Lyric discussion by matthew_gently 

Cover art for Shades Of Grey lyrics by Billy Joel

This song is the cartharsis of the "River of Dreams" album. The first half of the album is dark and bitter. The songs after this are brighter. I think I heard once that Joel set the album out in the order he wrote the songs, which, if true, is fascinating, because it captures the process of a person working his way out of depression.