It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting 1 to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin

He says, "Son, can you play me a memory?
I'm not really 2 how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it 3
When I wore a younger man's clothes"

La, la, la, de, de, da
La, la, de, de, da, da, da

Sing us a 4 , you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the 5 for a melody
And you've got us feelin' all right

Now John at the bar is a friend of 6
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But 7 's someplace that he'd rather be

He says, "Bill, I believe 8 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, de, de, da
La, la, de, de, da, da, da

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 businessman slowly get stoned
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' 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 feelin' all right

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, de, de, da
La, la, de, de

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