Elton John Quotes (80 quotes) | Quotes of famous people

Elton John, blaming the internet for destroying good music http://www.gigwise.com/news/35721/elton-john-wants-to-tear-down-the-internet (2 August 2007)

“I used to think that New York City
Fell from grace with God.
And innocence abroad
Waged a war for the underdog.
When the snow falls
And Central Park looks like a Christmas card,
I just looked beyond the bagman
And the madness that makes this city hard.”

Elton John

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Song lyrics, Reg Strikes Back (1988)

“And love lies bleeding in my hand.
Oh it kills me to think of you with another man.
I was playing rock and roll and you were just a fan.
But my guitar couldn't hold you,
So I split the band.
Love lies bleeding in my hands.”

Elton John

Love Lies Bleeding
Song lyrics, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

“And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home.
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man.”

Elton John

Rocket Man
Song lyrics, Honky Château (1972)

Elton John Quotes about life

“And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind,
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in.
And I would have liked to have known you,
But I was just a kid.
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did.”

Elton John

Candle in the Wind
Song lyrics, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

“And you can tell everybody, this is your song.
It may be quite simple but now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world.”

Elton John

Your Song
Song lyrics, Elton John (1970)

“And I won't break and I won't bend,
But someday soon we'll sail away
To innocence and the bitter end.
And I won't break and I won't bend,
And with the last breath we ever take
We're gonna get back to the simple life again.”

Elton John

Simple Life
Song lyrics, The One (1992)

“Don't you know I'm still standing, better than I ever did?
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid.
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind.”

Elton John

I'm Still Standing
Song lyrics, Too Low for Zero (1983)

“That record she did with Peter Gabriel saved my life.”

Elton John

On Kate's duet with Peter Gabriel on the song "Don’t Give Up", on his album So (1986)
The Kate Bush Story (2014)
Context: That record she did with Peter Gabriel saved my life. That record helped me get sober. So she played a big part in my actual downfall and kind of "rebirth'" as it were. That record helped me so much. I never told her that, but it did.

“And someone saved my life tonight, sugar bear.
You almost had your hooks in me, didn't you dear?
You nearly had me roped and tied,
Altar-bound, hypnotized.
Sweet freedom whispered in my ear,
You're a butterfly.
And butterflies are free to fly,
Fly away, high away, bye bye.”

Elton John

Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Song lyrics, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

Elton John: Trending quotes

“They're not "normal" songs. None of her songs have been "normal." She's just who she is, she's unique. She's — a mystery. She's the most beautiful mystery.”

Elton John

The Kate Bush Story (2014)
Context: They're not "normal" songs. None of her songs have been "normal." She's just who she is, she's unique. She's — a mystery. She's the most beautiful mystery. … Let me tell you a story: when I had my civil partnership, nine years ago, in 2005, and Kate — we invited Kate, we didn't think she'd come but she came, she came with her husband Danny, and there were a lot of very famous people in that room, there were like 600 people — and all anybody wanted to meet was Kate Bush. I mean, musician, anybody — they couldn't believe Kate Bush was there. She's kind of an enigma.

Beauty

“Now they've found me,
At last they've found me.
It's hard to run
From a starving family.
Now they've found me.
Well I won't run;
I'm tired of hearing
There goes a well-known gun.”

Elton John

Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
Song lyrics, Tumbleweed Connection (1970)

Family

“And reach out for her healing hands,
Reach out for her healing hands.
There's a light, where the darkness ends.
Touch me now and let me see again,
Rock me now in your gentle healing hands.”

Elton John

Healing Hands
Song lyrics, Sleeping with the Past (1989)

Light

Elton John Quotes

“Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet?
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets.
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful,
Oh Bennie she's really keen.
She's got electric boots, a mohair suit.
You know I read it in a magazine.
Bennie and the Jets.”

Elton John

Bennie and the Jets
Song lyrics, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

Reading

“When are you gonna come down?
When are you going to land?
I should have stayed on the farm,
I should have listened to my old man.”

Elton John

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Song lyrics, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

“And I guess that's why they call it the blues.
Time on my hands could be time spent with you,
Laughing like children, living like lovers,
Rolling like thunder under the covers.
And I guess that's why they call it the blues.”

