, but you ain't got the time
To go to Cold Spring Harbor no more

See how all the people gather 'round
Hey, isn't it a thrill to see them all crawl
Keep your eyes ahead and don't look down
Yeah, and lock yourself inside your sacred wall
This is what you wanted, ain't you proud
'Cause ev'rybody loves you now

From a town known as Wheeling, West Virginia
Rode a boy with a six-gun in his hand
And his daring life of crime
Made him a legend in his time
East and West of the Rio Grande

Well, he started with a bank in Colorado
In 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

Well he never travelled heavy
Yes, he always rode alone
And he soon put many older guns to shame
And he never had a sweetheart
And he never had a home
But the cowboys and the ranchers knew his name

Well he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma
And the law just could not seem to track him down
And it served his legend well
For the folks they love to tell
'Bout when Billy the Kid came to town

Well, one cold day a posse captured Billy
And the judge said, ''"String 'im up for what he did."''
And the cowboys and their kin
Like the sea came pourin' in
To watch the hangin' of Billy the Kid

Well he never travel'ed heavy
Yes, he always rode alone
And he soon put many older guns to shame
Well he never had a sweetheart
But he finally found a home
Underneath the Boot Hill grave that bears his name

From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island
Rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand
And his daring life of crime
Made him a legend in his time
East and West of the Rio Grande

I am the entertainer, and I know just where I stand,
Another serenader and another long-haired band
Today 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 year
If I don''t stay on the charts

I am the entertainer and I''ve had to pay my price,
The things I did not know at first I learned by doing twice
But still they come to haunt me,
Still they want their say,

So I''ve learned to dance with a hand in my pants
I let ''em rub my neck and I write ''em a check
And they go their merry way

I am the entertainer, been all around the world,
I''ve played all kinds of palaces and laid all kinds of girls
I can''t remember faces, I don''t remember names,
But what the hell, you know it''s just as well
''Cause after a while and a thousand miles
It all becomes the same

I am the entertainer, I bring to you my songs,
I''d like to spend a day or two, but I can''t stay that long
I got to meet expenses, I got to stay in line,
Got to get those fees to the agencies
And I''d love to stay but there''s bills to pay
So I just don''t have the time

I am the entertainer, I''ve come to do my show,
You''ve heard my latest record spin on the radio
It took me years to write it, they were the best years of my life,
It was a beautiful song, but it ran too long
If you''re gonna have a hit you gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05

I am the entertainer, the idol of my age,
I make all kinds of money when I go on the stage
You see me in the papers, I''ve been in the magazines,
But if I go cold, I won''t get sold,
I get put in the back in a discount rack
Like another can of beans

I am the entertainer and I know just where I stand,
Another serenader and another long-haired band
Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts,
But I know the game, you''ll forget my name,
I won''t be here in another year
If I don''t stay on the charts

Slow down, you crazy child.
You're so ambitious for a juvenile.
But then if you're so smart, tell me why are you still so afraid?
Where's the fire? What's the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out.
You got so much to do and only so many hours in a day.

But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old.
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through.
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you're doing fine.
You can't be everything you wanna be before your time,
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight.
Too bad, but it's the life you lead.
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need.
Though you can see when you're wrong,
You know, you can't always see when you're right.

You've got your passion. You've got your pride,
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true.
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you crazy child.
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while.
It's all right you can afford to lose a day or two.
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?

You know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old.
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through.
Why don't you realize Vienna waits for you?
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind

I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind

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 can
Get tonight

While the night is still young
I want to keep making love to you
While the night is still young

I'd like to settle down
Get married
And maybe have a child someday
I can see a time coming when I'm gonna throw my suitcase out
No more separations
Where you have to say goodnight to a telephone
Baby I've decided that ain't what life is all about

Oh
While the night is still young
While the night is still young
I want to try to make the world brand new
While the night is still young

Rock and roll music was the only thing I
Ever gave a damn about
There was something that was missing
But I never used to wonder why
Now I know you're the one I needed
To make things right again
And I may lose the battle
But you're giving me the will to try

Oh
While the night is still young
Because the night is still young
I've got a lot of catching up to do
While the night is still young

While the night is still young
I want to try to make the world brand new
While the night is still young

Ali dances and the audience applauds
Though he's bathed in sweat he hasn't lost his style
Ali don't you go downtown
You gave away another round for free

