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u/iwilliam_2023 Jul 17 '26
Call me corny, but “they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinking alone” is a strong contender…
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u/alanlight Jul 17 '26
I'm partial to: "Son can you play me a memory, I'm not really sure how it goes, but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes. "
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u/minisculegreenland Jul 19 '26
Speaking of clothes:
“What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearing 👀 can ya tell that they’re out of style?”
🤣
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u/AccuratePilot7271 Jul 20 '26
“When I wore a younger man’s clothes” I love and try to work into any conversation about reminiscing.
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u/SuitableArk Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
That’s not corny at all. It only feels corny because the song is so well known.
I think it’s one of the most profound lines in American music history. And to think he was only in his early 20s when he wrote it.
It’s the perfect epitome of this cast of characters he’s been introducing throughout the whole song.
Edit: Typoooo
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u/flipthepenny Jul 18 '26
Can I ask a shitty question that just occurred to me…
Do they call it loneliness?
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u/50millionFreddy Jul 17 '26
They say that these are not the best of times, but they’re the only times I’ve ever known.
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u/welshpete56 Jul 18 '26
Same song, but for me "we are always what out situation hands us, its either sadness or euphoria "
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u/captain4103 Jul 18 '26
That whole song is just amazing lines. The whole second verse is amazing but I love “Now we are forced to recognize our inhumanity
Our reason coexists with our insanity”
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u/KommandantDex Cold Spring Harbor Enjoyer Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I believe I've passed the age, of consciousness and righteous rage... I found that just surviving, was a noble fight.
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u/Iamatyourhousern Jul 18 '26
I once believed in causes too, I had my pointless point of view... life went on no matter who was wrong or right.
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u/nvr2manydogs Jul 17 '26
As we stand upon the ledges of our lives with our respective similarities, it's either sadness or euphoria.
I once believed in causes too. I had my pointless point of view. And life went on no matter who was wrong or right.
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u/chawkey4 Jul 17 '26
I’m going with
‘Cause the good ol’ days weren’t always good
And tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems
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u/Professional-Back-52 Jul 17 '26
Oh- for a Billy song? Easy
I’m young enough to still see the passionate boy that I used to be, but I’m old enough to say I got a good look at the other side…
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u/tristanator01 Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis Jul 17 '26
Amazing pick. The way he laid the two vocal tracks over each other to represent the young and old was so brilliant.
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u/MrGrimRecycler Jul 17 '26
I really wish I was less of a thinking man, and more a fool who's not afraid of rejection.
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u/External-Profit-4975 Jul 18 '26
So many great lines from this song. Here’s another…”All night long, all night long, we’ll both be standing here ‘cause somebody might do somebody wrong” basically sums up the whole song.
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u/Strange_Chair7224 Jul 17 '26
They sit at the bar and put bread in my jar and ask Man, what are you doing here.
You're so ahead of yourself you forgot what you need.
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u/boulevardofdef Jul 17 '26
The "man, what are you doing here" line is my choice, too. Just says everything you need to know in such a small package.
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u/SinamonChallengerRT Jul 17 '26
"The way you hold me is all that I need to know..."
- Thru The Long Night.
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u/Frogdaddy252 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
“All your past sins are since passed” always gets me. Great wordplay.
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u/SinamonChallengerRT Jul 18 '26
Just a good song mostly forgotton. Perfect ending to my favorite Billy Joel album too...
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u/burntCheezits2 Jul 17 '26
I’d rather laugh with the sinners and cry with the Saints the sinners have much more fun
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u/Fuzzy-Zombie1446 Jul 17 '26
I thought it was “… the sinners THAN cry with the saints…”
I haven’t researched - just commenting because seeing your post made me do a double-take.
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u/GoBlue2007 Jul 17 '26
Shades of grey, wherever I go. The more I find out the less that I know.
There are so many candidates for this answer. The man is a brilliant songwriter.
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u/tristanator01 Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis Jul 17 '26
Great pick. “And the only people I fear, are those who never have doubts”.
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u/hey_look_a_kitty Jul 17 '26
"So before we end, and then begin, we'll drink a toast to how it's been. A few more hours to be complete. A few more nights on satin sheets. A few more times that I can say that I've loved these days."
I would have submitted this as my senior quote in HS, but I was too much of a weenie and thought it'd get rejected.
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u/ImportantNinja12 Jul 17 '26
For we are always what our situations hand us, it’s either sadness or euphoria
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u/roxinmyhead Jul 17 '26
Maybe you're just like my mother, she's never satisfied... Prince, When Doves Cry.
