Billy Joel
Piano Man
Travis Drumm
Speaker of the song
The speaker of the song is anybody that
plays music in a bar.
He is someone who listens to patrons and
plays songs to allow them to forget about life
for awhile.
The speaker inspires people to lift above
their current daily lives and dream for
something bigger, even if it's only for the
night.
Lyrics
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 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."
Lyrics
La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Chorus:
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
Lyrics
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"
Lyrics
Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
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
Lyrics
(Chorus)
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 got us feeling alright
Lyrics
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
Lyrics
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?"
Lyrics
Oh, la la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
Chorus:
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 got us feeling alright
Literary Devices
Connotation- The singer uses suggested
meanings to describe that every day person
who goes to a bar looking to release,
inspiration, and or socialization.
"There's an old man sitting next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin"...
Connotation for anybody that visits a bar..
Literary Devices
Symbol- symbol in this song is a
combination of the piano and the bar. They
represent a feeling of acceptance, of
remembrance, and joy.
"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"
Literary Devices
Imagery- In the song Billy Joel uses
imagery to depict the common feeling of how
people are lonely within their selves while
surrounded by others.
Film/TV Connection
If I was to compare this song to a movie or
a sitcom I would compare it to Cheers.
This sitcom was about a collection of lonely
individuals who come together for the very
reasons this song describes. There were
people from all walks of life who wanted to
find others who made them feel wanted, feel
important, and feel needed. They become
friends and the bar made this possible. In
this song it is a combination of the bar and
piano which causes this to happen.
Lyricshttp://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/billy+joel/piano+man_10034
829.html
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