Love Lies Bleeding

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

The roses in the window-box

Have tilted to one side,

Everything about this house

Was born to grow and die.

 

It doesn’t seem a year ago

To this very day,

You said, "I’m sorry, honey,

If I don’t change the pace

I can’t face another day."

 

And love lies bleeding in my hand,

It kills me to think of you with another man;

I was playing rock-'n-roll and you were just a fan,

But my guitar couldn’t hold you,

So I split the band;

Love lies bleeding in my hands.

 

I wonder if those changes

Have left a scar on you,

Like all the burning hoops of fire

That you and I passed through?

 

You’re a bluebird on a telegraph line,

I hope you’re happy now;

Well, if the wind of change comes down your way, girl,

You’ll make it back somehow.

 

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Candle In The Wind

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Goodbye, Norma Jean,

Though I never knew you at all;

You had the grace to hold yourself

While those around you crawled;

They crawled out of the woodwork,

And they whispered into your brain,

They set you on the treadmill,

And they made you change your name.

 

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind,

Never knowing who to cling to,

When the rain set in.

And I would have liked to have known you,

But I was just a kid,

Your candle burned out long before

Your legend ever did.

 

Loneliness was tough,

The toughest role you ever played;

Hollywood created a superstar –

And pain was the price you paid;

Even when you died,

The press still hounded you –

All the papers had to say

Was that Marilyn was found in the nude.

 

Goodbye, Norma Jean,

Though I never knew you at all;

You had the grace to hold yourself

While those around you crawled.

 

Goodbye, Norma Jean,

From the young man in the twenty-second row,

Who sees you as something more than sexual,

More than just our Marilyn Monroe.

 

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Bennie And The Jets

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Hey kids! Shake it loose together,

The spotlight’s hitting something

That’s been known to change the weather;

We’ll kill the fatted calf tonight –

So stick around,

You’re gonna hear electric music,

Solid walls of sound.

 

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet?

Wow, but they’re so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets –

Oh! But they’re weird and they’re wonderful,

Oh! Bennie, she’s really keen,

She’s got electric boots, a mohair suit,

You know, I read it in a magazine,

Oh! Bennie and the Jets.

 

Hey kids! Plug into the faithless,

Maybe they’re blinded,

But Bennie makes them ageless.

We shall survive, let us take ourselves along

Where we fight our parents out in the streets

To find who’s right and who’s wrong.

 

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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

When are you gonna come down?

When are you going to land?

I should have stayed on the farm –

I should have listened to my old man.

 

You know you can’t hold me for ever,

I didn’t sign up with you;

I’m not a present for your friends to open,

This boy’s too young to be singing the blues.

 

So goodbye, yellow brick road,

Where the dogs of society howl;;

You can’t plant me in your penthouse,

I’m going back to my plough.

 

Back to the howling old owl in the woods,

Hunting the horny-back toad,

Oh, I’ve finally decided my future lies

Beyond the yellow brick road.

 

What do you think you’ll do then?

I bet that’ll shoot down your plane;

It’ll take you a couple of vodka and tonics

To set you on your feet again.

 

Maybe you’ll get a replacement,

There’s plenty like me to be found;

Mongrels who ain’t got a penny

Sniffing for tit-bits like you on the ground.

 

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This Song Has No Title

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Tune me in to the wild side of life,

I'm an innocent young child sharp as a knife;

Take me to the garrets where the artists have died,

Show me the courtrooms where the judges have lied.

 

Let me drink deeply from the water and the wine,

Light coloured candles in dark dreary mines;

Look in the mirror and stare at myself,

And wonder if that's really me on the shelf.

 

And each day I learn just a little bit more,

I don't know why but I do know what for;

If we're all going somewhere, let's get there soon,

Oh this song's got no title, just words and a tune.

 

Take me down alleys where the murders are done,

In a vast high-powered rocket to the core of the sun;

Want to read books in the studies of men

Born on the breeze and die on the wind.

 

If I was an artist who paints with his eyes,

I'd study my subject and silently cry,

Cry for the darkness to come down on me,

For confusion to carry on turning the wheel.

 

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Grey Seal

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Why’s it never light on my lawn,

Why does it rain and never say good-day to the new-born?

On the big screen they showed us a sun,

But not as bright in life as the real one,

It’s never quite the same as the real one.

 

And tell me, grey seal,

How does it feel

To be so wise,

To see through eyes

That only see what’s real?

Tell me, grey seal.

 

I never learned why meteors were formed,

I only farmed in schools that were so worn and torn;

If anyone can cry then so can I,

I read books and draw life from the eye,

All my life is drawings from the eye.

 

Your mission bells were wrought by ancient men,

The roots were formed by twisted roots, your roots were twisted then;

I was reborn before all life could die,

The Phoenix bird will leave this world to fly,

If the Phoenix bird can fly, then so can I.

