Elvis Costello

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'Elvis Costello' is featured as a movie character in the following productions:

Delirious (2006)

Actors

Plot
Les, a small-time celebrity photographer desperate to make it big, befriends Toby, a homeless young man with no direction except a vague desire to become an actor. When by chance Toby becomes romantically involved with K'Harma Leeds, the hottest pop star of the moment, Les grows jealous and plots revenge.

Keywords: actor, apartment, bathroom, birthday-party, camera, celebrity, closet, coffee, computer-cracking, falling-in-love

Genres

Taglines:

Everybody deserves their shot

Sans plomb (2000)

Actors

Genres

200 Cigarettes (1999)

Actors

Plot
New Year's Eve, 1981, the Lower East Side. Monica's having a party, but as late as 9, no one's there. She stews (and drinks). Folks are on their way, all looking for love, sex, or both. En route, paths cross, gambits misfire: a performance artist, her boyfriend until today and his long-time pal Lucy, two Long Island high-school girls, two punk rockers, a bartender, a Scottish painter who's lousy in bed, a pretty face named Jack who runs when women say they love him, his cute but clumsy date Cindy, two trendy vamps, a loquacious cabby, the man-crazed Hillary, and Elvis Costello. Nearly everybody smokes, and nearly everybody scores. And all get who and what they deserve.

Keywords: 1980s, 8-track, actor, actress, art-gallery, artist, asian-indian-american, asian-indian-music, asian-indian-musician, asian-indian-restaurant

Genres

Taglines:

It's 11:59 on New Year's Eve. Do you know where your date is?

Quotes:

Ellie: These matches are disappointing me!

Bartender: And I'm not gay, ok? I get that all the time. No, I'm not gay.

Jack: Look, what happened between us last night is like this ongoing problem with me. It happens all the time: I meet someone, we go home together, but then the next day it's...::Cindy: What? Next day what?::Jack: Well, they tell me that suddenly they've developed these feelings for me.::Cindy: What are you saying, that every woman you go home with falls in love with you or something?::Jack: Yes! It's like a curse! It never ends!::Cindy: A woman falls in love with you and you think that's a curse?::Jack: You have no idea!::Cindy: No! I don't! Because I think you're lucky! I mean, there are some people who wait their entire lives for somebody to tell them they feel that way about them, and you, you just throw it away like it's nothing, like it's a minor inconvenience! Well let me tell you something, Jack, you are cursed - just not the way you think you are.

Lucy: You need to find somebody that likes you the way you are.::Kevin: And who would possibly like me the way I am?::Lucy: I have no idea.

Bartender: Those clothes and my clothes would look good on my floor.

Stephie: You just stay the fuck away from B!

[Lucy hands Kevin a bag]::Kevin: What's this?::Lucy: It's your birthday present, fuck head, open it.

Kevin: Look, I'm just gonna go home and kill myself. You wanna share a cab?::Lucy: So I can pass out and wake up *alone* on New Year's Day?

Ellie: I've dated enough narcissistically neurotic men to know that you are all just a pack of roving babies in search of a giant teat from which to suck the lifeblood out of me until I am a hollow shell.

Eric: You bring me over here, and you tell me I'm the worst lover you ever had. And now you tell me it can't be helped.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

Actors

Plot
Dr. Evil uses a device he calls a "Time Machine" to travel back to 1969 and remove Austin Powers' mojo. The sexually wounded swinger must travel back in time and, with the help of agent Felicity Shagwell, recover his vitality. Meanwhile, Dr. Evil's personal life runs amok as he discovers love, continues to shun his son and develops a close relationship with himself. Well, actually, a clone 1/8 his size whom he dubs "Mini-Me". The always time-baffled Dr. Evil begins his plan to put a gigantic cannon on the moon, thus turning it into a device called either "The Death Star" or "Alan Parson's Project," depending on which name is available.

Keywords: 1960s, 1990s, actor-playing-himself, actor-playing-multiple-roles, android, aphrodisiac, baby-carriage, bachelor-pad, bagpipes, bedroom

Genres

Taglines:

First, he fought for the Crown. Now he's fighting for the Family Jewels.
I'm Back, Baby!
You Were Expecting Someone Else?
Double-O Behave!
"I'm Coming Again, Baby!" [Australia]
The return of Dr. Evil.
If you see only one movie this summer, see Star Wars. But if you see two movies this summer, see Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
The BRITISH Empire Strikes Back!
He's back, he's even bigger and he's up for it!

Quotes:

Fat Bastard: [to Mini Me] I'm bigger than you and higher up the food chain. Get in my belly.

[Noticing Dr. Evil's spaceship on radar]::Radar Operator: Colonel, you better have a look at this radar.::Colonel: What is it, son?::Radar Operator: I don't know, sir, but it looks like a giant...::Jet Pilot: Dick. Dick, take a look out of starboard.::Co-Pilot: Oh my God, it looks like a huge...::Bird-Watching Woman: Pecker.::Bird-Watching Man: [raising binoculars] Ooh, Where?::Bird-Watching Woman: Over there. What sort of bird is that? Wait, it's not a woodpecker, it looks like someone's...::Army Sergeant: Privates. We have reports of an unidentified flying object. It has a long, smooth shaft, complete with...::Baseball Umpire: Two balls.::[looking up from game]::Baseball Umpire: What is that. It looks just like an enormous...::Chinese Teacher: Wang. pay attention.::Wang: I was distracted by that giant flying...::Musician: Willie.::Willie: Yeah?::Musician: What's that?::Willie: [squints] Well, that looks like a huge...::Colonel: Johnson.::Radar Operator: Yes, sir?::Colonel: Get on the horn to British Intelligence and let them know about this.

Scott: If you've got a time machine, why don't you just go back and kill Austin Powers when he's sitting on the crapper or something?::Dr. Evil: How about, no, Scott? Okay?

Austin: Let's hop on the good foot and do the bad thing.

Austin: Yes, Yes, Yes! NO NO!

Dr. Evil: As you know, every diabolical scheme I've hatched has been thwarted by Austin Powers. And why is that, ladies and gentlemen?::Scott: Because you never kill him when you get the chance, and you're a big dope?

Dr. Evil: The moon unit will be divided into two divisions: Moon Unit Alpha and Moon Unit Zappa.

Austin: [referring to Felicity sleeping with Fat Bastard] Well how could you do it?::Felicity Shagwell: I was just doing my job.::Austin: No, I mean, literally, HOW could you do it? The man's so fat, the sheer mechanics of it are mind-boggling.

Scott: [both are the Jerry Springer show] How could you do this to me? On national television!::Dr. Evil: Well throw me a freakin' bone here, Scott.::Scott: Why did you run out on me?::Dr. Evil: Because you're not quite evil enough. [audience boos]::Dr. Evil: Well it's true! It's true! You're semi-evil. You're quasi-evil. You're the margarine of evil. You're the Diet Coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough.

Austin: Those are skin tight. How do you get into those pants baby?::Felicity Shagwell: You can start by buying me a drink.

Spice World (1997)

Actors

Plot
Climb aboard the double decker Spice Bus and get ready for a madcap musical adventure with the sexy phenomenons of pop - the Spice Girls. An encounter with extra-terrestrials, a night in a haunted castle, and a moment of truth in a maternity ward are just a few of the escapades the endeavored upon as the Girls gear up for their first live concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Keywords: birth, bus, celebrity-has-been, childbirth, concert, critically-bashed, dance, expectant-mother, extremely-rich, female-bonding

Genres

Taglines:

They perform for royalty and entertain millions the world over. But now, they're making a movie.
You say you want a revolution?
They Don't Just Sing!
Five girls. Five days. One rocking world!

Quotes:

Judge: Emma, Victoria, Melvin C., Melvin B., Geri. You've been charged with releasing a single that is by no means as kicking as your previous records. Nor does it have such a dirty phat bass line. You are sentenced to having your next record enter the charts at 179 and having it fall completely out the following week.::[bangs the gavel]::Judge: Call Hootie and the Blowfish!

Kevin McMaxford: Something's happening to me. What is it?::Brian: You're smiling, sir.

Scary Spice: Listen, you! It's up to us whether we turn up to this gig or not tomorrow, alright?::Clifford: Okay, stay at home! *That's* fine!::Scary Spice: Fine!::Ginger Spice: Fine!::Sporty: What about the fans? We can't let them down!::Deborah: He didn't mean that!::Clifford: Oh, didn't I?::Baby: Can we please stop arguing?::Posh: When you know exactly what is supposed to be happening, would somebody please let me know? [exits angrily]::Scary Spice: Oh, great, Clifford. Now look what you've gone and done!::Clifford: Well, that's just too bad!::Scary Spice: Yeah, well, it is too bad, 'cause, you know what? I'm going home now. See ya! [exits angrily]::Clifford: Bye!::Baby: Can we just *stop* all this? It's doing my head in! [exits]::Sporty: Emma! [glares at Clifford and then follows Emma]::Ginger Spice: I hope you know what you're doing! 'Cause if you're looking for a fight, you're gonna lose! [exits]::Clifford: [to Deborah] What do you think? No, I don't want to know what you think... what do you think?::Deborah: I think you definitely, definitely lost.::Clifford: I think-I think I may have just started the break up of the spice girls! [moans/shouts in dispair] AHHHHHHH!

Baby: In my bed, I've got two teddies, I've got a rabbit, I've got two dollies, and one Susan, she's got a bad eye, [they cut to other peoples' conversations then back to Emma, still talking] and then I've got a green giraffe which I won at a fair, he was the only one left, I felt *really* sorry for him, [cuts back and forth, again] then there's Buzz, Woody, the alien, and then I've got a fluffy pink hot water bottle. So, there's just not enough room for you, mate! [pats him on the shoulder which is sweaty and then looks a the sweat that's now on her hand]... ugh!

Baby: We've got to see Nicola in the morning. The baby's overdue.::Clifford: Babies are allowed to be overdue - you're not.

Piers Cuthbertson-Smyth: [singing while inquiring of three getting in on one ticket] Tonight is the night when three become one.

Dennis: Hey man, I love these girls, and I'd do anything for them, but I won't do that.

Clifford: Look at this! Front page news, again. Suppose the whole lot of you'd been drowned.::Ginger Spice: Well, we weren't though, were we?::Posh: Speak for yourself.::Clifford: What did you think you were doing? Going off like that?::Scary Spice: We were just having fun!::Clifford: What?::Baby: Fun! You know, like ha-ha-ha-ha-HA!::Sporty: Look, Clifford, we're old enough to take responsibility for our own lives, d'you know what I mean?::Clifford: You don't have a life, you have a schedule! You are part of a well-oiled, global machine! There are people everywhere working their butts off for you! People like Deborah, here.::Deborah: Oh, can we leave my butt out of this, please?::Ginger Spice: Oh, just don't be so uptight, Clifford.::Clifford: Uptight? UPTIGHT? You've got a live gig here tomorrow. It's my job to see that you turn up. My *bum* is on the line, here!::Posh: Can you please leave *butts* and *bums* out of this, for one minute?::Sporty: Clifford, some things are more important than gigs, you know.::Clifford: Like what?::Ginger Spice: Like self respect and our freedom, for a start!::Baby: Yeah, and friendship!::Clifford: What are you saying? You-you don't want to turn up here, tomorrow night?::Ginger Spice: [defiantly] Well, maybe we *dont*!::Baby: What'd you say that for?::Ginger Spice: I don't know, I just said it.

The Chief: When the rabbit of chaos is pursued by the ferret of disorder through the fields of anarchy, it is time to hang your pants on the hook of darkness. Whether they're clean or not.

Posh: It's always the same. I never know what to wear.::Sporty: It must be so hard for you, Victoria. I mean, having to decide whether to wear the little Gucci dress, the little Gucci dress, or... the little Gucci dress!::Posh: Exactly.::Baby: I know, why don't you wear the little Gucci dress?::Posh: Good idea. Thanks, Em.

Costello, Elvis Filmography

British Summer Time Hyde Park
2013, role: actor
Experience Montreux
2013, role: actor , character name: Himself
Top of the Pops: The Story of 1978
2013, role: actor , character name: Himself
Elvis Costello
2013, role: actor , character name: Himself
Hank Cochran: Livin' for a Song
2012, role: actor , character name: Himself
Village Music: Last of the Great Record Stores
2012, role: actor , character name: Himself
In Good Time: The Piano Jazz of Marian McPartland
2011, role: actor , character name: Himself
I Was There: When the Beatles Played the Cavern
2011, role: actor , character name: Himself
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards
2010, role: actor , character name: Himself
Treme Musical Performances
2010, role: actor , character name: Himself
Straight to Hell Returns
2010, role: actor , character name: Hives
Love Shines
2010, role: actor , character name: Himself
Treme Musical Performances: The Greatest Love
2010, role: actor , character name: Himself
The Simpsons: Celebrity Friends
2010, role: actor , character name: Himself
A Prairie Home Companion Live in HD!
2010, role: actor , character name: Himself - Singer
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live: Come Together
2009, role: actor , character name: Himself
Tribute This!
2008, role: actor , character name: Himself
The Big O in Britain
2008, role: actor , character name: Himself
The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice
2008, role: actor , character name: Himself
A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
2008, role: actor , character name: Himself
My Night at the Grammys
2007, role: actor , character name: Himself
If It Ain't Stiff
2007, role: actor , character name: Himself - Interviewee
The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
2007, role: actor , character name: Himself
Tony Bennett: Duets - The Making of an American Classic
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself
Putting the River in Reverse
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself
Delirious
2006, role: actor , character name: Elvis Costello
Before the Music Dies
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself - Musician
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Event for Autism Education
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself
Hot as a Pistol, Keen as a Blade
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself
The Harry Smith Project Live
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself
iPOP
2006, role: actor , character name: Himself - Guest
Elvis Costello and the Imposters: Live in Memphis
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello - The Videos
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
Tammy Wynette: 'Til I Can Make It on My Own
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
All We Are Saying
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
New York Noise Presents: Summer in the City
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
NotNa
2005, role: actor , character name: Himself
The 76th Annual Academy Awards
2004, role: actor , character name: Himself - Performer: 'The Scarlet Tide'
Fallen Angel: Gram Parsons
2004, role: actor , character name: Himself
Ray Davies: The World from My Window
2004, role: actor , character name: Himself
De-Lovely
2004, role: actor , character name: Musical Performer
Emmylou Harris: From a Deeper Well
2004, role: actor , character name: Himself
Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile'
2004, role: actor , character name: Himself
Fuji Rock Festival '03
2003, role: actor , character name: Himself
I Love Your Work
2003, role: actor , character name: Himself
Live by Request: Elvis Costello
2003, role: actor , character name: Himself - Performer
Ricky Gervais' and Stephen Merchant's Video Diary of the Making of Series Two of 'The Office'
2003, role: actor , character name: Himself
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
2003, role: actor , character name: Himself

Famous quotes by Elvis Costello:

"The songs will tell a story that I have imagined existing between the lines of Andersen's biography and some of his most famous tales, ... They speak of a misfit's love for an unattainable woman and a struggle between a huckster and someone who composes music in secret."

"Seems to me, that the worlds are moving closer together rather than one invading the other. I believe that music is connected by human passions and curiosities rather than by marketing strategies."

"[Commercial radio] is owned by one or two corporations now, and they're not in the music business. They're in the advertising business, ... So let's not kid ourselves. If you want to hear music, go buy a guitar."

"The words that are being spoken are serious, whether you take them at face value or listen to them at all, ... I'm not a preacher, I'm a singer. I can sing about serious things, but I don't think I have to put on a pious face to do it."

"It would be a surprise if people thought I would be playing a lot of rock 'n' roll."

"We have to speak up now,"

"I just hope we keep in our minds that an effort like this can never be too expensive."

"There's no such thing as an original sin."

"I used to be disgusted; now I try to be amused."

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture - it's a really stupid thing to want to do"

"I find humming is very useful."

"Obviously the people that I admired, like the Beatles, were really into rock'n'roll, but it was already a little past rock'n'roll when I started listening and making my own choices about music."

"I found with this record I had to really be strong-willed, because in the past I've tended to tinker and add a thing or take a thing away, and nearly always been wrong."

"I've been lucky to listen to lots of different types of music."

"And obviously, when I started out, I had a little bit more curiosity than some, and went seeking out the original artists, or in some cases searching up country music."

"Very similar experience happened last year when we released this album, North. It was on Deutsche Grammophon, it was very, very honest. It was the most honest record I've ever written."

"And over the last ten years, after my work with the Brodsky Quartet, I had the opportunity to write arrangements for chamber group, chamber orchestra, jazz orchestra, symphony orchestra even."

"Well, T Bone's had a remarkable career as a producer since the time that we first worked together. He was dividing his time between recording and producing when we first met, and touring. We toured together and we were great friends."

"My ultimate vocation in life is to be an irritant."

"Well, I've had a lot of different experiences in music over the years. And not everything you do can satisfy everybody's idealised version of you."

An Interview with Elvis Costello at Levon Helm's Studios - Radio Woodstock 100.1 - 11/14/13

Order: Reorder
Duration: 38:55
Updated: 03 Sep 2014
author: RadioWoodstock

Greg Gattine sits down with Elvis Costello and discusses Levon Helm, playing with The Roots and much more. Filmed by: Dino Davaros & Sean Engvold Edited by: ...

http://wn.com/An_Interview_with_Elvis_Costello_at_Levon_Helm's_Studios_-_Radio_Woodstock_100.1_-_11_14_13

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Elvis Costello - Mavis Nicholson interview 1989

Order: Reorder
Duration: 24:16
Updated: 15 Jan 2015

Dusting off the and converting the old VHS tapes...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Mavis_Nicholson_interview_1989

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Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Kid About It/Interview/Man Out Of Time (Live On Letterman 1982)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 18:46
Updated: 16 Jul 2014

Elvis Costello & The Attractions perform 'Kid About It' and 'Man Out Of Time' on Late Night with David Letterman. Dave interviews Elvis between songs. (23/08/1982) Taken from a longer compilation video on Youtube which was badly out of sync. Syncing has been fixed. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOmMh0XQ53U

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_The_Attractions_-_Kid_About_It_Interview_Man_Out_Of_Time_(Live_On_Letterman_1982)

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Spectacle - Elvis Costello with THE POLICE live 2008

Order: Reorder
Duration: 45:48
Updated: 02 May 2014

FOLLOW US: https://www.facebook.com/ThePoliceexcommunicated https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePoliceExcomm/videos https://vimeo.com/thepoliceexcommunicated/videos https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePoliceExcomm2

http://wn.com/Spectacle_-_Elvis_Costello_with_THE_POLICE_live_2008

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Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe - Radio Interview WBCN-FM Boston 1978

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:15
Updated: 25 Oct 2012

broadcast on May 4, 1978

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_Nick_Lowe_-_Radio_Interview_WBCN-FM_Boston_1978

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Jonathan Ross: Elvis Costello: Alison

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:39
Updated: 31 Aug 2013

Acoustic version of Alison from the Jonathan Ross Show - Elvis just happens to bring his guitar o the interview. As ever with a Jonathan Ross interview-how come no-one punches him?

http://wn.com/Jonathan_Ross_Elvis_Costello_Alison

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Glad Rag Doll - Elvis Costello interviews Diana Krall & T...

Order: Reorder
Duration: 10:59
Updated: 31 Aug 2014
author: DianaKrallVEVO

http://wn.com/Glad_Rag_Doll_-_Elvis_Costello_interviews_Diana_Krall_&_T...

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Elvis Costello 1st TV interview

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:32
Updated: 25 Aug 2014
author: 0632357

September 1977, ITV UK Good Afternoon show, interview and Watcing the Detectives solo live.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_1st_TV_interview

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Elvis Costello being interviewed on the Richard & Judy Show

Order: Reorder
Duration: 9:45
Updated: 26 Aug 2014
author: MrCjp52

Cringe making interview (does Richard Madley do anything else?) covering a number of topics including the newly released North album. Worth it if just for th...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_being_interviewed_on_the_Richard_&_Judy_Show

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Kumas at No 42: Elvis Costello interview

Order: Reorder
Duration: 13:57
Updated: 11 Aug 2014
author: MrCjp52

A spoof chat show which ran on BBC in the early 2000s which pitched an ordinary asian family hosting famous folk in their own home. In this episode Elvis vis...

http://wn.com/Kumas_at_No_42_Elvis_Costello_interview

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David Letterman, HQ, Elvis Costello, 11/03/08

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:13
Updated: 06 Aug 2014
author: yurtg mabtu

david letterman, letterman 2013, david letterman 2013,david letterman 2012, david letterman 2011,david letterman 2010,david letterman 2009,david letterman 20...

http://wn.com/David_Letterman,_HQ,_Elvis_Costello,_11_03_08

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Elvis Costello interviews Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell

Order: Reorder
Duration: 61:57
Updated: 17 May 2015

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell celebrate the release of their new duo album, The Traveling Kind. Recorded on May 12, 2015 in New York, NY. Featuring Jed Hughes.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_interviews_Emmylou_Harris_and_Rodney_Crowell

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Elvis Costello When I Write The Book BBC The One Show 2015

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:28
Updated: 29 May 2015

Elvis Costello performing a medley of When I Write The Book and Everyday I Write The Book on The One Show May 2015

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_When_I_Write_The_Book_BBC_The_One_Show_2015

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Steve Nieve "Together" - New album out February 2014 - Sting / Elvis Costello Interview

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:49
Updated: 30 Aug 2014
author: earMUSIC

Tracklist: 1. Save the World (feat. Tall Ulyss) 2. Conversation (feat. Vanessa Paradis) 3. You Lie Sweetly (feat. Sting) 4. What a Holiday (Pandemonium) (fea...

http://wn.com/Steve_Nieve_"Together"_-_New_album_out_February_2014_-_Sting_Elvis_Costello_Interview

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Elvis Costello - Live at Amoeba!

Order: Reorder
Duration: 19:09
Updated: 24 Aug 2014
author: Amoeba

On June 22, 2009, Elvis Costello played two Amoeba stores in one day! For the full performance video, visit: http://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/videos/elvis-co...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Live_at_Amoeba!

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Interview - Elvis Costello & Questlove - Sound Session - Live in NYC

Order: Reorder
Duration: 10:35
Updated: 24 Aug 2014
author: Bowers & Wilkins

Elvis Costello and Questlove sit down with us to discuss their Blue Note Records album "Wise Up Ghost" before our Sound Session event in New York City.

http://wn.com/Interview_-_Elvis_Costello_&_Questlove_-_Sound_Session_-_Live_in_NYC

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Interview exlusive d'Elvis Costello - Archive INA

Order: Reorder
Duration: 39:00
Updated: 13 Jun 2014
author: Ina Stars

1er mars 1989 Elvis COSTELLO présente son dernier album "Spike" dans lequel figure une chanson co-écrite avec Paul McCARTNEY "Veronica". Il revient sur sa co...

http://wn.com/Interview_exlusive_d'Elvis_Costello_-_Archive_INA

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Pete Towsewnd Elvis Costello Hal Blaine and Brian Wilson Interview

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:40
Updated: 15 Aug 2014
author: ThisWholeWorld100

http://wn.com/Pete_Towsewnd_Elvis_Costello_Hal_Blaine_and_Brian_Wilson_Interview

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Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve: "45" and interview

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:11
Updated: 07 Nov 2013
author: Larry Rulz

Recorded and broadcast on September 29, 1999.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_Steve_Nieve_"45"_and_interview

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Elvis Costello: Interview

Order: Reorder
Duration: 10:26
Updated: 24 Jun 2014
author: Absolute Radio

Elvis Costello joins Geoff Lloyd for a chat about dealing with adoring fans, how he used to whistle all the time at school, his album National Ransom and more.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Interview

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Elvis Costello interviews Kim Cattrall [Late Show 2003].

