Released: June 6, 1969

Songwriter: Bernie Taupin Elton John

Producer: Steve Brown

[Verse 1]
In Orient where wise I was
To please the way I live
Come give the beggar chance at hand
His life is on his lip
Three score a thousand times
Where once in Amazon
Where Eldorado holds the key
No keeper holds my hand

[Pre-Chorus]
Unchain the gate of solitude
The ruler says you run
Run hard unto the scaffold high
Your chance to jump the gun

[Chorus] [x2]
Oh how high the scaffold grows
The plant life of your widow
In black lace curtains brought you near
From out the plate glass window

[Verse 2]
The Minotaur with bloody hands
Is enraged by the sun
Caged he by the corpses
Brought forth by the dawn
In Orient is as I told
The buckshee hangman swears
For open crypts to silence
Nylon knots to sway by prayer

[Pre-Chorus]
Unchain the gate of solitude
The ruler says you run
Run hard unto the scaffold high
Your chance to jump the gun

[Chorus] [x2]
Oh how high the scaffold grows
The plant life of your widow
In black lace curtains brought you near
From out the plate glass window

[Outro]
In Orient where wise I was
To please the way I live
Come give the beggar chance at hand
His life is on his lip

Elton John

Elton John is a British singer, pianist and composer whose unique blend of pop and rock styles turned him into one of the biggest music icons of the 20th century. Elton has sold more than 250 million albums, making him one of the best-selling musicians ever.

He excelled in music from a young age, attending the prestigious Academy of Music on a scholarship at just eleven years old. In 1970 he released his first self-titled album, making him a huge international star.

Some of his most famous hits include “Crocodile Rock”, “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Take the Long Way Home”.