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Don't Ask Me Why Lyrics
All the waiters in your grand cafe
Leave their tables when you blink
Every dog must have his everyday
Every drunk must have his drink
Don't wait for answers
Just take your chances
Don't ask me why
All your life you had to stand in line
Still you’re standing on your feet
All you choices made you change your mind
Now your calendar's complete
Don't wait for answers
Just take your chances
Don't ask me why
You can say the human heart
Is only make-believe
And I am only fighting fire with fire
But you are still a victim
Of the accidents you leave
As sure as I'm a victim of desire
All the servants in your new hotel
Throw their roses at your feet
Fool them all but baby I can tell
You're no stranger to the street
Don't ask for favors
Don’t talk to strangers
Don't ask me why
Yesterday you were an only child
Now your ghosts have gone away
You can kill them in the classic style
Now you, "parlez vous francais"
Don't look for answers
You took your chances
Don't ask my why
Don't ask me why
Leave their tables when you blink
Every dog must have his everyday
Every drunk must have his drink
Don't wait for answers
Just take your chances
Don't ask me why
Still you’re standing on your feet
All you choices made you change your mind
Now your calendar's complete
Don't wait for answers
Just take your chances
Don't ask me why
Is only make-believe
And I am only fighting fire with fire
But you are still a victim
Of the accidents you leave
As sure as I'm a victim of desire
Throw their roses at your feet
Fool them all but baby I can tell
You're no stranger to the street
Don't ask for favors
Don’t talk to strangers
Don't ask me why
Now your ghosts have gone away
You can kill them in the classic style
Now you, "parlez vous francais"
Don't look for answers
You took your chances
Don't ask my why
Don't ask me why
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I love this song.
Just one thing I wanted to mention since I always notice it: I don't know if it was a slip (Billy's Long Island accent coming out at a perfect moment) or not, but in every verse he sings "don't ASK me why" except the verse with the line "You're no stranger to the street," when he sings "don't AX me why." (NY accent stereotypical pronunciation of ask) I always wondered if he was making a very subtle point there...
@bangdrum Great. Now I can't UNhear it...lol
@bangdrum Great. Now I can't UNhear it...lol
@bangdrum Just heard this on the radio and caught what I felt was a very deliberate pronunciation of the word. I definitely think it was on purpose.
@bangdrum Just heard this on the radio and caught what I felt was a very deliberate pronunciation of the word. I definitely think it was on purpose.
Yes, this is about a woman who climbs up the society ladder and is trying to forget where she came from.
Fool them all, but baby I can tell You're no stranger to the street.
Love the beat. :)
Wow, for a long time I thought this was a Paul McCartney song. I guess it's similar in musical style.
His voice is (or can be) very similar to Mccartneys. Listen to the first few lines of Vienna to hear the similarity most (IMHO).
I can find no corroboration, but I've always wondered whether the song was about Leona Helmsley. Born Lena Rosenthal into humble beginnings, she married her way into being a rich, and infamous NY hotelier (known as the Queen of Mean). By the time Joel wrote the song (released in 1980), she was quite well known, and the broad outlines of her life to that point were public knowledge. The song was written before Helmsley's convictions on financial crimes in 1989, so there couldn't be an reference to those events.
My first Billy Joel CD was his Greatest Hits Volume I & II, and I'd never heard this song before. When I did hear it, I feel in love with it, although I realise it may sound... a bit... out of touch to some. The last two verses are wonderful...
Now you, "parlez vous francais" (Now you speak your French) I hope that helps someone else because I can't think of a meaning yet...
@JoshF He's saying you came from humble beginnings, but now you're all fancy.
@JoshF He's saying you came from humble beginnings, but now you're all fancy.
This song is about a girl who comes into money (i'm not sure how) and then tries to hide her lower class roots.
I used to think that My Life was a Paul McCartney song. The melody and voice seemed McCartneyesque. Joel is actually more influenced by Lennon, but Macca's influence is plain to see.