 Fictional single cover I create from a promo poster image.
Well so here I am at the end of the road
Where do I go from here? I always figured it would be like this Still nothing seems to be quite clear After the classical instrumental "Nocturne" seems to close out the album, "Got To Begin Again" appears like a coda or epilogue. Billy has just finished his first album, poured his heart and soul into this culmination of his life experience to date . . . now what? It's a question many musicians face after their initial work, which often explains why many suffer a sophomore slump with their second album. It's a theme Billy would explore later in 1982's "Where's The Orchestra" from The Nylon Curtain, which some consider his most ambitious album.
At the same time, the lyrics to "Got To Begin Again" can be interpreted as post-breakup song. The protagonist has just broken up with his lover, and now he has to begin again but he does not know where to start. He was "dreamin' of tomorrow so [he] sacrificed today" and now that it's over, perhaps due to his inattention to the relationship, he is lost. It's an underrated song, one of the better ones from Cold Spring Harbor, and an appropriate way to close a debut album. |
Words and Music by Billy Joel Well so here I am at the end of the road Where do I go from here? I always figured it would be like this Still nothing seems to be quite clear All the words have been spoken and the prophecy fulfilled But I just can't decide where to go Yes, it's been quite a day and I should go to sleep But tomorrow I will wake up and I'll know That I've got to begin again Though I don't know how to start Yes, I've got to begin again And it's hard Well it's been quite a while since I lifted my head And I'm sure the light will hurt my eyes I see the way that I've been spendin' my days And reality has caught me by surprise I was dreamin' of tomorrow so I sacrificed today And it sure was a grand waste of time And despite all the truth that's been thrown in my face I just can't get you out of my mind But I've got to begin again Though I don't know how start Yes I've got to begin again And it's hard Yes it's hard 
Billy Joel (1971). I believe this is a Family Productions publicity photo.
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Videos
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"Got To Begin Again" (audio only).
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Live version of "Got To Begin Again" (audio only) from recorded mini-concert at Ultrasonic Studios (Hempstead) in 1971.
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