OTHER ELTON 2000s
Elton John/Bernie Taupin compositions that were notoriginally released on an album by Elton or Bernie
These can include non-LP singles and b-sides, songs from compilations, or songs
performed by other artists
The North Star
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single "I Want Love"(2001)
Can’t always count on the prayers in your sleep
But this cold light’s still killing me
If I pay the ransom, well can they guarantee?
To split the chains, slip the knots
Don’t know if they’ll ever set you free
Just can’t rely on all these twisted signs
Too many bright lights turn you blind
The history of the blues seems to swim in your eyes
Pick yourself up; throw your head back
Take a long look up into the sky
Are you out there, are you listening
Am I coming across to you?
Is the North Star still shining
In the sky outside your room?
You can listen but they’re lying
Don’t let ‘em tell you what you’ve always known
Yea it’s the North Star that’s the big one
And it’s always going to lead you home
Can’t always agree on all my dumb ideas
I’m still looking for a way out of here
You can value what you want but you pay for change
There’s full moons and cloudless nights
And jumbled stars spelling out your name
Close your eyes, take a ride
Think of every time you’ve missed out
Click your heels, see how it feels
Some things so childish sometimes seem so real
God Never Came Here
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single "I Want Love"(2001)
Broken beams across the doorway
Plaster cracked and peeling paper
Nicolette wears dirty dresses
Bathes herself in last week’s water
Their roofs are tin and beaten metal
The skeletal have rusty voices
Silvio he sleeps on headlines
Dreams of love and lemon ices
But he doesn’t believe
He no longer prays
What’s the point?
He’s not listening anyway
‘Cause God never came here
He sold them a lie
God made a fool of them
God passed them by
God presents the global franchise
Bodies packed like saints entombed
Give us now your Happy Meals
Bless us in our baby boom
We starve and you demand we pray
To the faces etched in stone
Auction off your ancient wealth
So we can build ourselves a home
But he doesn’t believe
He no longer prays
What’s the point?
He’s not listening anyway
‘Cause God never came here
He sold them a lie
God made a fool of them
God passed them by
We need blankets not your blessings
Send us shoes instead of angels
Buy us time instead of bibles
Bring us bread instead of prayers
Building A Bird
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Nigel Olsson
From the album "Move The Universe"
(2001)
I'm building a bird
From the wreck of a story
Something I once heard
Sifting through this pile of words
I'm building a bird
I'm building a bird
From a crack in the system
Sunshine it's a dirty word
Slippin' out this naked world
And building a bird
Take this broken bird home
Wrap it in barbed wire
Saddest song I ever heard
Was a bird in a house on fire
I'm building a bird
From the wreck of a story
Something I once heard
Sifting through this pile of words
I'm building a bird
All this scattered make-up
From covering his curse
All the scattered building blocks
That never got to build a bird
If you want it you can take it
If you need it you don't know it
If it moves screw it in the ground
All around it's all over
Tools and nails glue and feathers
All that's left from building a bird
I'm building a bird
From a crack in the system
Sunshine it's a dirty word
Slippin' out this naked world
And building a bird
Did Anybody Sleep With Joan Of Arc?
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" (2002)
At seventeen
She became the Queen of Orleans
A peasant child, guided by a vivid dream
She was cool
Before they knew what cool became
She cut her hair, cross-dressed in a dangerous age
She set a trend
Her natural look was all the rage
Imagine if, they’d had merchandise and poster sales
This bride of God
Bigger than Elvis in her day
She had it all, until they burned it all away
She swung a sword
She rode a horse
She wore her armor for the lord
But did she cry by candlelight
Was she lonely after dark?
Did she pray for something more?
Did anybody sleep with Joan of Arc?
