Billy Joel

Released: August 19, 1997

Songwriter: Leonard Cohen

Producer: David Thoener Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo Danny Kortchmar Billy Joel Mick Jones Phil Ramone

She stands before you naked
You can see it, you can taste it
And she comes to you light as the breeze
Now you can drink it or you can nurse it
It don't matter how you worship
As long as you're
Down on your knees

So I knelt there at the delta
At the alpha and the omega
At the cradle of the river and the seas
And like a blessing come from heaven
For something like a second
I was healed and my heart
Was at ease

O baby I waited
So long for your kiss
For something to happen
Oh something like this

And you're weak and you're harmless
And you're sleeping in your harness
And the wind going wild
In the trees
And it ain't exactly prison
But you'll never be forgiven
For whatever you've done
With the keys

O baby I waited ...

It's dark now and it's snowing
O my love I must be going
The river has started to freeze
And I'm sick of pretending
I'm broken from bending
I've lived too long on my knees

Then she dances so graceful
And your heart's hard and hateful
And she's naked
But that's just a tease
And you turn in disgust
From your hatred and from your love
And comes to you
Light as the breeze

O baby I waited ...

There's blood on every bracelet
You can see it, you can taste it
And it's Please baby
Please baby please
And she says, Drink deeply, pilgrim
But don't forget there's still a woman
Beneath this
Resplendent chemise

So I knelt there at the delta
At the alpha and the omega
I knelt there like one who believes
And the blessings come from heaven
And for something like a second
I'm cured and my heart
Is at ease

Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, and composer who ranks as one of the most iconic and influential artists from the mid to late 20th century.

He is the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, wrote a total of 121 songs that achieved 33 Top 40 hits in the US, a 6-time Grammy winner out of 23 nominations, and one of the best-selling recording artists of all-time with 150 million albums sold worldwide.

Joel has since continued to tour and sells out in stadiums globally. He also delved into classical music composition, arranging an album, Fantasies and Delusions released in 2001, opened a motorcycle shop on his native Long Island, and is now regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Among his numerous accolades, he was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, bestowed with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013, and awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress in 2014.

more tracks from the album

Greatest Hits, Volume III

From the albums

Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1995)
Greatest Hits, Volume III (1997)

Billy Joel popular songs

Light as the BreezeBilly Joel

Billy Joel

Greatest Hits, Volume III