Me, I'm just another face at Zanzibar
But the waitress always serves a secret smile
She's waiting out in Shantytown
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

Rose, he knows he's such a credit to the game
But the Yankees grab the headline every time
Melodrama's so much fun
In black and white for everyone to see
Me, I'm trying just to get to second base
And I'd steal it if she only gave the sign
She's gonna give the go ahead
The inning isn't over yet for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

Tell the waitress I'll come back to Zanzibar
I'll be hiding in the darkness with my beer
She's waiting out in Shantytown
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me

I've got the old man's car
I've got a jazz guitar
I've got a tab at Zanzibar
Tonight that's where I'll be

I've seen the lights go out on Broadway.
I saw the Empire State laid low.
And life went on beyond the Palisades.
They all bought Cadillacs and left there long ago.
They held a concert out in Brooklyn
To watch the island bridges blow.
They turned our power down,
And drove us underground,
But we went right on with the show.
Oooh. Oh Oh Ooh.

I've seen the lights go out on Broadway.
I saw the ruins at my feet.
You know we almost didn't notice it.
We'd see it all the time on 42nd Street.
They burned the churches up in Harlem,
Like in that Spanish Civil War.
The flames were everywhere,
But no one really cared:
It always burned up there before.
Ooh. Oh Oh Ooh.

I've seen the lights go out on Broadway.
I watched the mighty skyline fall.
The boats were waiting at the Battery.
The union went on strike:
They never sailed at all.
They sent the carrier out from Norfolk,
And picked the Yankees up for free.
They said that Queens could stay.
They blew the Bronx away,
And sank Manhattan out at sea.

You know those lights were bright on Broadway,
But that was so many years ago:
Before we all lived here in Florida,
Before the Mafia took over Mexico.
There are not many who remember;
They say a handful still survive
To tell the world about
The way the lights went out,
And keep the memory alive.

(Ah) Hey (Ah, ah)
(Ah) Hey (Ah, ah)
Hey

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 costs too much and takes too long to find out too late
Some words are not heard till after they're spoken
Your role was protective, your soul was too defective
Some people just don't have a heart to be broken

We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If 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 horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China
Hey, hey

You take a piece of whatever you touch
Too many pieces means you're touching too much
You never win if you can't play it straight
You only beat me if you get me to hate

It must be so lonely to think that you have only
Somebody else's life to live if they let you
I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective
To find out how fast your friends will forget you

We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
Now all you're going to be is history
Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the Empire Diner tonight

You coulda had class, you coulda been a contender
Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
You could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China

This was not your calling, just look how far you've fallen
I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking
Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective
Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?

We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If 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 horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China

Well we′re living here in Allentown
And they′re closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they′re killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line
Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers in the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we′re living here in Allentown

But the restlessness was handed down
And it′s getting very hard to stay

Well we′re waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved
So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke
And chromium steel
And we′re waiting here in Allentown

But they′ve taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face

Well I′m living here in Allentown
And it′s hard to keep a good man down
But I won′t be getting up today

And it′s getting very hard to stay
And we′re living here in Allentown

Turn on all the Christmas lights
'Cause baby's coming home tonight
I can hear her footsteps in the street

Turn the choral music higher
Pile more wood upon the fire
That should make the atmosphere complete

I've had to wait forever
But better late than never

She's just in time for me
She's right on time
She's right where she should be
She's right on time

I'm a man with so much tension
Far too many sins to mention
She don't have to take it anymore

But since she said she's coming home
I've torn out all my telephones
Soon she will be walking through that door

I may be going nowhere
But I don't mind if she's there

She's just in time for me
She's right on time
She's right where she should be
She's right on time

Left to my own device
I can always make believe
That there's nothing wrong, oh

Still I will chose to live
In the complicated world
That we shared for so long
Good or bad, right or wrong

And it occured to me
While I set up my Christmas tree
She never missed a cue or lost a beat

Everytime I lost the meter
There she was when I would need her
Greeting me with footsteps in the street

I guess I should have known it
She'd find the perfect moment

She's just in time for me
She's right on time
She's right where she should be
She's right on time

Turn the choral music higher
Pile more wood upon the fire
That will make the atmosphere complete

I've had to wait forever
But better late than never

She's just in time for me
She's right on time
She's right where she should be
She's right on time
She's right on time
She's right on time