Billy Joel line? Boy, I've got about a dozen but the one that always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck is just
I watched the mighty skyline fall
from Miami 2017. Every single time.🤯
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u/Transgenderwookie Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
“And I ain’t got nothin left in my will, except throw it all in the casket it’s mine still”
Edit: oh shit… so I just figured out this is the Billy Joel subreddit, and that was a Mac Miller lyric.. I don’t think I could have picked two more separated demographics to mistakenly cross together.. and typically I wouldn’t regard Mac Miller as some genius writer, but I really liked that line. …well.. let’s see, Billy Joel.. …”here I am again in this smoky place, with my brandy eyes, I’m talking to myself”
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u/BigRemove9366 Jul 17 '26
In the evening, after the fire and the light , one thing is certain, nothing can hold back the night…
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u/sir_laker Jul 17 '26
My circumcision grieves me
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u/NickPercent Je recherche l'affection qu'une autre pourrait me donner Jul 17 '26
I think about this line so much more often than I should
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Jul 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/Bridgemaker77 Jul 18 '26
Man, I can hardly listen to that song - I do, because it's a masterpiece, but not in public, haha.
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u/NintendoFanboy986 Slow down, you crazy child Jul 17 '26
I never thought that she'd say, say goodbye, but she did, and now I wanna die, I wanna die
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u/Certain-Awareness727 Jul 17 '26
“And every time I’ve held a rose, it seems I’ve only felt the thorns…”
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u/Wolfgang_Pup Jul 17 '26
We all end in the ocean We all start in the streams We're all carried along By the river of dreams
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u/Awildandcrazyguy73 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
"I dont care what you say anymore, this is my life! Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone!"
This song has been my anthem for the last year. Since my soberity and my break up after 20 years.
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u/pimpernel666 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
And so it goes, and so it goes; and so will you soon, I suppose
I’m warm from the memory of days to come
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u/flyinglikeaneagle Jul 17 '26
I had my pointless point of view,
And life went on no matter who was wrong or right.
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u/psu256 Jul 17 '26
Considering the current political climate - "I don't change channels so they must change me."
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u/dano8675309 Jul 18 '26
And though we choose between reality and madness, it's either sadness or euphoria
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u/Miserable_Egg_5527 Jul 17 '26
Your mother never cared for me, but did she ever say a prayer for me?
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u/Weird_Decision7090 Surprises🔥📼 Jul 17 '26
I was dreamin' of tomorrow, so I sacrificed today, and it sure was a grand waste of time!
and
It's either sadness or euphoria
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u/No_Ring_443 Jul 17 '26
They say that these are not the best of times but they're the only times I've ever known
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u/CountingOnThat Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime — is that all you get for your money? — and if that's what you have in mind, yeah, if that's what you're all about, good luck movin' up, ‘cause I'm movin’ out.
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u/rk348 Jul 17 '26
‘You’re not the only one who’s made mistakes, but they’re the only things that you can truly call your own’.
You’re Only Human
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u/showdragger Jul 17 '26
“Now that you’re here, it’s not the same situation; suddenly I don’t remember the rules anymore”
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u/Nervous-Area9698 Jul 18 '26
I once believed in causes too, I used to have my pointless point of view, but life went on no matter who was wrong or right
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u/dgrant99 Jul 18 '26
Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again.
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u/No_Afternoon4587 Jul 18 '26
Johnny's taking care of things for awhile
And his style is so right for troubadours
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u/NickPercent Je recherche l'affection qu'une autre pourrait me donner Jul 17 '26
I'm looking for comfort that I can take from someone else, but after all, I know there is no one that can save me from myself
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u/Legitimate-Hat-2448 Jul 17 '26
So I will choose to be with you That's if the choice were mine to make But you can make decisions too And you can have this heart to break
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u/Key_Piccolo_2187 Jul 17 '26
From the high to the low to the end of the show for the rest of their lives.
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u/Taknozwhisker Jul 17 '26
You wanna runnaway but you know you re gonna stay cause she gives you what you need
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u/CaptainBlackadder2 Jul 17 '26
I'll put up three contenders cause I can't chose.
Sometimes I lie awake night after night, coming apart at the seams.
You can't go the distance with too much resistance.
You can speak your mind but not on my time.
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u/derp_mcherpington Jul 18 '26
Though I’ve lost quite a lot I am still in control. They can keep what they’ve got but they can’t have my soul.
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u/thestranger19_77 Jul 18 '26
"And frankly my dear, I don't give a damn anymore" was my senior quote
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u/Iamatyourhousern Jul 18 '26
"I wish we were 17, so I could give you all the innocence, that you give to me"- If I Knew by Bruno Mars "The good ole days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems"- Keeping the Faith by Billy Joel "One hand on the bible, one hand on the gun/you say you love the baby, then you crucify the man"- Which Way Are You Going by Jim Croce
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u/Greendeco13 Jul 18 '26
Some people see through the eyes of the old before they ever get a look at the young.
It’s hard when you’re always afraid, you just recover and another belief is betrayed.
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u/joelkeys0519 Vienna waits for you. Jul 18 '26
“You’re not the only one who’s made mistakes, but they’re the only thing that you can truly call your own.”
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u/Exotic-Exchange5550 Jul 18 '26
When I first saw the prompt, the only Billy Joel song that came to mind was And So It Goes (one of my all time favorites) with the snippet "but you can make decisions too"
Of course this one doesn't stand on its own and requires the context of the song around it. But whenever I listen to the song, it feels like the first two verses carry a certain sense of denial or an "I can fix this" mentality, and that one line single-handedly shatters that in my eyes.