Order: Reorder
Duration: 0:29
Updated: 24 Jun 2015

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_interviews_Kim_Cattrall_Late_Show_2003_.

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Elvis Costello interview excerpt on session musicians

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:22
Updated: 20 Jun 2014
author: archivesmp

In this brief segment of an interview (circa 1998) Elvis Costello talks about his experiences working with Larry Knechtel (and other noteworthy session music...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_interview_excerpt_on_session_musicians

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Elvis Costello and The Attractions - I Hope You're Happy Now, Peace In Our Time 1984

Order: Reorder
Duration: 11:59
Updated: 14 Aug 2014
author: Johnny Rotten

Recorded and broadcast on September 12, 1984. Interview with Joan Rivers.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_The_Attractions_-_I_Hope_You're_Happy_Now,_Peace_In_Our_Time_1984

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Elvis Costello - I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down (Extended) (1980/ 2013) (HD)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:02
Updated: 01 Sep 2014
author: MadFranko008

At 1 minute 58 seconds this had to be one of the shortest pop songs ever, changed that now to a more reasonable 3 minutes with a new extended version of this...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_I_Can't_Stand_Up_For_Falling_Down_(Extended)_(1980_2013)_(HD)

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Elvis Costello ~ Oliver's Army

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:58
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: stardustdays

From 1979.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_~_Oliver's_Army

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Elvis Costello - Pump it up

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:18
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: Vincenzo Angileri

fantastico!

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Pump_it_up

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Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write The Book

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:57
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: QuestionAuthority2

Original official music video of Elvis Costello and The Attractions performing "Everyday I Write the Book" from the 1983 album "Punch the Clock". The song pe...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Everyday_I_Write_The_Book

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Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:21
Updated: 10 Jul 2015

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_The_Attractions_-_(What's_So_Funny_'Bout)_Peace,_Love_And_Understanding

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Veronica Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:54
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: michaeloneill1993

Lyrics: Veronica Is it all in that pretty little head of yours? What goes on in that place in the dark? Well I used to know a girl and I could have sworn tha...

http://wn.com/Veronica_Elvis_Costello

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Elvis Costello 'She'

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:09
Updated: 06 Sep 2014
author: crediatv

Elvis Costello - She 'Notting Hill' ost.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_'She'

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Elvis Costello The Roots Walk Us Uptown Official Music Video

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:32
Updated: 30 Oct 2013

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_The_Roots_Walk_Us_Uptown_Official_Music_Video

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Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Good Year For The Roses

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:13
Updated: 10 Jul 2015

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_The_Attractions_-_Good_Year_For_The_Roses

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Elvis Costello - Watching the Detectives (song & lyrics)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:44
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: Tony Tuthill

Created with written permissions/agreements with: Universal Music Group. The single, produced by Nick Lowe, was the first to be credited to 'Elvis Costello &...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Watching_the_Detectives_(song_&_lyrics)

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ELVIS COSTELLO Alison 1977

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:26
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: daveinprogress3

Part punk, part balladeer, a little bit country, a bit of pop, a lot of rock n roll, but never out of fashion, Declan MacManus aka Elvis Costello has been wr...

http://wn.com/ELVIS_COSTELLO_Alison_1977

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Accidents Will Happen (High Quality) - Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:00
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: John Erler

Animated video clip of Elvis Costello's "Accidents Will Happen" (1979). High quality sound and video. I uploaded this clip because the other versions of this...

http://wn.com/Accidents_Will_Happen_(High_Quality)_-_Elvis_Costello

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Watching The Detectives-Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:43
Updated: 25 Aug 2014
author: GodOfThunder1000

video of elovis cestelo and 123stick123 add.

http://wn.com/Watching_The_Detectives-Elvis_Costello

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ELVIS COSTELLO - Watching The Detectives (1978)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:12
Updated: 16 Aug 2013
author: 30KWPA

Koln, Germany 15-06-78.

http://wn.com/ELVIS_COSTELLO_-_Watching_The_Detectives_(1978)

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So Like Candy - Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:37
Updated: 01 Sep 2014
author: Dan Tweedy

Music Video for Costello's So Like Candy - 1991.

http://wn.com/So_Like_Candy_-_Elvis_Costello

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Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Alison - 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Official)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:01
Updated: 16 Sep 2014

Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Alison Recorded Live: 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ More Elvis Costello & the Attractions at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault on YouTube: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Personnel: Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - organ Bruce Thomas - bass Pete Thomas - drums

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_the_Attractions_-_Alison_-_5_5_1978_-_Capitol_Theatre_(Official)

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Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Full Concert - 05/05/78 - Capitol Theatre (OFFICIAL)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 51:19
Updated: 11 Nov 2014

Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Full Concert Recorded Live: 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Passaic, NJ) More Elvis Costello & the Attractions at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Setlist: 0:00:00 - Waiting For The End Of The World 0:03:51 - This Year's Girl 0:07:02 - No Action 0:09:27 - Less Than Zero 0:12:57 - The Beat 0:16:30 - Party Girl 0:19:23 - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes 0:22:08 - Alison 0:25:08 - Lip Service 0:27:33 - You Belong To Me 0:30:06 - Lipstick Vogue 0:35:06 - Watching The Detectives 0:41:41 - Radio, Radio 0:44:24 - I'm Not Angry Personnel: Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - organ Bruce Thomas - bass Pete Thomas - drums

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_the_Attractions_-_Full_Concert_-_05_05_78_-_Capitol_Theatre_(OFFICIAL)

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Elvis Costello - MTV Unplugged (1991)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 50:14
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello & The Rude 5 perform on MTV Unplugged in 1991. Only 5 of the songs made it to the broadcast version, because MTV apparently didn't want to air...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_MTV_Unplugged_(1991)

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Jimmie Standing In The Rain -- Elvis Costello Music Video

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:10
Updated: 28 Aug 2014
author: Lydia Näsvall

Jimmie Standing In The Rain -- Elvis Costello Music Video. This is a school project that me and my friends made. Enjoy! Ella Lejonstål -- Janine Felix de Oli...

http://wn.com/Jimmie_Standing_In_The_Rain_--_Elvis_Costello_Music_Video

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Elvis Costello And The Roots - I Want You (MSR Studios)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 9:59
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: ElvisCostelloVEVO

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_And_The_Roots_-_I_Want_You_(MSR_Studios)

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Elvis Costello - I want you

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:47
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: Solar Stone

Elvis Costello - I Want You.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_I_want_you

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Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach - Toledo

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:37
Updated: 16 Dec 2009

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello,_Burt_Bacharach_-_Toledo

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Elvis Costello: The Other Side of Summer

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:54
Updated: 22 Jul 2013
author: BabaORiley1972

"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, ...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_The_Other_Side_of_Summer

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Elvis Costello sings "Peace, Love and Understanding" at the Apple iPhone event

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:46
Updated: 04 Mar 2014
author: Chris O'Brien

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_sings_"Peace,_Love_and_Understanding"_at_the_Apple_iPhone_event

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Elvis Costello Songwriting Workshop

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:58
Updated: 03 Mar 2014
author: New England Conservatory

October 25, 2013, Elvis Costello visited New England Conservatory for a series of events including this workshop with songwriters enrolled in NEC's Contempor...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Songwriting_Workshop

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Two New iPhones and Elvis Costello at Apple Event

Order: Reorder
Duration: 0:44
Updated: 13 Jul 2014
author: Wall Street Journal

According to WSJ's Greg Bensinger, there were few surprises at Apple's unveiling of their new iPhone models on Tuesday. The reveal of the iPhone 5S and 5C wa...

http://wn.com/Two_New_iPhones_and_Elvis_Costello_at_Apple_Event

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Elton John inducts Elvis Costello and the Attractions Rock Hall inductions 2003

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:05
Updated: 08 Aug 2014
author: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum

Elton John inducts Elvis Costello and the Attractions Rock Hall inductions 2003 Visit us! http://rockhall.com/ Subscribe to RockHall : http://www.youtube.com...

http://wn.com/Elton_John_inducts_Elvis_Costello_and_the_Attractions_Rock_Hall_inductions_2003

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Elvis Costello and the Attractions accept award Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 2003

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:43
Updated: 11 Jun 2014
author: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum

Elvis Costello and the Attractions accept award Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 2003 Visit us! http://rockhall.com/ Subscribe to RockHall : http://www....

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_the_Attractions_accept_award_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame_inductions_2003

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The New Basement Tapes - Married To My Hack (Lyric Video)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 1:58
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: TNBTVEVO

Pre-order on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/TNBT_iTunesDLX Pre-order the exclusive box set: http://smarturl.it/TNBT_D2C Pre-order on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/TNBT_AmzCDDLX Pre-order on Google:...

http://wn.com/The_New_Basement_Tapes_-_Married_To_My_Hack_(Lyric_Video)

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Elvis Costello - Tiny Steps - Portland, ME 11.18.2013

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:06
Updated: 15 Jan 2014
author: Hop5340

Elvis Costello played a solo show at the State Theatre on November 18, 2013. In 31 years of attending his concerts, this show and this set-list may have been...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Tiny_Steps_-_Portland,_ME_11.18.2013

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Elvis Costello and the Attractions perform Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 2003

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:58
Updated: 25 Aug 2014
author: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum

Elvis Costello and the Attractions perform Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 2003 Visit us! http://rockhall.com/ Subscribe to RockHall : http://www.youtu...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_the_Attractions_perform_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame_inductions_2003

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Elvis Costello - Riot Act (song & lyrics)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:39
Updated: 25 Aug 2014
author: Tony Tuthill

Created with written permissions/agreements with: Universal Music Group. Pardon typos :( Elvis Costello: "From the wiped-out sound of this track you'd never ...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Riot_Act_(song_&_lyrics)

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Don Was Interviews Elvis Costello & Questlove - Part 1

Order: Reorder
Duration: 10:46
Updated: 18 Aug 2014
author: Bowers & Wilkins

Elvis Costello and Questlove sit down with Don Was to discuss their Blue Note Records album "Wise Up Ghost" before our Sound Session event in New York City.

http://wn.com/Don_Was_Interviews_Elvis_Costello_&_Questlove_-_Part_1

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Don Was Interviews Elvis Costello & Questlove - Part 2

Order: Reorder
Duration: 11:16
Updated: 27 Aug 2014
author: Bowers & Wilkins

Elvis Costello and Questlove sit down with Don Was to discuss their Blue Note Records album "Wise Up Ghost" before our Sound Session event in New York City.

http://wn.com/Don_Was_Interviews_Elvis_Costello_&_Questlove_-_Part_2

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SANDARA PARK "SHE" by Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:17
Updated: 14 Nov 2014

This is my first time guys.. I was inspired to make a video for dara this morning (CLIO fansigning event). While watching some videos i suddenly remember Julia Roberts in Notting Hill.. Thanks OMGSandar (oh-dara.com) for Dara's videos, Clio, Elle.. ^^

http://wn.com/SANDARA_PARK_"SHE"_by_Elvis_Costello

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Elvis Costello Performs "Penny Lane" | In Performance at the White House

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:23
Updated: 15 Aug 2014
author: Yaroooh! for Kids | News - Magazine

Elvis Costello performs "Penny Lane" in the East Room as part of a concert honoring Paul McCartney with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular So...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Performs_"Penny_Lane"_|_In_Performance_at_the_White_House

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Elvis Costello - (I Dont Want To Go To) Chelsea

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:12
Updated: 26 Aug 2014
author: Dommer1973

Elvis Costello And The Attractions - (I Dont Want To Go To)Chelsea. Top Tune. Alegedly Steven Gerrard's favorate song.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_(I_Dont_Want_To_Go_To)_Chelsea

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Elvis Costello - My Three Sons 2012

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:38
Updated: 19 Jun 2013
author: Larry Rulz

Recorded by bronxapostle at "A Celebration of Paul Newman's Dream," a fundraising event on April 2, 2012 at Avery Fisher Hall at New York City's Lincoln Cent...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_My_Three_Sons_2012

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Elvis Costello - I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea ( Live )

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:08
Updated: 02 Sep 2014
author: sham64andahalf

The 12' version : - ) live 1978.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_I_Don't_Want_To_Go_To_Chelsea_(_Live_)

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31 DAYS OF MUSIC: DAY 2 ELVIS COSTELLO - VERONICA 1989

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:24
Updated: 02 Dec 2014

Welcome to day 2 of the 31 days of music! Today We talk about Elvis Costello's Veronica. This song tells the story of an old lady who lives in a nursing home. She lives a quiet and still existence as she gradually loses her memory. It was inspired by Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Paul McCartney wrote this with Costello. The lyrics are reminiscent of McCartney's Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby."This was the first song to come from McCartney and Costello's co-writing relationship. Other songs the duo wrote include Costello's tracks "So Like Candy" and "Playboy to A Man," and McCartney's "My Brave Face" and "You Want Her Too."Hard to believe, but McCartney was getting a lot of bad press around this time, as he was still feuding with his former Beatles associates and refused to attend The Beatles 1988 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Costello said in a 1989 interview with On The Street: "I know some people have very bad preconceptions about Paul McCartney, but I'm involved to the extent that I've written a bunch of songs with him as well. I know he's a really good bass player, so I'm not too bothered about what anyone thinks about him playing on my record. I don't think it reflects at all on my perception of myself as a songwriter." This was Costello's first big hit in the United States. Seems Elvis prefers niche adulation to widespread commercial success, which might account for his lack of chart success. This song, in particular, is one he struggled with. He explained to NME in 1996: "As soon as you make a record, particularly if it becomes a big success, it doesn't belong to you any more, it's that 'Wah Boo!' situation. A similar thing happened with 'Veronica' in America. I never liked it. And recently I did this show with Steve (Nieve, Attraction's keyboardist), and I changed the key and the whole song changed completely. Suddenly I didn't have to think about the record. It went back to why I wrote it, how I wrote it about my grandmother and it really meant something to me, and I kind of regained it. I'd got my song back from the evil success that it had had." "Veronica" start of lyrics Is it all in that pretty little head of yours? What goes on in that place in the dark? Well I used to know a girl and I would have sworn that her name was Veronica Well she used to have a carefree mind of her own and a delicate look in her eye These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her name is Veronica [Chorus:] Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes, Veronica has gone to hide? And all the time she laughs at those who shout her name and steal her clothes Veronica Veronica Did the days drag by? Did the favours wane? Did he roam down the town all the time? Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at the door, reaching out for Veronica Well it was all of sixty-five years ago When the world was the street where she lived And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea With a picture of Veronica On the "Empress of India" And as she closed her eyes upon the world and picked upon the bones of last week's news She spoke his name outloud again [Chorus] Veronica sits in her favourite chair and she sits very quiet and still And they call her a name that they never get right and if they don't then nobody else will But she used to have a carefree mind of her own, with devilish look in her eye Saying "You can call me anything you like, but my name is Veronica" [Chorus] end of lyrics Here is the link to the version I first found. http://youtu.be/2k4ZXzhwCkM 31 DAYS OF MUSIC DAY ONE http://youtu.be/aaSZ3gfnQis ***SUBSCRIBE***SUBSCRIBE***SUBSCRIBE***SUBSCRIBE*** Let's Connect! 708.749.3684 http://www.mixwellevents.com http://www.facbook.com/mixwellevents http://www.facebook.com/djvictorsalazarchicago https://plus.google.com/+MixwellEventsOrlandParkhttp://www.mixwellevents.com

http://wn.com/31_DAYS_OF_MUSIC_DAY_2_ELVIS_COSTELLO_-_VERONICA_1989

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Elvis Costello - Tripwire

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:13
Updated: 28 Aug 2014
author: Larry Rulz

Recorded on September 10, 2013. First live performance of this song which appears on the new album Wise Up Ghost.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Tripwire

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Elvis Costello-Concert-Glasgow-11.06.2015

Order: Reorder
Duration: 0:21
Updated: 11 Jun 2015

Go Here more info: http://event-review.com/uncategorized/full-concert-11-june-2015/ 11 June 2015, 06/11/15, 11/06/15

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello-Concert-Glasgow-11.06.2015

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Elvis Costello Waiting For The End Of The World

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:04
Updated: 24 Aug 2014
author: Mark Albers

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Waiting_For_The_End_Of_The_World

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The Durling Heath "Watching the Detectives" (Elvis Costello Cover)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:47
Updated: 24 Apr 2014

The Durling Heath covers Elvis Costello's "Watching the Detectives" at the 500 Songs for Kids charity event.

http://wn.com/The_Durling_Heath_"Watching_the_Detectives"_(Elvis_Costello_Cover)

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Sean & Livian's wedding 5th Aug 2007 MV - She by Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:44
Updated: 06 May 2013
author: seanyeo824

Highlights of the entire day's events in the time of a song ")

http://wn.com/Sean_&_Livian's_wedding_5th_Aug_2007_MV_-_She_by_Elvis_Costello

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Elvis Costello Live Montreal Jazz Festival 2006 Full Show

Order: Reorder
Duration: 56:06
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: Amy day

Elvis Costello Live Montreal Jazz Festival 2006 Full Show.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Live_Montreal_Jazz_Festival_2006_Full_Show

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Elvis Costello - Full Concert - 07/25/99 - Woodstock 99 East Stage (OFFICIAL)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 58:10
Updated: 11 Nov 2014

Elvis Costello - Full Concert Recorded Live: 7/25/1999 - Woodstock 99 East Stage (Rome, NY) More Elvis Costello at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Setlist: 0:00:00 - Pads, Paws And Claws/Mystery Dance 0:04:28 - Accidents Will Happen 0:07:25 - (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea 0:11:03 - New Amsterdam / You've Got To Hide Your Love Away 0:16:14 - Veronica 0:20:10 - Everyday I Write the Book 0:24:26 - I'll Never Fall In Love Again 0:28:37 - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes 0:31:38 - Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said 0:37:27 - God's Comic 0:46:01 - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding 0:49:36 - Alison 0:52:30 - Pump It Up Personnel: Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - keyboards

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Full_Concert_-_07_25_99_-_Woodstock_99_East_Stage_(OFFICIAL)

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Elvis Costello Glastonbury 2013

Order: Reorder
Duration: 48:02
Updated: 06 Sep 2014
author: Amy day

Elvis Costello Glastonbury 2013 I Hope You're Happy Now Heart Of The City I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down Radio Radio Everyday I Write The Book Watching Th...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Glastonbury_2013

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Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Boston & Detroit 1978

Order: Reorder
Duration: 53:34
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: joeyx666

Pro shot Boston and Detroit 1978 and some backstage chatter. Also see Geraldo Rivera, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe and the Attractions in a American supermarket b...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_the_Attractions,_Boston_&_Detroit_1978

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Elvis Costello - Concert for Linda - 10 Apr 1999

Order: Reorder
Duration: 10:56
Updated: 03 Aug 2014
author: snubianvideo

Elvis Costello performs live at Linda McCartney's tribute concert, held at the Royal Albert Hall on 10 April 1999. Elvis says a few words about Linda before ...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Concert_for_Linda_-_10_Apr_1999

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Elvis Costello-The Imposter(Concert For Kampuchea, filmed in 1979)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:15
Updated: 05 Aug 2013
author: Tubodobeto

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello-The_Imposter(Concert_For_Kampuchea,_filmed_in_1979)

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Elvis Costello and the Attractions - on the tour bus 1978

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:12
Updated: 27 Aug 2014
author: Larry Rulz

from ABC News 20/20 originally broadcast in late 1978.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_the_Attractions_-_on_the_tour_bus_1978

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Elvis Costello, 16.7.2014 - Watching the Detectives (solo)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:19
Updated: 17 Jul 2014

Kew the Music picnic concert, Kew Gardens

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello,_16.7.2014_-_Watching_the_Detectives_(solo)

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Elvis Costello Brutal Youth Tour 1984 (Full Album)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 76:10
Updated: 16 Jun 2015

No Action / The Beat / Accidents Will Happen / Beyond Belief / Sulky Girl / London's Brilliant Parade / Deep Dark Truthful Mirror / Everyday I Write The Book / Hand In Hand / Clown Strike / Kinder Murder / Less Than Zero / Rocking Horse Road / Still Too Soon To Know / You Tripped At Every Step / Shipbuilding / Mystery Dance / Watching The Detectives / You Belong To Me / 13 Steps Lead Down / Radio, Radio

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Brutal_Youth_Tour_1984_(Full_Album)

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Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Watching The Detectives (Live Stiffs Tour 1977)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:15
Updated: 30 Aug 2014
author: AbandonWords

From London's Lyceum Ballroom, October 28, 1977: Elvis Costello & The Attractions (Steve Nieve on keyboards, Bruce Thomas on bass, Pete Thomas on drums) plus...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_The_Attractions_-_Watching_The_Detectives_(Live_Stiffs_Tour_1977)

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Elvis Costello, 16.7.2014 - She (solo, Blackpool intro story)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:53
Updated: 17 Jul 2014

Kew the Music picnic concert, Kew Gardens

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello,_16.7.2014_-_She_(solo,_Blackpool_intro_story)

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BILLIE JOE & ELVIS COSTELLO - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) [Live]

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:54
Updated: 26 Jun 2015

Decades of Rock Concert, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA (05/19/2006)

http://wn.com/BILLIE_JOE_&_ELVIS_COSTELLO_-_Good_Riddance_(Time_of_Your_Life)_Live_

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Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman (from Black & White Night)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:19
Updated: 16 Jul 2010

Roy Orbison performs "Oh, Pretty Woman" as the finale of the Black & White Night Concert. Backed by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, James Burton, Glen D. Hardin, Tom Waits, kd lang, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, JD Souther, T Bone Burnett, Steven Soles, and Jennifer Warnes. Recorded September 30, 1987. Purchase the DVD here: http://bit.ly/9fLh7X © 1999 Orbison Records, Inc.

http://wn.com/Roy_Orbison_-_Oh,_Pretty_Woman_(from_Black_&_White_Night)

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Elvis Costello - Substitute from The Who Cares Concert @ The Theater at MSG 2-28-13

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:45
Updated: 16 Jun 2013
author: Chuck Kaiser

Here's Elvis Costello busting out Substitute to close his set opening for The Who on Feb 28, 2013 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Substitute_from_The_Who_Cares_Concert_@_The_Theater_at_MSG_2-28-13

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Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet-GOD ONLY KNOWS

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:57
Updated: 30 Aug 2014
author: Gabriel Lago

Extraido del VHS "A case for song" Concert-1996.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_The_Brodsky_Quartet-GOD_ONLY_KNOWS

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Elvis Costello - That Day's Is Done

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:46
Updated: 17 Jul 2013
author: ta55555555

Concert For Linda 1999 Flours In The Dirt.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_That_Day's_Is_Done

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Elvis Costello @ Amoeba music video concert review

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:31
Updated: 16 Jul 2013
author: You Tell Concerts.com

http://www.youtellconcerts.com Lorn catches Elvis Costello at a special in store performance at Amoeba Music in Hollywood CA and gets fan reviews of the show...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_@_Amoeba_music_video_concert_review

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Elvis Costello Concert Highlights

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:04
Updated: 14 Mar 2015

A few highlights from the Elvis Costello concert at the Civic Theatre in New Orleans on 3/12/15

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Concert_Highlights

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Elvis Costello performs "Penny Lane" at the Gershwin Prize for Paul McCartney

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:23
Updated: 30 Aug 2014
author: infomisa

June 02, 2010 | 4:22 Elvis Costello performs "Penny Lane" in the East Room as part of a concert honoring Paul McCartney with the Library of Congress Gershwin...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_performs_"Penny_Lane"_at_the_Gershwin_Prize_for_Paul_McCartney

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Elvis Costello & Beastie Boys - Radio Radio (Live)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:23
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: Imhotep Johnson

From the Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Show I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THIS.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_Beastie_Boys_-_Radio_Radio_(Live)

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Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Party Girl - 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Official)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:54
Updated: 16 Sep 2014

Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Party Girl Recorded Live: 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ More Elvis Costello & the Attractions at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault on YouTube: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Personnel: Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - organ Bruce Thomas - bass Pete Thomas - drums

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_the_Attractions_-_Party_Girl_-_5_5_1978_-_Capitol_Theatre_(Official)

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Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Lipstick Vogue" 1978 Live Rockpalast Cologne, Germany

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:53
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: Kurt Starnes

Epic, raw, angry. All the players at their best in this one. Stunning. I cut this song out of the complete set I found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_The_Attractions_"Lipstick_Vogue"_1978_Live_Rockpalast_Cologne,_Germany

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Elvis Costello "Watching The Detectives" 1979 (Reelin' In The Years Archives)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:04
Updated: 28 Aug 2014
author: ReelinInTheYears66

This stunning 6-minute version of "Watching The Detectives" is from a European festival in 1979. We synched it up to the stereo radio broadcast for maximum i...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_"Watching_The_Detectives"_1979_(Reelin'_In_The_Years_Archives)

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Elvis Costello - Veronica (live unplugged)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:59
Updated: 29 Aug 2014
author: Elzo Drewel

Elvis Costello performs Veronica live unplugged at 'Late with Jools Holland' in the early nineties. See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTZYJDBbiIY.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Veronica_(live_unplugged)

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Elvis Costello Hosts Letterman and Sings "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love & Understanding"

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:07
Updated: 18 Nov 2008

Elvis Costello introduces himself and then sings "Peace, Love & Understanding" with the Imposters...March 12, 2003, when he guest-hosted for David Letterman.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Hosts_Letterman_and_Sings_"What's_So_Funny_'Bout_Peace_Love_&_Understanding"

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Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello - Wild Horses (live)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:06
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: Nima M

http://wn.com/Lucinda_Williams_and_Elvis_Costello_-_Wild_Horses_(live)

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Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives (live)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:56
Updated: 07 Aug 2013
author: edrewel

Elvis Costello performs Watching The Detectives live at Late with Jools Holland in the early nineties.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Watching_The_Detectives_(live)

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Veronica - Elvis Costello

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:51
Updated: 03 Aug 2013
author: Lpstd1

Elvis plays for Warner Brothers employees out on their patio, June 6 1989. Happier times.

http://wn.com/Veronica_-_Elvis_Costello

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Elvis Costello - Red Shoes (Live TOTP 1977)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:17
Updated: 03 Sep 2014
author: korkhammaregon

Elvis Costello - Red Shoes (Live Top of The Pops 1977)! Thanx Rosa Mannen!