All the waiters in your grand cafe
Leave their tables when you blink, oh
Every dog must have his every day
Every drunk must have his drink

Don't wait for answers
Just take your chances
Don't ask me why

All your life you've had to stand in line
Still you're standing on your feet, oh
All your choices make you change your mind
Now your calendar's complete

Don't wait for answers
Just take your chances
Don't ask me why

Mmm, you can say the human heart is only make believe
I am only fighting fire with fire
You are still the victim of the accidents you leave
Sure as I'm a victim of desire

All the servants in your new hotel
Throw their roses at your feet, oh
Fool them all but baby I can tell
You're no stranger to the street

Don't ask for favors
Don't talk to strangers
Don't ask me why

Yesterday you were an only child
Now your ghosts have gone away, oh
You can kill them in the classic style
Now you parlez-vous francais

Don't look for answers
You took your chances
Don't ask me why

Don't ask me why

Laura calls me
In the middle of the night
Passes on her
Fateful information

Then these careless fingers
They get caught in her vise
Till they're bleeding
On my coffee table

Living alone isn't all that
It's cracked up to be
Oh, oh, oh
I'm on her side
Why does she push the poison on me?
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Laura
Has a very hard time
All her life has
Been one long disaster

Then she tells me
She suddenly believes she's seen a very good sign
She'll be taking
Some aggressive action

I fight her wars
While she's slamming her doors in my face
Oh, oh, oh

Failure to break
Was the only mistake that she made
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Here I am
Feeling like a fucking fool
Do I react the way exactly
She intends me to?

Everytime I think I'm off the hook
She makes me lose my cool
I'm her machine
And she can punch all the keys
She can push any button I was programmed through

Laura calls me
When she needs a good fix (ah)
All her questions
Will get sympathetic answers

I should be so immunized
To all of her tricks (ah)
She's surviving
On her second chances

Sometimes I feel like this
Godfather deal is all wrong
Oh, oh, oh
How can she hold an umbilical chord
For so long?
Oh, oh, oh, oh

I've done everything I can
What else am I supposed to do
I'm her machine
And she can punch all the keys
She can push any button I was programmed through

Laura loves me
Even if I don't care
That's my problem
That's her sacred absolution

If she had to
She would put herself in my chair
Even though I
Faced electrocution

She always says
I'm the best friend that she's ever had
Oh, oh, oh
How do you hang up on someone
Who needs you that bad?
Oh, oh, oh, oh

You've got diamonds and I've got spades
You've got pills
And I've got razor blades
You've got yoga honey
I've got beer
You got overpriced
And I got weird

But it's alright
We're the same even though we're alone
It's alright
Yes we all need a room of our own

You've got love darlin'
I've got sex
You've got cash, mama
And I've got checks
You've got business, baby
I've got the kids
You got crowded just the way I did

But it's alright
Cause we all need a place to call home
It's alright
Yes we all need a room of our own

I can still remember packed together
Like a can of sardines
No, no, no
Pushin', shovin'
That's when lovin'
Starts to come apart at the seams
Oh no, no, no, no

You've got the day shift
I've got nights
We go wrong at times
But we've got rights
You've got TV shows
I've got crime
But you've got your room, honey
And I've got mine

It's alright
It's the one thing that we should have known
Yes, it's alright
Yes, we all need a room of our own

And it's alright
Yes we all need a place to call home
It's alright
Yes we all need a room of our own
It's alright
It's alright
To have a room of your own
No, no, no, it's alright
Yeah it's alright mama
To have a room of our own
Sometimes you've got to get away

Got to get away
Got to get away
Got to get away to a room of our own
Got to have a room
Got to have a little elbow room of my own.