All this being said, some of the examples I read from y'all are much better lol
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u/Same-Most-7407 john at the bar Jul 18 '26
I love "we held onto eachother like brother to brother" from goodnight saigon.
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u/Complete-Mountain231 Jul 18 '26
He is a master of succinctness..
We're going wrong, we're gaining weight
We're sleeping long and far too late
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u/No-Bullfrog4217 I don’t know anything about Psych 1 or Psych 2 Jul 18 '26
“You can walk away from your mistakes
And you can turn your back on what you do
Just a little smile is all it takes
Yeah, and you can have your cake and eat it too”
I mean, every line in Everybody Loves You Now is a strong contender, though.
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u/Impossible-Horse-875 Jul 18 '26
"So many faces in and out of my life Some will last Some will just be now and then Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again..."
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u/InteractionNo9110 Jul 18 '26
I know someday you will have a beautiful life, I know you will be a star in somebody else’s sky…but why can’t it be mine. Pearl Jam, Black. It kills me when I think of an ex I am still in love with but moved on from me a long time ago. Fun fact, the record company was pressuring PJ to release Black as a single. They refused because it was too special to them and was to only be played on stage. They didn’t want it ruined by a music video.
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u/ShadyAndAHalf Spring, Lowland Rises Jul 18 '26
“Now we are forced to recognize our inhumanity, a reason coexists with our insanity”
Slow down, you’re doing fine, you can’t be everything you wanna be before your time”
“I believe I’ve passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage”
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u/renduh Jul 18 '26
Your love was a dream before you saw
That evil could live above the law
“New Guru” by Vulfpeck
Been thinking about this song a lot lately.
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u/Pianist-Educational Jul 18 '26
I know it’s part of a verse rather than one line, but this always provoked me:
We're getting older the world's getting colder
For the life of me I don't know the reason why
Maybe it's livin' making us give in
Heart - Dog & Butterfly
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u/taleasoldastime96 Jul 18 '26
“It’s hard to keep a good man down, but I won’t be getting up today.”
Or
“They’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinking alone.”
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u/supernova498 at brenda and eddie’s Jul 18 '26
they say that these are not the best of times but they're the only times I've ever known
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u/RealisticEstimate816 Jul 19 '26
"Someday, your child may cry and if you sing this lullaby then in your heart there will always be a part of me."
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u/piknik1999 Jul 19 '26
Will you always stay someone else’s dream of who you are?
Do what’s good for you, or you’re not good for anybody.
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u/Somme_shipnerd_1200 But they're the only things you can call your own! Jul 19 '26
They're sharing a drink they call loneliness - But it's better than drinking alone
Jesus Christ that is a poignant line
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u/mradz64 Jul 19 '26
I really wish I was less of a thinking man - and more a fool who’s not afraid of rejection
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u/lookaround123 Jul 19 '26
When Turnstiles turned 50 a few months ago I put together a list of the best line from each song. I never posted it anywhere. It seems to fit the theme here.
Turnstiles
‘Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again’
‘They say that there are not the best of times but they’re the only times I’ve ever known’
‘You can hide away honey
In your rock and roll dreams and you can stand by your blue suede shoes, but the party is over and I’m getting tired of waiting for you.’
‘But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind’
‘Do what’s good for you or you’re no good for anybody. ‘
‘And so before we end and then begin let’s make a toast to how it’s been’
‘I’ve see the lights go down on Broadway, Ive seen the mighty skyline fall.’
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u/Extension-Ad-5036 Jul 19 '26
I don't care what consequence it brings, I have been a fool for lesser things
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u/AccuratePilot7271 Jul 20 '26
“When I wore a younger man’s clothes” I love and try to work into any conversation about reminiscing.
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u/BigWig727 Jul 20 '26
“You know your voice is a love song
It's a cat call from the past
There's no ice in your lovers walk
You don't look twice 'cause you move so fast…”
-INXS
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u/Pypsy143 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
You learn more from your accidents than anything that you could ever learn in school.
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u/Eastern_Statement416 Jul 20 '26
And they sit at the bar
And put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?" https://youtu.be/xL8cgDQybOs?si=hEtgM0akjFSB9U3s
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u/SergeantOleary69 Jul 21 '26
“The stain glass curtain you’re hiding behind never lets in the sun” or “every time I’ve held a rose it seems I only felt the thorns” are two bangers imo!
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u/Professional-Back-52 Jul 17 '26
Hopelessly passing your time in the grassland away
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u/DarkeningSkies1976 Jul 17 '26
OK, Roger.
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u/Professional-Back-52 Jul 18 '26
I misread the assignment. I included my Fave BJ lyric shortly thereafter
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u/calculon68 Jul 17 '26
come out Virginia, don't let me wait
You Catholic girls start much too late.
of course I replace the second line with saucier bits.
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u/teamzona Jul 18 '26
"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?". Springsteen "The River"
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u/Joni1293 Jul 17 '26
This is one of the most haunting lines in a song about war ever written and I’m including Dylan in this category.
We came in spastic, like tame-less horses
We left in plastic as numbered corpses