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Movin Out Lyrics

Artist: Billy Joel
Album: Movin Out

Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin his pennies for some day
Mama Leone left a note on the door
She said "Sonny move out to the country"
Ah but working too hard can give you
A heart attack, ack, ack, ack, ack, ack
You ought-a know by now
Who needs a house out in Hackensack?
Is that all you get for your money?

And it seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama if that's movin up then I'm movin out
Mm I' movin out, mm oo oo uh huh mm hm

You should never argue with a crazy mi mi mi mi mi mind
You ought-a know by now
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
Then that's what you're all about
Good luck movin up cause I'm movin out
Mm I'm movin out Mm oo oo uh huh mm hm

Sergeant O'Leary is walkin the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatores
Down on Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
And he's tradin in his Chevy for
A Cadillac ack ack ack ack ack
You ought-a know by now
If he can't drive with a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders
(repeat chorus)

Comments/Interpretations

by boobie on 5/18/2008 9:41pm
my favoriteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee song evereverever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=]
by Drake Dietrick on 5/27/2008 5:19pm
'Movin' Out' & 'Thunder Rd.' should start out a mix...and cranked whenever you get in your truck or car...& blow outta town...to start over somewhere else.
'It's a town full of losers, & I'm pullin' out of here to win!!'
Mama if that's movin' up then I'm movin out.
Drake Dietrick
by joelfan63 on 6/24/2008 4:39pm
wonderful song.....chord prgressions are incredible
by billy joel freak on 7/2/2008 2:29pm
the best song ever!!!!!!!
by mrs.joel on 7/16/2008 9:13am
Isn't this out of order? I thought the "crazy mind" bit came after Sgt. O'Leary. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.
by just a guy on 7/16/2008 11:35pm
Mrs. Joel is right. The "Crazy mind" bit comes after the "Sergeant O'Leary" bit. I was listening to the song when I read this.
by G_Love on 8/6/2008 12:03am
I don't mean to sound insensitive, but it sounds like he says, "ni**er can't drive with a broken back..."

I suppose some will say I hear it that way cause I'm a bigot...whatever.
by Brett on 8/11/2008 4:30pm
Hahah, G_Love, not a bigot at all. I just listened to that part again, and that's exactly what it sounds like.
by richard on 8/14/2008 2:05pm
I thought that n# line for years, thought I was crazy, thanks for validation.
by G_Love on 9/2/2008 9:15am
Glad to see there are others out there who hear it the same way. It's really not about race...I don't care what race you are - you're going to have a hard time driving with a broken back.
by jimmy on 9/19/2008 2:27pm
so then why is O'leary exchanging his chevy for a cadillac hes makin dirty money on the side and someone f***ed him up for it?
by tapout on 9/25/2008 12:51pm
He says "Nicky" can't drive with a boken back...you all are retarded!!
by HELLO on 10/1/2008 12:03am
FIX THE LYRICS ON THIS SONG YOU HAVE 2nd & 3rd VERSE REVERSED. LISTEN TO THE SONG
by Carlo on 10/6/2008 5:54pm
LOL...I always thought it said Mister can't drive with a broken back..."
by georgia on 10/21/2008 6:01pm
nice song. . ."is that all you get for your money?". . .unfortunately, yes
by Zamboni on 10/23/2008 6:20am
My fingers smell like cheetos
by jamie on 11/6/2008 6:50pm
the best billy joel song ever! I think "Nicky" is the correct lyric, although it does sound like something else. Where the hell is hackensack?!
by The Treesloth on 11/10/2008 12:57pm
A local Orlando band called The Supervillains covered this in their latest disc called "Massive". They put a cool little reggae flair in it, sounds WAY awesome!
by Amanda Jamie on 11/20/2008 7:32pm
This song is the fucking amazing... but The Supervillains cover is MUCH better!!!!!!!!!
by Farrah on 12/7/2008 9:39pm
yeah the versus on this need to be switched for that part

Rooney does an AMAZING cover of this song
i love it and the original
by Anonymous on 12/19/2008 6:11pm
This is the WORST SONG EVER!
by Andy on 12/31/2008 1:57am
I love this song!!! its amazing. billy rox.
by ClaytonBigsby on 1/8/2009 7:48pm
Hmm.. sounds like n*****. He bought a CADILLAC and has to POLISH THE FENDERS... fucking racist asshole!
by ¢¾ on 1/12/2009 10:59pm
¢¾
by Billy_Joel_Is_Sexy on 2/22/2009 5:14pm
u have 2nd and 3rd verses mixed up.