Elton John

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
Song lyrics, Too Low for Zero (1983)

Children , Lovers , Time

“Chefs aren't celebrities: they're chefs.”

Elton John

Ridiculing the idea of "celebrity chefs"; quoted in the Evening Standard, Tue 1 May 2012, p. 16

“So goodbye yellow brick road,
Where the dogs of society howl.
You can't plant me in your penthouse,
I'm going back to my plough.”

Elton John

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Song lyrics, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

Dogs

“They said get back honky cat,
Better get back to the woods.
Well I quit those days and my redneck ways.
And oh the change is gonna do me good.You better get back honky cat,
Living in the city ain't where it's at.
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine.
It's like trying to drink whiskey from a bottle of wine.”

Elton John

Honky Cat
Song lyrics, Honky Château (1972)

Way , Cats , Drink , Wine

“Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane.
I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain.
Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye.
God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes.”

Elton John

Daniel
Song lyrics, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)

God , Travel , Light

“He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day
When the New York Times said God is dead
And the war's begun.”

Elton John

Levon
Song lyrics, Madman Across the Water (1971)

God , War , Time , Christmas

“And every one of us has to face that day;
Do you cross the bridge or do you fade away?
And every one of us that ever came to play
Has to cross the bridge or fade away.”

Elton John

The Bridge
Song lyrics, The Captain & the Kid (2006)

“He is Mr Piano Man, I am Miss Piano Man.”

Elton John

on touring with Billy Joel
Sixty things for Sir Elton's 60th (2007)

“Daniel my brother you are older than me.
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?
Your eyes have died but you see more than I.
Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky.”

Elton John

Daniel
Song lyrics, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)

Pain , Feeling , Star

“And we are so amazed, we're crippled and we're dazed.
A gardener like that one, no one can replace. And I've been knocking, but no one answers.
And I've been knocking most all the day.
Oh, and I've been calling
Oh, "Hey, Hey, Johnny"
"Can't you come out to play?"”

Elton John

Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
Song lyrics, Jump Up! (1982)

“Things we never said come together,
The hidden truth no longer haunting me.
Tonight we touched on the things that were never spoken,
That kind of understanding sets me free.”

Elton John

The Last Song
Song lyrics, The One (1992)

Truth , Understanding

“You and your oven are capable of great things,
Remember, no two ovens are the same.”

Elton John

From the song Conventional Oven Thermostat
Sixty things for Sir Elton's 60th (2007)

“Welcome to the world of bullshit, my dear. You have arrived.”

Elton John

Advice to a young John Mayer, when Mayer was first attacked in the tabloids
Young, Richard (July 19, 2007) "John Mayer MSM Interview, v.2007" http://johnmayer.yuku.com/sreply/226966/t/John-Mayer-MSM-Interview-v-2007.html MyStupidMouth.com Retrieved July 25, 2007.

World

“As soon as this is over we'll go home
To plant the seeds of justice in our bones,
To watch the children growing and see the women sewing.
There'll be laughter when the bells of freedom ring.”

Elton John

My Father's Gun
Song lyrics, Tumbleweed Connection (1970)

Women , Children , Justice , Home

“He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop.
But now it all looks strange, it's funny how one insect
Can damage so much grain.”

Elton John

Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny), his song dedicated to John Lennon
Song lyrics, Jump Up! (1982)

Tear

“Don't go breaking my heart.
I couldn't if I tried.
Honey if I get restless…
Baby you're not that kind.Don't go breaking my heart.
You take the weight off me.
Honey when you knock on my door,
I gave you my key.”

Elton John

Don't Go Breaking My Heart, duet with Kiki Dee (1976)
Song lyrics, Singles

Heart , Baby

“Spare your heart, save your soul.
Don't drag your love across the coals.
Find your feet and your fortune can be told.
Release, relax, let go,
And hey now let's recover your soul.”

Elton John

Recover Your Soul
Song lyrics, The Big Picture (1997)

Love , Soul , Heart

“Turn them on, turn them on,
Turn on those sad songs.
When all hope is gone,
Why don't you tune in and turn them on?They reach into your room,
Just feel their gentle touch.
When all hope is gone,
Sad songs say so much.”