We met as soul mates
On Parris Island
We left as inmates
From an asylum
And we were sharp
As sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho
To lay down our lives

We came in spastic
Like tameless horses
We left in plastic
As numbered corpses
And we learned fast
To travel light
Our arms were heavy
But our bellies were tight

We had no home front
We had no soft soap
They sent us Playboy
They gave us Bob Hope
We dug in deep
And shot on sight
And prayed to Jesus Christ
With all of our might

We had no cameras
To shoot the landscape
We passed the hash pipe
And played our Doors tapes
And it was dark
So dark at night
And we held on to each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we′d write
And we would all go down together
We said we′d all go down together
Yes we would all go down together

Remember Charlie
Remember Baker
They left their childhood
On every acre
And who was wrong?
And who was right?
It didn′t matter in the thick of the fight

We held the day
In the palm
Of our hand
They ruled the night
And the night
Seemed to last as long as six weeks
On Parris Island

We held the coastline
They held the highlands
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of our motors
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive
And we would all go down together
We said we′d all go down together
Yes we would all go down together

Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin' his pennies for someday
Mama Leone left a note on the door,
She said,
'Sonny, move out to the country.'
Workin' too hard can give you
A heart attackackackackackack
You oughta know by now
Who needs a house out in Hackensack?
Is that all you get for your money?

And it seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama, If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out.
Mmm, I'm movin' out. Ooh-hoo, uh-huh, mmmm

Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
Yeah and he's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillacacacacacacacac
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders

And It seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama, If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out.
Mmm, I'm movin' out. Ooh-hoo, uh-huh, mmmm

You should never argue with a crazy mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mind
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money?

And if that's what you have in mind
yeah if that's what you're all about
Good luck movin' up 'cause I'm movin' out.
Mmm, I'm movin' out. Ooh-hoo, uh-huh, mmmm

I'm movin' out...

Some people stay far away from the door
If there's a chance of it opening up
They hear a voice in the hall outside
And hope that it just passes by

Some people live with the fear of a touch
And the anger of having been a fool
They will not listen to anyone
So nobody tells them a lie

I know you're only protecting yourself
I know you're thinking of somebody else
Someone who hurt you
But I'm not above
Making up for the love
You've been denying you could ever feel
I'm not above doing anything
To restore your faith if I can
Some people see through the eyes of the old
Before they ever get look at the young
I'm only willing to hear you cry
Because I am an innocent man
Oh yes I am

Some people say they will never believe
Another promise they hear in the dark
Because they only remember too well
They heard somebody tell them before
Some people sleep all alone every night
Instead of taking a lover to bed
Some people find that's it's easier to hate
Than to wait anymore
I know you don't want to hear what I say
I know you're gonna keep turning away
But I've been there and if I can survive
I can keep you alive
I'm not above going through it again
I'm not above being cool for a while
If you're cruel to me I'll understand

Some people run from a possible fight
Some people figure they can never win
And although this is a fight I can lose
The accused is an innocent man
Oh yes I am
An innocent man

You know you only hurt yourself out of spite
I guess you'd rather be a martyr tonight
That's your decision
But I'm not below
Anybody I know
If there's a chance of resurrecting a love
I'm not above going back to the start
To find out where the heartache began

Some people hope for a miracle cure
Some people just accept the world as it is
But I'm not willing to lay down and die
Because I am an innocent man

I am an innocent man
Oh yes I am
An innocent man

Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa
And I'm cruisin' through Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to the vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound

We took on diesel back in Mantauk yesterday
And left this morning from the bell in Gardiner's Bay
Like all the locals here I've had to sell my home
Too proud to leave I work my fingers to the bone

So I could own my Downeaster Alexa
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can't fall asleep

I 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

So if you see my Downeaster Alexa
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel

Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they told me I can't sell no stripers
And there's no luck in swordfishing here

I was a Bayman like my father was before
Can't make a living as a Bayman anymore
There ain't much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain't no island left for Islanders like me

Ya-ya-ya-oh
Ya-ya-ya-oh
Ya-ya-ya-oh
Ya-ya-ya-oh

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
And she can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free
Yeah, she steals like a thief but she's always a woman to me

Oh, she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
'Cause she's always a woman to me

Oh, she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
But she can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me

If it seems like I've been lost
In let's remember
If you think I'm feeling older
And missing my younger days
Oh, then you should have known
Me much better
Cause my past is something that never
Got in my way
Oh no

Still I would not be here now
If I never had the hunger
And I'm not ashamed to say
The wild boys were my friends
Oh
Cause I never felt the desire
'Til their music set me on fire
And then I was saved, yeah
That's why I'm keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith

We wore matador boots
Only Flagg Brothers had them with the Cuban heel
Iridescent socks with the same color shirt
And a tight pair of chinos
Oh
I put on my shark skin jacket
You know the kind with the velvet collar
And ditty-bop shades
Oh yeah
I took a fresh pack of Luckies
And a mint called Sen-Sen
My old man's Trojans
And his Old Spice after shave
Oh
Combed my hair in a pompadour
Like the rest of the Romeos wore
A permanent wave
Yeah
We were keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith

You can get just so much
From a good thing
You can linger too long
In your dreams
Say goodbye to the
Oldies but goodies
Cause the good ole days weren't
Always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

Learned stickball as a formal education
Lost a lot of fights
But it taught me how to lose O.K.
Oh
I heard about sex
But not enough
I found you could dance
And 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 Earl
When I made it with a red-haired girl
In the Chevrolet
Oh yeah
We were keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith

You know the good ole days weren't
Always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

Now I told you my reasons
For the whole revival
Now I'm going outside to have
An ice cold beer in the shade
Oh
I'm going to listen to my 45's
Ain't it wonderful to be alive
When the rock 'n' roll plays
Yeah
When the memory stays
Yeah
I'm keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith
I'm keeping the faith
Yes I am

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep

I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross

Even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find out what I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep

I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I'd never lose
Something somebody stole

I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is that I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep

I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night

I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep

We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night

(I go walking in the middle of the...)

Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will, it's just a question of when
I've lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust

I know you're an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
I can't offer you proof
But you're gonna face a moment of truth
It's hard when you're always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It's a matter of trust

You can't go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God's sake don't shut me out

This time you've got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it, whatever you choose
I won't hold back anything
And I'll walk away a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It's make believe until it's only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust

(INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE)

I'm sure you're aware love,
We've both had our share of believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong

Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you've heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust

It's a matter of trust
It's always been a matter of trust
It's a matter of trust

Harry Truman, Doris Day
Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell
Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon
Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea
Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb
Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King and I
And The Catcher in the Rye

Eisenhower, vaccine
England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace
Santayana, goodbye

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov
Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella
Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron
Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls
"Rock Around the Clock"

Einstein, James Dean
Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan
Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest
Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place
Trouble in the Suez

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak
Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou Enlai
Bridge on the River Kwai

Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle
California baseball
Starkweather homicide
Children of Thalidomide

Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur
Space monkey, Mafia
Hula hoops, Castro
Edsel is a no go

U-2, Syngman Rhee
Payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho
Belgians in the Congo

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann
Stranger in a Strange Land
Dylan, Berlin
Bay of Pigs invasion

Lawrence of Arabia
British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn
Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X
British politician sex
JFK blown away
What else do I have to say?

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh
Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock
Watergate, punk rock

Begin, Reagan, Palestine
Terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran
Russians in Afghanistan

Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride
Heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets
AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz

Hypodermics on the shore
China's under martial law
Rock and roller cola wars
I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

You went uptown riding in your limousine
In your fine Park Avenue clothes
You had the Dom Perignon in your hand
And the spoon up your nose
And when you wake up in the morning
With your head on fire
And your eyes too bloody to see
Go on and cry in your coffee
But don't come bitchin' to me
Because you had to be a big shot, didn't you
You had to open up your mouth
You had to be a big shot, didn't you
All your friends were so knocked out
You had to have the last word, last night
You know what everything's about
You and to have a white hot spotlight
You had to be a big shot last night

They were all impressed with your Halston dress
And the people you knew at Elaine's
And the story of your latest success
Kept 'em so entertained
But now you just can't remember
All the things you said
And you're not sure you want to know
I'll give you one hint, honey
You sure did put on a show

Yes, yes, you had to be a big shot, didn't you
You had to prove it to the crowd
You had to be a big shot, didn't you
All your friends were so knocked out
You hand to the last word, last night
You're so much fun to be around
You had to have the front page, bold type
You had to be a big shot last night

Well, it's no big sin to stick your two cents in
If you know when to leave it alone
But you went over the line
You couldn't see it was time to go home
No, no, no, no, no, no, you had to be a big shot, didn't you
You had to open up your mouth
You had to be a big shot, didn't you
All your friends were so knocked out
You had to have the last word, last night
So much fun to be around
You had to have a white hot spotlight
You had to be a big shot last night
Oh...
Big shot.....

