Billy Joel - The Entertainer Lyrics






I am the entertainer
And I know just where I stand
Another serenader
And another long-haired band
Today I am your champion
I may have won your hearts
But I know the game, you'll forget my name
And I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts

I am the entertainer
And I've had to pay my price
The things I did not know at first
I learned by doin' twice
Ah, but still they come to haunt me
Still they want their say
So I've learned to dance with a hand in my pants
I let 'em rub my neck and I write 'em a check
And they go their merry way

I am the entertainer
Been all around the world
I've played all kinds of palaces
And laid all kinds of girls
I can't remember faces
I don't remember names
Ah, but what the hell
You know it's just as well
'Cause after a while and a thousand miles
It all becomes the same

I am the entertainer
I bring to you my songs
I'd like to spend a day or two
I can't stay that long
No, I've got to meet expenses
I got to stay in line
Gotta get those fees to the agencies
And I'd love to stay but there's bills to pay
So I just don't have the time

I am the entertainer
I come to do my show
You've heard my latest record
It's been on the radio
Ah, it took me years to write it
They were the best years of my life
It was a beautiful song
But it ran too long
If you're gonna have a hit
You gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05

I am the entertainer
The idol of my age
I make all kinds of money
When I go on the stage
Ah, you've seen me in the papers
I've been in the magazines
But if I go cold I won't get sold
I'll get put in the back in the discount rack
Like another can of beans

I am the entertainer
And I know just where I stand
Another serenader
And another long-haired band
Today I am your champion
I may have won your hearts
But I know the game, you'll forget my name
I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts





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Billy Joel The Entertainer Comments
  1. N.... D....

    What a great song! Why so little views?

  2. W.... S....

    Guitar sounds good the same way that song 39 from Queen sounds

  3. G.... v....

    This was released in the mid-seventies, and the music scene is hardly any different 45 years later.

  4. H.... B....

    Thats what you call playing the drums.

  5. K.... L....

    Good Stuff !

  6. M.... B....

    Despite the happy melody, this is quite a scathing, bitter indictment of the music " business " at the time Mr Joel wrote this. This was the life he was living, which makes the song ingenious, happy sound conveying a bitter message. The sad thing is, not much has changed, save the medium( no longer records/tapes, downloads/clicks now, music quality still being watered down). Mr. Joel didn't know how wise these lyrics would be( I'd bet he still cynically smiles about this song today).

  7. S.... G....

    how cool would it have been if this song was 3:05 ...just saying..

    S.... G....

    Saurav Ghosh piano man was.

  8. C.... C....

    after a while and a thousand miles, it all becomes the same. True Billy....so true

  9. j.... z....

    I am the entertainer
    And I know just where I stand
    Another serenader
    And another long-haired band
    Today I am your champion
    I may have won your hearts
    But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    And I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts
    I am the entertainer
    I'm dressed in the style
    I wear all kinds of sparkles
    I flash the crowd my smile
    But when the night is over
    And I stand without my clothes
    Perspiration stains and varicose veins
    My eyes look shot
    My belly's got a pot
    And there's a pimple on my nose
    I am the entertainer
    Been all around the world
    I've played all kinds of palaces
    And laid all kinds of girls
    I can't remember faces
    I don't remember names
    Ah, but what the hell
    You know it's just as well
    'Cause after a while and a thousand miles
    It all becomes the same
    I am the entertainer
    I bring to you my songs
    I'd like to spend a day or two
    I can't stay that long
    No, I've got to meet expenses
    I got to stay in line
    Gotta get those fees to the agencies
    And I'd love to stay but there's bills to pay
    So I just don't have the time
    I am the entertainer
    I come to do my show
    You've heard my latest record
    It's been on the radio
    Ah, it took me years to write it
    They were the best years of my life
    It was a beautiful song
    But it ran too long
    If you're gonna have a hit
    You gotta make it fit
    So they cut it down to 3:05
    I am the entertainer
    The idol of my age
    I make all kinds of money
    When I go on the stage
    Ah, you've seen me in the papers
    I've been in the magazines
    But if I go cold I won't get sold
    I'll get put in the back in the discount rack
    Like another can of beans
    I am the entertainer
    And I know just where I stand
    Another serenader
    And another long-haired band
    Today I am your champion
    I may have won your hearts
    But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts

  10. T.... ....

    IF you want a hit
    You got to make it fit
    So they cut it down to 3:05

  11. G.... M....

    Stupenda.