 

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Jamaica Jerk-Off

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

When she gets up in the morning

It’s enough to wake the dead,

Oh, she's turning on the radio

And dancing on my head.

 

It’s no good living in the sun,

Playing guitar all day,

Boogalooin’ with my friends

In that erotic way.

 

Come on, Jamaica!

In Jamaica all day,

Dancing with your darling

Do Jamaica jerk-off that way.

 

Come on, Jamaica!

Everybody say,

We’re all happy in Jamaica

Do Jamaica jerk-off that way.

 

Let the ladies and the gentlemen

Be as rude as they like,

On the beaches, oh, in the jungle,

Where the people feel all right.

 

So do it in Jamaica,

Got plenty for you and me,

Honky-tonkin’ with my baby

In the deep blue sea.

 

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I've Seen That Movie Too

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

I can see by your eyes you must be lying

When you think I don’t have a clue,

Baby, you’re crazy

If you think that you can fool me,

Because I’ve seen that movie too.

 

The one where the players are acting surprised,

Saying love’s just a four-letter word,

Between forcing smiles with the knives in their eyes,

Well, their actions become so absurd.

 

So keep your auditions for somebody

Who hasn’t got so much to lose,

‘Cause you can tell by the lines I’m reciting

That I’ve seen that movie too.

 

It’s a habit I have, I don’t get pushed around,

Stop twinkling your star like you do,

I’m not the blue-print

For all of your B films,

Because I’ve seen that movie too.

 

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Sweet Painted Lady

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

I'm back on dry land once again,

Opportunity awaits me like a rat in the drain;

We're all hunting honey with money to burn,

Just a short time to show you the tricks that we've learned.

 

If the boys all behave themselves here,

Well, there's pretty young ladies and beer in the rear;

You won't need a gutter to sleep in tonight,

Oh the prices I charge here will see you all right.

 

So she lays down beside me again,

My sweet painted lady, the one with no name;

Many have used her, and many still do,

There's a place in the world for a woman like you.

 

Oh, sweet painted lady,

Seems it's always been the same,

Getting paid for being laid

Guess that's the name of the game.

 

Forget us, we'll have gone very soon,

Just forget we ever slept in your rooms;

And we'll leave the smell of the sea in your beds

Where love's just a job and nothing is said.

 

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The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Some punk with a shotgun

Killed young Danny Bailey

In cold blood, in the lobby

Of a downtown motel.

 

Killed him in anger,

A force he couldn't handle

Helped pull the trigger

That cut short his life.

 

And there's not many knew him

The way that we did,

Sure enough he was a wild one

But then aren't most hungry kids?

 

Now it's all over, Danny Bailey,

And the harvest is in;

Dillinger's dead –

I guess the cops won again.

Now it's all over, Danny Bailey,

And the harvest is in.

 

We're running short of heroes

Back up here in the hills;

Without Danny Bailey

We're gonna have to break up our stills.

 

So mark his grave well,

‘Cause Kentucky loved him;

Born and raised proper,

I guess life just bugged him.

 

And he found faith in danger,

A life-style he lived by,

A runnin’ gun youngster

In a sad restless age.

 

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Dirty Little Girl

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

I’ve seen a lot of women who haven’t had much luck,

I’ve seen you looking like you’ve been run down by a truck;

That ain’t nice to say, sometimes I guess I’m really hard,

But I’m gonna put buckshot in your pants if you step into my yard.

 

When I watch the police come by and move you on,

Well, I sometimes wonder what’s beneath the mess you’ve become;

Well, you may have been a pioneer in the trade of women’s wear,

But all you got was a mop-up job, washing other people’s stairs.

 

I’m gonna tell the world you’re a dirty little girl,

Someone grab that bitch by the ears;

Rub her down, scrub her back,

And turn her inside out,

‘Cause I bet she hasn’t had a bath in years.

 

Here’s my own belief about all the dirty girls –

That you have to clean the oyster to find the pearl;

And like rags that belong to you, I belong to myself,

So don’t show up round here ‘till your social worker’s helped.

 

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All The Girls Love Alice

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Raised to be a lady by the golden rule,

Alice was the spawn of a public school,

With a double-barrel name in the back of her brain,

And a simple case of “Mummy doesn’t love me” blues.

 

Reality it seems was just a dream,

She couldn’t get it on with the boys on the scene,

But what do you expect from a chick who’s just sixteen?

And hey, hey, hey, you know what I mean.

 

All the young girls love Alice;

Tender young Alice, they say –

Come over and see me,

Come over and please me,

Alice, it’s my turn today.

 

All the young girls love Alice,

Tender young Alice, they say –

If I give you my number

Will you promise to call me?

Wait till my husband's away.