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Red_Shoes_(Live_TOTP_1977)

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All you need is love - Elvis Costello - LIVE AID 1985 HD

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:53
Updated: 25 Aug 2014
author: xxmasterstudioxx

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE......che altro? Gianluca.

http://wn.com/All_you_need_is_love_-_Elvis_Costello_-_LIVE_AID_1985_HD

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Elvis Costello & the Attractions - I'm Not Angry - 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Official)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:50
Updated: 16 Sep 2014

Elvis Costello & the Attractions - I'm Not Angry Recorded Live: 5/5/1978 - Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ More Elvis Costello & the Attractions at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault on YouTube: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Personnel: Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - organ Bruce Thomas - bass Pete Thomas - drums

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_&_the_Attractions_-_I'm_Not_Angry_-_5_5_1978_-_Capitol_Theatre_(Official)

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Elvis Costello - I'll Never Fall In Love Again - 7/25/1999 - Woodstock 99 East Stage (Official)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:12
Updated: 12 Sep 2014

Elvis Costello - I'll Never Fall In Love Again Recorded Live: 7/25/1999 - Woodstock 99 East Stage - Rome, NY More Elvis Costello at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault on YouTube: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Personnel: Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - keyboards

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_I'll_Never_Fall_In_Love_Again_-_7_25_1999_-_Woodstock_99_East_Stage_(Official)

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Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army (Glastonbury 2013) HD 720p

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:17
Updated: 02 Sep 2014
author: TheGRStars

Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army (Glastonbury 2013) HD 720p.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Oliver's_Army_(Glastonbury_2013)_HD_720p

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Elvis Costello - Live at Baloise Session 2014

Order: Reorder
Duration: 75:47
Updated: 01 Aug 2015

Track list: 01. Either Side of the Same Town 02. Poison Moon 03. A Slow Drag With Josephine 04. New Amsterdam / You've Got to Hide Your Love Away 05. Ascension Day 06. Come the Meantimes 07. Everyday I Write the Book 08. Walkin' My Baby Back Home 09. Ghost Train 10. When I Was Cruel No. 2 11. She 12. Watching the Detectives 13. Alison 14. Shipbuilding 15. Jimmie Standing in the Rain Elvis Costello - Live at Baloise Session, Basel, Switzerland, October 28th, 2014

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Live_at_Baloise_Session_2014

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My "Best Of... Elvis Costello And The Attractions" Compilation

Order: Reorder
Duration: 85:01
Updated: 05 Sep 2014
author: lismoeff

I do not own the songs resp. the pic 001 - Lipstick Vogue 0:00 002 - Blame It On Cain (special acoustic vers.) 3:29 003 - White Knuckles 7:03 004 - The Beat ...

http://wn.com/My_"Best_Of..._Elvis_Costello_And_The_Attractions"_Compilation

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Elvis Costello - Get Happy! [Full Album]

Order: Reorder
Duration: 50:01
Updated: 06 Sep 2014
author: TheWMCBlob59

Original 1980 album from Elvis Costello and The Attractions. Track ListinG (All songs written by Elvis Costello unless otherwise indicated.) Side one "Love f...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Get_Happy!_Full_Album_

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Elvis Costello - 32 Years with Dave

Order: Reorder
Duration: 116:02
Updated: 17 Apr 2015

Every TV appearance with Dave. There's a final one coming next month and then that's it...the end of an era: 0:00 Kid About It/Man Out Of Time (1982) 8:56 Pads, Paws And Claws/Leave My Kitten Alone (1989) 12:51 13 Steps Lead Down (1994) 17:05 Kinder Murder (1994) 21:18 Bama Lama Bama Loo (1995) 24:58 It's Time (1996) 29:07 Doncha Go 'Way Mad (1997) 33:10 God Give Me Strength (1997) 37:48 That Day Is Done (1997) 42:17 So Like Candy (1997) 46:36 I Still Have That Other Girl (1998) 50:34 She (1999) 54:47 For The Stars (2001) 58:51 Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) (2002) 1:02:44 (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? (2003) 1:07:56 Still (2003) 1:10:41 Monkey To Man (2004) 1:15:18 Love Hurts (2005) 1:19:04 The River In Reverse (2006) 1:23:30 Are You Havin' Any Fun? (2006) 1:26:29 The Butcher's Boy (2006) 1:30:25 Welcome To The Working Week/(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea (2007) 1:33:50 Carpetbaggers (2008) 1:37:40 Sulphur To Sugarcane (2009) 1:42:18 National Ransom/Jimmie Standing In The Rain (2010) 1:51:26 The Last Year Of My Youth (2014)

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_32_Years_with_Dave

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ELVIS COSTELLO - MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE [1991] FULL ALBUM [HQ]

Order: Reorder
Duration: 54:28
Updated: 28 Aug 2014
author: AmirSuperTube

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mighty-Like-Rose-Elvis-Costello/dp/B000002LP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid;=1389374804&sr;=8-1&keywords;=ELVIS+COSTELLO+MIGHTY+LIKE+A+ROSE 00:...

http://wn.com/ELVIS_COSTELLO_-_MIGHTY_LIKE_A_ROSE_1991_FULL_ALBUM_HQ_

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Elvis Costello / David Letterman supercut

Order: Reorder
Duration: 112:23
Updated: 10 Dec 2014

All 26 Elvis Costello musical performances on Late Night and Late Show with David Letterman between 1982 and 2014.

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_David_Letterman_supercut

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The Juliet Letters - Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet - Full Album

Order: Reorder
Duration: 62:55
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: SHEMUSIK

The Juliet Letters is the 14th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released on compact disc as Warner Brothers 45180. The ...

http://wn.com/The_Juliet_Letters_-_Elvis_Costello_&_The_Brodsky_Quartet_-_Full_Album

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Elvis Costello - Trust (1981)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 41:41
Updated: 04 Sep 2014
author: DP Audiophile

One of the best Elvis Costello albums, if not the very best... the music itself has a lot more of a soul influence than any of his other work at this point i...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Trust_(1981)

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Elvis Costello / This Years Model Full Album

Order: Reorder
Duration: 36:04
Updated: 19 Aug 2015

01 No Action 0:00 02 This Year's Girl 2:01 03 The Beat 5:25 04 Pump It Up 9:12 05 Little Triggers 12:28 06 You Belong To Me 15:10 07 Hand In Hand 17:35 08 (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelse 20:12 09 Lip Service 23:21 10 Living In Paradise 25:59 11 Lipstick Vogue 29:44 12 Night Rally 33:18

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_This_Years_Model_Full_Album

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Elvis Costello and The Attractions - 1982 - Live at Pier 84 (Complete Concert)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 101:24
Updated: 30 Jan 2015

Recorded on August 30, 1982 in New York, NY as part of the Dr. Pepper Music Festival. Setlist: 0:39 Accidents Will Happen 3:07 Green Shirt 5:57 Pidgin English 9:01 Hand In Hand 10:44 Shabby Doll 13:48 Watch Your Step 17:10 Back Stabbers / King Horse 21:19 ...And In Every Home 24:43 Watching The Detectives / Help Me - including Pontiac Blues 29:57 The Long Honeymoon 33:59 Secondary Modern 36:27 Kid About It 39:41 Temptation 42:25 From Head To Toe 44:50 Don't Look Back 47:23 You Belong To Me 49:35 New Lace Sleeves 53:31 Alison 56:33 Beyond Belief 59:45 Clubland 1:03:25 Imperial Bedroom 1:07:30 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes 1:10:03 All These Things 1:11:35 Mystery Dance 1:13:40 Almost Blue 1:16:59 Tears Before Bedtime 1:20:03 Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)? 1:21:48 Two Steps From The Blues 1:24:18 Pump It Up 1:28:51 Danger Zone 1:31:10 (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? 1:34:22 Radio, Radio 1:37:07 Shipbuilding

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_and_The_Attractions_-_1982_-_Live_at_Pier_84_(Complete_Concert)

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Elvis Costello: "The Making Of Almost Blue"

Order: Reorder
Duration: 53:50
Updated: 26 Aug 2014
author: Elvis Costello

1981 episode of South Bank Show follows Elvis Costello to Nashville for the making of his album "Almost Blue."

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_"The_Making_Of_Almost_Blue"

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Elvis Costello When I Was Cool Live at the BBC (Full Album)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 72:50
Updated: 18 Jun 2015

BBC Radio Theatre 28-04-02 45 / Waiting For The End Of The World / Watching The Detectives / Spooky Girlfriend / I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea / When I Was Cruel / Man Out Of Time / Dust / Tear Off Your Own Head / Alibi / You Belong To Me / Pump It Up Jools Holland Later 45 / When I Was Cruel / Tear Off Your Own Head / I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_When_I_Was_Cool_Live_at_the_BBC_(Full_Album)

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Elvis Costello - Later with Jools Holland

Order: Reorder
Duration: 22:25
Updated: 20 Jul 2014
author: Kyle Rickards

Taken from Jools Holland 1995. Taped during the Kojak Variety timeline. Features Marc Ribot and James Burton on guitar, with The Attractions. Songs covered: ...

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_-_Later_with_Jools_Holland

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Tony Bennett & Elvis Costello and Diana Krall

Order: Reorder
Duration: 42:12
Updated: 03 Sep 2014
author: rolddogojazz

http://wn.com/Tony_Bennett_&_Elvis_Costello_and_Diana_Krall

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Elvis Costello Tokyo's Brilliant Parade (Full Album)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 127:12
Updated: 18 Jun 2015

Crystal clear soundboard recording of Elvis & The Attractions from Tokyo 22/09/94 Pony St. / Waiting For The End Of The World / Beyond Belief / Sulky Girl / London's Brilliant Parade / Deep Dark Truthful Mirror / Oliver's Army / You'll Never Be A Man / Temptation / New Lace Sleeves / Clown Strike / Kinder Murder / Shabby Doll / Rocking Horse Road / Brilliant Mistake / So Like Candy / This Year's Girl / (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes / Mystery Dance / You Belong To Me / 13 Steps Lead Down - Radio, Radio / Favourite Hour / Uncomplicated / Lipstick Vogue / Watching The Detectives - One More Heartache / Little Triggers / Alison / (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? / Pump It Up

http://wn.com/Elvis_Costello_Tokyo's_Brilliant_Parade_(Full_Album)

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photo: AP / Alexander Zemlianichenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to take part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside Moscow's Kremlin Wall, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 22, 2015, to mark the 74th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

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Russia trying to set up base in Syria, U.S. says

CNN

15 Sep 2015

(CNN)The Russian military appears to be attempting to set up a forward operating base in western Syria, the U.S. government says, deepening concerns about Moscow's intentions in the war-torn nation. "We have seen indication in recent days that Russia has moved people and things into the area around Latakia, and the airbase there," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said Monday ... Kerry's warning to Lavrov. Last week, U.S ... JUST WATCHED ... U.S ... ....

photo: AP / Matt Sayles/Invision/

Chris Hardwick arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Jurassic World" at the Dolby Theatre on Tuesday, June 9, 2015.

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Jurassic World tops list of most movie mistakes for 2015

The Guardian

15 Sep 2015

In the blockbuster dinosaur sequel a mobile phone magically fixes itself and Chris Pratt talks to Bryce Dallas Howard without moving his lips. @BenChildGeek. Dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic World features more errors than any other film released so far in 2015, according to the Movie Mistakes website ... Fury Road, with eight mistakes each ... Twitter ... ....

photo: AP / Xinhua, Wang Wei, FILE

** FILE ** The file photo, taken on December 18, 2007, and released on Friday June 27, 2008, by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, shows the cooling tower at the Yongbyon nuclear complex near Pyongyang, North Korea.

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North Korea says main nuclear complex operational, warns U.S.

Yahoo Daily News

15 Sep 2015

By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park. SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday its main nuclear complex was operating and it was working to improve the "quality and quantity" of its weapons which it could use against the United States at "any time". The comments follow a declaration by the North in 2013 vowing to restart all nuclear facilities, including the main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon that had been shuttered....

photo: Creative Commons / Kyle Carlstrom

U.S. Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Douglas Boykin kisses his wife after returning to San Diego from a deployment aboard the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) Aug. 21, 2013.

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Boy charged with assault after kissing girl says it was a dare

CBS News

13 Sep 2015

A 14-year-old middle school girl in Maryland told police a 13-year-old boy grabbed her shirt and "open-mouth kissed her" against her will... ....

photo: Via YoutTube

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Topless Femen protesters storm stage at Muslim conference on women

The Independent

14 Sep 2015

Two topless feminist protesters from Femen have stormed the stage of a conference discussing women in Islam. A video of the incident appears to show one of the activists being kicked by a man as she is hauled off stage at the event in France. The two women are from the Femen activist group, whose members are known for protesting topless with writing across their chest ... The so-far unnamed women are believed to be aged 25 and 31 ... --> ... ....

« back to news headlines

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Introducing Darlene Love

Rollingstone

15 Sep 2015

a duet with Righteous Brother Bill Medley on Elvis Costello's "Still Too Soon to Know," and "Jesus Is the Rock (That Keeps Me Rollin')," a ......

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Alexa Chung on how to break into the fashion industry

The Guardian

15 Sep 2015

The queen of London fashion week on the high-street brands to buy, who she parties with and her favourite song lyric of all time. @JessC_M. If anyone knows how to win in the fashion industry, it’s Ms Alexa Chung. Her new short film on how to break into the industry on vogue.co.uk is required viewing for anyone aiming to be on that front row in future seasons ... JCM ... AC ... Impossible to answer, but today I’ll settle for this by Elvis Costello.....

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces the Initial Tribute Concert Lineup and Additional Events ...

Public Technologies

15 Sep 2015

(Source. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Inc). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces the Initial Tribute Concert Lineup and Additional Events for the 20th Annual Music MastersTM Series Honoring Smokey Robinson ... Tickets on sale to general public beginning Sept. 18 ... Robinson." ... The most star-studded and unique performance by a trio was Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Elvis Costello paying tribute to Sam Cooke in 2005 ... VOXX)....

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Ben Foster admits doping to play Lance Armstrong; 'Jungle Book'; more: AM Buzz

Syracuse

14 Sep 2015

Method acting gone too far? Ben Foster admits doping to play Lance Armstrong in the upcoming movie "The Program." The 34-year-old actor told The Guardian he used performance-enhancing drugs to prepare for the role of the cycling champion whose Tour de France titles were stripped after he admitted using PEDs ... I've only just recovered physically." ... » Elvis Costello to release two-disc 'soundtrack album' with his memoir (RS) ... ....

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Elvis Costello to release memoir soundtrack

Music News

13 Sep 2015

Elvis Costello has put together a new 2-CD set that he says is a soundtrack to his upcoming memoir ... Accidents Will Happen (Live) - Elvis Costello And Steve Nieve. Poison Moon - Elvis Costello. Watching The Detectives - Elvis Costello. Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello And The Attractions. Riot Act - Elvis Costello And The Attractions. New Lace Sleeves - Elvis Costello And The Attractions. Man Out Of Time - Elvis Costello And The Attractions....

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Rugby World Cup 2015: Pool-by-pool guide to the tournament

The Independent

12 Sep 2015

POOL A. AUSTRALIA. Captain Stephen Moore. Coach Michael Cheika. RWC record Winners 1991, 1999; 2nd 2003; 3rd 2011; 4th 1987; QF 1995, 2007. Strengths Annual trips to Twickenham and Cardiff mean there’s no mystery to playing here ... A long run of narrow wins over Wales is a psychological advantage ... Player to watch Israel Folau ... Team song Let England Shake (PJ Harvey) Rugby World Cup memories ... Team song A Good Year for the Roses (Elvis Costello)....

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Elvis Costello Has Created A Soundtrack Album To His Memoir That Will Include Hits, Favorites And Two Unreleased Tracks 'Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album' Is A 38-Song, 2-CD Soundtrack And Will Be Released October 9th

PR Newswire

11 Sep 2015

DISC 1 Accidents Will Happen (Live) - Elvis Costello And Steve Nieve Poison Moon - Elvis Costello Watching The Detectives - Elvis Costello Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello And The Attractions Riot Act - Elvis Costello And The Attractions New Lace Sleeves - Elvis Costello And The Attractions Man Out Of Time - Elvis Costello And The Attractions I Want ......

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Elvis Costello to Release Two-Disc Memoir 'Soundtrack Album'

Rollingstone

11 Sep 2015

Elvis Costello will release his autobiography Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink this October, and the rocker has announced that his memoir will be accompanied by a two-disc "soundtrack album" culled from Costello's expansive catalog ... Watch Elvis Costello Lead a 'New Basement Tapes' Jam » ... Elvis Costello And Steve Nieve – "Accidents Will Happen (Live)" ... Elvis Costello – "Poison Moon"....

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Elvis Costello Has Created A Soundtrack Album To His Memoir That Will Include Hits, Favorites ...

Public Technologies

11 Sep 2015

Shore Fire Media Inc) Elvis Costello Has Created A Soundtrack Album To His Memoir That Will Include Hits, Favorites And Two Unreleased Tracks ... Elvis Costello has compiled a 38-track, 2-CD set 'Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album' (UMe, October 9th) as a companion to his memoir "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink" (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Random House, October 13th) ... Poison Moon - Elvis Costello ... 4 - Elvis Costello....

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BLOW UP feat. THE CLANG GROUP live tickets

Skiddle

11 Sep 2015

St Moritz Club in London ... 18 ... Venue ... After 35 years of producing other people's discs (including Elvis Costello, Madness, Morrissey, Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Teardrop Explodes and most recently The Amazing Snakeheads) it's about time he got back to what he loved best and The Clang Group's excellent 2015 debut EP includes Clive revisiting the incredible Shipbuilding which he wrote with Elvis Costello for the 'godfather' Robert Wyatt....

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First Listen: Darlene Love, 'Introducing Darlene Love'

National Public Radio

10 Sep 2015

Produced by Love's longtime friend and advocate Steven Van Zandt, and featuring compositions by Love's ardent champions — including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Linda Perry and Jimmy Webb — this is a splashy victory lap for a woman who's run one of pop's great marathons ... The tender "Still Too Soon To Know," written by Costello and featuring an ......

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Selznick, Franzen, Kaling authors of fall books

Detroit news

09 Sep 2015

The Rev ... Punk and New Wave music are old enough that some of the leaders are writing memoirs, from Elvis Costello and Chrissie Hynde to Patti Smith and Carrie Brownstein. A classic rock ‘n’ roller, John Fogerty spares no one in “Fortunate Son,” while the man who helped discover such Fogerty heroes as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, is the subject of Peter Guralnick’s “Sam Phillips ... Azzarelli ... ....

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Selznick, Franzen, Kaling among authors with books this fall

The Malta Independent

09 Sep 2015

The Rev ... A.E ... Punk and New Wave music are old enough that some of the leaders are writing memoirs, from Elvis Costello and Chrissie Hynde to Patti Smith and Carrie Brownstein. A classic rock 'n' roller, John Fogerty spares no one in "Fortunate Son," while the man who helped discover such Fogerty heroes as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, is the subject of Peter Guralnick's "Sam Phillips ... J.K ... Azzarelli....

Top Elvis Costello, American Without Tears

Outside in New Orleans the heat was almost frightening
But my hotel room as usual was freezing and unkind
On TV they prosecute anyone who's exciting
So I put on my overcoat and went down to find
In Revlon and Crimpelene they captured my heart
To the strain of a piano and a cocktail murderess
She was singing that "It's Too Late", I agreed with that part
For two English girls who had changed their address
[Chorus:]
Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years
Now I don't speak any English, just American without tears
Just American without tears
One had been a beauty queen and the other was her friend
They had known rogues and rascals and showbiz impresarios
While the boys were licking Hitler they had something to defend
>From men armed with chewing gum and fine nylon hose
By a bicycle factory as they sounded the siren
And returned into the dancehall she knew he was the one
Though he wasn't tall or handsome she laughed when he told her
"I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John"
[Chorus]
At a dock in Southampton full of tearful goodbyes
Newsreel commentators said "Cheerio, G.I. brides"
Soon they'll be finding the cold facts and lies
New words for suspenders and young girls backsides
Now I'm in America and running from you
Like my grandfather before me walked the streets of New York
And I think of all the women I pretend mean more than you
When I open my mouth and I can't seem to talk
Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years
Now I don't speak any English just American without tears

Top Elvis Costello, Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood

Baby can you understand me now
Sometimes I feel a little mad
Don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel
When things go wrong I seem to be mad
[Chorus:]
I'm just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord please don't let me be misunderstood
Baby sometimes I'm so carefree
With a joy that's hard to hide
Other times it seems that all I have to do is worry
And then I know you're bound to see my other side
[Chorus]
If I get edgy I want you to know
That I never mean to take it out on you
Life has its problems and I get my share
But that is one thing I would never do 'cause I love you
Oh don't you know I'm human
I've got my faults just like anyone
Sometimes I lie awake long regretting
Some foolish thing, some sinful thing I've done

Top Elvis Costello, Eisenhower blues

Hey everybody I'm a talking to you
I ain't telling you jealous
It's just the natural truth
Oh oh oh I got the Eisenhower Blues
Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do?
My money's gone, the fun is gone
The way things look I can't be here long
Oh oh oh I got the Eisenhower Blues
Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do?
Taking all my money to pay the tax
I'm telling you people the natural facts
I'm telling you people, in my belief
I am headed straight on relief
Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues
Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do?
I ain't got a dime, ain't got a cent
Ain't got no money to pay my rent
She wants some clothes, she wants some shoes
I'm telling you people I don't know what to do
Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues
Talking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do?
Taking all my money to pay the tax
I'm telling you people the natural facts
I'm telling you people, in my belief
I am headed straight on relief
Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues
Thinking about me and you and what on earth are we gonna do?
Oh I got the Eisenhower Blues

Top Elvis Costello, Glitter Gulch

Enter Madam X painted in a shocking pink spangled dress
Her teeth are perfect but her mouth is loose
Rubbing their hands together she persuades them that it's better to confess
Which unpleasant fate they'd like to choose
[Chorus:]
Every step might be your last
Money signs are in your eyes sucker
You've been taken in this time
You might just get out alive if you're lucky
All the vultures tuning in to Glitter Gulch
Are looking in on you
And they're hungry
he stood five feet tall in his elevator shoes and stovepipe hat
He was known by several different names
Prompted by Madam X he answered all their questions
And then after that he said I'm sick and tired of stupid games
[Chorus]
We've got prizes if you can afford
Some small humiliation before you get your reward
And I'd rather be an outlaw than an inlaw to you
And to live my life in miserable poverty
Than to have to grovel to have some dream home hovel
So watch me while I get away with prime time robbery
As he enters Madam X he thinks of red raged faces and the sweet greenbacks
He climbed upon his honey and he covered her with money
As they do their victory dance
He thinks I hope they choke upon their laughter tracks

Top Elvis Costello, I'll Wear It Proudly

I hate these flaming curtains they're not the color of your hair
I hate these striplights they're not so undoing as your stare
I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I wanna do is tear
I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you're not here
[Chorus:]
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
And nail my feet up where my head should be
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
And you can all die laughing because I'll wear it proudly
Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm
In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm
You have this expression dear no words could take its place
And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face
[Chorus]
I'll wear it proudly through the dives and the dancehalls
If you'll wear it proudly through the snakepits and catcalls
Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss
If you don't know what is wrong with me
Then you don't know what you've missed
We are arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight
When the bell rang out and the air outside turned blue from fright
But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess
And a handful of eagerness says "What do you suggest?"