  12. S.... B....

    His second top forty hit from early 1975-Great song!

  13. A.... F....

    What. A. Song.

  14. N.... L....

    best song ever!

  15. B.... K....

    Billy Joel back in 1974 with a showmanship song like the Entertainer.

  16. j.... z....

    I am the entertainer
    And I know just where I stand
    Another serenader
    And another long-haired band
    Today I am your champion
    I may have won your hearts
    But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    And I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts
    I am the entertainer
    I'm dressed in the style
    I wear all kinds of sparkles
    I flash the crowd my smile
    But when the night is over
    And I stand without my clothes
    Perspiration stains and varicose veins
    My eyes look shot
    My belly's got a pot
    And there's a pimple on my nose
    I am the entertainer
    Been all around the world
    I've played all kinds of palaces
    And laid all kinds of girls
    I can't remember faces
    I don't remember names
    Ah, but what the hell
    You know it's just as well
    'Cause after a while and a thousand miles
    It all becomes the same
    I am the entertainer
    I bring to you my songs
    I'd like to spend a day or two
    I can't stay that long
    No, I've got to meet expenses
    I got to stay in line
    Gotta get those fees to the agencies
    And I'd love to stay but there's bills to pay
    So I just don't have the time
    I am the entertainer
    I come to do my show
    You've heard my latest record
    It's been on the radio
    Ah, it took me years to write it
    They were the best years of my life
    It was a beautiful song
    But it ran too long
    If you're gonna have a hit
    You gotta make it fit
    So they cut it down to 3:05
    I am the entertainer
    The idol of my age
    I make all kinds of money
    When I go on the stage
    Ah, you've seen me in the papers
    I've been in the magazines
    But if I go cold I won't get sold
    I'll get put in the back in the discount rack
    Like another can of beans
    I am the entertainer
    And I know just where I stand
    Another serenader
    And another long-haired band
    Today I am your champion
    I may have won your hearts
    But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts

  17. J.... ....

    Listen to the words and they have meaning behind them. That's the beauty of music back then. I am 13. I am completely different when it comes to music. That's why I play this in my solo concerts in school

    J.... ....

    WOw 13 very cool! thanks James

  18. F.... ....

    The artwork's makes me sad dunno why

  19. D.... M....

    Still ahead of its time

  20. D.... M....

    First time I paid attention to Billy what was I? 14?

    D.... M....

    David Maholchic Same here. I was in high school and all my friends were really confused as to why I liked this ‘old music’ as they called it, lol! I seen Billy last year in the UK and it was one of the greatest gigs I have ever been to, this song sounded just as good live!

  21. u.... ....

    That synth gives the song this really giddy feeling, its wonderful

    u.... ....

    I think Billy Joel was a big fan of ELP(Emerson Lake & Palmer). That's where I think the synth idea comes from. Or at least that's where I would guess the idea of the synth for this songs comes from. Sounds almost exactly lika ELP synth sound. But I agree, that's one of the best parts of the song.

    u.... ....

    @Felix Rodriguez It's definitely a mini moog synth, popular back then (and now!) in music

    u.... ....

    ​@neil73 Maybe part of your point is basically that it probably has nothing to do with Joel being an ELP fan. Maybe, but I would need further facts to confirm your point since I heard a Billy Joel interview where he mentions being a big fan of YES and ELP(Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and the song, at least on the synth section, has an ELP beat to it in addition to using the same synth as ELP.

    u.... ....

    @Felix Rodriguez Many different musicians in this period used the Moog. It wouldn't surprise me at all to know Joel was a prog rock fan: his musical talent and influences are enormous.

  22. �.... ....

    Hi..Billy..I guess you stay in heaven singing a song. Thank you..