Elton John

Sad Songs
Song lyrics, Breaking Hearts (1984)

Sadness , Hope , Feeling

“Blue jean baby, L. A. lady, seamstress for the band.
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man.
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand.
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand.”

Elton John

Tiny Dancer
Song lyrics, Madman Across the Water (1971)

Smile , Music , Dance , Baby

“And it's no sacrifice,
Just a simple word.
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds.
But it's no sacrifice.
No sacrifice.
It's no sacrifice at all.”

Elton John

Sacrifice
Song lyrics, Sleeping with the Past (1989)

World , Heart

“It's very important to have two tiaras when you're on the road, you never know when you'll be invited to something really formal.”

Elton John

Sixty things for Sir Elton's 60th (2007)

“Don't wish it away,
Don't look at it like it's forever.
Between you and me I could honestly say
That things can only get better.And while I'm away,
Dust out the demons inside.
And it won't be long before you and me run
To the place in our hearts where we hide.”

Elton John

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues, written by Elton John, Bernie Taupin, and Davey Johnstone
Song lyrics, Too Low for Zero (1983)

Heart

“Cause I don't wanna go on with you like that,
Don't wanna be a feather in your cap.
I just wanna tell you honey I ain't mad,
But I don't wanna go on with you like that.”

Elton John

I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That
Song lyrics, Reg Strikes Back (1988)

Madness

“Cause I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom.
From the day that I was born I've waved the flag.
Philadelphia freedom took me knee-high to a man.
Yeah gave me peace of mind my daddy never had.Oh Philadelphia freedom shine on me, I love you.
Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind.
Shine a light, shine a light
Shine a light, won't you shine a light.
Philadelphia freedom I love you, yes I do.”

Elton John

Philadelphia Freedom (1975)
Song lyrics, Singles

Love , Peace , Freedom , Light

“Cause I never thought I'd lose.
I only thought I'd win.
I never dreamed I'd feel
This fire beneath my skin.
I can't believe you love me.
I never thought you'd come.
I guess I misjudged love
Between a father and his son.”

Elton John

The Last Song
Song lyrics, The One (1992)

Love , Dreams , Feeling

“Through a glass eye your throne
Is the one danger zone.
Take me to the pilot for control;
Take me to the pilot of your soul.”

Elton John

Take Me to the Pilot
Song lyrics, Elton John (1970)

Soul

“Island girl,
What you wanting with the white man's world?
Island girl,
Black boy want you in his island world.
He want to take you from the racket boss,
He want to save you but the cause is lost.”

Elton John

Island Girl
Song lyrics, Rock of the Westies (1975)

World , Girl , Boy

“In the instant that you love someone,
In the second that the hammer hits,
Reality runs up your spine,
And the pieces finally fit.”

Elton John

The One
Song lyrics, The One (1992)

Love , Reality

“Well Crocodile Rocking is something shocking,
When your feet just can't keep still.
I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will.”

Elton John

Crocodile Rock
Song lyrics, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)

Time

“What have I got to do to make you love me?
What have I got to do to make you care?
What do I do when lightning strikes me
And I wake to find that you're not there?What do I do to make you want me?
What have I got to do to be heard?
What do I say when it's all over?
And sorry seems to be the hardest word.”

Elton John

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Song lyrics, Blue Moves (1976)

Love

“Lately I've been thinking how much I miss my lady.
Amoreena's in the cornfield brightening the daybreak,
Living like a lusty flower, running through the grass for hours,
Rolling through the hay like a puppy child.”

Elton John

Amoreena
Song lyrics, Tumbleweed Connection (1970)

Flowers , Thinking , Grass

“Holy Moses I have been deceived.
Now the wind has changed direction and I'll have to leave.
Won't you please excuse my frankness, but it's not my cup of tea.
Holy Moses I have been deceived.”

Elton John

Border Song
Song lyrics, Elton John (1970)

Change , Tea

“You're the son of your father,
Try a little bit harder.
Do for me as he would do for you.
With blood and water bricks and mortar,
He built for you a home.
You're the son of your father,
So treat me as your own.”

Elton John

Son of Your Father
Song lyrics, Tumbleweed Connection (1970)

Home , Water

“I never realised the passing hours of evening showers.
A slip noose hanging in my darkest dreams,
I'm strangled by your haunted social scene.
Just a pawn out-played by a dominating queen.
It's four o'clock in the morning,
Damn it listen to me good.
I'm sleeping with myself tonight,
Saved in time, thank God my music's still alive.”

