Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

You had your grand illusion

and wrestled with your fate,

The winter of your discontent

came twenty years too late,

If it was love and I was there

I’ve forgotten where it lives,

We both stepped off a frozen rock

onto a burning bridge

 

You came like an invasion

all bells and whistles blowin’,

Reaping the rewards

of the fable you’d been sowing,

I saw you cross the landing

and descending marble stairs

Like Caesar crossed the Rubicon

you seemed to walk on air

 

Yea I’ve seen your movie,

And I read it in your book,

The truth just flew off every page,

Your songs have all the hooks,

You’re seven wonders

rolled in one,

You shifted gear to cruise,

Oh you came to town in headlines,

And eight hundred dollar shoes

 

Oh the bellboys are crying

and money’s changing hands,

Your cloak and dagger legacy’s

gone home to no man’s land,

The marquee lights are flickering

your poster’s fading fast,

Your being here just melts away

like ice cubes in a glass

 

Yea I’ve seen your movie,

And I read it in your book,

The truth just flew off every page,

Your songs have all the hooks

You’re seven wonders

rolled in one,

You shifted gear to cruise,

Oh you came to town in headlines,

And eight hundred dollar shoes

 

Oh you came to town in headlines,

And eight hundred dollar shoes

 

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Hey Ahab

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

It’s a constant struggle

getting up that hill,

There’s a change of

guard every day,

When you’re clinging onto

a driftwood boat,

You pray a great white whale

might come your way

 

No freeway traffic in the

frozen North,

Just a chain link fence full of birds,

And when the harpoon’s

loaded in the cannon bay,

You’ll be rolling through

the pages lost for words

 

Hey Ahab can you tell me where

I can catch a ride out of here,

Hey Ahab hoist that sail,

You gotta stand up straight,

When you ride that whale

 

In a crumbling city we were

trapped for days,

With a broken sun

above the clouds,

Caught like Jonah

forty fathoms down

And a sign on the wall says

“Hope Allowed”

 

All the cryptic symbols

carved on bone,

A far cry from a tattooed rose,

And when the boys in the

rigging catch the wind

We’ll all weigh anchor

and it’s westward ho

 

Hey Ahab can you tell me where

I can catch a ride out of here,

Hey Ahab hoist that sail,

You gotta stand up straight,

When you ride that whale

 

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Gone To Shiloh

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Luther left us first light

Friday morning,

Little Dan and Becky

waved goodbye,

They’re gonna have to

share the weight together,

Idle hands will see a good

farm slowly die

 

Gone to Shiloh,

For the Union,

Shoulder to shoulder,

Side by side,

Gone to Shiloh,

Hope springs eternal,

When flags and bullets

start to fly

 

April’s come and the air

smells fresh with rain,

They watched his shadow

fade around the bend,

He’s headed for a different

kind of thunder,

And the stunned surprise

in the eyes of dying men

 

Gone to Shiloh,

For the Union,

Shoulder to shoulder,

Side by side,

Gone to Shiloh,

Time passes slowly,

When flags and bullets

start to fly

 

The old black rooster sang

him down that dirt road,

His step seemed bold, his

manner fancy-free,

I pray we see him ‘live and

well in the fall here,

Than that god forsaken

place in Tennessee

 

Gone to Shiloh,

For the Union,

Shoulder to shoulder,

Side by side,

Gone to Shiloh,

Men stand united,

When flags and bullets

start to fly

 

After all of this,

If we should prevail,

Heaven help the South,

When Sherman

comes their way

 

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Jimmie Rodgers’ Dream

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin/T Bone Burnett)

 

I’m looking at a funeral

wagon rollin’ down,

A two-lane highway winding

past a desert town,

A big blue canvas painted

by the Master’s hand,

The shifting clouds above

and endless miles of sand

 

In that mirror maybe

that’s what’s left of me,

Wheezing like a freight train

hauling sixty tons of steel,

Air ‘em out’s the best release

and get some rest,

Carrie don’t wait up for me

the brakeman’s goin’ West

 

In this room all alone

I dream of you,

In this drawer I found

someone I never knew,

Now I pop a top and

stay up late with Gideon,

And fall asleep to visions

of Meridian

 

I’ve seen dusty beaten

delta boys cutting heads,

A black face carney showman

scare a song to death,

In my short life I’ve seen

as much as most men need,

Now I’m just looking for

some cleaner air to breathe

 

In this room all alone

I dream of you,

In this drawer I found

someone I never knew,

Now I pop a top and

stay up late with Gideon,

And fall asleep to visions

of Meridian

 

Far away, far away,

So many years, so many days,

All along this broken land,

I’ve seen a lover’s empty arms,

And hunger’s empty hand

 

In this room all alone

I dream of you,

In this drawer I found

someone I never knew,

Now I pop a top and

stay up late with Gideon,

And fall asleep to visions

of Meridian

 