    �.... ....

    원종철 he's still alive...

  23. A.... H....

    shit, how many god-mode songs has billy joel written that I haven't arleady listened to by now?

    A.... H....

    I've counted 40 songs of his that are bona fide brilliant.

  24. r.... a....

    I am the entertainer
    And I know just where I stand
    Another serenader
    And another long haired band
    Today I am your champion
    I may have won your hearts
    But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    And I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts

    I am the entertainer
    And I've had to pay my price
    The things I did not know at first
    I learned by doin' twice
    Ah, but still they come to haunt me
    Still they want their say
    So I've learned to dance with a hand in my pants
    I let 'em rub my neck and I write 'em a check
    And they go their merry way

    I am the entertainer
    Been all around the world
    I've played all kinds of palaces
    And laid all kinds of girls
    I can't remember faces
    I don't remember names
    Ah, but what the hell
    You know it's just as well
    'Cause after a while and a thousand miles
    It all becomes the same

    I am the entertainer
    I bring to you my songs
    I'd like to spend a day or two
    I can't stay that long
    No, I've got to meet expenses
    I got to stay in line
    Gotta get those fees to the agencies
    And I'd love to stay but there's bills to pay
    So I just don't have the time

    I am the entertainer
    I come to do my show
    You've heard my latest record
    It's been on the radio
    Ah, it took me years to write it
    They were the best years of my life
    It was a beautiful song
    But it ran too long
    If you're gonna have a hit
    You gotta make it fit
    So they cut it down to 3:05

    I am the entertainer
    The idol of my age
    I make all kinds of money
    When I go on the stage
    Ah, you've seen me in the papers
    I've been in the magazines
    But if I go cold I won't get sold
    I'll get put in the back in the discount rack
    Like another can of beans

    I am the entertainer
    And I know just where I stand
    Another serenader
    And another long haired band
    Today I am your champion
    I may have won your hearts
    But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts

    r.... a....

    rafael alves

    The Lyrics,Thanks a lot!

  25. S.... H....

    BJ at his impassioned best, with a GEM of a song that fights well above its 3:42 weight. Lyrically, vocally, musically--including a synth that adds a nicely melancholy touch--the music biz's most underrated songwriter packs a musical wallop with this tight, compelling arrangement.

  26. J.... C....

    Good Teaching Tool for ANYONE going on stage! I am considering Public Speaking and had my first Speaking Engagement last Wednesday! Everything went VERY well, until I saw my photo on Facebook and realized how much I faded into the Background! NO, Not The correct clothes! I need to crack the wallet and do ANOTHER Speaking Engagement on Wednesday!

  27. M.... P....

    The synthesizer sound on this song has not aged well, which is a shame because the lyrics and guitar work do hold up.

    M.... P....

    I think that synth sound is the absolutely best thing about this song!

    M.... P....

    Love the synth sound!

    M.... P....

    Nothing like the sound of a Moog...

    M.... P....

    And it's also the same synth sound Hoyt Curtin used in many Hanna-Barbera cartoon themes of the 1970s, including on Devlin (1974).

  28. C.... D....

    The opening sounds like an old Blackberry ringtone!

  29. D.... B....

    this song went to #34 on the pop charts in 1975!!!

  30. I.... S....

    Only problem with this song? It's too short ;D

    I.... S....

    At least they didn't cut it down to 3:05

  31. o.... ....

    One of my favorite BJ tracks for sure

  32. G.... F....

    remember this fiona ?

  33. M.... W....

    it would really help if people who have hearing losses could see the lyrics while listening.. (A new feature I just saw at my friend Jonathan Pie's Youtube) For those of us with hearing lossses, it takes a LOT and I mean a LOT of energy to try and pull the words out of the rest of the mix... but for some of us, the words are the most important part of the song. At first anyways. just a friendly suggestion... There's a few of your songs that are like this for me. I end up having to go to karaoke music to hear the meolody and IMAGINE your voice on the song... or I have to go to a site that is clearly violating the laws and racking up MORE PIRATE FEES.... which is like... OHHH MY GOD -- I NEEED BILLY JOEL... BUT *NOW* I HAVE GUILT... _NOW_ I have guilt... I'm breaking the law AND I owe somebody for their work... and I don't think I can ever pay them back for what they've given me with that work. Sorry, just babbling.