 

Poor little darling with a chip out of her heart,

It's like acting in a movie when you've got the wrong part;

Getting your kicks in another girl's bed,

And it was only last Tuesday, they found you in the subway – dead.

 

And who could you call your friends down in Soho?

One or two middle-aged dykes in a Go-Go –

And what do you expect from a sixteen-year-old yo-yo?

And hey, hey, hey,

Oh! Don't you know?

 

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Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll)

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

I could really get off being in your shoes,

I used to be stone=sold on rhythm and blues,

I heard of a place at the back of town

Where you really kick shit when the sun goes down.

 

I really got buzzed when your sister said  –

"Throw away them records ‘cause the blues is dead

Let me take you honey where the scene's on fire,"

And tonight I learned for certain that the blues expired.

 

Oh, your sister can't twist, but she can rock and roll,

Out-bucks the broncos in the rodeo-do,

She's only sixteen but it's plain to see

She can pull the wool over little old me;

Your sister can't twist, but she can rock and roll,

Your sister can't twist, but she got more soul than me.

 

Somebody help me ‘cause the bug bit me,

Now I'm in heaven with the aching feet,

But I'll be back tonight where the music plays

And your sister rocks all my blues away.

 

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Saturday Night's All Right (For Fighting)

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

It's gettin' late, have yer seen my mates?

Ma, tell me when the boys get here,

It's seven o'clock, and I want to rock,

Wanna get a belly full of beer.

 

My old man's drunker than a barrel full of monkeys,

And my old lady, she don't care,

My sister looks cute in her braces and boots,

A handful of grease in her hair.

 

So don't give us none of yer aggravation,

We've had it with yer discipline;

Saturday night's all right for fightin’,

Get a little action in.

 

Get about as oiled as a diesel train,

Gonna set this dance alight,

‘Cause Saturday night's the night I like,

Saturday night's all right, all right, all right.

 

Well, they're packed pretty tight in here tonight,

I'm looking for a dolly who'll see me right,

I may use a little muscle to get what I need,

I may sink a little drink and shout out "She's with me."

 

A couple of the sounds that I really like

Are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike;

I'm a juvenile product of the working class,

Whose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass.

 

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Roy Rogers

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Sometimes you dream,

Sometimes it seems

There’s nothing there at all;

You just seem older than yesterday,

And you’re waiting for tomorrow to call.

 

You draw to the curtains,

And one thing’s for certain,

You’re cozy in your little room,

The carpet’s all paid for,

God bless the TV,

Let’s go shoot a hole in the moon.

 

And Roy Rogers is riding tonight,

Returning to our silver screens –

Comic-book characters never grow old,

Evergreen heroes whose stories were told –

The great sequin cowboy

Who sings of the plains,

Of round-ups and rustlers,

And home on the range.

Turn on the TV,

Shut out the lights –

Roy Rogers is riding tonight.

 

Nine o’clock mornings,

Five o’clock evenings,

I’d liven the pace if I could;

I’d rather have ham in my sandwich than cheese,

But complaining wouldn’t do any good.

 

Lay back in my armchair,

Close eyes and think clear,

I can hear hoofbeats ahead;

Roy and Trigger have just hit the hilltop,

While the wife and the kids are in bed.

 

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Social Disease

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

My bulldog is barking in the back yard

Enough to raise a dead man from his grave;

And I can't concentrate on what I'm doing,

Disturbance going to crucify my days.

 

And the days they get longer and longer,

And the night-time is a time of little use;

For I just get ugly and older,

I get juiced on Mateus and just hang loose.

 

And I get bombed for breakfast in the morning,

I get bombed for dinner-time and tea;

I dress in rags, smell a lot, and have a real good time,

I'm a genuine example of a social disease.

 

My landlady lives in a caravan,

Well, that is when she isn't in my arms,

And it seems I pay the rent in human kindness,

But my liquor also helps to grease her palm.

 

And the ladies are all getting wrinkles,

And they're falling apart at the seams,

While I just get high on tequila

And see visions of vineyards in my dreams.

 

And I get bombed for breakfast in the morning,

I get bombed for dinner time and tea.

I dress in rags, smell a lot, and have a heart of gold,

I'm a genuine example of a social disease.

 

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Harmony

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Hello, baby, hello,

Haven’t seen your face for a while;

Have you quit doing time for me,

Or are you still the same spoilt child?

 

Hello, I said hello,

Is this the only place you thought to go?

Am I the only man you ever had,

Or am I just the last surviving friend that you know?

 

Harmony and me

We’re pretty good company;

Looking for an island

In our boat upon the sea.

Harmony, gee I really love you,

And I want to love you forever

And dream of the never, never, never leaving Harmony.

 

Hello, baby, hello,

Open up your heart and let your feelings flow;

You’re not unlucky knowing me,

Keeping the speed real slow;

In any case I set my own pace

By stealing the show, say hello, hello.

 

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