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Monkey Suit

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

If you’re looking for the glory,

You think that you might find,

In a bullet-riddled stolen car,

On a back road in the pines,

If it’s round just like a medal,

On a tired old man of war,

Or hidden like that Burma Star,

In my dad’s bottom drawer

 

Look at you in your monkey suit,

Drivin’ south nothing left

to prove,

You come back here

in your cowboy boots,

Dressed to kill

in your monkey suit

 

Every pose you strike,

Every frame they shoot,

Shows you dressed to kill,

In your monkey suit

 

Build your ladder to the moon,

Beat on that sacred drum,

Trample on the hands of those,

That cling to every rung,

Every seed you crush beneath,

Like stone ground in a mill,

You never drew a decent breath,

But you’re just dressed to kill

 

Look at you in your monkey suit,

Drivin’ south nothing left

to prove,

You come back here

in your cowboy boots,

Dressed to kill

in your monkey suit

 

Every pose you strike,

Every frame they shoot,

Shows you dressed to kill,

In your monkey suit

 

Look at you in your monkey suit,

Drivin’ south nothing left

to prove,

You come back here

in your cowboy boots,

Dressed to kill

in your monkey suit

Every pose you strike,

Every frame they shoot,

Shows you dressed to kill,

In your monkey suit

 

Every pose you strike,

Every frame they shoot,

Shows you dressed to kill,

In your monkey suit

 

 

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The Best Part Of The Day

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

I hear you singing

“I Shall Be Released”,

Like a chainsaw running

through a masterpiece,

But that’s all right, that’s ok,

Grab the bottle and slide my way,

You dreamt of a devil down below,

Sprinkled cayenne pepper

in your sugar bowl,

But he’s a fool and he’s a thief,

Got silly little horns

and pointed teeth

 

Roll back the covers

and raise the shades,

We don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day,

You’re my best friend

you shared my crazy ways,

Now we don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day

 

There’s a canyon where

an echo hangs,

Like the ancient bells

of Notre Dame,

It’s beyond the hills out of sight,

Thought I heard ‘em ringin’

all last night,

Hear the mating call

of the morning dove,

Like Romeo angels

in the roof above,

Rains will come sweet and clean,

Let the tears of God

keep the mountains green

 

Roll back the covers

and raise the shades,

We don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day,

You’re my best friend

you shared my crazy ways,

Now we don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day

 

One big sun coming up,

old moon going down,

Thunder breaking in the east,

I’m gonna love you

‘till it comes around

 

Roll back the covers

and raise the shades,

We don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day,

You’re my best friend

you shared my crazy ways,

Now we don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day,

You’re my best friend

you shared my crazy ways,

Now we don’t want to miss out

on the best part of the day

 

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I Should Have Sent Roses

(Leon Russell/Bernie Taupin)

 

Are you standing outside?

Looking up at the sky,

Cursing a wandering star,

Well if I were you,

I’d throw rocks at the moon,

And I’d say,

“Damn you wherever you are”

 

I don’t know where to start,

This cage ‘round my heart,

Locked up what I meant to say,

What I felt all along the way,

Just wondering how come,

I couldn’t take your breath away?

 

‘Cause I never sent roses,

I never did enough,

I didn’t know how to love you,

Though I loved you so much,

And I should have sent roses,

When you crossed my mind,

For no other reason,

Than the fact you were mine,

I should have sent roses

 

Looking back on my life,

If fate should decide,

I could do it all over again,

I’d build no more walls,

I’d stay true and recall,

Fragrance of you on the wind

You’ll get better than me,

Someone who can see,

Right from the start

give it all that you need,

And I’ll slip away,

Knowing I’m half

the man I should be

 

I never sent roses,

I never did enough,

I didn’t know how to love you,

Though I loved you so much,

And I should have sent roses,

When you crossed my mind,

For no other reason,

Than the fact you were mine,

I should have sent roses

 

Should have sent roses

 

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When Love Is Dying

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

They say we bruise

too easily,

I don’t know if that’s

the way for me,

I’ve seen ‘em come,

I’ve seen ‘em go,

I’ve seen everyone I know,

Fall in and out of love,

It’s just the way it goes

 

Word is out,

Silence seems so loud,

There’s no light,

Above or below me now,

I’ve seen it grow,

I’ve seen it live,

I’ve seen everything I give,

Falling out my hands,

No matter who I’m with

 

And nobody ever tells you,

When love is dying,

When love is dying,

It just gets a little colder,

And we stop trying,

We stop trying,

Yea we stop trying,

Oh when love is dying

 

There’s a pain,

You never can explain,

It cuts so deep,

Time and time again,

I felt it then,

I feel it now,

But nobody told me how,

To fight a world of hurt,

Somebody help me now

 

And nobody ever tells you,

When love is dying,

When love is dying,

It just gets a little colder,

And we stop trying,

We stop trying,

Yea we stop trying,

Oh when love is dying

 

