In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense
And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose [ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/billy_joel/and_so_it_goes.html ]
But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break
And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows.
I agree with lalalalisaaa, but furthermore, he is also describing that every heart has the capability to heal itself and open itself up to the chance of love again. It is also very much pointed toward one person in his life (at the time he wrote it, i don't know who that would have been), and he's saying that at first he was walking on egg-shells with her, not wanting to upset her or ruin the chance before it even started, then he says that he has pushed her away (when he talks about his silence), which can probably be contributed to the fact that there were some mixed signals between them. Then of course, in the end he gives in and confesses that he wants to be with her and he throws himself (his heart) out there for her to decide if he's worth taking the chance on.