Friday night I crashed your party
Saturday I said I′m sorry
Sunday came and trashed me out again
I was only having fun
Wasn′t hurting anyone
And we all enjoyed the weekend for a change

I′ve been stranded in the combat zone
I walked through Bedford Stuy alone
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive
But I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I′m insane

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you′re looking for
Turn out the light
Don′t try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

Remember how I found you you there
Alone in your electric chair
I told you dirty jokes until you smiled
You were lonely for a man
I said take me as I am
′Cause you might enjoy some madness for a while

Now think of all the years you tried to
Find someone to satisfy you
I might be as crazy as you say
If I′m crazy then it′s true
That it′s all because of you
And you wouldn′t want me any other way
You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you′re looking for
It′s too late to fight
It′s too late to change me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you′re looking for
Turn out the light
Don′t try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right
You may be wrong but you may be right
You may be wrong but you may be right

Come out, Virginia
Don`t let me wait
You Catholic girls
Start much too late

Aw, but sooner or later
It comes down to fate
I might as well be the one

Well, they showed you a statue
Told you to pray
They built you a temple
And locked you away

Aw, but they never told you
The price that you pay
For things that you
Might have done

Only the good die young
That`s what I said
Only the good die young
Only the good die young

You might have heard
I run with a dangerous crowd
We ain`t too pretty, we ain`t too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
Aw, but that never hurt no one

So, come on, Virginia
Show me a sign
Send up a signal
I`ll throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain
You`re hiding behind
Never lets in the sun

Darling, only the good die young
Woah, woah, woah, woah
I tell you, only the good die young
Only the good die young

You got a nice white dress and
A party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
Mmm, and a cross of gold

But Virginia, they didn`t give you
Quite enough information
You didn`t count on me when
You were counting on your rosary

Oh, woah, woah
And they say there`s a Heaven
For those who will wait
Some say it`s better
Vut I say it ain`t

I`d rather laugh with the sinners
Than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun

You know that only
The good die young
Woah oh, baby, babe
I tell you only
The good die young
Only the good die young

You said your mother told you all
That I could give you was a reputation
Aw, she never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me

Oh, woah, woah
Come out, come out
Come out, Virginia
Don`t let me wait

You Catholic girls
Start much too late
But sooner or later
It comes down to fate
I might as well be the one

You know that
Only the good die young
Tell you, baby
You know that
Only the good die young
Only the good die young

Only the good
Only the good die young
Oooh, ooooh, oooh.......

A bottle of white, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I,face to face

A bottle of red, a bottle of white
It all depends upon your appetite
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant.

Things are okay with me these days
Got a good job, got a good office
Got a new wife, got a new life
And the family's fine
We lost touch long ago
You lost weight I did not know
You could ever look so good after
So much time.

I remember those days hanging out
At the village green
Engineer boots, leather jackets
And tight blue jeans
Drop a dime in the box play the
Song about New Orleans
Cold beer, hot lights
My sweet romantic teenage nights

Brenda and Eddie were the
Popular steadys
And the king and the queen
Of the prom
Riding around with the car top
Down and the radio on.
Nobody looked any finer
Or was more of a hit at the
Parkway Diner
We never knew we could want more
Than that out of life
Surely Brenda and Eddie would
Always know how to survive.

Brenda and Eddy were still going
Steady in the summer of '75
when they decided the marriage would
Be at the end of July
Everyone said they were crazy
'Brenda you know you're much too lazy
Eddie could never afford to live that
Kind of life.'
But there we were wavin' Brenda and
Eddie goodbye.

They got an apartment with deep
Pile carpet
And a couple of paintings from Sears
A big waterbed that they bought
With the bread
They had saved for a couple
Of years
They started to fight when the
Money got tight
And they just didn't count on
The tears.

They lived for a while in a
Very nice style
But it's always the same in the end
They got a divorce as a matter
Of course
And they parted the closest
Of friends
Then the king and the queen went
Back to the green
But you can never go back
There again.

Brenda and Eddie had had it
Already by the summer of '75
Fromhe high to the low to
The end of the show
For 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 nd Eddie
Can't tell you more than I
Told you already
And here we are wavin' Brenda
And Eddie goodbye.

A bottle of red, aa bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant.

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

He says, 'Son, can you play me a melody?
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 feelin' 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 the 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 talkin' 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 drinkin' alone

*repeat

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?'

In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense

And every time I′ve held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed
It′s just as well for all I′ve seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you′re the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you
That′s if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes
And you′re the only one who knows