Top Elvis Costello, Jack Of All Parades

When we first met I didn't know what to do
My old love lines were all worn out on you
And the world walked round my mouth
They lit me up and they snuffed me out
[Chorus:]
And I was everybody's boy
But soon that thrill just fades
To be the love of one true heart
Or the Jack of all parades
You won't know who to thank
You won't know who to blame
It's just a part of the Murdering Game
'Cos down in the fleshpots
Where they pay you in pounds
They're laughing like drains
And baying like bloodhounds
For the Jack of all parades
The Jack of all parades
Once I knew a girl
That looked so much like Judy Garland
That people would stop and give her money
And everybody was Frankie, Jimmy or Bobby
Not the Jack, the Jack of all Parades,
Oh the Jack, the Jack of all Parades,
Oh the Jack, of all Parades.
Now the way that I feel is no longer news
You know my love and how to refuse it
Cause you know where the door is
And how to use it
Oh you know you do
But from my chequered past
To this shattered terrace
Where you can't keep your mind off
the Crimes of Paris
And you can't keep your peace
And try to forget it
And I can't forgive you
For things you haven't done yet
Oh I was anybody's boy
But soon that thrill just fades
To be the love of one true heart
Or the Jack of all parades
When we first met I didn't know what to do
My old love lines were all worn out on you
And the world walked 'round my mouth
I didn't mean to say it
I just blurted it out
As you pretended not to notice
Or be taken aback
And I loved you there and then
It's as simple as that
Oh I was everybody's boy
But soon that thrill just fades
To be the love of one true heart
Or the Jack of all parades
To be the love of one true heart
Or the Jack of all parades

Top Elvis Costello, Little Palaces

In Chocolate Town all the trains are painted brown
On the silver paper of the wrapper
There's a dapper little man
And he wears a wax moustache
That he twists with nicotine fingers
As he drops his cigarette ash
And someone comes and sweeps it up
And then he doffs his cap
And there's a rat in someone's bedroom
And they're shutting someone's trap
And they'll soon be pulling down the little palaces
And the doors swing back and forward, from the past into the present
And the bedside crucifixion turns from wood to phosphorescent.
And they're moving problem families from the South up to the North,
Mother's crying over some soft soap opera divorce,
And you say you didn't do it, but you know you did of course,
And they'll soon be pulling down the little palaces.
It's like shouting in a matchbox, filled with plasterboard and hope,
Like a picture of Prince William in the arms of John the Pope.
There's a world of good intentions, and pity in their eyes,
The sedated homes of England, are theirs to vandalize.
So you knock the kids about a bit, because they've got your name,
And you knock the kids about a bit, until they feel the same.
And they feel like knocking down the little palaces.
You're the twinkle in your daddy's eye, a name you spray and scribble,
You made the girls all turn their heads, and in turn they made you miserable.
To be the heir apparent, to the kingdom of the invisible.
So you knock the kids about a bit, because they've got your name,
And you knock the kids about a bit, until they feel the same.

Top Elvis Costello, Lovable

[Chorus:]
It's going round the town
It's going round the town
It's going round the town
You're so lovable
My baby gave me notice to quit
I just can't get used to it
She broke my little heart in two
Now somebody else is being the same old you
[Chorus]
My baby has Egyptian eyes
And a wicked look beyond compare
If you thought I was a fool for you
Then I must be a bigger fool for her
[Chorus]
He'd turn the flowers of springtime into a wreath
He says he'd love you eternally
I say please please can't you keep it brief
They say they're going to bury you
Because you're so lovable
Put your money where your mouth was
You're so lovable
Each tender mumble brings us closer to bedlam
You're so lovable
The toast of the town and the talk of the bedroom
You're so lovable
You're so sweet
You're so honest
You say `I'll be true to you boy'
But I won't promise
Then you say you love me
Then you show me
As you lie there so lifelike below me

Top Elvis Costello, Our Little Angel

This is the place where I made my best mistakes
This is the place even angels don't understand
I've seen the disappointment in her face
And the collection of engagement rings on her right hand
She sits alone apart from the crowd
In a white dress she wears like a question mark
Friends speak of her fondly
Enemies just think out loud
You think you're man enough to please her
And you're fool enough to start
You're not going to do a thing to our little angel
There's nothing you're thinking tonight that tomorrow won't change
Now the cabaret is frozen and the laughter comes in cans
And the lonely hearts club clientele don't know what to do with their hands
You think that you'll be sweet to her but everybody knows
That you're the marshmallow valentine that got stuck on her clothes
But you're not going to do a thing to our little angel
There's nothing you're thinking tonight that tomorrow won't change
So you mix your drinks and words
You make bad jokes you make bad time
The floors are there to walk over
The walls are there to climb
You swear that you'll never go back again once you're inside
You're never the bridegroom she's always the bride
And you're not going to do a thing to our little angel
There's nothing you're thinking tonight that tomorrow won't change
You'll come in a sweetheart and you'll go out a stranger
Well you try to love her but she's so contrary
Like a chainsaw running through a dictionary
So get your mind off the sweet behind of our little angel
You're not going to do a thing
You're not going to do a thing

Top Elvis Costello, Poisoned Rose

The poisoned rose
That you gave to me
It left me half alive
And half in ecstasy
But if half of your love
Is all I can win
Give me just a fraction
But no more medicine
The poisoned rose
On a Valentine card
That you take straight to the heart
That you call my junkyard
But if all I can do
is save pieces of you
The piece of your mind
The piece of your heart
Didn't tear me apart
Like the poisoned rose
I received from you
I don't know
How we came to grow
Into this very sad affair
Everytime we do the decent thing
Somebody spikes the drink
And a single becomes a pair
The poisoned rose
That you wear at your best
That I keep pressed between the white sheets
Where you lie half undressed
I threw away my shirt and shoes
You looked and I dived in
It's just you and me now
'Cause I threw away the gin
I threw away your alibis
And all your worn-out clothes
I threw myself upon the floor
But I couldn't throw away
This poisoned rose
This poisoned rose

Top Elvis Costello, Different Finger

Please put your rings on a diff'rent finger if you meet me tonight
'Cause I can't stand those suspicious glances
'Cause I know the things they're saying are right
They're saying why don't you straighten up
And see what you've got to lose
Put it all down to fate but you still got the chance to choose
I don't want to hear your whole life story
Or about my strange resemblance to some old flame
All I want is one night of glory
I don't even know your second name
Please put your rings on a diff'rent finger 'cause we've got so much at stake
I can't stand those suspicious glances
'Cause they seem to cover ev'ry move I make
But if I can be alone with you completely tonight
Put your rings on a diff'rent finger

Top Elvis Costello, Boy With a Problem

I feel like a boy with a problem
I can't believe what we've forgotten
And I even slapped your face and made you cry
It's the last thing I want to do
Pull the curtains on me and you
Pull the carpet from under love
Pull out like young lovers do
You swore you wouldn't shout
If it's not your punch then its your pout
Days in silence try my temper
Nights spent drinking to remember
How memories are always tender
I crept out last night behind your back
The little they know might be the pieces I lack
Came home drunk
Talking in circles
The spirit is willing but I don't believe in miracles
I've got a problem but let's go to bed
I can roll over and I can play dead
But here I am in the doghouse instead
I feel like a boy with a problem
I can't believe all you've forgotten

Top Elvis Costello, Black Sails In The Sunset

Vain boys are gonna have to swallow their pride this time
So let the punishment fit the crime
It's under the table
Under your skin
Into the cable
Is this the death of the glory you're in?
[Chorus:]
Black sails in the sunset
White noise going yakety-yak
All the money in the world will never bring your body back
Is it some mysterious dance nobody can do?
Thought I knew all the steps quite clearly
I don't have a clue
Oooh
You're Cinderella with a ball and chain
And the shoe seems to fit you
You tell the truth sometimes but
You wouldn't know it if it hit you
Is this some new trick
Wired up in your head?
Do you make me sick
Or was I just force fed?

Top Elvis Costello, Big Sister's Clothes

Sheep to the slaughter oh I thought this must be love
All your sons and daughters in a strangle hold with a kid glove
She's got eyes like saucers oh you think she's a dish
She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish
[Chorus:]
But it's easier to say "I love you,"
than "Yours sincerly" I suppose
All little sisters like to try on big sister's clothes
Big sister's clothes
The sport of kings, the old queen's heart
The prince in darkness stole some tart
And it's in the papers, it's in the charts
It's in the stop press before it all starts.
With a hammer on the slap and tickle under grisly garments
With all the style and finesse of the purchase of armaments
Compassion went out of fashion
That's all your concern meant
Sweat it out for thirty seconds on home improvements

Top Elvis Costello, Love For Sale

When the only sound on the empty street
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop
I open shop
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On the wayward ways of a wayward town
That a smile becomes a smirk
I go to work
Love for sale
Appetizing young love for sale
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Love that's only slightly soiled
Love for sale
Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love in their childish ways
I know every kind of love better far than they
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
Old love, new love
Every kind but true love
For sale
Appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares
Follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale

Top Elvis Costello, Gloomy Sunday

Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless
Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless
Little white flowers will never awaken you
Not when the black coach of sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thought of ever returning you
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
Gloomy Sunday
Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all
My heart and I have decided to end it all
Soon there'll be flowers and prayers that are sad, I know
Let them not weep, let them know that I'm glad to go
Death is no dream, for in death I am caressing you
With the last breath of my heart I'll be blessing you
Gloomy Sunday
Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I wake and I find you asleep in the deep of my heart, deep
Darling, I hope that my dream never haunted you
My heart is telling you how much I wanted you

Top Elvis Costello, From A Whisper To A Scream

Oh it's not easy to resist temptation
Walking around looking like a figment of somebody else's imagination
Taking ev'ry word she says just like an open invitation
But the power of persuasion is no match for anticipation
[Chorus:]
Like a finger running down a seam
From a whisper to a scream
So I whisper and I scream
But don't get me wrong
Please don't leave me waitin' too long
Waitin' too long
Waitin' too long
Waitin' too long
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh if the customers like it then they'll keep on paying
If they keep on drinking then they'll end up staying
I heard someone say where have we met before
But the one over the eight seem less like one or more like four

Top Elvis Costello, Fish 'n' Chip Paper

When Sunday morning dandruff turns out to be confetti
And the cost of living in sin would make a poor man out of Paul Getty
The girl in your dreams would have you up on an under age charge
And the man of the moment is the lifer at large
[Chorus:]
If you've got something to hide, if you've got something to sell
If you've got somebody's pride she might kiss and tell
Or wind up with a fight fan in the Hammersmith Hotel
You better speak up now if you want your piece
You better speak up now
It won't mean a thing later
Yesterday's news is tomorrow's fish and chip paper
Your girl says she's leaving and this time she really means it
You can just look at the pictures, you don't actually have to read it
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
There's a man in the launderette and he's looking through your underwear
for clues
And the milkman is working through the News of the Screws
He says...

Top Elvis Costello, Big Sister

Sheep to the slaughter
Oh, this must be love
All your sons and daughters in a strangle, all with a kid glove
Eyes like saucers; oh, you think she's a dish
She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish
Big sister will be watching over you
Sister see, sister do
She's got to save me
She's got you playing Russian Roulette
Sport of kings, the old queen's heart
The prince of darkness stole some tart
It's in the papers, it's in the charts
It's in the stop press before it all starts
With a hammer and a slap 'n' tickle in inquisitive garments
With all the style and finesse of the purchase of armaments
Compassion went out of fashion, that's all your concernment
Sweat it out for thirty seconds on all the prudeness
Big sister will be watching over you
Sister see, sister do
She's got to save me
She's got you playing Russian Roulette
She's got to save me
She's got you playing Russian Roulette

Top Elvis Costello, You Belong To Me

What are you girls gonna tell your mother?
I don't want to hear another word about young lovers
or hiding your boyfriend in the cupboard.
She's been to see the doctor, so you hope that she recovers.
You act dumb.
You say you're so numb.
You say you don't come
under his thumb.
Don't wanna be a goody-goody.
I don't want just anybody.
No, I don't want anybody
saying 'You belong to me. You belong to me.'
Your eyes are absent, your mouth is silent;
pumping like a fire hydrant.
Things you see are getting hard to swallow.
You're easily led, but you're much too scared to follow.
You've been warned.
You're going to get torn.

Top Elvis Costello, Come Away, Death

Come away, come away, death
And in sad Cyprus let me be laid
Fie away, fie away, breath
I am slain by a fair cruel maid
My shroud of white stuck all with you
O prepare it
My part of death no one so true
Did share it
Come away, come away, death
Not a flower, not a flower, sweet
On my black coffin let there be strewn
Not a friend, not a friend, greet
My poor corpse where my bones shall be thrown
A thousand thousand sighs to say
Lay me over
Sad true lover never find my grave
To weep there

Top Elvis Costello, Country Darkness

This tattered document
A mystery you can solve
Some burnt out filament
Flies still buzzing around the bulb
Country Darkness
He thought of traveling
Heard an approaching train
Drown out his desperate pulse
A song with no refrain
Country Darkness
She daydreams of forbidden sins
There must be something more
The prison she lives in
The one with the open door
The veil is covering
A glistening and cruel blade
Suffer little children
Repent, unfaithful maid

Top Elvis Costello, Daddy Can I Turn This?

There is a button and there's a switch
There is a needle and there's a dial
There is a lever I want to lift
And still you treat me like I'm a child
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Will it be very dangerous?
Or will it taste nice?
You wash your hands with perfume and spice
I'll tell you when I want your advice
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Is anybody acting your age?
You got a girl you keep in a cage
You give her present after a while
A birthday cake containing a file
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
The flashing lights go running 'round and 'round
It spits out money
It tastes like honey
So drink it down
It leaves the slightest chemical taste
It could be most unfortunate
Earrings that jangle before they're seen
She slaps your face like a tambourine
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?
Daddy can I turn this?

Top Elvis Costello, Delivery Man

'Abel was able,' so Vivian said
Her shoulders flung forward
Her lips in a purse
She talks like the beauty that she never was
Of the fabulous wild nights that she never has
In a certain light he looked like Elvis
In a certain way he feels like Jesus
Everyone dreams of him just as they can
But he's only the humble Delivery Man
Geraldine blushes and brushes away
The cigarette ashes that Vivian scatters
Stares out of the window at the things that she says
While gossip within her competes with the widow
Ever since he's gone, she feels like crying all the time
She knows for sure Vivian is lying
Now she has a daughter to raise as she can
She just wouldn't trust that Delivery Man
Ivy puts down the ghost story she's reading
Looks up at that face on the wall
Thinking about how her father lay bleeding
Shot in the back 'cos orders were misleading
And how a flag and a medal don't have any meaning
On the 5th of July as they tore down the fair
And he'd seen all the local girls who were worth kissing
With the smell of the gunpowder still in the air
They noticed that Abel and Ivy were missing
In a certain light he looked like Elvis
In a certain way he seemed like Jesus
He said 'Why can't we be kind to me like you were meant to be?
When they let me out, I had a brand new identity.
Now everyone dreams of me just as they can.
I want to be your Delivery Man.'

Top Elvis Costello, Broken Promise Land

There's a place
Where words mean nothing or much less
Such a disgrace
We got to get out of this mess
Coming in under the cover of darkness
How high shall we build this wall?
I could've said more but it would've seemed heartless
How hard did I slam that door?
I swore I'd never walk away
Until I saw this day
It didn't turn out the way we planned
Now I'm living in
Broken Promise Land
Broken Promise Land
There's a town I know
Has a strange resemblance to Jericho
Even though
Seven horns are getting ready to blow
Coming in under the cover of darkness
How high shall we build this wall?
Could've said more but it would've seemed heartless
How tight shall we close that door?
They only claimed to be redeemed
They take that name and then blaspheme
It didn't turn out the way we planned
Now I'm living in
Broken Promise Land
Broken Promise Land
There's a place
Where infidels and showgirls meet
Such a disgrace
Wedding bells crumble in the street
Coming in under the cover of darkness
How high shall we build this wall?
I could've said more but it would've seemed heartless
How tight shall we shut that door?
In the name of the Father and the Son
In the name of gasoline and a gun
It didn't turn out the way we planned
Now I'm living in
Broken Promise Land

Top Elvis Costello, Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter

She says what has her daddy done
That you want him to be punished
When she woke up one day to find
That he was starting to vanish
But _if you hope_ (?) to hear voices
You know you should not be listening
Push the vigilant lips
Make a slice of her face
Said the scandalous whispering
She's not on her own with the rest of her riches
As the kids tear down the refrigerator pictures
She picks up the bills and pays the babysitter
'Cause everybody knows burnt sugar is so bitter
And once there was a time
Before you turned strange
She thought they'd be together
For more than a lifetime
Look at them now
My, how things have changed
He can tell his sweetheart
Out of any girl on just a whiff
And turn it from a candy to a caramel
And make her hate the silouette she used to feel
And say "I know nothing about you."
Now what's left of the birthday cake
Smeared and beautifully frosted
An absent father picks up the phone
To find the number's unlisted
While the kids are distracted
She'll notice _she's nervous at all_ (?)
But how long will it take
Not to make a mistake
When a gentleman comes to call
She's not on her own with the rest of her riches
As the kids tear down their refrigerator pictures
They already know how a woman may advance
From a pretty picture hat to a supermarket trance
Where it is unkind, she might as well forget it
'Cause everybody knows burnt sugar is so bitter
Burnt sugar is so bitter
Burnt sugar
Burnt sugar

Top Elvis Costello, Can You Be True_

Can you be true?
Can this possibly be real?
I knew quite suddenly
Do you sense how I feel?
I long to hear you whisper my name
'Til you tell me
'My Darling, you may be my man.'
There will be days when you must go from my sight
There may be nights when clouds deny us starlight
Only time will tell us
I hope that it speaks gently if it isn't meant to be
Then again
By then we might not be listening so attentively
I will be there
If the days bring torments and trials
To close the distances only measured in miles
I long to hold you all through the night
And to tell you
'My Darling, you make everything seem right'
And then I'll hear you calling in my name
And I'll answer
'My Darling, I may be your man'

Top Elvis Costello, Chelsea

Photographs of fancy tricks to get your kicks at sixty-six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that he’s going to fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there’s no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she’s last year’s model
They call her natasha when she looks like elsie
I don’t want to go to chelsea
Oh no it does not move me
Even though I’ve seen the movie
I don’t want to check your pulse
I don’t want nobody else
I don’t want to go to chelsea
Everybody’s got new orders
Be a nice girl and kiss the warders
Now the teacher is away
All the kids begin to play
Men come screaming, dressed in white coats
Shake you very gently by the throat
One’s named gus, one’s named alfie
I don’t want to go to chelsea
Oh no it does not move me
Even though I’ve seen the movie
I don’t want to check your pulse
I don’t want nobody else
I don’t want to go to chelsea
Photographs of fancy tricks to get your kicks at sixty-six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that he’s going to fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there’s no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she’s last year’s model
They call her natasha when she looks like elsie
I don’t want to go to chelsea
Oh no it does not move me
Even though I’ve seen the movie
I don’t want to check your pulse
I don’t want nobody else
I don’t want to go to chelsea

Top Elvis Costello, Bright Blue Times

Alone in the crowd
Simply taking up space
You would never admit to tears
Till they're rolling down your face
[Chorus:]
One day, love, long from now
Maybe you'll leave that we
Live in bright blue times
Alone in the dark
There's a voice in your head
You would never admit your name
Could be someone else instead

Top Elvis Costello, Brilliant Disguise

I hold you in my arms
There's a band playing
What are those words whispered, baby
Just as you turn away?
Well I saw you last night
Out on the edge of town
I wanna read your mind and know just what I got in this
New thing I found
So tell me what I see
When I look into your eyes
Is that you, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
I heard someone call your name
Underneath my willow
I saw something tucked in shame
Underneath your pillow
Well I tried so hard, baby
But I just can't see
What a woman like you
Is doing with me
So tell me who I see
When I look into your eyes
Is that you, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
Now look at me, baby
Struggling to do everything right
And then it all falls apart
When out go the lights
I'm just a lonely pilgrim
I walk this world in wealth
I wanna know it's you I don't trust
'Cause I damn sure don't trust myself
Now you play the lovin' woman
I play the faithful man
Just don't look too close
Into the palm of my hand
When we stood at the altar
The gypsy swore our future looked right
But in the wee, wee hours, maybe baby,
The gypsy lied
So when you look at me
You better look hard and look twice
Is that me, baby
Or just a brilliant disguise?
Tonight our bed is cold
I'm lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on a man

Top Elvis Costello, TKO (Boxing Day)

You can run all you like from the classroom or the cot
From a great big man or a tiny tot
But from this day everyday will be BOXING DAY
Don't need your indecision let there be no doubt
Don't need you permission I can count you out
They put the numb into number they put the cut into cutie
They put the slum into slumber and the boot into beauty
But from this day everyday will be BOXING DAY
It's a fight to the finish let there be no doubt
As the seconds turn into minutes I can count you out
You need a back to break or a back to stab
NOW YOUR BIRTHDAY SUIT LOOKS DULL AND DRAB
But from this day everyday will be BOXING DAY
NOW YOU DON'T LOOK SO GLAMOROUS
WHENEVER I FEEL SO AMOROUS
I CAN COUNT YOU OUT

Top Elvis Costello, The World and His Wife (Live)

(Alternate Slower Version, Submitted by Craig Ciccone)
The family circle gathers 'round from very far and near
To pass around the same remarks they passed away last year
The little girl you dangled on your knee without mishap
Stirs something in your memory and something in your lap
(Chorus)
The juniper berry has a very deadly kiss
I would say that something here is very much amiss
But it's a living and this is the life
For the world and his wife
The world and his wife
The kissing cousins step outside to cuddle and confess
She says sweet nothing at all, it's much more of a mess
She says, ";Our Mother and someone else's Father
Went for two weeks holiday in Tarmasalata.";
Daddy went out the rubbish and he kept on walking
Between Mum and the walls, God only knows who does the talking
Chorus
The conversation melts like chocolate down our open jaws
Through the loud appeal of laughter and the counting of [?]
And later on in the evening, through the tears and fol de rol
Come the sentimental feelings for the lure of vitriol
Longing thoughts go hankering for the old home overseas
With a blindfold and a national anthem sung in different keys
Chorus

