Piano Man

No --- that's not the right album cover. Just to keep you on your toes. Anyway, it's all I had handy and an interesting photograph.It's sweetly scratchy and sentimental to hear Piano Man this way, on a phonograph in my studio at the college, with one light dimmed and some multi-colored candles lit. "It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday, and the regular crowd shuffles inThere's an old man sittin next to me, makin love to his tonic and ginHe says son can you play me a memoryI'm not really sure how it goesbut it's sad and its sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothesSing us a song, you're the piano mansing us a song tonightwell, 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 mind;he gives me my drinks for freeand he's quick with a drink or a light of your smoke,but there's some place that he'd rather beHe said Bill I believe this is killing meas the smile ran away from his faceI'm sure that I could be a movie starif I could get out of this placeNow Paul is a real estate novelistwho never had time for a wifeand he's talking with Davy, who's still in the navyand probably will be for lifeand the waitress is practicing politicsas the businessmen slowly get stonedthey're sharing a drink they call lonelinessbut it's better than drinking alone(refrain)It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturdayand the manager gives me a smilecause he knows it's me they've been coming to seeto forget about life for a whileand the piano 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(refrain)Happy Thursday to everybody.Tamara