BILLY JOEL IS SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!
by dan on 2/26/2009 11:01pm
any idiot who thinks he says nigger or whatever you are saying with your n#$%#'s. Is O'leary not a fucking irish name??????????????? Fucking think for a minute before you put your own lyrics into songs. wow. sounds completely like an irish name. I personally don't know too many black irish people, but those of you out there(named O'leary) i am sure that billy joel wasn't talking about you whenthese idiots imagined that they heard raci9st terms in his lyrics due to the fact that they have know idea about any origins of any names or anything about any geniology othyer than that which fits into there pro-racism stupidity by trying to improvise racism into classic music that obviously had no racism in it in the first place. Fuck people think before you talk, and or, type.
by Billy Joel's better on 3/2/2009 12:32pm
umm i just tried listening to supervillians cover of moving out and its not quite as good as billy joel's..sorry. billy sings it better and has faster beat which i think fits this song better.
by rae on 3/11/2009 6:58pm
its in the wrong order idoit

by BJ Rules on 3/19/2009 1:15pm
Love so many of Joel's songs,Movin Out,Piano Man,You May Be Right,New York Frame of Mind etc. but my absolute favorite is "Keeping The Faith"----"I thought I was the Duke of Earl, when I made it with a redhaired girl in a Chevrolet" lol----Ahhh the memories! :-)
by Random on 4/3/2009 5:51pm
This guy is simply amzaing. Saw in Sydney when I was on my travels un-believable as Steve Jobs would say
by lana on 4/5/2009 4:44pm
ok BJ well if ur such a big billy joel fan then u would know that the song is called "New York STATE of mind". duh.
by Andy on 4/9/2009 11:11am
Hackensack is in New Jersey.
by PeeJay on 6/17/2009 3:55pm
Minor typo for you:

In Billy Joel's Movin' Out—
"Mm I' movin out, mm oo oo uh huh mm hm"
Should be "I'M movin..."
by kw on 8/28/2009 11:05pm
DAN...yes O'Leary sounds like an Irish name. By the way...my best friend's last name is Burke. Another Irish name. He's 1/4 Irish. 3/4 black. O'Leary could definitely be a brotha.
by B7&tp on 9/4/2009 8:21pm
The stanzas arn't in the right order.
by dan on 9/16/2009 4:09pm
kw sucks 3/4 black dick
by cj on 10/14/2009 5:04pm
Yeah the 2nd verse is out of order but we all get the jist of it.
by Alexa on 12/2/2009 2:44pm
The lyrics are definately "and if ya cant drive with a broken back at least he can polish the fenders" Doesnt sound like the N word or Nicky at all. U must be listening to a crappy rip of the song. LISTEN TO THE SUPERVILLAINS COVER! WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEREALSUPERVILLAINS
Ive seen them live like 20 times and its my favorite song they play!
by Amanda on 12/2/2009 8:41pm
lmao you people are so oversensitive. They didn't say the N word to be rude...it really DOES sound like he says that in the song because it's sort of muffled and quick... I wanted to make sure that WASN'T what he said, and I'm sure lots of other people wanted to verify, too. SETTLE down. lol
by Interesting lyrics on 12/16/2009 3:15pm
Whats this tune about anyways?
by mike on 12/19/2009 9:20am
ha dan the troll is in love with billy joe. Haha my uncle jimmy o'leary is black and he still can polish a fender
by blue sky on 2/6/2010 9:06pm
hahaha dan who's being racist now? stop trying to be superior prick...online...maybe you should think before you type!!dan in real life...probably not doing so hot...
by Bob on 5/31/2010 8:42pm
Just for the reference Hackensack is in Bergen county northern new jersey
by Chuck on 6/17/2010 5:35pm
Turn up the volume and you can hear he's not using the N-word. Oh, wait, I forgot, your hearing is shot from having the volume about 100 db higher than the doc recommends for extended periods. The first thing that goes is your high-frequency response which provides intelligibility. That booming bass that your whole neighborhood can hear at 3 AM is really cool (to you), but it's killing your hearing! Someday you'll wish you could hear what your grandkids are telling you. "The Essential Billy Joel" is one of my favorite best-of CD's.
by Jim on 12/4/2010 11:53pm
He says "Nikki can't drive with a broken back". Not the other word
by Danny on 3/10/2011 7:17am
It's "And if he can't drive with a broken back, at least he can polish the fenders." Why would it be Nicky? Clearly he used the word "he both times.
by MILES JACKSON on 4/22/2011 5:17pm
how yall gona say he say nigga after u no the right words it sound diffrent i thought he said nigga until i look on here then i see if you cant drive with a broken back now i hear it diffrent
by dani on 4/30/2011 12:40am
haha I was on here double checking the cacciatore/sullivan street thing. Before I even read the comments I was listening to it and (for the first time ever) thought I heard him say nigga which freaked me out. But no he's not. I can see why people think that.
by JP on 10/26/2011 6:20pm
The lyric is, "and if he can't drive with a broken back". You have to consider the song's writer. What you all are suggesting has no appropiate reference. Maybe your imagination.
by Fried Chicken on 11/28/2011 1:39am
Okay, this is what I hate. People like Dan here who try to be cool on the internet and try be a totald-bag. To all of the Dans out there, suck my d*ck. Btw, favorite song, Billy Joel rocks.
by Brian on 2/6/2012 8:33pm
I always thought the song used the n word
by Telogor on 2/8/2012 8:37pm
Anyone who thinks that Billy Joel says "n*****" is deaf and racist for imagining that he says it.
by Telogor on 2/10/2012 8:55pm
I just listened to the Supervillains version...