Top Elvis Costello, The Identity Parade

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, The Greatest Love

The greatest love I ever loved
Was the love I had for you
The greatest wish I ever wished
Was when I wished that you love me too
But I found out that you were lying
When you said that you'd be mine
All that talk about break up, never, leave me never
It was the greatest love
It was the greatest love
But I still love you
I still love you
The greatest hurt I ever hurt
Was the hurt you put on me
It took so long to find out
That this love could never be
But I found out that you were lying
When you told me you'd be mine
All that talk about break up, never, leave me never
It was the greatest love
We had the greatest love
But I still love you
I still love you
Well I found out that you were lying
When you said that you'd be mine
All that talk about break up, never, leave me never
It was the greatest love
We had the greatest love
But I still love you
I still love you
(Greatest love)
I still love you
(Greatest love)
We had the greatest love
(Greatest love)

Top Elvis Costello, The Only Daddy Thatll

Everybody knows you been steppin' on my toes
And I'm gettin pretty tired of it
Keep steppin' outta line and messin' with my mind
If you had any sense, you'd quit
But ever since you were just a little bitty girl
Since I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinking then you'll find
You got the only daddy that'll walk the line
I keep workin' everyday, all you wanna do is play
I'm sick of stayin' out all night
You've been coming unglued from your funny little moods
So, honey-baby, that ain't right
'Cause ever since you were just a little bitty girl
Since I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinking then you'll find
You got the only daddy that'll walk the line
Everybody knows you been steppin' on my toes
And still just puttin' me on
When I start-a-walkin', don't I hear you start-a-squawkin'
Beggin' me to come back home
'Cause ever since you were just a little bitty girl
Since I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinking then you'll find

Top Elvis Costello, The Night Before Larry Was Stretched

Oh, the night before Larry was stretched
Well the boys they all paid him a visit
A bit in their sacks too they fetched
For they sweated their duds till they rivered
For Larry was always the lad
When a boy was condemned to the Squeezer
Would fence all the duds that he had
For to help his poor friend to a sneezer -
- And warm his own god 'fore he died
Well the boys they came crowding in fast
And they threw all their stools 'round about him
Six glims round his trap-case was placed
For he couldn't be well-waked without them
When one of them asked, "Could he die
Without having duly repented?"
Said Larry, "That's all in the eye
And first by the clergy invented -
- For to get a fat lid for themselves"
Oh and Algie cut up like a pie:
"I may not from me buddy be parted."
"You're in the wrong box, then, says I,
For bless me if they're so hard-hearted
"A chalk on the back of your neck
Is all that Jack Catch does to give you
Then mind not such trifle's effect
Oh why should the likes of them grieve you? -
- And now boys, come tip us the deck."
Well the cards being called for they played
Until Larry found one of them cheated
? A godflew was napperly made ?
For the boy he being easily heated
"Oh, hold me the hokey, you thief!
I'll scuffle your knob with me dardle!
You cheat me because I'm in grief
Ah, but soon I'll be molish and muddle -
- And leave you your claret to drink"
Then the clergy came in with his boon
And he spoke him so smooth and so civil
Larry tipped him A Kilmaven wink
And he pitched his big wig to the devil
Then sighing he threw back his head
For to get a sweet drop of the bottle
And dutiful sighing he said,
"Oh the hemp 'twill be soon 'round me throttle -
- And choke me poor windpipe to death.
"Oh then sure it's the best way to die
? Oh the dead are the better the living ?
For now in the gallows is hiding
A journey that's surely to heaven."
But what harasses Larry the most
And makes his soul poor melancholy
Is he thinks of the time when his ghost
It will come in a sheet to Sweet Molly -
- "Oh sure, it'll kill her alive"
So moving, these last words he spoke
We all vented our tears in a shower
For me own part I thought me heart broke
For to see him cut down like a flower
On his travels we watched him next day
The throttler I thought I could kill him
But Larry not one word did say
Nor change did he come to King William -
- And mutter, "His color be White."
When he came to the old Dublin Shed
He was tucked up so neat and so pretty
? The rumbler jumped far from his feet ?
And he died with his face to the city
He came to, but that was all pride
For soon you might see 'twas all over
Soon after the noose was untied
In darkness we waked him in clover -
- And sent him to take his ground sweat
Oh, the night before Larry was stretched
Well the boys they all paid him a visit
A bit in their sacks too they fetched
For they sweated their duds till they rivered
For Larry was always the lad
When a boy was condemned to the Squeezer
Would fence all the duds that he had
For to help his poor friend to a sneezer -
- And warm his own god 'fore he died

Top Elvis Costello, The Name Of This Thing Is Not Love

There's a part of this feeling that I just cannot kill
But the name of this thing is not love
And I can't take a potion, and I won't take a pill
So it tortures me still
But the name of this thing is not love
Then you start entertaining such a terrible thought
Life is so very short
And the name of this thing is not love
There's a bruise on her arm
And some blood on the floor
But the name of this thing is not love
And they're taunting some girl
That they claim to adore
She can't take anymore
But the name of this thing is not love
Who in the world do you think that you are?
That you pushed me this far
But the name of this thing is not love
He thinks of her still
Although you'd never guess
He's trying so to forget her
The occasional moments that he'll always bless
Watching her dress
For worse or better
He watched her pick over her broken playthings
What played on his mind is not love
The cast aside tokens and discarded rings
Over one of his flings
But the name of this thing is not love
Then he threw something down in the wild rushing river
And won't ever recover
But the name of this thing is not love
Then you start out pretending that you're so very tough
Life is not short enough

Top Elvis Costello, The King Of The Unknown Sea

Beneath the turquoise pools and emerald jewels
There lie the broken spines of seven ships
The skulls of careless fools and coins of gold
Pour from the banks that proffer puckered lips
I am the king of all of you
The timid land
The unknown sea
And all that lies between
So then come away you frail of breath
You feeling tired of life
And scared of death
You stain the air with your half hearted wit
A few steps more will make an end of it
I am the king of all of you
The timid land
The unknown sea
And all that lies between
She'll wander on a strand of dying light
She'll wonder who may answer whispered prayers
The coral and the pearl that hold you tight

Top Elvis Costello, The Sharpest Thorn

I wore my finest suit of clothes
The sharpest thorn defending the rose
Hot as a pistol
Keen as a blade
The sharpest thorn upon parade
And it's the same most every year
Ghosts of the dear departed are near
We raise our glasses and we cheer
Should old acquaintance disappear
Just as we wipe away a tear
Archangel Michael will lead the way
Archangel Gabriel is ready to play
Although we know we must repent
We hit the scene and look for sins
That haven't even been invented
The strongest cage that guards the prize
The longest lash that covers your eyes
A sight no eyes are meant to know
Then on the third day he arose
Archangel Michael will lead the way
Archangel Gabriel is ready to play
Although we know we must repent
We hit the scene and look for sins
That haven't even been invented
So Good and Evil were having a fight
It lasts much longer than any one night
It may last longer than a life
And turn a mistress into a wife
And so confetti fills the air
My head is aching
My pockets are bare
I didn't recognise their warning
Then I wasn't born the sharpest thorn
I wasn't born the sharpest thorn
I wasn't born the sharpest thorn
I wasn't born the sharpest thorn

Top Elvis Costello, The Scarlet Tide

Well I recall his parting words
Must I accept his fate?
Or take myself far from this place
I thought I heard a black bell toll
A little bird did sing
Man has no choice
When he wants everything
[Chorus:]
We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride
Man goes beyond his own decision
Gets caught up in the mechanism
Of swindlers who act like kings
And brokers who break everything
The dark of night was swiftly fading
Close to the dawn of the day
Why would I want him
Just to lose him again

Top Elvis Costello, The Play

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, The Other End

Shall we agree that just this once
I’m gonna change my life
Until it’s just as tiny or important as you like?
And in time we won’t even recall that we spoke
Words that turned out to be as big as smoke
As smoke that disappears in the air
There’s always something that’s smoldering somewhere
I know it don’t make a difference to you
But oh! it sure made a difference to me
You’ll see me off in the distance, I hope
At the other end
At the other end of the telescope.
The promise of indulgence in my confidential voice
Approached immortal danger but you’ll never know how close
Then down the hall I overheard such a heavenly choir
They interrupted my evil designs
One day you are up in the clouds
The next thing you’re down with the sweet adelines
(chorus)
Lie down baby now don’t say a word
There there baby your vision is blurred
Your head is so sore from all of that thinking
I don’t want to hurt you now
But I think you’re shrinking
You’re half-naked ambition and you’re half out of your wits
Or several tiny fractions that this portrait still omits
And it’s so hard to pick the receiver up when I call
I never noticed you could be so small
The answer was under your nose but the question never arose
I know it don’t make a difference to you
But oh! it sure made a difference to me
’cause late in the evening as I sit here moping
With a bamboo needle on a shellac of chopin
And the cast-iron heart that you failed to tear open
At the other end
At the other end of the telescope

Top Elvis Costello, Lesson In Cruelty

Here's a thought to dwell upon,
Daddy's girl is almost gone
Now there's just a vain princess
'Her Ruthlessness'
Tearing up the nursery
Stars more used to glittering
Pictured in the guttering
Faces caught about to laugh
Torn in half
Slipping through your fingers
See them scatter
Maybe it doesn't matter
But I still really want to pick pieces up
You can't fool me
With this lesson in cruelty
It's not as if I was asking time to stop
In violent blue
Like roses red
She laughed as she tore off his head
The hours she gazed on her former champion
Now it's just a frame of sellotape and torn wallpaper
As she rips his pretty face to bits
[Chorus]
It's too much too soon or so it seems
To put away these childish dreams
You'll find out soon enough that worship can be tough
Love is just a name to celebrate a vision
Or confetti littered with regrets.
See it scatter...
Dear heart to good to waste
But if some hot-head should claim it
Don't rush to his embrace
And it remains to say...
I'll love you just the same, whatever your decision
As you put the paper to the flame

Top Elvis Costello, Playboy to a Man

You had your own way one too many times and now
you're going to find out what it's like
Just what it's like, now you're a mess
You wanted something you could never possess
You went your own way one too many nights
You treated her like some small oversight
What in the world makes her think that she can
Turn you from a playboy into a man
[Chorus:]
She's going to make you suffer tonight
To turn you from a playboy into a man
And when you're worthy of her then she might
Turn you from a playboy into a man
You thought you were the answer to her prayers
the perfect gift that every girl prefers
But that's the trouble 'cos every girl still thinks you're hers
So there you are with your gold chains jangling
Your lucky charms and jewelry dangling
But when she saw you she turned and ran
To turn you from a playboy into a man
[Chorus]
You couldn't see that the juvenile things you do
Would drag you down and now that the joke's on you
You're pretty cold you end as you start
When your facade isn't falling apart
So now you're standing in your underwear
Well now you know just how it feels for her
You're halfway there you know that she can turn you from a
playboy into a man

Top Elvis Costello, Chewing Gum

With their cardboard hands by their sides,
here's a naked man and lady
And they're yours to cut out and keep
So you can dress them up maybe
They don't know just who they are, or who they're
supposed to be
You can make them happy or sad
Or assume their identity
So here they are in the departure lounge
It's the "Gateway to the East"
She is just another mail-order bride
She doesn't know he's a kinky beast
So he gives her a picture of Maradona and child
She wants to "roll and rock"
As he spills his beer over her, bumps and he
grinds, as he repeats "Bang-Cock"
[Chorus:]
There must be something that is better than this
It starts with a slap and ends up with a kiss
Begins with you bawling and it ends up in tears
Oh my little one, take that chewing gum out of
your ears
She might as well be in the jungle
She might as well be on the moon
He's away on a business trip, in Dusseldorf [sic], but
she's becoming immune
To the lack of glamour and danger in a West-
German city today
The nearest she comes to the "Dynasty" he
promised her
Is a Chinese takeaway
[Chorus]
Though he only taught her three little words, it
doesn't matter if they're dirty or clean
He can only control what they look like
He can never possess what they mean
Now he wants to whisper in her ear
All the shrinking nothingness
But something always comes between them,
I wonder if you can guess

Top Elvis Costello, Why

Why is Daddy not here?
Are you crying?
Why?
Does he still love me?
Will you take care of me?
If you both love me so
Why don't you love each other
Mummy's gone missing
Daddy's on fire
Daddy's on fire

Top Elvis Costello, Who Do You Think You Are?

The hunted look, the haunted grace
The empty laugh that you cultivate
You fall into that false embrace
And kiss the air about her face
Who do you think you are?
The tres bon mots you almost quote from your
QUIVER of literary darts
A thousand or so tuneless violins thrilling your cheap
little heart
Who do you think you are?
My cigarette burns right down to the ash, my coffee
cup is unstained
The waiter hovers close at hand
His courtesy strained
Who do you think you are?
I close with my regards
Well I'm the red-face gentleman
Caught in this picture postcard
Who do you think you are?
Trying my best to make the best of your absence
Though the joke gets tired and sordid
Sea-shell hearts get trampled under foot
Punchlines unrewarded
But even at this distance it's not easy to accept
The vision that I chase returns when I least expect it
I've fallen from your tired embrace

Top Elvis Costello, You Want Her Too

She makes me go so wrong
(Yeah, you kept me away, you know you did)
I've loved her oh, so long
(So why don't you come right out and say it, stupid?)
She makes me do things I don't want to do
I don't know why I should be telling you
I know that you want her too
My intentions are quite sincere
(That's not what you said the other night)
And all you can do is sneer
(So go ahead and kid yourself you're right)
She makes me do things I don't want to do
I don't know why I should be telling you
I know that you want her too
I've got a better chance than you do
I know that you want her too
You're such a hopeless romantic
She told me you're so predictable and nice
She only did you a favor once or twice
Once or twice
She makes me go so wrong
(So why don't you lie back and enjoy it?)
Oh, my conscience is clear and strong
(Yes, she says I'm just the boy for it)
She makes me do things I don't want to do
I don't know why I should be telling you
I know that you want her too
I know that you want her too

Top Elvis Costello, Complicated Shadows

Well you know your time has come
And you're sorry for what you've done
You should've never have been playing with a gun
In those complicated shadows
Well there's a line that you must toe and it'll soon be time to go
But it's darker than you know in those complicated shadows
All you gangsters and rude clowns who were shooting up the town
When you should have found someone to put the blame on
Though the fury's hot and hard I still see that cold graveyard
There's a solitary stone that's got your name on
You don't have to take it from me
But I know what I spake
You think you're like iron and steel
But iron and steel will bend and break
In those complicated shadows, go
Sometimes justice you will find is just dumb not color blind
And your poor shattered mind can't take it all in
All those phantoms and those shades should jump up on judgement day
And say to the almighty, "I'm still stinking of sin"
But the jury was dismissed took his neck and they give it a twist
So you see you won't be missed in those complicated shadows
You can say just what you like in a voice like a John Ford film
Take the law into your hands you will soon get tired of killing
In those complicated shadows complicated shadows
Complicated shadows complicated shadows go

Top Elvis Costello, You Stole My Bell

There is a place
Underneath the staircase
Where I keep the evidence
Of what once would offer peace
In a deep blue velvet box filled with joy and pride
Should I pick the locks?
Should I peek inside?
Can I stand the sight of those happy days?
Should I strike a match, burn them all away?
Cos you stole my bell
And you broke my chime
And the clock spins round but it won't keep time
There are many lovely girls in this cold and loveless world
But not one is the equal of you, heaven knows how much I love you (x2)
So here we are
But it's not quite like we thought
Those things were priceless then
Now I know they can't be bought
In a deep blue velvet box fastened with a pin
Should I lift the lid?
Should I look within?
Was it my last chance or my first mistake?
Is it just a step that we'll never take?
Cos you stole my bell
And you broke my chime
And the clock spins round but it won't keep time
There are many lovely girls in this cold and loveless world

Top Elvis Costello, You Left Me In The Dark

See how the elements obey?
Eyes are blue
Skies are grey
Nothing I do can make you stay
I'm glad it will rain today
You left me standing alone
Although I thought that we could not be parted
But if I'd only known
That this would be the last loving remark
You left me in the dark
Then I awoke to my dismay
I thought we'd make it all the way
Allowing myself one more cliche
The last hurrah, the first bouquet
You left me standing alone although
I thought that we could not be parted
But if I'd only known
That this would be the last loving remark

Top Elvis Costello, It's Time

The party's over
Your time is up
You've had your last pointless teardrop
Washed down in that broken coffee cup
This magic moment concludes when that cigarette ends
Did you get what you wanted?
Well I suppose that depends
Well I suppose that depends
[Chorus:]
If you go, if you go
Where passion is squandered and money is spent
It's time, it's time
It's time, it's time
It's time, it's time, it's time
You must see it's time that you went
You must see it's time that you went
Our brief acquaintance was such a mistake
Now it seems more like a sentence
Or something you always had to fake
This magic moment concludes when they turn out the light
It's not the days when you leave me
But all I fear are the nights
But all I fear are the nights
[Chorus]
You told the same joke to me too many times
I wish that someone would hit it
Just before you reach
Just before you reach
Just before you reach the punchline
The party's over
Time we broke up
It always seemed like a bad dream
One where I finally woke up
This magic moment concluding our mutual fate
But if you do have to leave me
Who will I have left to hate?
Who will I have left to hate?

Top Elvis Costello, Little Atoms

I arose and Marigold lay down with Curious Iris
Cherry gave to Victor her prudence and her virus
For the sake of purity I can recall the time and place
Between Wisdom and Murder she gave up her immaculate face
[Chorus:]
My poor belated chastity fell foul of grown up games,
With false and lovely modesty
I can recall the names I'll miss
In the particle of me that cares for this
I betrayed those little atoms with a kiss
Patience has her virtue still
but every grace must have its price
I through some felicity may spin a tale of constant vice
I took my better nature out, drowned it in the babbling stream
Took the blossom of my youth and blew it all to smithereens
[Chorus]
And if you still don't like my song then you can just go to hell
I don't care if I'm right or wrong or if my typewriter can spell
But I cannot promise you I've said "Goodbye" to childish things
There's still some pretty insults left and such sport in threatening
[Chorus]
And for the sake of clarity
They are "Faith", "Hope", and "Charity"
In the particle of me that cares for this

Top Elvis Costello, Shallow Graves

When I fall in endless sleep
I hope that I'll be buried deep
Let me be the one that fortune favours
Even good children got shallow graves
Throw another clown to the lions
Throw another Joan on the blaze
Cast me away on the cruel calm ocean
and leave me for days and days and days and days and days
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
I won't lie, I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Dig me down deep where the dead men sleep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Bless the poor 'cos like the rich
They all end up in a ditch
In this world of fools and knaves
Even good children got shallow graves
The tinker, the tailor, the fabulous five
Nobody gets out of this alive
Chorus
Dig me down deep where the dead men sleep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Dig me down deep where the dead men sleep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Dig me down, dig me down, dig me down deep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave

Top Elvis Costello, Fire Suite Reprise

Now you've heard our refrain
And this story must end
'Cause the stars can't stay up
They can only descend
Say we drank
And we prayed
Some just sit like a choir
Came the smoke
In the night
Came the heat
Came the fire
Timber tender
Tender will you remember
Grim sender I can't pretend
So I'll Surrender

Top Elvis Costello, Get Yourself Another Fool

At last I've awakened to see what you've done.
All I can do is pack up and run.
Now I know the rules. Find yourself another fool.
You said that you loved me. I was yours to command.
Your kind of loving, my heart couldn't stand.
You played me for a fool. Find yourself another fool.
And now, now that we're through, you say you wished you'd be true.
Oh, but deep down in my heart, I know our love could never grow.
And now, now that we're through, you say you wished you'd be true.
Oh, but deep down in my heart, I know our love will never grow.
At last I've awakened to see what you've done.
All I can do is pack up and run.
Now I know the rules. Find yourself another fool.

Top Elvis Costello, Baby Its You

(Sha, la, la, la...)
It's not the way you look that touched my heart.
It's not the way you kissed me, baby, that tears me apart.
Many, many nights I tried. I sit alone at home and I cried over you.
What can I do? I can't help myself, cause baby, it's you.
You should hear the things they say about you.
They say you're never, ever, ever, ever gonna be true. Oh.
I don't listen to a word they say. I'm gonna love you any old way.
What can I do? It's true. I can't help myself, cause baby, it's you.
I don't listen to a word they say. I'm gonna love you any old way.
What can I do? It's true. I can't help myself, cause baby, it's you.

