Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin' his pennies for someday
Mama Leone left a note on the door, She said,
"Sonny, move out to the country."
Workin' too hard can give me
A heart attack
You oughta know by now
Who needs a house out in Hackensack?
Is that what you get with your money?
It seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out.
Sergeant O'Leary is walkin'' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fendersChorus
You should never argue with a crazy mind
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with overtime
Is that all you get for your money?Chorus
Billy Joel revealed on the Howard Stern show in 2024 that the song originally sounded almost identically to Neil Sedaka's "Laughter in the Rain". He said that he always writes melodies first and fills in the lyrics later. When he got to the studio, he was teaching the band the song and he said they looked at him like he had three heads and told him what it sounded like. He had unconsciously channeled the song and quickly changed it to the song we know today.
