Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Released as a UK B-side in September, 1973
When I was a boy I had a lot of fun
I lived by the sea, I was a fisherman's son
My mother she was a fisherman's wife
She was scrubbing floors most of her life
They said screw you
I ain't got nothing to lose
I could paper a matchbox
With the money I use
At the school I attended I got into fights
I was beaten in an alley on a cold winter night
The teachers cared less for the blood in our veins
They got most of their thrills out of using a cane
They said screw you
Oh you bloody young fools
I could get more sense
Out of the back end of a mule
So you see there's man who get paid for being slaves
And men who get paid for being free
And there's men behind bars who pray for the light
And men in the suburbs who pray for the night
And they're all trying to climb to the top of the mine
And all of them say most of the way
Screw you
I worked in the mill from seven till nine
Tears in my eyes nearly drove me half-blind
Trying to make wages that weren't even there
Taking hell from a foreman with the build of a bear
He said screw you
This is all you'll ever do
It's the only existence for someone like you(Chorus)
Stop trying, stop trying to call her,
She doesn't want your sympathy
Stop trying, stop trying to call her
She's exactly what she wants to be.
She goes up and down but never goes out
She's getting it all for free
She's shadow boxing loosing the bout
Its pretty easy to see
I know you've, you've seen a better sight
You say you really wanna help
You better open your eyes, hey
We see the morning face in the bathroom mirror
She's careful never to see
It tells a story of the sleepless nights
not what she seems to be
I know you've, you've seen a better days
You say you owe it to yourself
You're gonna change your ways
(Chorus to fade)