The Stranger

"The Stranger" is a song by rock artist Billy Joel from his 1977 album of the same name, The Stranger, about the id of the human psyche where desire and primal instincts are supposedly held in check by the superego (according to the theories of Sigmund Freud). The song was released as a single in Japan where it became very popular and peaked at #2 on the Oricon chart. It was the last single from the album in Japan, while the US and UK saw "She's Always a Woman", released the previous year, as the last single from the album. The single is featured in Billy Joel's greatest hits album, Greatest Hits - Volume I & II. A two-minute instrumental reprise of this song is featured at the end of the The Stranger album.

[Instrumental intro] [Verse 1] Well, we all have a face That we hide away forever And we take them out and show ourselves When everyone has gone Some are satin, some are steel Some are silk and some are leather They're the faces of a stranger But we'd love to try them on [Chorus] Well, we all fall in love But we disregard the danger Though we share so many secrets There are some we never tell Why were you so surprised That you never saw the stranger? Did you ever let your lover See the stranger in yourself? [Post Chorus] Don't be afraid to try again Everyone goes south every now and then You've done it Why can't someone else? You should know by now You've been there yourself [Verse 2] Once I used to believe I was such a great romancer Then I came home to a woman That I could not recognize When I pressed her for a reason She refused to even answer It was then I felt the stranger Kick me right between the eyes [Chorus] Well, we all fall in love But we disregard the danger Though we share so many secrets There are some we never tell Why were you so surprised That you never saw the stranger? Did you ever let your lover See the stranger in yourself? [Post Chorus] Don't be afraid to try again Everyone goes south every now and then You've done it Why can't someone else? You should know by now You've been there yourself [Verse 3] You may never understand How the stranger is inspired But he isn't always evil And he is not always wrong Though you drown in good intentions You will never quench the fire You'll give in to your desire When the stranger comes along Ooo ooo Ooh ooh [Instrumental outro]