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The Great Wall Of China Lyrics
Advice is cheap you can take it from me
It's yours to keep 'cause opinions are free
Nobody knows about the trouble I've seen
Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean
It cost too much and takes too long to find out too late
Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken
Your role was protective, your soul was too defective
Some people just don't have a heart to be broken
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China
You take a piece of whatever you touch
Too many pieces means you're touching too much
You never win if you can't play it straight
You only beat me if you get me to hate
It must be so lonely to think that you have only
Somebody else's life to live if they let you
I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective
To find out how fast your friends will forget you
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
Now all you're going to be is history
Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the Empire Diner tonight
You coulda had class, you coulda have been a contender
Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
You could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
This was not your calling, just look how far you've fallen
I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking
Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective
Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
It's yours to keep 'cause opinions are free
Nobody knows about the trouble I've seen
Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean
It cost too much and takes too long to find out too late
Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken
Your role was protective, your soul was too defective
Some people just don't have a heart to be broken
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing on the Great Wall of China
Too many pieces means you're touching too much
You never win if you can't play it straight
You only beat me if you get me to hate
It must be so lonely to think that you have only
Somebody else's life to live if they let you
I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective
To find out how fast your friends will forget you
Now all you're going to be is history
Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the Empire Diner tonight
You coulda had class, you coulda have been a contender
Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
You could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking
Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective
Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?
We could have gone all the way to the Great Wall of China
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing, standing on the Great Wall of China
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This is about his former manager, his ex-wife's brother, who stole millions of dollars from him.
@TDEguitar2, thanks for the straightforward background of the song. Joel was always terrific at telling his life's stories in his songs (Uptown Girl, Big Shot, The Entertainer).
@TDEguitar2, thanks for the straightforward background of the song. Joel was always terrific at telling his life's stories in his songs (Uptown Girl, Big Shot, The Entertainer).
a good friend who for one reason or another tells his best friend to go screw himself by just avoiding him/her and not being enough of a man to tell the friend why he doesnt want to basicly know him anymore
then the one friend who disowned a friend who was basicly a brother goes down the tubes per say
You coulda had class, you coulda have been a contender Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
that's a reference to the 1954 film On ther Waterfront. Marlon Brando says "I coulda had class. I coulda have been a contender." and his brothers name in the film is Charlie.
Has anyone here been able to discern what Joel is chanting/mumbling/low talking in the background in spoken word behind the music near the end of the song?