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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

 

/ 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.