But love never gets to show you,

And I never got to know you,

No we never stood a chance,

When love was dying,

No and love never makes it easy,

And I never got that feeling,

No we never stood a chance,

When love was dying

 

And nobody ever tells you,

When love is dying,

When love is dying,

It just gets a little colder,

And we stop trying,

We stop trying,

Yea we stop trying,

Oh when love is dying,

Oh when love is dying

 

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My Kind Of Hell

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Your hot coffee and my black tea,

I don’t know about that,

I guess we choose to disagree,

But I like your pork pie hat,

Your sister always came

between us,

Claiming she knew best,

But she hitched her wagon

to a diplomat,

And moved to Bucharest,

While we just go

around and round,

Like a dull thud in a bell

 

Oh I can’t say I ever

liked you much,

But you’re my kind of hell,

Oh I can’t say I ever

liked you much,

But you’re my kind of hell

 

Peddlers filled the

New York streets,

Selling watches from a tray,

The thief in you said,

“it’s no sin,

Hell they stole ‘em anyway”,

We were living cheap

in an old hotel,

Eating rice and beans,

Staying up late talking politics,

With a couple of

Times Square queens,

But we just turned the heat up on,

The stories we could tell

 

Oh I can’t say I ever

liked you much,

But you’re my kind of hell,

Oh I can’t say I ever

liked you much,

But you’re my kind of hell

 

An island somewhere in the sun,

Was always on my mind,

But you tanned from

the inside out,

Drinking cocoa butter wine,

While you sold your past

like Baptist fire,

I was making plans to leave,

But you trapped me as that

ball just fell,

On another New Year’s Eve,

So I gave it up for what it’s worth,

And crawled into your shell

 

Oh I can’t say I ever

liked you much,

But you’re my kind of hell,

Oh I can’t say I ever

liked you much,

But you’re my kind of hell

 

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Mandalay Again

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

 

Rules and regulations,

And real estate are things

I’ve left behind,

Flights are always leaving,

Silver wings unfolding on a dime,

But I won’t forget to tell you,

If I could only reconnect the line,

I really never knew you,

but come back I’d like

to find the time

 

Drugs and consequences,

And ferris wheels just took

us up and down,

Fights were always brewing,

Two perfect understudies

for a clown,

If I could piece it all together,

Or maybe find you

through a friend,

Last I heard it was St. Louis,

But I wish that it was

Mandalay again

 

Come back I’d like

to find the time,

Plant a seed and raise

a little Cain,

Come back we’ll throw

a rope around the moon,

And pretend that we’re in

Mandalay again

 

Fuel and information,

Are Siamese twins who

poison everything,

Lies that left us drowning,

Rumor that burned

like gasoline,

I could have read you like a book,

Instead I acted dumb

and blind,

I was younger then and foolish,

Come back I’d like

to find the time

 

Come back I’d like

to find the time,

Plant a seed and raise

a little Cain,

Come back we’ll throw

a rope around the moon,

And pretend that we’re in

Mandalay again

 

If it wasn’t in the

afterglow of wine,

Or the chatter of some

European girl,

I’d have understood that

after all these years,

There were those who chose

to separate our worlds,

Separate our worlds

 

Come back I’d like

to find the time,

Plant a seed and raise

a little Cain,

Come back we’ll throw

a rope around the moon,

And pretend that we’re in

Mandalay again,

And pretend that we’re in

Mandalay again,

We’ll pretend that we’re in

Mandalay again

 

 

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Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)

(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)

Don’t abandon the light,

Don’t step away,

Don’t give up that tune,

That you never could play,

If you’re folding your tent,

And the gas pipes groan,

If every bone rattles,

Through nights all alone,

Well you’re tougher

than leather,

No old burlap sack,

Not some hard scrabble weed,

Growin’ up through the cracks

 

Don’t you know,

You’re never too old,

Never too old,

To hold somebody,

Don’t you know,

You’re never too old,

Never too old,

To hold somebody,

You’re never too old,

To hold somebody

 

Don’t think you’ve gone out,

Don’t flicker and fade,

If you’re gonna get lemons,

Then you do what they say,

The wind makes you weary,

Oh and knocks you around,

Logs on the fire,

Beat sun shining down,

But you’re harder than nails,

No skinny old tack,

You’re still sharp as a razor,

And I like you like that

 

Don’t you know,

You’re never too old,

Never too old,

To hold somebody,

Don’t you know,

You’re never too old,

Never too old,

To hold somebody,

You’re never too old,

To hold somebody

 

I could bet on a horse,

But I’m betting on you,

You’ve still got what it takes,

You’ve got nothing to prove

 

You’re never too old,

Never too old,

To hold somebody,

Don’t you know,

You’re never too old,

Never too old,

To hold somebody,

You’re never too old,

To hold somebody,

Somebody,

Somebody

 

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