Top Elvis Costello, Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head

Here comes Mr. Misery
He's tearing out his hair again
He's crying over her again
He's standing in the super-market shouting at the customers
Here comes Mr. Misery
He'll never be any good with a mouth full of gold and blood
He's contemplating murder again
He must be in love
[Chorus:]
But you know she doesn't want you
But you can't seem to get it in your head
Oh and you can't sleep at night
And she haunts you when you go to bed
When you're tired of talking and you can't drink it down
So you hang around and drown instead
Home isn't where it used to be
Home is anywhere you hang your head
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere you hang your head
Here comes Mr. Misery
Looking for a place for his mouth to shoot
Saying "You'd look cute in your birthday suit"
You tore him out and screwed him up
Like a bad page in a naughty picture book
They day ended as it began
As he was seconds older than the man he was this morning
And the world has wiped it's mouth since then
Or maybe it was yawning

Top Elvis Costello, Harry Worth

I met them first on their wedding night
Faces were flushed by their pledges plight
We passed in the hall and I met them well
But as their carriage arrived, I found that I couldn't quite tell them
It's not very far from tears to mirth
There are not many moments that will capture your breath
It's not very long that you spend on this earth
She'd never know just what Harry was worth
She'll never know
He walked the wet sands of summertime
Rain beat the window in drummertime
Cruel with his humour
She was quick with her tongue
But though a year had passed
The honeymoon didn't last
Somehow they didn't seem young
It's not very far from tears to mirth
There are not many moments that will capture your breath
It's not very long that you spend on this earth
She'd never know just what Harry was worth
She'll never know
They're on their holidays
But they still find a reason to fight
No matter how long they stay
Can't make the rest of the year right
Five years had passed 'til I happened along
He said, "Do you hear that noise? Well, that once was our song"
I looked in her eyes and saw barely a spark
He laughed too loud then he drank until dark
It's not very far from tears to mirth
It's not many moments that will capture your breath
It's not very long that you spend on this earth
She'd never know just what Harry was worth
She'll never know what Harry was worth
She'll never know what Harry was worth
No, she'll never know what Harry was worth
She'll never know what Harry was worth
No, she'll never know what Harry was worth

Top Elvis Costello, Joe Porterhouse

The children sit upon the stairs
High above a valley of tears
Don't let them see you crying that way oh no
Oh no Joe Porterhouse
Is not gone forever
He'll be back another day
Don't let them see you crying that way
[Chorus:]
Please don't wake him let him sleep
It's a moment she can keep
Like an old bus ticket or a photograph
Resting on the mantlepiece
While for the wicked there is no peace
She says it's not his time to go
Why we were nearly lovers years ago
Now what is left for me
Among the broken branches of the family tree
Heart like an anchor
Arms like cable
He stood all alone on an iron turntable
Don't let them see you crying that way oh no
The sun beats down
It's cracking the flags
Boys who should know better
Are stamping out fags
Don't let them see you laughing that way
[Chorus]
Oh no Joe Porterhouse
Is not gone forever
He'll be back another day

Top Elvis Costello, Inch By Inch

You can take a powder
You can take a drink
You can keep the shrink
And the kitchen sink
Write my name in heaven
in invisible ink
I just woke up from dreaming, I think
You can take me over
You can give me a lip
You can take me under
You can give me the slip
Take off everything or tear me off a strip
Like a lady in the chamber
and another in the clip
[Chorus:]
Don't move a muscle baby
Don't even flinch
You can miss me by a mile
Or just inch by inch
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
You can pull me up again
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
As pulses race
I long to see that look upon your face
You can take me outside
You can take me apart
You can take me upstairs
you can take me to heart
You made me love you when
you thought you were so smart
Don't try to stop me when
you told me to start

Top Elvis Costello, I Felt The Chill

Well, there's a difference in the way that you kissed me
And there's a sadness in your eyes that you can't hide
Why do you tremble when I hold you?
I wonder if you feel the same
I felt the chill before the winter came
But it's easy to say that I won't give in again
I was just tempted for a moment and then some
But it's so easy when you love to lose to control
Now look here if you will
At the faithful man you stole
I felt the chill before the winter came
I suffered the guilt and then accepted the blame
I wanted you before you ever spoke my name
But I knew that we would go wrong
Just as they do in all in those old tragic songs
Did that melody haunt your mind?
Just like a linger of perfume
Now you're in someone else's arms,
Locked up in another room
Is there's a difference in the way that he loves you
Is there still sadness in your eyes, you can't deny?
Do you tremble and sigh when he holds you just like I do?
What were you thinking of to throw away our love?
And it's easy to say that you won't give in again
You were just tempted for a moment and half
But it's so hard when you desire to lose control
I don't know what this feeling is but it sure seems cold
I felt the chill before the winter came
I suffered the pain and then accepted the shame
I will have lost your love by end of this sad refrain?
I felt the cold creeping over my skin...
Still as the air until the wind rushed in
Still in control, holding on to my heart and soul

Top Elvis Costello, Home Truth

I hung up the phone tonight
Just as you said I love you
Once this would have been coincidence
Now these things start to bother me
You still close your eyes when I kiss you
And I close mine too
But we didn't open them again
Quite as wide as we should
[Chorus:]
This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends
Does your touch feel the same as it should do
Or is it someone quite similar
Who killed me with kindness last night
Now do I look at all familiar?
But none of these things seem to matter
Since we've grown apart
I'd put back the pieces of what's shattered
But I don't know where to start
This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends
And I feel like a clown
It's tearing me up
It's tearing me down
You say which are the lies that you tell me
Well where do I begin?
So I turn on the TV again
And the world comes crashing in
Is it my shirt or my toothpaste
That is whiter than white?
Is it the lies that I tell you
Or the lies that I might?
This is where the home truth ends
This is where the home truth ends

Top Elvis Costello, Suit of Lights

While Nat King Cole sings "Welcome To My World"
You request some song you hate you sentimental fool
And it's the force of habit
If it moves then you fuck it
If it doesn't move you stab it
And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues"
He went out to work that night and wasted his breath
Outside there was a public execution
Inside he died a thousand deaths
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they put him in a suit of lights
In the perforated first editions
Where they advocate the hangman's noose
Then tell the sorry tale of the spent Princess
Her uncouth escort looking down her dress
Anyway they say that she wears the trousers
And learnt everything that she does
And doesn't know if she should tell him yes
Or let him go
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they put him in a suit of lights
Well it's a dog's life in a rope leash or a diamond collar
It's enough to make you think right now
But you don't bother
For goodness sake as you cry and shake
Let's keep you face down in the dirt where you belong
And think of all the pleasure that it brings
Though you know that it's wrong
And there's still life in your body
But most of it's leaving
Can't you give us all a break
Can't you stop breathing
And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues"
I went to work that night and wasted my breath
Outside they're painting tar on somebody
It's the closest to a work of art that they will ever be
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they put him in a suit of lights

Top Elvis Costello, Suffering Face

Well, there's an old man's fantasy
Put in a young girl's mouth
Like cheap pink lipstick
Smeared on her wedding dress
Will you look what you've done to her
Will you look at this disgrace
Well, it's all over
Your suffering face
If we were chrome, we would be rusty
If we were thirst, we would be quenched
You don't need the same old rivet gun
You need a brand new wrench
Someone to pull you down on the ground
And cover you with kisses
Once I was the jewel of your heart
Now I'm only semi-precious
But if I seem so preoccupied
It's just my alibi--I'm all broken up inside
Even the words of love seem cruel and crass
When you're tough and transparent as armored glass
I prepared a bed for you
Then I sprayed perfume
Upon the wilted roses
That I'd scattered 'round the room
You came in gentle as a lamb
And turned into a terror
And you left your love and other threats
In the steam fading on my bathroom mirror
Well, it's an old man's fantasy
Put in a young girl's mouth
Like cheap pink lipstick
Smeared on her wedding dress
Will you look what you've done to me
Now you've put me in my place
Oh, it's all over
It's all over
It's all over

Top Elvis Costello, The People's Limousine

It's a chilly Florentine evening
Two men in evening hats
Telling tales of the underground and
fishing for Reds
Policemen armed with Uzis
stand guard but they don't speak
Ain't seen no Michaeangelo
he'll be here next week.
The girl in the shoes
with the crystal heels went chaperoned by her brother
They raise a glass of amber wine
take pictures of each other
of the policemen in the fountains
and the sickle and the hammer
and they came with Uncle Romulus
with his walking cane and camera
She looked like someone's girlfriend
she looked like a dream
she looked as unlikely
as the people's limousine.
Come and sit by me, girl, before I breathe the breath out of you
Hush your mouth and cover your eyes for I'll tell your father of you
He paid to have you painted in the company of angels
Only to find you flirting anew with Chico Marx and perverted Engels
The patron saint of television smiles down from the shelf
Romulus can't criticize but he can't bless himself
He has a tin of pea-green paint and a big roll of black tape
To vandalize these obscenities then make his escape
She walked up to the nice policeman and asked him for a match
He saw Romulus approaching and slipped off the safety catch
Then cut down her uncle, he was painted red and green

Top Elvis Costello, The Big Light

Well I had a little feeling to have a big night
And I woke up feeling small and not so brave and not quite right
I had to face the who am I and where is she and what did I do
But worst of all I had to face the big light
[Chorus:]
The big light came through my window and it opened up my eyelids
And it snapped them up like roller blinds and told me things that I did
I can't face another day and night of good ideas and complications
And I'm thankful that I didn't open another bottle of inspiration
When the hangover this morning had a personality
And I cast my shattered mind over selected memories
I didn't even touch the light switch so I knew I'd never see
The Haggard face that would be staring back at me
[Chorus]
Well I had a little feeling to have a big time
And I woke up to alarm bells like a big church chime
I had to face the who am I and who is she and what did I do
But worst of all I had to face the big light

Top Elvis Costello, Bama Lama Bama Loo

Bama Lama Bama Loo
Gotta girl named Lucinda
They call her the great pretender
Gotta girl named Lucinda
They call her the great pretender
And when she talks
She says a Bama Lama Loo
[Chorus:]
Bama Lama Bama Loo
Bama Lama Bama Loo
Bama Lama Bama Loo
Bama Lama Bama Loo
Well I dig her style
She's bout to drive me wild
With Bama Lama Bama Loo
Well I asked my little baby for a kiss
She shook her head around like this
Well I asked my little girl for a kiss
She shook her head around like this
She said ....

Top Elvis Costello, They'll Never Take Her

If today the sun should set on all my hopes and cares
There is one who's smiling face the gods would see
For she'll walk along beside me up the golden stairs
Oh, they'll never, never take her love from me
What a fool I was to go and break the trust she gave
And see her love turn into sympathy
It's the one regret I carry with me to my grave
Oh, they'll never, never take her love from me
I'm so thankful for each golden hour of happiness
That we shared together in the used to be
Someone else's arms may hold her now in fond caress
But, they'll never, never take her love from me
I thought I would make her happy if I stepped aside
But I knew her love would never set me free
And even on the morning she became another's bride

Top Elvis Costello, Good Year For The Roses

I can hardly bear the sight of lipstick
On the cigarettes there in the ashtray
Lyin' cold the way you left 'em
But at least your lips caressed them
While you packed
Or the lip-print on a half-filled cup of coffee
That you poured and didn't drink
But at least you thought you wanted it
That's so much more than I can say for me
What a good year for the roses
Many blooms still linger there
The lawn could stand another mowin'
Funny, I don't even care
As you turn to walk away
As the door behind you closes
The only thing I have to say
It's been a good year for the roses
After three full years of marriage
It's the first time that you haven't made the bed
I guess the reason we're not talkin'
There's so little left to say we haven't said
While a million thoughts go racin' through my mind
I find I haven't said a word
From the bedroom the familiar sound
Of a baby's cryin' goes unheard
What a good year for the roses
Many blooms still linger there
The lawn could stand another mowin'
Funny, I don't even care
As you turn to walk away
As the door behind you closes
The only thing I have to say

Top Elvis Costello, I Can't Stand Up For

I'm the living result
I'm a man who's been hurt a little too much
and I've tasted the bitterness of my own tears
sadness is all my lonely heart can feel
I can't stand up for falling down
I can't stand up for falling down
simple though love is
still it confused me
why I'm not loved the way I should be
now I've lived with heartaches
and I've roomed with fear
I've dealt with despair
and I've wrestled with tears
I can't stand up for falling down
I can't stand up for falling down
the vow that we made
you broke it in two
but that don't stop me from loving you
I can't stand up for falling down
I can't stand up for falling down

Top Elvis Costello, Pump It Up

I've been on tenterhooks
ending in dirty looks,
list'ning to the Muzak,
thinking 'bout this 'n' that.
She said that's that.
I don't wanna chitter-chat.
Turn it down a little bit
or turn it down flat.
Pump it up when you don't really need it.
Pump it up until you can feel it.
Down in the pleasure centre,
hell bent or heaven sent,
listen to the propaganda,
listen to the latest slander.
There's nothing underhand
that she wouldn't understand.
Pump it up until you can feel it.
Pump it up when you don't really need it.
She's been a bad girl.
She's like a chemical.
Though you try to stop it,
she's like a narcotic.
You wanna torture her.
You wanna talk to her.
All the things you bought for her,
putting up your temp'rature.
Pump it up until you can feel it.
Pump it up when you don't really need it.
Out in the fashion show,
down in the bargain bin,
you put your passion out
under the pressure pin.
Fall into submission,
hit-and-run transmission.
No use wishing now for any other sin.
Pump it up until you can feel it.
Pump it up when you don't really need it.

Top Elvis Costello, Watch your step

Don't say a word
Don't say anything
Don't say a word
I'm not even listening
I read in the paper about their escape
They're just two bit of kids from a bunch of sour grapes
You better watch your step
Watch who's knocking on your front door
Now you know that they're watching
What are you waiting for?
Think you're young and original
Get out before...
They get to watch your step
Ev'ry day is full of fun
And family spies
They're making heroes out of fall guys
They say it's good for business
From Singapore to Widnes
You better watch your step
Broken noses hung up on the wall
Back slapping drinkers cheer the heavy weight brawl
So punch drunk they don't understand at all
You better watch your step
Ev'ry night
Go out full of carnival desires
End up in the closing time choirs
When you're kicking in the courtroom
And you're drinking down the Eau de Cologne
And you're spitting out the Kodachrome
You better watch your step
I send you all my regards
You're so tough
You're so hard
Listen to the hammers falling in the breaker's yard
You better watch your step
You better watch your step

Top Elvis Costello, Sleep Of The Just

The soldier asked my name and did I come here very often
Well I thought that he was asking me to dance
In my holy coat and hat and him in his red bonnet
We'd have made a lovely couple but we never had the chance
[Chorus:]
And now you say that you've got to go
Well if you must you must
I suppose that you need the sleep of the just
Well it was a powerful day and there were black crows in the road
And I kept my strong opinions to my chest
I suppose I should have told them that I was on fire for you
When the bus burst into flames outside some place, 'The Poet's Rest'
[Chorus]
A girl woke up in a naked light and said "Oh no not again"
He even looked like her brother in the army but she never mentions him
He'll be tucked up in his bed tonight with his dirty-pictures girl
Saying, 'You're some mother's daughter you know or is it
immaterial girl?'
Now she's pinned up upon the barracks wall in her home town
All the soldiers taking turns with their attentions
And as they speculate what she'd look like beneath that thin nightgown

Top Elvis Costello, Shoes Without Heels

This love of mine is packed with stepping stone
These shoes are made for walking in reverse
In the dead of night you tip-toe out and leave me all alone
Putting on your satin slip-ons and your sultry French cologne
She's wearing shoes without heels
She's walking over the floor, she's walking all over me
Weirder therein, you know how it feels
When she walks right out of the door
Well, I thought that I was bigger than this town
I thought I'd spend a pace and go the distance
But she picked me out, she used me up and then she put me down
Now I'm driven 'til I'm crying or I'm dreaming 'til I drown
She's wearing shoes without heels
She's walking over the floor, she's walking all over me
Weirder therein, you know how it feels
When she walks right out of the door
While you're busy packing underwear and other worthless trinkets
Spare a thought for worthless men who drag on women
Like they're cigarettes 'cause you watch him walk
Away from you while he gets down and deals
Oh, he'll watch you walk away without heels
Oh, you think that he's a fool to tolerate
All the liberty you cherish and you roughly take
But to watch your love turn slowly from indifference to hate
Would hurt him more than any heart that you might care to break
She's wearing shoes without heels
She's walking over the floor, she's walking all over you
But when she's finished, I know [unverified]

Top Elvis Costello, The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years

oh I just don't know where to begin
love just doesn't wait forever
it's now or never
but she keeps him hanging on
the silly cheering her on
she says she can't go home without a chaperon
chorus
accidents will happen
they're only hit and run
you used to be a victim
now you're not the only one
accidents will happen
they're only hit and run
I don't want to hear it
'cause I know what I've done
there's so many fish in the sea
that only rise up in a sweat of smoke like mercury
but they keep you hanging on
they say you're so young
your mind is made up
but your mouth is undone
chorus
and it's the damage that we do
you'll never know
it's the words that we don't say
that scare me so
there are so many people to see
so many people you can check upon
and add to your collection
but they keep you hanging on
until you're well hung
your mouth is made up
but your mind is undone
chorus

Top Elvis Costello, Kojak Variety

The very thought of you
And I forget to do
The little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem to me
That's everything
The mere idea of you
The longing year for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go
Till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eye in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you
My love
The mere idea of you
The longing year for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go
Till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eye in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you
My love

Top Elvis Costello, Secret, Profane and Sugarcane

It's not very far from seven to four
'Cos everywhere I travel ugly girls call my name
I give 'em a laugh and they shoot me a wink
I buy their really ugly husbands a long cool drink
You'd better come up smelling bad 'cos you're a long time stinking
Then it's a little too early to laugh
It's not very far from seven to four
It's not very far from seven to four
'Cos everywhere I travel ugly girls call my name
I give 'em a laugh and they shoot me a wink
I buy their really ugly husbands a long cool drink
You'd better come up smelling bad 'cos you're a long time stinking
Then it's a little too early to laugh
It's not very far from seven to four
It's not very far from seven to four
'Cos everywhere I travel ugly girls call my name
I give 'em a laugh and they shoot me a wink
I buy their really ugly husbands a long cool drink
You'd better come up smelling bad 'cos you're a long time stinking
Then it's a little too early to laugh
It's not very far from seven to four
It's not very far from seven to four
'Cos everywhere I travel ugly girls call my name
I give 'em a laugh and they shoot me a wink
I buy their really ugly husbands a long cool drink
You'd better come up smelling bad 'cos you're a long time stinking
Then it's a little too funny to laugh
It's not very far from seven to four
It's not very far from seven to four
'Cos everywhere I travel ugly girls call my name
I give 'em a laugh and they shoot me a wink
I buy their really ugly husbands a long cool drink
You'd better come up smelling bad 'cos you're a long time stinking
Then it's a little too early to laugh
It's not very far from seven to four

Top Elvis Costello, Futurama Sessions - EP

I wish that I didn't hate you
Least not as much as I do
And squander all my contempt for
A little nothing like you
Liars like you are ten-a-penny
Women would slap you, if you knew any
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
I've got this suitcase of phony wisdom to dispense
These twenty-seven or so years
You'd think I (would have) made them some cents
Now they want me fingerprinted
Like I was smuggling drugs
While the government does deals with the most convenient thugs
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
It's Needle Time
I'm trying not to despise you with a passion that is hard to extinguish
Or maybe I really love you
Although it's hard to distinguish
I wish I could be
A little more like a saint is
Forgiving those who trespass against us
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
I started talking nonsense, just like I did to begin with
Around the time I tired of those sour English
Sometimes I feel just like committing a crime
It's Needle Time

Top Elvis Costello, King of America

Top Elvis Costello, Live At the El Mocambo

I was tuning in the shine on the light night dial
doing anything my radio advised
with every one of those late night stations
playing songs bringing tears to me eyes
I was seriously thinking about hiding the receiver
when the switch broke 'cause it's old
They're saying things that I can hardly believe.
They really think we're getting out of control.
[Chorus:]
Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don't give you any choice
'cause they think that it's treason.
So you had better do as you are told.
You better listen to the radio.
I wanna bite the hand that feeds me.
I wanna bite that hand so badly.
I want to make them wish they'd never seen me.
Some of my friends sit around every evening
and they worry about the times ahead
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference
and the promise of an early bed
You either shut up or get cut up;
they don't wanna hear about it.
It's only inches on the reel-to-reel.
And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
tryin' to anaesthetise the way that you feel
[Chorus]
Wonderful radio
Marvelous radio
Wonderful radio
Radio, radio...

Top Elvis Costello, My Flame Burns Blue

With a handful of backhanders and a bevy of beauty
You're going off limits
Going off duty
Going off the rails
Going off with booty
They tell tales of fiction found on all the criminal types
Lead to a higher ranking man or a face with thin red stripes
Chorus:
The boys next door
The mums and dads
New weds and nearly-deads
Have you ever been had in Clubland?
There's a piece in someone's pocket to do the dirty work
You've come to shoot the pony
They've come to do the jerk
They leave him half way to paradise
They leave you half way to bliss
The ladies' invitation never seemed like this
Chorus
The long arm of the law slides up the outskirts of town
Meanwhile in Clubland they are ready to pull them down
Hey
The right to work is traded in for the right to refuse admission
Don't pass out now, there's no refund
(when) Did you find out what you were missing
The crowd is taking forty winks minus ten percent
You barely get required sleep to go lingering with contemptment
Thursday to Saturday
Money's gone already
Some things come in common these days
Your hands and work aren't steady
Chorus

Top Elvis Costello, Goodbye Cruel World

How many times can you jump out of the cupboard
Before someone gets suspicious or someone gets discovered
You can live forever in a split second of fame
Come on down the price is right what's your name
While a crocodile makes good shoes and a dog may change his coat
I can't change what's written on your face tonight and I quote
[Chorus:]
Oh I wish you could see
Quite how much you could mean to me
You worthless thing
If you were ten feet taller and almost handsome
I might pay this king's ransom
You worthless thing
They commit blue murder along Union Avenue
Then they sell you souvenir matches
Nightclubs full of grave robbers from Memphis, Tennessee
And Las Vegas body snatchers
And he's carrying a warning can't you see how his eyes glint
Keep your bloody hands off my life your affectionate fingerprint
[Chorus]
All the cars and pills and girls who tore his shirt to tatters
Do you know how tall he was 'cos that is all that really matters?
Do you know his mother's last name do you think that he's divine?
You've seen the film you've read the book
you're drinking vintage Elvis Presley wine
Bored out of your tiny mind while life is twice as large
They'll cut her down to size on television
She's available and beautiful, but with more time to devote
They're going to take this cable now and stick it down your throat
So this is an obituary which should be right and fitting
For every clockwork cat and conceivable kitten
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, In Motion Pictures

She
May be the face I can't forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She
May be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day
She
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell
She
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She
May be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I'll remember till the day I die
She
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough and ready years
Me
I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is
She
She, oh she

Top Elvis Costello, Brutal Youth

She'll fix you with an iron cross
And cover you up with petals
And hang you up with some amber beads
And four or five precious metals
And in that black flamingo chair
You'll sit among her trophies
And pray to be abandoned
Till you don't know what hope is
[Chorus:]
But there's one thing that I had to keep inside
Because I was shaking
Why don't you get some pride
There was a clown strike
And the clowns threw down their tools
But you don't have to play so hard
And I'm nobody's fool
You don't have to go so far
'Cause I love you as you are
The big top is deserted now
And the circus girl rehearses
She knows how to turn their heads
And not fall between two horses
But all that seems a simple step
If only I were able
To love you like I want to do
And not by some times table
[Chorus]
And it's pandemonium
For the humble and the mighty
You don't have to tumble for me
Even a clown knows when to strike
Tell me what you want of me
Or are you terrified of failure?
You put on a superstitious face
Behind all this paraphernalia
We're not living in a masquerade
Where you only have three wishes
It isn't easy to see
In a lifetime of mistaken kisses
[Chorus]
In this pandemonium
For the humble and the mighty
You don't have to tumble for me
Even a clown knows when to strike

Top Elvis Costello, Cheap Reward

Oh, well, I feel so loose tonight I might fall to pieces
So be prepared to sweep me out the door
And I might be horizontal by the time the music ceases
So I think I'll get acquainted with the floor
Oh, I was trying to get away from the things that I always do
Hello, floorboards once again - how are you?
Lip Service - well, that's all you'll ever get from me
Well, how could you believe I'll take you seriously?
With your cheap rewards, your blackmail, and your comical rage
Just remember you'll only be the boss so long as you pay my wage
All the sign posts on this road that point one way
Don't act like you're above me, just look at your shoes
I'll turn the light out now 'cause there's nothing more to say
And it's all been lost before so there's nothing to lose
Oh, but you could say that you love me very painlessly
I would've done the same for you, oh, but you said to me:
Lip service - well, that's all you'll ever get from me
Well, how could you believe I'd take you seriously?
With your cheap rewards, your blackmail, and your comical rage
Just remember you'll only be the boss so long as you pay my wage

Top Elvis Costello, I'm Not Angry

You're upstairs with the boyfriend while I'm left here to listen.
I hear you calling his name, I hear the stutter of ignition.
I could hear you whispering as I crept by your door.
So you found some other joker who could please you more.
[Chorus:]
I'm not angry, I'm not angry anymore.
I'm not angry, I'm not angry anymore.
Ooh, I know what you're doin'.
I know where you've been.
I know where, but I don't care,
'cause there's no such thing as an original sin.
I've got this camera click, click, clickin' in my head.
I got you talking with your hands, got you smiling with your legs.
Spent all my time in a vanity factory,
wonderin' when they're gonna come and take it all back.