She was small
And more or less of common breed
But saint aside, no stranger to woman’s needs
No handsome knights
No random acts of chivalry
Her bed remained, a simple place for her to sleep
They burned her down for her belief
They burned her down for her faith
They gave her up into the flames
For claiming she’d seen Heavens face
The Heart Of Every Girl
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
From the "Mona Lisa Smile" motion (2003)
picture soundtrack
In the heart of every girl
There’s a woman waking up
Like sunlight spreads across the world
Her smile for us is just enough
And in the heart of every girl
There’s a homespun family dream
A life that’s filled with so much joy
From a curly haired cutie to a teenage queen
And honeymoons in summer prove
We’ll always love a bride
The gift you give us all
Is the one you hold inside
This lucky life, this crazy mixed up world
Is all because we love what lives
In the heart of every girl
In the heart of every girl
There’s always room for valentines
And boys to kneel and take their hands
With words as sweet as summer wine
And in the heart of every girl
There is a rose for every spring
A peach that’s fragrant and divine
She shines just like a wedding ring
And honeymoons in summer prove
We’ll always love a bride
The gift you give us all
Is the one you hold inside
This lucky life, this crazy mixed up world
Is all because we love what lives
In the heart of every girl
Her eyes can light up any room
The moment she steps in
Intoxicating everyone
Her laugh alone should be a sin
Keep It A Mystery
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single"All That I'm Allowed (I'm Thankful)" (2004)
Keep it a mystery
Keep it to yourself
I’m always watching
And I’ll always help
Keep it a mystery
Keep turning it on
You’re hiding something
That’s keeping me warm
Daylight is coming
And shadows are gone
Keep it a mystery
‘Till night’s coming on
Keep it a mystery
And don’t let it drift
It’s like the ocean
It’s nature’s dark gift
A common addiction
Couldn’t be like this
It’s strangely compelling
And I can’t resist
Daylight is coming
And shadows are gone
Keep it a mystery
‘Till night’s coming on
‘Cause I want to see that mystery in me
And I want to sleep with the secrets that you keep
I want to wake with the magic that you make
Running up and down my spine like when a fault line shakes
Keep it a mystery, a mystery for me
Keep it a mystery, a mystery for me
I want to hide, I want to watch
I want to draw back the blinds and be caught
I want to hang on every word
I want to know that my breathing was heard
So Sad The Renegade
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single"All That I'm Allowed (I'm Thankful)" (2004)
You say I can’t understand
The highway’s hold on a troubled man
You want me but you don’t know how
To quit the chase and settle down
I don’t know but I can tell
You fill that saddle pretty well
But God knows I need something too
I’ve hung in all these years for you
So go ahead and chase the wind
And if someday you fold your wings
I’ll be the nest you never made
If not, so sad the renegade
So sad that you lost me
When all you ever had to be
Was balanced in the games you play
You’ll lose so sad the renegade
You always had a cowboy heart
A wild horse running through the dark
A need to touch the jagged edge
To rock your heels upon the ledge
Everyone who’s close to you
Reads your book and sees the clues
Tries to set you straight on me
The love you lose won’t set you free
It’s only love that keeps me here
Something in you I hold so dear
I’m not out to change your ways
All I want is the chance to say
Go ahead and chase the wind
And if someday you fold your wings
I’ll be the nest you never made
If not, so sad the renegade
So sad that you lost me
When all you ever had to be
Was balanced in the games you play
You’ll lose so sad the renegade
A Little Peace (Goes A Long Long Way)
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single"All That I'm Allowed (I'm Thankful)" (2004)
It's a tired old world that we're living in
Where the voice of reason is wearing thin
Got a beaten earth, got a hole in the sky
Got a whole lot of angry people crying
"I want an eye for an eye"
Compassion sunk without a trace
All trust is gone have we lost our faith
Got a taste for hate, got a lot of guns
Got a whole lot of family values bitching
"Just blame it on the young"
And a little peace goes a long, long way
It's peace we want, for peace we pray
A little peace goes a long, long way
It's peace we want, for peace we pray
Ain't so crazy, John Lennon knew
That a little peace goes a long, long way when you want it to
We crush the ones who don't agree
Whose lifestyles clash with you and me
Got our TV sets full of talking heads
Got a whole lot of people walking around
Like The Night Of The Living Dead
And a little peace goes a long, long way
It's peace we want, for peace we pray
A little peace goes a long, long way
It's peace we want, for peace we pray
Ain't so crazy, John Lennon knew
That a little peace goes a long, long way when you want it to
Our summer of love has come and gone
Us sixties kids are gettin’ on
We had a dream way back then
No reason why we can't dream again
How’s Tomorrow
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single
"Turn The Lights Out When You Leave"
(2004)
He said “How’s tomorrow?”