    M.... W....

    http://www.azlyrics.com/b/billyjoel.html

    M.... W....

    Search the song with lyrics you dingus.

  34. t.... ....

    "It was a beautiful song, but it ran to long. If you wanna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05." Talks about Piano Man which is why the song has a radio edit to be 3 minutes and 5 seconds long rather than the original length for the albums that the song Piano Man is on.

    t.... ....

    thezombiecreeper Captain Jack is more than 7 minutes long.

    t.... ....

    What are you trying to say?

    t.... ....

    I HATE the radio version of Piano Man for this reason. Cut's out the end of John's verse and the start of the next verse and just staples the rest together. Annoys me to no end.

    t.... ....

    @Lumino Same, I'm lucky enough to sometimes hear the original on the radio nowadays, but I always get disappointed when they play the cut version, it takes out the best part of that verse for no good reason. At least I know why they did it now, though.

  35. A.... S....

    Not a ton of comments or views... People have no taste! Or else they are preoccupied with the other videos featuring this song.

    A.... S....

    People don't know it exists. It never received enough radio play compared to his other hits and didn't chart nearly as well as it deserved. For me, it's def one of my fave Joel songs.

    A.... S....

    It would have been better but he had to cut it down to 3:05 :)

    A.... S....

    @bronco devil
    Is there an extended version available somewhere?  I can't find one.

    A.... S....

    That was a reference to part of the song lyrics.

    I am the entertainer
    I come to do my show
    You've heard my latest record
    It's been on the radio
    Ah, it took me years to write it
    They were the best years of my life
    It was a beautiful song
    But it ran too long
    If you're gonna have a hit
    You gotta make it fit
    So they cut it down to 3:05

    A.... S....

    Another one of his songs that I think deserves a bit more attention is The River of Dreams.

  36. M.... L....

    This one's for President Trump!

    M.... L....

    Márton Lukács now he really is president Trump

    M.... L....

    I saw him in Tampa and he dedicated this song to Trump

    M.... L....

    Márton Lukács Cute!!! LOL!!!

    M.... L....

    I was just thinking the same thing!!!! This should be his personal theme song much better than Ruffles and flourishes!!!!

    M.... L....

    Yakaty Sax played by Bill Clinton is a fitting theme for the cluster fuck that is his administration.

  37. C.... E....

    He still is one of the top ten singer,'s ever

    C.... E....

    His voice hasn't aged, I thank him tremendously for taking care of his pipes - and for seeming like a relevant badass despite not releasing a true full studio album in over 20 years.

    C.... E....

    I'm sure Billy will be amused to hear anyone thinks he took care of his pipes. :)

    C.... E....

    One of best

  38. D.... N....

    "But I know the game, you'll forget my name
    And I won't be here in another year
    If I don't stay on the charts"

    Given that he hasn't made album since the early 90s and he's still my favorite artist I guess he was wrong about this.

    D.... N....

    Though he hadn't released a new pop album since 1993, in 2001 he released a classical album called _Fantasies and Delusions_ but although he wrote the music for it, Billy didn't think he could play the piano well on every song, so he drafted in Korean-Brit pianist Richard Joo, who was recommended to him by Billy's younger half-brother, Alexander.

    D.... N....

    Anyone listening to xm spotlight Billy Joel channel (#4)?
    Really enjoying for the last month!

    D.... N....

    And I havn't even been alive that long. Yeah, just a bit wrong.

  39. P.... F....

    Very cool early Joel. The song is a limerick, not verse, chorus, bridge.  

  40. L.... T....

    This song is the truth

  41. t.... ....

    Malone76, I agree with you 100%!  This is one of my favorites!

  42. D.... ....

    Just shows what he thinks of the music industry...

  43. D.... H....

    A great one, love it.

  44. m.... ....

    A classic Billy Joel song! One of my all time favorites!