IT'S NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS BILLY JOEL'S.
by Lightmuffin4 on 3/8/2012 5:31pm
This song reminds me of the good ol' days... and i think BJ ain't racist, either.
by jawn on 3/14/2012 11:28am
"An' if he can't drive with a broken back" ...Say it fast and see what happens
by trollman on 3/28/2012 10:35am
The line about the n**** word, that is why I am looking it up. I couldn;t imagine that was right, but it sure sounds like it.
by Sea on 3/28/2012 5:08pm
The song is saying people are breaking their backs at two jobs or having heart attacks just to get ahead to get a Cadillac or a house in the suburbs (Hacksack the desirable suburb of NYC).
by Lover of Music on 4/24/2012 6:18pm
I love this song, vianna, and piano man!!!!!!
by NiggaO'Leary on 4/27/2012 4:32pm
I happen to know a black guy with the last name O'Leary, so, to dumb ass Dan above, learn to spell, and lighten up, its just a song you moron! Everything doesn't have to revolve around race.
by Laurie on 5/6/2012 10:32am
OMG! 100% agree with SEA. Meaning: If success is "killing yourself with 2-3 jobs" to buy a fancy car or house out in the suburbs, if that is what it's all about, screw it". And PEOPLE, Hackensack IS in New Jersey, 12 miles from Manhattan, but itIS a suburb of NYC!
by David W on 5/24/2012 3:45pm
Is not Drake Dietrick's reasoning a little back-to-front? For the song is not about a town full of losers, or someone pullin' to win. "Mama if that's movin' up then I'm movin out" - is a rejection of the Rat Race. The cost is to high, if this is 'winning' then I'm Moving out.

P.S: Since this is 2012, then race insults (for that is what they are)should have no place. Such 'misunderstandings' are no jokes.


by ChadRyan on 5/29/2012 9:17pm
Cant believe i actually sat there and read all these comments! Dan is a duch and i thought it was nigga also! Brillant song!
by Brent OKC on 8/7/2012 7:21pm
There's no "nigger" or Nicky in this song...the lyric is, "an' if ya' can't drive with a broken back"...I just listened on headphones..try it:)
by billy joel crazer on 3/5/2013 3:08pm
woo
by Jnestor on 5/21/2013 5:06pm
Fuck the bourgeois. Long live the ethnic proletariat
by G-Love on 6/11/2013 3:04pm
For the record, I never thought BJ actually used the N-word. I just said it sounded like that, which is what brought me here to see what he DOES say.

And Dan is 100% correct, a black person couldn't possibly have a name like OLeary. #BarackOBAMA ;)
by J-Balls on 10/10/2013 10:06pm
Superviilains version is a joke. They didn't have enough talent of their own to write a legit classic like "movin' out" so they covered, and bastardized it.
by Readhead_girl on 1/31/2014 10:51pm
So..... I have billy Joel's complete collection because I am a huge fan and grew up listening to Billy Joel and the lyrics written by Billy Joel himself say, "a brother can't drive with a broken back". He is saying brother. Sure a hell sounds like nigger, bbig it's not. And honestly, let think about this for a second, billy Joel states in several interviews that he strives to sound soulful like an African American singer might. Also, his role model and the man who inducted him into the rock and roll hall of fame and te man who he named his daughter Alexa RAY Joel is a black man, Ray Charles. An he grew up in freaking New York around tons of blacks. I don't know about you, but that doesn't exactly sound like a racist man who would say nigger in his song. It's just one of those things that accidentally happened and the editors probably didn't realize until it was too late /: so calm down. It's gonna be alright
by thedude on 9/18/2015 3:06am
I always heard "nigga can't dive with a broken back as a kid," and never thought twice about it being "racist." It's a song; ever think it may be satirical? I'm a white guy and often think of myself as a "nigga" in the sense that unless you're rich, we all all slaves or "niggas"...
by sara on 6/9/2016 2:29pm
I HAD this ALBUM in the late 70's and it had the lyrics on the inner sleeve - even as a child I was a little shocked that it is NIGGA can't drive with a broken back, it was a term people from the hood have used about each other forever. I think it has been changed now to reflect the changes in society. I'm from Oak Cliff in dallas, tx home of Stevie Ray Vaughan and we are ghetto and proud.








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