Top Elvis Costello, Imagination (Is A Powerful Deceiver)

So you're trying to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall
She'll be out again this evening, when you come around to call
So, you dodge the lady-killer, who came creepin' 'cross the floor
Then you caught up in a whirlwind, you got blown right out the door
Oh, yes it was a whirlwind, sweet romance was on your side
If you wanna dance on my face, you must tell me why you lied
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
When you try to believe her just a little too much
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch
I see a look of recognition, so well hidden in your eye
And your peepshow regulations, they just don't seem to apply,
Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand
Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band
Oh, you can follow your dreams, oh but please don't lead me on,
If you wanna bleed in my face, you were here and now you're gone
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
When you try to believe her just a little too much
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch

Top Elvis Costello, JUMP UP

Everybody's talking like they can't sit down
And looking like they can't stand up
It must be the lastest style
And they've seen a lot of things that you never see
Back on the mile up to the hanging tree
Some people can't keep their fingers clean
Just clicking their heels to the beat of the scene
Trying to keep careen until the first edition of last night's obituries
Jump up--hold on tight
Can't trust the promise or a guarantee
'Cause the man 'round the curve says that he's never heard
Of you or me
No tombstone would ever surprise me
When I'm locked in a room about half the size of a matchbox
Got holes in my socks
They match the ones that I got in my feet
I put my feet in the holes in the street and somebody paved me over
I was a statue standing on the corner
Tell me, how else can a boy get to see those pretty pleats?
Candidate talkin' on the radio from the "Cheaters Jamboree"
It must be their lastest fool
'Cause it's a two-horse race and he changed his bets
Like it was just another brand of cigarettes
Some people judge and they just guess the rest
They can't understand that don't mean that you're blessed
They ought to catch the Express Next Stop No Where
That way you can forget
Jump up--hold on tight
Can't trust the promise or a guarantee
'Cause the man 'round the curve says that he's never heard
Of you or me

Top Elvis Costello, Sweet Pear

Sweet pear, sweet pear
Those who say they love you would never dare
I'll watch out for you
I'll always be there
In the hour of distress you need not fear
In all the world there's only one true love
And finding it's hard enough
I bless whatever's in the sky above
For bringing you to me
But there's a void without your kiss
I wake on the precipice above the abyss
And though the touch of your lips these fears dismiss
Make no mistake there is an ache I have to live with
Was my grip too lose, my grip too strong
That made you want to run away
And now you're back where I pretend you belong
I wonder every night and day
How long
I swear this is my prayer
till we're burned and scattered in the atmosphere
Or lost in the world across a crowded room

Top Elvis Costello, The Other Side of Summer

The sun struggles up another beautiful day
And I felt glad in my own suspicious way
Despite the contradiction and confusion
Felt tragic without reason
There's malice and there's magic in every season
[Chorus:]
From the foaming breakers of the poisonous surf
The other side of Summer
To the burning forests in the hills of Astroturf
The other side of Summer
The automatic gates close up between the shanties and the palace
The blowtorch amusements, the voodoo chalice
The pale pathetic promises that everybody swallows
A teenage girl is crying 'cos she don't look like a million dollars
So help her if you can
'Cos she don't seem to have the attention span
[Chorus]
Was it a millionaire who said "imagine no possessions"?
A poor little schoolboy who said "we don't need no lessons"?
The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop
The pop princess is downtown shooting up
And if that goddess if fit for burning
The sun will struggle up the world will still keep turning
Madman standing by the side of the road saying
"Look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes, look at my eyes"
Now you can't afford to fake all the drugs your parents used to take
Because of their mistakes you'd better be wide awake
[Chorus]
The mightiest rose
The absence of perfume
The casual killers
The military curfew
The cardboard city
An unwanted birthday
The other side of summer
The dancing was desperate, the music was worse
They bury your dreams and dig up the worthless
Goodnight
God bless
And kiss "goodbye" to the earth

Top Elvis Costello, (the angels wanna wear my) Red Shoes

Oh I used to be disgusted
And now I try to be amused.
But since their wings have got rusted,
You know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain,
That's when I knew that I could not refuse.
And I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Oh-oh.
I was watching while you're dancing away.
Our love got fractured in the echo and sway.
How come everybody wants to be your friend?
You know that it still hurts me just to say it.
Oh, I know that she's disgusted. (Oh why's that)
'Cause she's feeling so abused. (Oh that's too bad)
She gets tired of the lust, (Oh I'm so sad)
But it's so hard to refuse.
Can you say that I'm too old,
When the angels have stolen my red shoes?
Oh, I said \"I'm so happy, I could die.\"
She said \"Drop dead\", then left with another guy.
That's what you get if you go chasing after vengeance.
Ever since you got me punctured this has been my sentence.
Oh I used to be disgusted
And now I try to be amused.
But since their wings have got rusted,
You know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain,
That's when I knew that I could not refuse.
And I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Oh I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Red shoes, the angels wanna wear my red shoes. (repeat and fade)

Top Elvis Costello, Blame it on Cain

Once upon a time, I had a little money.
Government burglars took it long
before I could mail it to you.
Still, you are the only one.
Now I can't let it slip away.
So if the man with the ticker tape,
he tries to take it,
well this is what I'm gonna say.
[Chorus:]
Blame it on Cain.
Don't blame it on me.
Oh, oh, it's nobody's fault,
but we need somebody to burn.
Well if I was a saint with
a silver cup
and the money got low
we could always heat it up
or trade it in.
But then the radio that heaven will be wired to your purse.
And then you can run down the wave band,
coast to coast, hand in hand.
Bad to worse, curse for curse,
don't be dissatisfied.
So you're not satisfied.
[Chorus]
I think I've lived a little too long
on the outskirts of town
I think I'm going insane
from talking to myself for so long.
Oh but I've never been accused.
When they step on your face,
you wear that good look grin.
I gotta break out one weekend
if I do somebody in.
But every single time
I feel a little stronger,
they tell me it's a crime.
Well how much longer?

Top Elvis Costello, Last Boat Leaving

Hush my little one don't cry so
You know your daddy's bound to go
They took his pride
They took his voice
Don't upset him now, don't make a noise
They said "You're lucky son you've still got a choice"
Last boat leaving
Don't waste your tears
It's not as if I'm in chains
I don't want to go now, it would be better for
you, too, if I don't look back when we sail
Hush my dear, while I whisper it in your ear
We're not going to sail tonight
We're going to disappear
And it feels like a punishment, but I don't know what for
Take care of your mother, son, it's you that she adores
'Cos no matter how long we sail we'll never reach the shore
Last boat leaving
So dry your tears
It's not as if I'm in chains
When you go to school, son, you'll read my
story in history books
Only they won't mention my name
So hush now, my darling, my sweet little one
I hope that you never have to do what I've done
Do you know what I've done?
Why I'm going away? On the last boat leaving
this stinking town
It's the last boat leaving, it's the last boat leaving
You've had my innocence, you've had my heartbreak
You've taken the place where I once belonged

Top Elvis Costello, God's Comic

I wish you'd known me when I was alive, I was
a funny feller
The crowd would hoot and holler for more
I wore a drunk's red nose for applause
Oh yes I was a comical priest
"With a joke for the flock and a hand up your
fleece"
Drooling the drink and the lipstick and
greasepaint
Down the cardboard front of my dirty dog-collar
[Chorus:]
Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead,
now I'm dead, now I'm dead
And I'm going on to meet my reward
I was scared, I was scared, I was scared, I was
scared
He might of never heard God's Comic
So there he was on a water-bed
Drinking a cola of a mystery brand
Reading an airport novelette, listening to
Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Requiem"
He said, before it had really begun, "I prefer
the one about my son"
"I've been wading through all this unbelievable
junk and wondering if I should have given
the world to the monkeys"
[Chorus]
I'm going to take a little trip down Paradise's
endless shores
They say that travel broadens the mind, till you
can't get your head out of doors
I'm sitting here on the top of the world
I hang around in the longest night
Until each beast has gone bed and then I say
"God bless" and turn out the light
While you lie in the dark, afraid to breathe and
you beg and you promise
And you bargain and you plead
Sometimes you confuse me with Santa Claus
It's the big white beard I suppose
I'm going up to the pole, where you folks die of cold
I might be gone for a while if you need me
Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead,
now I'm dead, now I'm dead and you're all
going on to meet your reward
Are you scared? Are you scared? Are you scared?
Are you scared?

Top Elvis Costello, Coal Train Robberies

Yesterday's coal train came to rest in the bitter
cutting
And as the signals took an age to change it was
easy pickings
So you go to the movies where they smash it up
You want to feel your heart pumping it makes
you feel good
All through the karaoke girls were squealing
the hits
As another Mercedes-Benz gets blown to bits
While all the time in the camptown theatres
of Piccadilly
They're going to throw a black-face minstrel
show for the barefoot children
That they're always selling
They'll say "It's quaint" as the guilty ones faint
and claim they ain't underneath this paint
We interrupt these liberal saints with their
whips and watermelon
Reports are coming in of a coal-train robbery
It's like another world, or it had better be
So we return to whitewashed pout of his
committed lips
Since he was declared the long lost fountain
of youth that drips and drips and drips
They'll be sending him round from door to door,
to sell you back what's already yours
"So many good deeds, so little time"
Say the advertising agency swine
When man has destroyed what he thinks he owns
I hope no living thing cries over his bones
If you don't believe that I'm going for good
You can count the days I'm gone and chop up
the chairs for firewood
Reports are coming in of a coal-train robbery

Top Elvis Costello, So Like Candy

Here lies the powder and perfume
The pretty clothes are scattered 'round the room
And it's so like Candy
Here lies the lipstick and the face
The coloured tablets keep it all in place
And it's so like Candy
So like Candy
[Chorus:]
What did I do to make her go
Why must she be the one
That I have to love
So like Candy
Here lies a picture of a girl
Her arms are tight around that lucky guy
And it's so like Candy
And in her eyes a certain look
I thought I'd seen the last of long ago
And it's so like Candy
So like Candy
[Chorus]
I remember the day that picture was taken
We were so happy then
But that's so like Candy
She seemed so sweet to me I was mistaken
Oh no not that again
But that's so like Candy
She just can't face the day
So she turns and melts away
Here lie the records that she scratched
And on the sleeve I find a note attached
And it's so like Candy
"My Darling Dear it's such a waste"
She couldn't say "goodbye", but "I admire your taste"
And it's so like Candy

Top Elvis Costello, Baby Plays Around

It's not open to discussion anymore
She's out again tonight and I'm alone once more
She's all I have worth waiting for
But baby plays around
And so it seems I've always been the last to know
To hold on to that girl, I had to let her go
I wish to God I didn't love her so
'Cos baby plays around
I try to be strong hold on to my pride
She doesn't even know it's wrong, how much
I hurt Inside
And heaven knows I've tried
But baby plays around. just a plaything
It's hard to reconcile the facts I'm facing
It's not open to discussion anymore
She walks those shiny streets
I walk the worn out floor
She's all I have worth living for

Top Elvis Costello, Any King's Shilling

You're a fine one, oh yes you are
You're a fine one just like me
And we're friends now, oh wouldn't you say?
We've been friends now, oh haven't we?
Stay at home tonight if you know what's good
for you
I can't say more it would be telling
For if you don't what will become of you
Just isn't worth any king's shilling
I will answer when they make that call, pull
upon this ragged uniform
Up till now I know it's been your trade
Spit and polish the potato parade
Stay at home tonight if you know what's good
for you
I can't say more it would be telling
For if you don't what will become of you
Just isn't worth any king's shilling
Please don't put your silly head in that pretty
soldier's hat
You've done your duty, that's enough of that
I don't know if what I'm doing is right
I don't know if you should be forgiving
But for me it seems it means my life
While for you it could just be a living
Stay at home tonight if you know what's good
for you
I can't say more it would be telling
For if you don't what will become of you
Just isn't worth any king's shilling
Please don't put your silly head in that British
soldier's hat
You've done your duty that's enough of that
You're a fine one, oh yes you are

Top Elvis Costello, This Town

That Charlie Sedarka was a-playing the piano
like he was pawing a dirty book
He bit a hole in his big bottom lip and gave his
very best little boy look
It was a song with a topical verse which I'm
afraid he then proceeded to sing
Something about the moody doomed love of
the Fish-Finger King
[Chorus:]
You're nobody in this town
You're nobody in this crowd
You're nobody till everybody in this town
thinks you're poison,
Got your number knows it must be avoided
You're nobody till everybody in this town
thinks you're a bastard
Mr. Getgood moved up to Self-Made Man Row
Although he swears that he's the salt of the earth
He's so proud of the "kick-me-hard" sign that
they hung on his back at birth
He said "I appreciate beauty, if I have one, then
it's my fault"
"Beauty is on my pillow, beauty is there in
my vault"
[Chorus]
The girl with the eternity rock went down on
her bookie to buy some stock
Now all her signs in the shopping arcades say
"The corporation thief is The New Jesse James"
Her clothes and her attention were scant, her
eyes were everywhere,
Her eyes were like abstinthe [sic]
The little green figures that dance on his screen
say everything you want to hear and nothing
they mean
They made love while she was changing her dress
She wiped him off she wiped him out and then
she made him confess
A little amused by the belief in her power
You must remember this it was the fetish of
the hour

Top Elvis Costello, Walking on Thin Ice

Walking on thin ice, I'm paying the price.
I'm throwing the dice in the air.
Why must we learn it the hard way
And play the game of life with our hearts?
I gave you my life, you gave me your life.
Like a gush of wind in my hair.
Why do we forget what's been said
And play the game of life with our hearts?
I may cry someday. A kiss will dry whichever way.
And when my heart returns to ashes, it will be just a story.
It will be just a story.
And you go and try to walk across the lake
Crossed it with winter and all of this is ice
A terrible thing to do. They say the lake is as thick as the ocean.

Top Elvis Costello, Tears At The Birthday Party

Think back now when we were young
There were always tears at the birthday party
You know how children can be
So cruel
That's how it starts, but
What if we never learn how to behave?
I did something, and you never forgave me
I never thought that it could be like this
But now I see
I see you share your cake with him
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
And it's the same every year
Seems that I remember it as something more, but
You know how children can grow
So strange
I still adore you
What if we never learn from our mistakes?
But then, you'll never know how my heart aches
I never thought that it would be like this
But now I see
I see you share your cake with him
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
One day I know he'll forget
To pay you the compliments you're after
You'll hang your sad, aching head
Behind a brittle smile or a shrill of laughter
What if we only get what we deserve?
Somehow I couldn't quite summon the nerve
Upon each anniversary
Then do you ever think of me?
Unwrapping presents that I should have sent
What can I do?
Must I watch you?
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles
So Happy Birthday again
Close the door, dim the lights, blow out the candles

Top Elvis Costello, That's How You Got Killed Before

Well, you're standing on the corner flagging all the girls you see
Now do like EC and let those ladies be
You know that's wrong, man, you know that's wrong
Boy, you better get control - that's how you got killed before
That girl you just met who got a big guy for a pal
Who'll put knots on your head for messing with his gal
So take it steady, man, let those women go
Well, I'm just trying to tell you - that's how you got killed before
Now, you wouldn't listen, Ephrom, you got two black eyes
That's what you get, Daddy, for messing with men's wives
So take it steady, whoa, let those women go

Top Elvis Costello, Turning The Town Red

You've been taught that this won't do
They put me in the picture but the film turned blue
A glimpse of you, Turning The Town Red.
A head full of brand new words and a mouth full of shocks
You're a big boy now, with a face to stop clocks.
Turning the Town Red. [x2]
You made your bed, and now you better dream in it.
The word that you once whispered, now you're screamin' it.
Days drip down like bad wallpaper.
Pictures plastered on the ivy creeper between your old toy soldiers
and your mother's sleepers.
Turning the Town Red. [x2]
You made your bed, you better face the consequence.
A black pool opened at my feet into a dream sequence.
Turning the Town Red. Aah. [x4]
You know I heard her call my name
Least, I think that's what she said.
Surely I'm the correlation that's gonna cause her shame
So, what's she doing in my bed?
Turning the Town Red. Aah.

Top Elvis Costello, The Crooked Line

Life isn't a game won or tied
Lost by either side
Then some people's idea
Of the straight and narrow
Didn't appeal to me
If you were my life's companion
As it seems you may turn out to be
I'm contemplating
How I hope I'll find you waiting
At the very end of this crooked line
Love isn't a trial of strength and weakness
Through light into darkness
Then some people remark
The worthwhile fire never
Started without that spark
If you were my life's companion
As it seems you may turn out to be
I'm contemplating
How I hope I'll find you waiting
At the very end of this crooked line

Top Elvis Costello, The Delivery Man

"Abel was able," so Vivian said
Her shoulders flung forward
Her lips in a purse
She talks like the beauty that she never was
Of the fabulous wild nights that she never has
In a certain light he looked like Elvis
In a certain way he feels like Jesus
Everyone dreams of him just as they can
But he's only the humble Delivery Man
Geraldine blushes and brushes away
The cigarette ashes that Vivian scatters
Stares out of the window at the things that she says
While gossip within her competes with the widow
Ever since he's gone, she feels like crying all the time
She knows for sure Vivian is lying
Now she has a daughter to raise as she can
She just wouldn't trust that Delivery Man
Ivy puts down the ghost story she's reading
Looks up at that face on the wall
Thinking about how her father lay bleeding
Shot in the back 'cos orders were misleading
And how a flag and a medal don't have any meaning
On the 5th of July as they tore down the fair
And he'd seen all the local girls who were worth kissing
With the smell of the gunpowder still in the air
They noticed that Abel and Ivy were missing
In a certain light he looked like Elvis
In a certain way he seemed like Jesus
He said "Why can't we be kind to me like you were meant to be?
When they let me out, I had a brand new identity.
Now everyone dreams of me just as they can.

Top Elvis Costello, Stations Of The Cross

The tempest blows up from a squall
Past the Cape of Bad Conscience
Into the Gulf of the Cauldron
Roars over the coastline to batter and flatten
Exposing the roots like the dyed hair of slattern
Scrapper and mauler in a rope ring this small
Outside the wind is punching
There's no one left to hear it
No one hears the bell ring
Except the one who comes to fear it
And they continue to brawl
He's buying his way into heaven I suppose
He weeps at the blows
But down in a location that we cannot disclose
He turns the dial slowly
Through the Stations of the Cross
Crowd done up dandy
In diamonds and finery
Baying and howling
All bloodlusty calling
Fists like pistons
Faces like meat spoiling
Haul, boys, haul, bully-boys haul
Later that evening
Molly and her gunman
Go down the stairs to a dive like a dungeon
Meanwhile in the backroom there's a girl like a sponge
Saying, "Bring him in long as a constable's truncheon"
The gunman wants Molly to kingdom come
Then blows them all to the hereafter
Who's scuttling away now and hidden from our view?
Who tightened the tourniquet, turning her blue?
They're hurling themselves into heaven I suppose
Before the gates are closed
But down in a location that we cannot disclose
They'll turn the dial slowly through the Stations of the Cross
The gale of hale laughter
Scales up the ivory
The black keys of her fine whine descend into the minor
Die away breathless
Diminishing behind her
Haul boys haul, bully-boys haul
The water came up to the eaves
You'd think someone had opened a valve
It's too soon to stay now and too late to leave
So spare your remorse all the way up to Calvary
They're hurling themselves into heaven I suppose
Before the gates are closed
But down in a location that we cannot disclose

Top Elvis Costello, Stella Hurt

You should wear your red galoshes
Walking o'er the city pride
Streets are paved with heaven's pennies
Gutters full of suicides
Teddy steadily fell from grace
Somewhere near Arcadia
Once she overheard a voice
That she didn't hear on the radio
Velvet gloves and country clubs
Were never going to hold her
Ringing the necks of silly
Southern belles
Who wanted to scold her
Don't bring me down
I'm trouble bound
Blue song
Red Alert
Who made Stella Hurt?
Teddy soon dropped out of sight
Turned up in another town
Changed her name for the spotlight
Singing like a blue bird in a sequin gown
She finally fell and married well
But I knew it wouldn't last
Reversing back into the limelight
No one ever saw her even half-plastered
Don't bring me down
I'm trouble bound
Blue song
Red Alert
Who made Stella Hurt?
Then she saw those soldier boys
Throw their bonnets in the air
Self-made men would pledge their fortunes
And dream of her
And dream of her...
Generals in the commissary opened up a case of wine
Checked the perfume of the cork
Said "Made in 1929"...
They used her up, to raise morale for money
And Old Glory
Her voice was shot beyond repair
But this is not the last act of this story
The night is black as cracked shellac
Abandoned in an attic
Stella is silent as the grave
Until the needle drags her through the static
Don't bring me down
I'm trouble bound
Blue song
Red Alert

Top Elvis Costello, Peace In Our Time

Out of the aeroplane stepped Chamberlain with a condemned man's stare
But we all cheered wildly, a photograph was taken,
as he waved a piece of paper in the air
Now the Disco Machine lives in Munich and we are all friends
And I slip on my Italian dancing shoes as the evening descends
[Chorus:]
And the bells take their toll once again in victory chime
And we can thank God that we've finally got
Peace in our time
There's a man going round taking names no
matter who you claim to be
As innocent as babies, a mad dog with rabies,
you're still a part of some conspiracy
Meanwhile there's a light over the ocean
burning brighter than the sun
And a man sits alone in a bar and says "Oh God,
what have we done?"
[Chorus]
They're lighting a bonfire upon every hilltop in the land
Just another tiny island invaded when he's got
the whole world in his hands
And the Heavyweight Champion fights in the
International Propaganda Star Wars
There's already one spaceman in the White
House what do you want another one for?

