ANALYZING THE POETIC ELEMENTS OF BILLY JOEL’S MOST FAMOUS SONG

“The Piano Man” by Billy Joel

“The Piano Man”—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

“The Piano Man”—Lyrics 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 da da

La la, di da da da dum

“The Piano Man” –Lyrics 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

“The Piano Man”—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"

“The Piano Man”—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

“The Piano Man”—Lyrics 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

“The Piano Man”—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

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

“The Piano Man”—Lyrics 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 da da

La la, di da da da dum

“The Piano Man”—Lyrics 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

 

Analyzing the Poetic Elements of “The Piano Man”

“The Piano Man” Lyrics:

It's nine o'clock on a SaturdayThe Regular crowd shuffles inThere's an old man sitting

next to meMakin' love to his tonic and

gin

Explanation The song’s introduction sets a very

melancholy and almost hopeless mood around the poetic lyrics.

Shuffles = Billy Joel chose an informal diction for this song. The word “shuffles” suggests that the crowd is coming to the bar out of habit—almost mindlessly.

Makin’ love to his tonic and gin = this is an example of personification. The old man is treating his “tonic and gin” as if it were a living woman. He has no one to love except the alcohol.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:

He says, "Son, can you play me a memory

I'm not really sure how it goesBut it's sad and it's sweet and I

knew it completeWhen I wore a younger man's

clothes.“

La la la, di da daLa la, di da da da dum

Explanation

Play me a memory = Billy Joel is employing an extended metaphor in this stanza. He is asking the piano man to play a “memory” (could be an old familiar song, etc). This “memory” could actually represent the old man’s younger days; he really wants the piano man to take him back to his youth. Thus, the “memory” is a metaphor for youth.

When I wore a younger man’s clothes = a “younger man’s clothes” is an example of synecdoche. Here, the “clothes” is a part of a younger man’s body. The old man is saying that he knew a “memory” when he was younger.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:

Sing us a song, you're the piano man

Sing us a song tonightWell, we're all in the mood

for a melodyAnd you've got us feelin'

alright

Explanation: Sing us a song = Billy Joel uses

repetition here when he says “sing us a song” twice. This emphasizes the crowd’s desire for the piano man to perform for them, so that they can forget about their troubles for a while.

Feelin’ alright = This phrase is an example of irony. The crowd is obviously not “alright”—they are alone drinking at bar, and are not very hopeful about their futures.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:Now John at the bar is a friend of

mineHe gets me my drinks for freeAnd he's quick with a joke or to

light up your smokeBut there's someplace that he'd

rather beHe 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 starIf I could get out of this place"

Explanation: Billy Joel is now singing about his

friend, John. John is likable and good-natured, but he’s not happy with his life. He wants to leave his current surroundings and have a better life.

As the smile ran away from his face = Joel is giving human attributes (“ran away”) to a non-living thing (a smile), so this is an example of personification.

This place = John explicitly means the bar when he says “this place,” but he could also mean his current lifestyle as well.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:Oh, la la la, di da daLa 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

Explanation: Stoned = means under the influence of

drugs, or very drunk. It’s interesting to note that the businessmen, who are usually regarded by society as very successfully people, are the ones that are getting drunk to forget about life’s troubles.

They’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinkin’ alone = this is a bit of a paradox…how can they share loneliness? This paradox subtly adds a level of almost comic hopelessness to the song.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:Sing us a song you're the

piano manSing us a song tonightWell we're all in the mood for

a melodyAnd you got us feeling alright

Explanation: This is a repetition of the chorus (or,

“refrain” since the lyrics are poetry).

Piano man = Billy Joel , before he became very famous, worked at a bar in Los Angeles as a piano player. He wrote this song about the real people he met while playing there. The “piano man” is himself.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:Now Paul is a real estate

novelistWho never had time for a wifeAnd he's talkin' with Davy,

who's still in the NavyAnd probably will be for lifeIt's a pretty good crowd for a

SaturdayAnd the manager gives me a

smile'Cause he knows that it's me

they've been comin' to seeTo forget about life for a while

Explanation: Here, Billy Joel is mentioning several

people who are at the bar: Paul (a real estate businessman who wants to write a novel), Davy (who is in the Navy), and the bar manager.

To forget about life for a while = Here we clearly see why the crowd is at the bar—they want to forget about life for a while. The crowd wants to temporarily drown their problems, worries, and memories.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:And the piano, it sounds like

a carnivalAnd the microphone smells

like a beerAnd they sit at the bar and

put bread in my jarAnd say, "Man, what are you

doin' here?"Oh, la la la, di da daLa la, di da da da dum

Explanation: sounds like a carnival = Billy Joel is

using a simile to compare the piano’s sounds to a carnival.

Smells like a beer = this is another simile—the microphone smells “like a beer.” The singers are as drunk as the crowd, and their alcoholic breath lingers on the microphone. We see that the bar’s music performers are as troubled as the crowd they perform for.

Bread in my jar = The “bread” refers to money, which is an example of metonymy, since both are closely associated with each other. Many people say “bread” to refer to money, or vice versa.

Poetic Elements con’t

Lyrics:Sing us a song you're the

piano manSing us a song tonightWell we're all in the mood for

a melodyAnd you got us feeling alright

Explanation: The chorus (or refrain) is once again

repeated at the song ending. It was sung three times.

The refrain was repeated three times, like a cycle, and the song ends with it as well. This suggests that the crowd is caught up in a cycle of trouble and alcohol too.

“The Piano Man” by Billy Joel

You can listen to “The Piano Man” by clicking on the link below:

http://youtu.be/se9rfWucgeY