Then he drove back to town
Thinking she might follow
Hoping she might stick around
It was only the thunder
That held up the train
But in that first flash of lightning
He saw her face in the rain
He learned truth in the meaning
Of love at first sight
And when he said “How’s tomorrow?”
He meant the rest of his life
Little moments in time are hard to define
Frozen forever, locked up in our minds
The reasons we’re right there at a point in our lives
Isn’t ours for the asking, isn’t ours to decide
It’s not always but often but when that moment arrives
When we say “How’s tomorrow?”
We mean the rest of our lives
She stayed on a while
Feeling drawn to that place
Could it be the dark stranger?
Or something she sensed as fate
She was always a dreamer
Spent her life on the rails
Working jobs through the heartland
To keep some wind in her sails
But when he stepped from the darkness
Out into the light
And when he said “How’s tomorrow?”
She saw the rest of her life
Little moments in time are hard to define
Frozen forever, locked up in our minds
The reasons we’re right there at a point in our lives
Isn’t ours for the asking, isn’t ours to decide
It’s not always but often but when that moment arrives
When we say “How’s tomorrow”?
We mean the rest of our lives
Peter’s Song
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single
"Turn The Lights Out When You Leave"
(2004)
I’ll bring you peace, I’ll give you love
Be part of all your dreams while growing up
It’s hard enough, just holding on
To secrets that you keep before they’re here and gone
So short a time, where does it go?
That chance to reach a world beyond the fields we know
Like shooting stars we burn a path
Comets on the run we see our childhood pass
And all around
The sound of children laughing
Sons and daughters dancing
Fingertips that turn the magic key
To wonder and adventure
Growing up comes later
Right now that world belongs to you and me
I’ll give you hope, I’ll dry your tears
Make sure our magic moments never disappear
We’ll ring those bells; we’ll beat the drum
And conjure up a world where we can still belong
Times like these, they’re gone too soon
Swifter than an echo bouncing off the moon
We’ll be Ok if we believe
That every breath we take becomes a memory
And all around
The sound of children laughing
Sons and daughters dancing
Fingertips that turn the magic key
To wonder and adventure
Growing up comes later
Right now that world belongs to you and me
Right now that world belongs to you and me
Right now that world belongs to you and me
Things Only Get Better With Love
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John
B-side to the UK single
"Turn The Lights Out When You Leave"
(2004)
I'd say when Heaven falls
I'll be the war you never fought
I will protect you after all
My very own
And with a silent prayer
I'd run through city streets and bare
My soul from cold grey stone
For this love
I have in my desire
A will to walk through any fire
And I will stand by you
When winters come
And rise, rise above it
Take hold and take comfort
Cause things only get better with love
Break out the shadows
Look to tomorrow
'Cause things only get better with love
I came just for you
A wall around the living proof
No one can tear it down
Or break on through
Under a crimson sky
A soul bathed in the healing tide
No mortal leans on life
Like me to you
Laughter is better with love
Mothers live better with love
Teach your children love
Shower the world with love
Laughter gets better with love
Mothers live better with love
Teach your children love
Shower the world with love
Calling It Christmas
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
Elton John and Joss Stone
From the album "Elton John's Christmas Party" (2005)
On a hill long ago on a cold winter’s night
In a land far away three kings saw a light
From heaven it shown like God’s, God’s own crown
And it guided three kings into Bethlehem town
Oh they came bearing gifts and so said each one
Let’s call this day Christmas from this moment on
We’ll be calling it Christmas in honor of him
The child in the manger our savior and king
We’ve been calling it Christmas
Keeping the faith
Knowing the reason
We’re saving the date
We’ve been calling it Christmas
Down through the years
Spreading joy to the world
When Christmas is here
Oh a simple belief was the start of it all
A small child asleep on a bed made of straw
At the back of an inn where shepherds and kings
First felt the joy this moment would bring
We’ve been calling it Christmas
Keeping the faith
Knowing the reason
We’re saving the date
We’ve been calling it Christmas
Down through the years
Spreading joy to the world
When Christmas is here
Spreading joy to the world
When Christmas is here