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20 CLASSIC SONGS your friends will love

Beatles - Petty - Johnny Cash - Eagles - John Denver - Dylan

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    Piano Man

    Billy Joel


    (wu) = bass walk-up from G to C

    (wd) = bass walk-down from C to Am

     

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / C/E - - / D7 - - / G (wu) – - /

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / G - - / C - - / F - - / Gsus4 - - / F(wd) /

    / C - - / F - - / Gsus4 - - / F(wd) /

     

    C                Em/B     Am        C/G

    It's nine o'clock on a Saturday

          F            C/E                D7   G(wu)
    The regular crowd shuffles in

                    C        Em/B      Am         C/G
    There's an old man sitting next to me

               F              G            C (x2)
    Makin' love to his tonic and gin

     

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / G - - / C - - / - - - / F/C - - / - - - /

                    C                   Em/B       Am      C/G
    He says, "Son, can you play me a memory

          F             C/E            D7   G(wu)
    I'm not really sure how it goes

          C                        Em/B        Am          C/G
    But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete

            F              G                     C        C(wd)
    When I wore a younger man’s clothes"

    Am   Am/G           D7/F#  F
    La la la,     de de da

    Am   Am/G           D7/F# (x2)       G   G/F  C/E  G7/D

    La la,         de de da               da dum

    Chorus:

    C             Em/B                 Am          C/G
    Sing us a song, you're the piano man

    F             C/E       D7   G(wu)
    Sing us a song tonight

                      C             Em/B      Am          C/G
    Well, we're all in the mood for a melody

              F                 G         C (x2)
    And you've got us feelin' alright

     

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / G - - / C - - / - - - / F/C - - / - - - /


           C                Em/B     Am             C/G
    Now John at the bar is a friend of mine

          F               C/E           D7   G(wu)
    He gets me my drinks for free

                    C              Em/B      Am                 C/G
    And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke

                       F                   G                C (x2)  F/C (x2)
    But there's someplace that he'd rather be

                    C          Em/B         Am           C/G
    He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me."

                 F              C/E            D7   G(wu)
    As the smile ran away from his face

                    C              Em/B       Am          C/G
    "Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star

       F                G                 C        C(wd)
    If I could get out of this place"

    Am   Am/G           D7/F#  F
    La la la,     de de da

    Am   Am/G           D7/F# (x2)       G   G/F  C/E  G7/D

    La la,         de de da               da dum

             C          Em/B        Am      C/G
    Now Paul is a real estate novelist

               F           C/E          D7   G(wu)
    Who never had time for a wife

                  C               Em/B        Am               C/G
    And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy

               F         G            C (x2)
    And probably will be for life

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / G - - / C - - / - - - / F/C - - / - - - /

     

                   C               Em/B     Am      C/G
    And the waitress is practicing politics

                F                  C/E           D7   G(wu)
    As the businessmen slowly get stoned

                          C         Em/B            Am          C/G
    Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness

                 F               G            C (x2)
    But it's better than drinkin' alone

     

    Instrumental:

    Am   Am/G           D7/F#  F
    Am   Am/G           D7/F#  F

    Am   Am/G           D7/F# (x2)       G   G/F  C/E  G7/D

    Chorus

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / G - - / C - - / F - - / Gsus4 - - / F(wd) /

    / C - - / F - - / Gsus4 - - / F(wd) /

     

               C                Em/B       Am       C/G
    It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday

                   F           C/E             D7   G(wu)
    And the manager gives me a smile

                      C                  Em/B               Am             C/G
    'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see

              F              G            C (x2)   F/C (x2)
    To forget about life for a while

     

                   C            Em/B        Am       C/G
    And the piano, it sounds like a carnival

                    F                 C/E           D7   G(wu)
    And the microphone smells like a beer

                   C            Em/B          Am            C/G
    And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar

                      F                    G             C (x2)
    And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

    Am   Am/G           D7/F#  F
    La la la,     de de da

    Am   Am/G           D7/F# (x2)       G   G/F  C/E  G7/D

    La la,         de de da               da dum

    Chorus

     

    / C - - / Em/B - - / Am - - / C/G - - /

    / F - - / G - - / C - - / F - - / Gsus4 - - / F(wd) /

    / C - - / F - - / Gsus4 - - / F(wd) / C (hold)


    This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.