And he shall be Levon/
And he shall be a good man.
Elton John’s “Levon” is about three generations of the Tostig family: Alvin Tostig who is Levon Tostig’s dad, and Jesus Tostig who is the youngest, Levon’s son. Each Tostig is a good man and desires the best for their son, but most of all, each wants their son to achieve more in life than they did.
It is very much a tale of the American dream. Levon owns a semi-successful balloon company but his son Jesus just looks at the balloons and dreams of being an astronaut. This makes Levon both proud and disappointed. He is happy that Jesus is looking to better himself but slightly disappointed that he doesn’t see himself continuing the family business. I really like structure of the song, and how Taupin is simply telling us a story about a family.
The melody of the verse and chorus in addition to the story-telling all add up to make “Levon” a great song. The song is produced extremely well. Most of John’s albums are. After the piano intro, the strings do most of the weight-lifting. Though there are some crazy piano solos that really show off Elton’s piano chops. He is the best rock piano player (on this list and not on this list). Nina Simone is better than him, but I don’t consider her rock.
Levon Lyrics
Levon wears his war wound like a crown.
He calls his child Jesus,
’cause he likes the name,
And he sends him to the finest school in town.
Levon, Levon likes his money,
He makes a lot they say.
Spends his days counting
In a garage by the motorway.
He was born a pauper
To a pawn on a Christmas day,
When the New York Times
Said God is dead, and the war’s begun.
Alvin Tostig has a son today.
And he shall be Levon!
And he shall be a good man.
And he shall be Levon,
In tradition with the family plan.
And he shall be Levon,
And he shall be a good man.
He shall be Levon.
Levon’s sells cartoon balloons in town.
His family business thrives.
Jesus blows up balloons all day,
Sits on the porch swing watching them fly.
And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus,
Leave Levon far behind.
Take a balloon and go sailing,
While Levon, Levon slowly dies.
He was born a pauper
To a pawn on a Christmas day,
When the New York Times
Said God is dead, and the war’s begun.
Alvin Tostig has a son today.
And he shall be Levon!
And he shall be a good man.
And he shall be Levon,
In tradition with the family plan.
And he shall be Levon,
And he shall be a good man.
He shall be Levon.
And he shall be Levon!
And he shall be a good man.
And he shall be Levon,
In tradition with the family plan, woo.
And he shall be Levon,
And he shall be a good man.
He shall be Levon.
written by Elton John/ Bernie Taupin
Levon is a form of the name Levi meaning Lion.
The SONG “by” Elton John was inspired by Levon Helm, the drummer (and lead singer) of The Band.
The lyrics were actually Bernie Taupin’s not Elton’s. IMHO Bernie doesn’t get anywhere near enough mention for Elton’s early fame.
The song is about a man totally bored with doing the same thing over and over, he is in a major rut.
Levon Helm says the song isn’t ABOUT him because he doesn’t see himself anywhere in the lyrics. Of course Levon Helm passed about 10 years ago so we can’t revisit the question.
In the song Levon’s son, Jesus, spends the day blowing up balloons, watching them float away and dreams of being an astronaut or something bigger and more important than his Dad. Meanwhile Levon sells them in the park where his father, Alvin, sold them before him. He wants to leave but keeps showing up to sell balloons. He is the second generation of the family selling balloons and both fears and hopes his son will follow in his footsteps.
It is the story of the American dream, everyone wants their kid to exceed their success and stature, be more comfortable and happier, yet can only give them what they have and hope it continues to succeed to a higher degree in the following generation. Meanwhile you see your efforts are not enough, the world changes and leaves parts of you behind meanwhile the children have no interest in the family business, strive for something else and forget the foundation they build upon was erected by their parents, eventually leaving them behind as antiquated and an embarrassment. In the son Jesus hasn’t hit that point yet he is still a dreamer and Levon supports the son’s dream knowing that it is his (Levon’s) nightmare.