Elton John

Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Song lyrics, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

God , Dreams , Music , Sleep

“Goodbye England's rose,
May you ever grow in our hearts.
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart.You called out to our country,
And you whispered to those in pain.
Now you belong to Heaven,
And the stars spell out your name.And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind,
Never fading with the sunset,
When the rain set in.”

Elton John

Candle in the Wind 1997, written in tribute upon the death of Diana (1997)
Song lyrics, Singles

Life , Pain , Star , Heart

“I remember when rock was young,
Me and Suzie had so much fun
Holding hands and skimming stones.
Had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own.
But the biggest kick I ever got
Was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock.
While the other kids were Rocking Round the Clock,
We were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock.”

Elton John

Crocodile Rock
Song lyrics, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)

“Sometimes when I'm flying over the Alps I think, 'that's like all the cocaine I sniffed.”

Elton John

Sixty things for Sir Elton's 60th (2007)

Thinking , Flying

“There was a time,
I was everything and nothing all in one.
When you found me,
I was feeling like a cloud across the sun.”

Elton John

Something About the Way You Look Tonight
Song lyrics, The Big Picture (1997)

Feeling , Time , Sun

“For each man in his time is Cain
Until he walks along the beach
And sees his future in the water,
A long lost heart within his reach.”

Elton John

The One
Song lyrics, The One (1992)

Water , Time , Future , Heart

“While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,
Sons of bankers, sons of lawyers
Turn around and say good morning to the night.
For unless they see the sky,
But they can't and that is why
They know not if it's dark outside or light.”

Elton John

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Song lyrics, Honky Château (1972)

Light , Madness , Night

“Don't let the sun go down on me.
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see.
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free.
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me.”

Elton John

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Song lyrics, Caribou (1974)

Life , Search , Sun

“Hey Nikita is it cold
In your little corner of the world?
You could roll around the globe
And never find a warmer soul to know.Oh I saw you by the wall,
Ten of your tin soldiers in a row.
With eyes that looked like ice on fire,
The human heart a captive in the snow.”

Elton John

Nikita
Song lyrics, Ice on Fire (1985)

World , Soul , Heart

“People should be very free with sex, but they should draw the line at goats.”

Elton John

from 1976 interview with Rolling Stone magazine
Sixty things for Sir Elton's 60th (2007)

People , Sex , Drawing

“And you can cage the songbird,
But you can't make her sing.
And you can trap the free bird,
But you'll have to clip her wings.
`Cause she'll soar like a hawk when she flies,
But she'll dive like an eagle when she dies.”

Elton John

Cage the Songbird, written by Elton John, Bernie Taupin, and Davey Johnstone
Song lyrics, Blue Moves (1976)

Bird , Singing

“For this dark and lonely room
Projects a shadow cast in gloom.
And my eyes are mirrors
Of the world outside.
Thinking of the way
That the wind can turn the tide.
And these shadows turn
From purple into grey.”

Elton John

Skyline Pigeon
Song lyrics, Empty Sky (1969)

World , Way , Thinking

“But oh how it feels so real,
Lying here with no one near.
Only you and you can't hear me
When I say softly, slowly.Hold me closer tiny dancer,
Count the headlights on the highway.
Lay me down in sheets of linen,
You had a busy day today.”

Elton John

Tiny Dancer
Song lyrics, Madman Across the Water (1971)

Feeling , Lying , Business

“You may not believe it,
But I don't believe in miracles anymore.
And when I think about it,
I don't believe I ever did for sure.
All the things I've said in songs,
All the purple prose you bought from me.
Reality's just black and white.
The sentimental things I'd write
Never meant that much to me.”

Elton John

This Train Don't Stop There Anymore
Song lyrics, Songs from the West Coast (2001)

Thinking , Reality

“In the quiet silent seconds I turned off the light switch
And I came down to meet you in the half light the moon left.
While a cluster of night jars sang some songs out of tune,
A mantle of bright light shone down from a room.”

Elton John

Come Down in Time
Song lyrics, Tumbleweed Connection (1970)

Light , Night

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