Keeping The Faith

Album: An Innocent Man (1983)
Charted: 18
Play Video
  • If it seems like I've been lost
    In let's remember
    If you think I'm feeling older
    And missing my younger days
    Oh, then you should have known
    Me much better
    Cause my past is something that never
    Got in my way
    Oh no

    Still I would not be here now
    If I never had the hunger
    And I'm not ashamed to say
    The wild boys were my friends
    Oh
    Cause I never felt the desire
    'Til their music set me on fire
    And then I was saved, yeah
    That's why I'm keeping the faith
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
    Keeping the faith

    We wore matador boots
    Only Flagg Brothers had them with the Cuban heel
    Iridescent socks with the same color shirt
    And a tight pair of chinos
    Oh
    I put on my shark skin jacket
    You know the kind with the velvet collar
    And ditty-bop shades
    Oh yeah
    I took a fresh pack of Luckies
    And a mint called Sen-Sen
    My old man's Trojans
    And his Old Spice after shave
    Oh
    Combed my hair in a pompadour
    Like the rest of the Romeos wore
    A permanent wave
    Yeah
    We were keeping the faith
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
    Keeping the faith

    You can get just so much
    From a good thing
    You can linger too long
    In your dreams
    Say goodbye to the
    Oldies but goodies
    Cause the good ole days weren't
    Always good
    And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

    Learned stickball as a formal education
    Lost a lot of fights
    But it taught me how to lose O.K.
    Oh
    I heard about sex
    But not enough
    I found you could dance
    And still look tough anyway
    Oh yes I did
    I found out a man ain't just being macho
    Ate an awful lot of late night drive-in food
    Drank a lot of take-home pay
    I thought I was the Duke of Earl
    When I made it with a red-haired girl
    In the Chevrolet
    Oh yeah
    We were keeping the faith
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
    Keeping the faith

    You know the good ole days weren't
    Always good
    And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

    Now I told you my reasons
    For the whole revival
    Now I'm going outside to have
    An ice cold beer in the shade
    Oh
    I'm going to listen to my 45's
    Ain't it wonderful to be alive
    When the rock 'n' roll plays
    Yeah
    When the memory stays
    Yeah
    I'm keeping the faith
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
    Keeping the faith
    I'm keeping the faith
    Yes I am Writer/s: BILLY JOEL
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 10

  • Stukka63 from St.augustine,fla.This song is kick ass.
    It’s full of innuendos, so take it any way you want it.
  • Dawn from MaineOn another song site that gives more detail about the lyrics of the song, it says that "Wild Boys" are a reference to Billy Joel growing up in NY/NJ and West Side Story. This song came out when I was about 12 and I thought the "Wild Boys" were a reference to Duran Duran's song - like Billy was saying he wasn't too cool to say Duran Duran was cool too. It's a little funny I thought that though, as the songs were out simultaneously. I have seen West Side Story quite a bit, however, and can't think of anything that is named Wild Boys, capital W capital B, but maybe it just means that they were "wild boys" (lower case letters)?
  • Adam from York, Pa"When I made it with a red haired girl in a chevrolet"
    My first dance was with a red-haired girl to a slightly more famous billy joel song, piano man.
  • Darrell from EugeneThis song brings back lots of memories of when I was a young man. By the way, Sen-Sen mints taste like fire.
  • Manuel from Santo Domingo, OtherGreat song, great lyrics, I love billy Joel
  • Ken from Louisville, KyAt the end of the music video, Joe Piscopo makes a cameo appearance "doing" his Sinatra immitation. He tips a shoeshine boy $100 and tells him to "keep the faith". Sinatra often gave HUGE tips to shoeshine boys and bell boys.
  • Ken from Louisville, KyBilly Joel performed this on NBC's "Today Show" in 2005. He said it was the first time he had ever performed this song on a television show.
  • Ken from Louisville, KyThe music video was VERY reminicent to George Harrison's video for "This Song", as both were set in "rock and roll court". In the plot to the Joel video, Billy was on trial for not "keeping the faith".

  • Ken from Louisville, KyMany radio stations dubbed in the word "Lucky's" for "Trojan's" in the line "My old man's Trojan's", not wishing to give free advertising to a brand of condoms.

  • John from Monvtille, NjGreat friggin' song. Billy is a superb lyricist.
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