Top Elvis Costello, Room With No Number

Picture a hotel room
Clothes scattered across the floor
Covers pulled back from the pillow
A sign hung on the door
Two lovers locked up tight
Through the endless days and nights
Hiding something they can't show
Something no-one must know
[Chorus:]
There's a room without a number
While the sign outside says there's
no vacancy as you take your key
They smile at you so understandingly
She cried out in the night
Woke the porter from his sleep
He grinned slyly to himself
As he went to fetch his keys
Look what love has brought them to
This terrible nightmare
His or hers he could not tell
As they were sleeping there
[Chorus]
And I wish he could be
The man he was before he was me
A girl arrived at first light
And enquired if they'd been seen
And why the numbers ran from twelve
Missing out thirteen
And they said oh my darling
Put it down to superstition
Try to avoid a scandal
And don't arouse suspicion
They re-arranged the furniture
They even papered over the door
There's a room without a number
While the sign outside says there's
no vacancy as you take your key
They smile just so so you know

Top Elvis Costello, Romeo's Seance

Is anyone there I can talk to?
Give us a sign if you're with me
CAN'T you see that I'm dying to hear you
EVERYONE ELSE HAS LOST INTEREST
AND I'M ALL ALONE IN THIS DREAM HOUSE
Though you're gone
I don't feel like crying
Romeo is calling you
Knock once or twice if you're out there
Send me a message my sweetheart
When I'm out and about I'll be coming to see you
IT ISN'T EASY TO LIVE WITH THIS MATRONLY FACE
AT THE WINDOW
Try to contact me, if you can see how I'm suffering
Romeo is calling you
Scatter the paper and thimbles
You can take care of the candles
An unplugged radio plays. She is close NOW
Me and my hand-holding baby walking the floor and the
ceiling
THIS IS the song SHE dictated this evening.
Romeo is calling you

Top Elvis Costello, Lost In The Stars

Before Lord God made the sea and the land
He held all the stars in the palm of his hand
And they ran through his fingers like grains of sand
And one little star fall alone
Then the Lord God hunted through the wild night air
For the little dark star in the wind down there
And he stated and promised he'd take special care
So it wouldn't get lost again
Now, man don't mind if the stars grow dim
And the clouds blow over and darken him
So long as the Lord God's watching over him
Keeping track how it all goes on
But I've been walking through the night and the day
Till my eyes get weary and my hair turns grey
And sometimes it seems maybe God's gone away
Forgetting the promise that we heard him say
And we're lost out here in the stars
Little stars, big stars
Blowing through the night
And we're lost out here in the stars
Little stars, big stars
Blowing through the night

Top Elvis Costello, Lovers That Never Were

I have always needed somebody, girl
But I close the doors to keep out the world
But for you
I would be here all alone
Locked in a photograph
All of the clocks have run down
Lover beware
We'll be the lovers that never were
I hang patiently on every word you send
Will we ever be much more than just friends?
As for you
You sit there playing this game
You keep me waiting
When all of the clocks have run down
All over the world
We'll be the lovers that never were
For as long as the sun shines
In somebody's eyes
I believe in you, baby
So don't tell me lies
For as long as the trees
Throw down blossoms and leaves
I know there will be
A parade of unpainted dreams
And I know, dear
How much it's going to hurt
If you still refuse to get your hands dirty
So you
You must tell me something...I love you
Say goodbye or anything
All of the clocks have run down
Time's at an end
If we can't be lovers we'll never be friends
For as long as the sun shines
In somebody's eyes
I believe in you, baby
So don't tell me lies
For as long as the trees
Throw down blossoms and leaves
I know there will be

Top Elvis Costello, Mischievous Ghost

She came dancing right before my eyes
She said she'd came to warn me
Before it dawned on me
I went walking on the blank hillside
Where the sunset falls
Where the sunset dies
She gave me love, she told me lies
That most mischievous ghost
She was in disguise, she was in disguise, she was in disguise.
He started to whistle, they bought him a flute
He was talking in tongues, they swore he was mute
He scoffed and blasphemed, they said it was beautiful
Busted a button, they bought him a suitcase full
They coloured him cricket and laced him up tight
As he drew on their days resurrected his nights
He raved in the dark, he went out in a blaze
"There you go," they said, "he's good for nothing and lazy"
With scandal and shame they slandered his name
They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully
Never [trying/dying] to be a mischievous ghost
They dug him up quick with a polish and lick
They powdered him up till he only looked sick
The hinge in his backbone would bend to applause
But his dancing was not quite as lively of course
These are the rewards immortality affords
Bullied and bribed and beaten to bliss
[Harrington slacks/Harrods in slacks] and tormental laments
Of going away and not being missed
With scandal and shame they slandered his name
They told him to freeze, they damned him to roast
Disappointed that he passed away peacefully
Never dying to be a mischievous ghost
With the green beer and the shamrock tattoos
Singing his songs of the battles we lose
And [when/will] you come home again so we can murder you
What would you do if they took his word
With forty-eight million to join in the toast
Move over my darling
Mischievous ghost

Top Elvis Costello, Monkey To Man

A long time ago, our point of view
Was broadcast by Mr. Bartholomew
And now the world is full of sorrow and pain
And it's time for us to speak up again
You're slack and sorry
Such an arrogant brood
The only purpose you serve is to bring us our food
We sit here staring at your pomp and pout
Outside the bars we use for keeping you out
You've taken everything that you wanted
Broke it up and plundered it and hunted
Ever since we said it
You went and took the credit
It's been headed this way since the world began
When a vicious creature took the jump from Monkey to Man
Monkey to Man
Every time man struggles and fails
He makes up some kind of fairytales
After all of the misery that he has caused
He denies he's descended from the dinosaurs
Points up to heaven with cathedral spires
All the time indulging in his base desires
Ever since we said it
He went and took the credit
It's been headed this way since the world began
When a vicious creature took the jump from Monkey to Man
Monkey to Man
Big and useless as he has become
With his crying statues and his flying bomb
Goes 'round acting like the chosen one
Excuse us if we treat him like our idiot cousin
He hangs up flowers and bells and rhymes
Hoping to hell someone's forgiven his crimes
Fills up the air with his pride and praise
He's a big disgrace to our beastly ways
In the fashionable nightclubs and finer precincts
Man uses words to dress up his vile instincts
Ever since we said it
He went and took the credit
It's been headed this way since the world began

Top Elvis Costello, My Little Blue Window

This is a calling card
Maybe it will be a farewell note
The poison fountain pen now requires the antidote
But if I avert your gaze
And I should become a shrinking flower
Just punch me on the arm
This could be our finest hour
'Til now this was my view
But I'm counting on you
How am I ever going got make you see?
Nothing in this ugly world comes easily
I want you to be...
My lovely hooligan
Come by and smash my pane
'Til I can see right though
My little blue window
This is a fingerprint
Maybe you will feel a fond caress
But when you start to speak
Are you tempted to confess?
Well, I was a gloomy soul
Never thought I see a brighter day
The dark interior
Blows those silver clouds away
'Til now this was my view
But I'm counting on you
How am I ever going got make you see?
Nothing in this ugly world comes easily
I want you to be...
My lovely hooligan
Come by and smash my pane
'Til I can see right though

Top Elvis Costello, My Mood Swings

She was smitten from the first
By a curious fellow
She said I love the way you talk
And with a a flounce she announces
I love the way that you pronounce it: "Marshmallow"
So she liked to sing along
To her favourite song
From the year that she was born
She had mysterious affairs [?]
And promptly work out what her age is [?]
[Chorus:]
So speak to me
Just like you should
And then you can say those wicked things
And if you want
We'll make it good
Before my mood swings
Well he looked like one of those
Who would take off his clothes
Like he would peel a tangerine
Don't ****** know what truly blind is [?]
Once you have found out what your sign is

Top Elvis Costello, Mystery Dance( W Extra Verse)

Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill.
He jumped out the window cause he couldn't sit still.
Juliet was waiting with a safety net.
He said Don't bury me cause I'm not dead yet .
Why don't you tell me 'bout the mystery dance.
I wanna know about the mystery dance.
Why don't you show me,
'cause I've tried and I've tried,
and I'm still mystified.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
Well I remember when the lights went out
and I was tryin' to make it look like it was never in doubt.
She thought that I knew, and I thought that she knew,
so both of us were willing, but we didn't know how to do it.
chorus
Well I was down under the covers in the middle of the night,
tryin' to discover my left foot from my right.
You can see those pictures in any magazine.
But what's the use of looking when you don't know what they mean.
chorus
I'm gonna walk right up to heaven dodgeing lightning rods
I'm gonna have this very personal conversation with god
I said You got the information, Why don't you say so?
He'll say Well I've been around and I still don't know.
chorus

Top Elvis Costello, NEARER TO YOU

I may do things you don't understand
But remember I'm only doing the best I can
Every little thing I do
I'm trying to get closer to you
Nearer, nearer...
I'm sorry if I seem a little bit stubborn sometimes
I hope I'm not being a nuisance to you
I know you say that you'd be home soon
I've got to be nearer, nearer to you
Every deed I do
I'm trying to get closer to you
Nearer, nearer...
I know you say that you'd be home soon
I've got to be nearer, nearer to you
I've got to be nearer, nearer to you

Top Elvis Costello, Little Goody Two Shoes

You can take a powder, you can take a drink
You can keep the shrink and the kitchen sink
You can write my name in heaven in invisible ink
Just leave a feeling when there's no time to think
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch
Or little goody two shoes will feel the pinch
You can tear me under, you can give me lip
You can tear me over, you can give me the slip
You can take off everything or tear me off a strip
With a bullet in the chamber and another in the clip
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch
Or little goody two shoes will feel the pinch
Just when you thought you got what you deserved
Just when it's time to stop trying
A voice says, "Boy, have you got a nerve--
Why do you have to keep crying and crying?"
You can take me outside, you can take me apart
You can take me upstairs, you can take me to heart
You can take the decision that it's time to depart
Don't try to stop me when you told me to start
Little goody two shoes is here to clinch
You can miss by a mile or you can miss by an inch
Don't move a muscle, baby, don't even flinch

Top Elvis Costello, Long Journey Home

If on every ocean the ship is a throne
And for each mast cut down another sapling is grown
Then I could believe that I'm bound to find
A better life than I left behind
But as you ascend the ladder
Look out below where you tread
For the colors bled as they overflowed
Red, white and blue
Green, white and gold
So I had to leave from my country of birth
As for each child grown tall
Another lies in the earth
And for every rail we laid in the loam
There's a thousand miles of the long journey home
But as you ascend the ladder
Look out below where you tread
For the colors bled as they overflowed
Red, white and blue

Top Elvis Costello, Sunday's Best

Times are tough for English babies
Send the army and the navy
Beat up strangers who talk funny
Take their greasy foreign money
Skin shop, red leather, hot line
Be prepared for the engaged sign
Bridal books, engagement rings
And other wicked little things
[Chorus:]
Standing in your socks and vest
Better get it off your chest
Every day is just like the rest
But Sunday's best
Stylish slacks to suit your pocket
Back supports and picture lockets
Sleepy towns and sleeper trains
To the dogs and down the drains
Major roads and ladies smalls
Hearts of oak and long trunk calls
Continental interference
At death's door with life insurance
[Chorus]
Sunday's best, Sunday's finest
When your money's in the minus
And you suffer from your shyness
You can listen to us whiners
Don't look now under the bed
An arm, a leg and a severed head
Read about the private lives
The songs of praise, the readers' wives
Listen to the decent people
Though you treat them just like sheep
Put them all in boots and khaki
Blame it all upon the darkies
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, Talking in the Dark

I tried in vain to drive myself insane
I talk to myself but I don't listen
I found out what I was missing
I miss talking in the dark
Without you, I'm not conversational
Without the sense of the occasional
Without you, I miss talking in the dark
When the barking and the biting is through
We can talk like we're in love or talk like we're above it
We can talk and talk until we talk ourselves out of it
I look for the news, somebody to abuse
I look at myself but it's so chancy
I see things that I don't fancy
I miss talking in the dark
Without you, I'm not conversational
Without the sense of the occasional
Without you, I miss talking in the dark

Top Elvis Costello, Deep Dead Blue

Deep dead blue
That I invite
Bringing on disguise of night
Turn the whole Kaleidoscope
Deep dead blue
Deep dead blue that nightly shades
Most unlikely escapades
As the lights that frighten fade
Till the dawn drags into view
I'm lost in deep dead blue
Deep dead blue
I'd rather stay
Far from the cruel coloured day
Leave me in my monochrome
Till I find a finer hue

Top Elvis Costello, Dirty Rotten Shame

I recall the good old days
But thankfully, they've gone
Now the ponies all are broken nags
That stumble as they groan
And throw the jockeys from their throne
When there are pitches left to dodge
And lions left to tame
But it's nothing but a dirty rotten shame
It's a dirty rotten shame
That when you're frivolous and strong
It isn't youth, its fearlessness
That has been wasted on the young
The cruel are in the cradle
And the bishop's in the bag
It's nothing but a dirty rotten shame
Now I find life a millionaire
That brags for rags and jewels
A snarling pup is wild enough
But as his anger proves
He's left to sharpen useless tools
That tear and graze and finer phrase
But few are worth the name
It's nothing but a dirty rotten shame
It's a dirty rotten shame
And that is not an idle boast
When all your courage and your strength
Will leave you as you need it most
When there are lamps to dampen
And cauliflowers to flip

Top Elvis Costello, Girls Talk

There are some things you can't cover up with lipstick and powder
I thought I heard you mention my name, can't you talk any louder ?
Don't come any closer, don't come any nearer
My vision of you can't get any clearer
Oh, i just want to hear girls talk
I got a loaded imagination being fired by girls talk
But I can't say the words you want to hear
I suppose you're going to have to play it by ear
Right here and now
Girls talk and they want to know how
Girls talk and they say it's not allowed
Girls talk, if they say that it's so
Don't you think that I know by now
That the word up on everyone's lips
Stick that you're dedicated
Though you may not be an old fashioned girl
You're still going to get dated
Was it really murder ?
Were you just pretending ?
Lately I have heard you are the living end
Girls talk and they wanna know about her
Girls talk, they wanna know if I care
Girls talk and they wanna know where

Top Elvis Costello, Hidden Shame

I'm sorry to say that you don't know me
I'm sad in ways you never understood
Each time I try to tell the ugly truth
You always let it pass you by
You said I'd never tell you a lie
Just because I could
Did you really think I was a bad man?
You always said that that should be my middle name
But you don't know the half of it
You don't know how that name fits
You don't know my hidden shame
Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free
From the blame and the torture and the misery
Must it be my secret for eternity?
Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me
Well, there's a different kind of prison
And it don't even have to look much like a cell
It's already on your mind, boy, we can see it in your eyes
So, here's the bars and walls as well
Well, you know I'm never coming home, babe
You said you'd stand by me until I cleared my name
Sure it's easy to be strong
When you know the charge is wrong
But the days and weeks get long
When you've got a hidden shame
Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free
From the blame and the torture and the misery
Must it be my secret for eternity?
Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me
I had a friend when I was just a boy
We were like brothers, we would run and hide
And we went walking on a high hillside
And I really don't how it happened
He turned to me and had this strange look in his eye
And not a single word was spoken
I must have pushed him but I don't remember why
And all at once, he lay there broken
And I walked down without him and I didn't even sigh
Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free
From the blame and the torture and the misery
Must it be my secret for eternity?
Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me
They say you always hurt the one you love
And I'm not saying if I did or if I didn't
But like my shame that kind of love is always hidden
They locked me up here for the ideas in my head
They never got me for the thing I really did
Hidden shame, shame, shame that I can't get free
From the blame and the torture and the misery
Must it be my secret for eternity?
Till you know my hidden shame you really don't know me

Top Elvis Costello, Tiny Steps

Muscle baby won't let go
Weekend baby won't say no
Is she an active beauty ?
I should say so
Wooden bones and pretty lashes
Iodine for your baby's gashes
Little tombs for your baby's ashes
If something goes wrong
Tiny steps almost real
Tiny fingers you almost feel
Make her walk or make her kneel
Oh, she's almost human beneath that Cuban heel
Who's that down at the bottom of the garden ?
Who's that hiding underneath the sofa ?
Who gets blamed whenever you're in trouble ?
She's your friend and she's your double
Tiny steps almost real
Tiny fingers you almost feel
Make her walk or make her kneel
Oh, she's almost human beneath that Cuban heel
Pretty little fashion face
Pick anyone up off the shelf
Though you say it's a disgrace
You know you owe it to yourself
You can even shop around
Though you won't find any cheaper
She's your baby now
You can keep her
Tiny steps almost real
Tiny fingers you almost feel
Make her walk or make her kneel

Top Elvis Costello, Two Little Hitlers

Why are we racing to be so old?
I'm up late pacing the floor
I won't be told
You have your reservations
I'm bought and sold
I'll face the music
I'll face the facts
Even when we walk in polka dots and chequer slacks
Bowing and squawking
Running after titbits
Bobbing and squinting
Just like a nitwit
[Chorus:]
Two little Hitlers will fight it out until
One little Hitler does the other one's will
I will return
I will not burn
Down in the basement
I need my head examined
I need my eyes excited
I'd like to join the party
But I was not invited
You make a member of me
I'll be delighted
I wouldn't cry for lost souls, you might drown
Dirty words for dirty minds
Written in a toilet town
Dial me a Valentine
She's a smooth operator
It's all so calculated
She's got a calculator
She's my soft touch typewriter
And I'm the great dictator
[Chorus]
A simple game of self-respect
You flick a switch and the world goes off
Nobody jumps as you expect
I would have thought you would have had enough by now
You call selective dating
For some effective mating
I thought I'd let you down, dear
But you were just deflating
I knew right from the start
We'd end up hating
Pictures of the merchandise
Plastered on the wall
We can look so long as we don't have to talk at all
You say you'll never know him
He's an unnatural man
He doesn't want your pleasure
He wants as no one can
He wants to know the names of
All those he's better than
[Chorus]
I will return
I will not burn

Top Elvis Costello, Watching the Detectives (LIVE)

Nice girl stabs one with a defect,
cellophane shrink-wrapped, so correct.
Red dogs under illegal legs.
She looks so good that he gets down and begs.
She is watching the detectives.
";ooh, he's so cute!";
She is watching the detectives
when they shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.
They beat him up until the teardrops start,
but he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart.
Long shot of that jumping sign,
Visible shivers running down my spine.
Cut the baby taking off her clothes.
Close-up of the sign that says,";We never close";
You snatch a chew an you a match a cigarette,
She pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet.
I don't know how much more of this I can take.
She's filing her nails while they're dragging the lake.
chorus
You think you're alone until you realize you're in it.
Now fear is here to stay. Love is here for a visit.
They call it instant justice when it's past the legal limit.
Someone's scratching at the window. I wonder who is it?
The detectives come to check if you belong to the parents
who are ready to hear the worst about their daughter's disappearance.
So it nearly took a miracle to get you to stay,
it only took my little fingers to blow you away.
Just like watching the detectives.
Don't get cute!";
It's just like watching the detectives.
I get so angry when the teardrops start,
but he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart.
Watching the detectives.
It's just like watching the detectives.

Top Elvis Costello, Wednesday Week

The movies save on conversation
And the TV saves on sight
We met in a head-on collision
So I would say our chances would be slight
You can lead and I will follow
See us dancing cheek to cheek
You'll remember me tomorrow
But you won't give a damn by Wednesday Week
Say you love me until you do so
Joso singing just like Caruso
Three little words roll off your tongue
Somehow your face just doesn't look so young
You say you want to strike a bargain
Now there is no need to speak
You say you want to learn the jargon
But you won't give a damn by Wednesday Week
You start acting like a zombie
Someone wants your piece of cake
You think you want to jump up on me
But you won't give a damn by Wednesday Week
Oh what a letdown when the battle was finally won
One little breakdown and then it was over and done
I wish I had your confidence
It's love and not coincidence
Do you say these words to everyone ?
You're fantastic, you're terrific
Your excellence is almost scientific
You took the words out of my mouth
You put the tongue into my cheek

Top Elvis Costello, Miracle Man

You never asked me what I wanted. You only asked me why.
I never thought that so much trouble was restin' on my reply,
I could say it was the nights when I was lonely
and you were the only one who'd come.
I could tell you that I like your sensitivity,
when you know it's the way that you walk.
[Chorus]:
Why do you have to say that there's always someone
who can do it better than I can?
But don't you think that I know that walking on the water
won't make me a miracle man?
Baby's gotta have the things she wants.
You know she's gotta have the things she loves.
She's got a ten-inch bamboo cigarette holder
and her black patent leather gloves.
And I'm doing everything just tryin' to please her,
even crawling around on all fours.
Oh, I thought by now that it was gonna be easy,
but she still seems to want for more.
[Chorus]
I hear they're givin' you a bad reputation
just because you've never been denied.
You try to say you've done it all before.
Baby, you know that you just get tired.
Yet everybody loves you so much, girl.
I just don't know how you stand the strain.
Oh, I, I'm the one who's here tonight,
and I don't wanna do it all in vain.

Top Elvis Costello, Less Than Zero

Calling Mister Oswald with the swastika tattoo,
there is a vacancy waiting in the English voodoo,
carving "v" for vandal on the guilty boy's head.
When he's had enough of that maybe you'll take him to bed
to teach him he's alive before he wishes he was dead.
[Chorus:]
Turn up the TV. No one listening will suspect,
even your mother won't detect it,
no your father won't know.
they think that I've got no respect
but everything means less than zero.
Hey, ooh hey, hey, ooh hey.
Oswald and his sister are doing it again.
They've got the finest home movies that you have ever seen.
They've got a thousand variations: every service with a smile.
They're gonna take a little break, and they'll be back after a while.
well I hear that South America is coming into style.
[Chorus]
A pistol was still smoking, a man lay on the floor.
Mister Oswald said he had an understanding with the law.
He said he heard about a couple living in the USA.
He said they traded in their baby for a Chevrolet.
Let's talk about the future now we've put the past away.

Top Elvis Costello, The Unfailing Welcome To The Voice

Above the tears
Before the scream
Invisible and secret scar
The true salvation is the human voice
Beloved voices of the past
The forever stiffled voice
Tender echoes
Lost cause
Miserable voice
Whispering voice
Incantations
Immaterial instrument
Attentive mothers
Darkness lighting lullabies
Stare of silence
Cruel disease
The __ gag of hate
Unfailing welcome to the voice
Be welcome
Attractive red fruit of the mouth
Dangerous message on my skin
I feel so fluid
Lighter than air
Shy caress
A fleeting bride's veil on the throat
Forbidden kisses to drink
__ siren
Virtuous sound
Vocal pleasure
Pleasure vocal
It's the real way to be drunk
To desert the common place
Sacred (bluesy prophet?)
I'm a slave to the voice
Unfailing welcome to the voice
In every tone a poignant oath
Voices to pray to fly to escape
[harmonized]
The sublimation of the hopes
The sublimation of the hopes
Spiritual vehicle of thought
The voice (is boundless?)

Top Elvis Costello, Radio Sweetheart

My head is spinning and my legs are weak
Goose step dancing, can't hear myself speak
Hope in the eyes of the ugly girls
That settle for the lies of the last chancers
When slow motion drunks pick wallflower dancers
You come here looking for the ride to glory
Go back home with a hard luck story
I can hardly wait around until the weekend comes to town
Play one more for my radio sweetheart
Hide your love, hide your love
Though we are so far apart
You've got to hide your love
'Cause that's the way the whole thing started
I wish we had never parted
When it's late and the night gets colder
Don't lay your head on any other shoulder
Some hire themselves out for a good time
But you and I, we have been sold
So I keep on saying...
Play one more for my radio sweetheart
Hide your love, hide your love
Though we are so far apart
You've got to hide your love
'Cause that's the way the whole thing started
I wish we had never parted

Top Elvis Costello, Poison Moon

Cut loose in a nightmare, cast off in my dreams
If home is anywhere that I can hang my hat
Then it's coming apart at the seams
My luck is hanging upside down
I try to hold on tight
But money's rolling out of town
And love slips right out of sight
And these bones, they don't look so good to me
Jokers talk and they all disagree
One day soon, I will laugh right in the face of the poison moon
You look in the mirror
I'm sorry, but it can't be replaced
You're thrown straight out in that cruel parade
Buttoned down and laced
It starts like fascination, it ends up like a trance
You've gotta use your imagination on some of that magazine romance
And these bones - they don't look so good to me
Jokers talk and they all disagree
One day soon, I will laugh right in the face of the poison moon

Top Elvis Costello, Stranger In The House

This never was one of the great romances
But I thought you'd always have those young girl's eyes
But now they look in tired and bitter glances
At the ghost of a man who walks 'round in my disguise
I get the feeling that I don't belong here
But there's no welcome in the window anyway
And I look down for a number on my keychain
'Cause it feels more like a hotel everyday
There's a stranger in the house; nobody's seen his face
But everybody says he's taken my place
There's a stranger in the house no one will ever see
But everybody says he looks like me
And now you say you've got no expectations
But I know you also miss those carefree days
And for all the angry words that passed between us
You still don't understand me when I say
There's a stranger in the house; nobody's seen his face
But everybody says he's taken my place
There's a stranger in the house no one will ever see

Top Elvis Costello, Sneaky Feelings

Now everybody's breakin' up somebody else's home,
before somebody else starts breaking up their own.
I get you in my dreams.
You should hear the things you say.
I's not that it's so much fun,
but it's safer that way.
Sneaky feeling, sneaky feelings,
you can't let those kind of feeling show.
I'd like to get right through the way I feel for you,
but I've still got a long way to go.
Why don't we call it a day, and we can both confess.
You can force me to use a little tenderness.
White lies, alibis, anything but say that it's true.
Now we could sit like lovers, staring in each other's eyes,
but the magic of the moment might become too much for you.
Sneaky feeling, sneaky feelings,
you can't let those kind of feeling show.

Top Elvis Costello, Mystery Dance(Acoustic w\ Extra Verse)

Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill.
He jumped out the window cause he couldn't sit still.
Juliet was waiting with a safety net.
He said ";Don't bury me cause I'm not dead yet";.
Why don't you tell me 'bout the mystery dance.
I wanna know about the mystery dance.
Why don't you show me,
'cause I've tried and I've tried,
and I'm still mystified.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
Well I remember when the lights went out
and I was tryin' to make it look like it was never in doubt.
She thought that I knew, and I thought that she knew,
so both of us were willing, but we didn't know how to do it.
chorus
Well I was down under the covers in the middle of the night,
tryin' to discover my left foot from my right.
You can see those pictures in any magazine.
But what's the use of looking when you don't know what they mean.
chorus
I'm gonna walk right up to heaven dodgeing lightning rods
I'm gonna have this very personal conversation with god
I said ";You got the information, Why don't you say so?";
He'll say ";Well I've been around and I still don't know.";
chorus

Top Elvis Costello, Mystery Dance

Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill.
He jumped out the window cause he couldn't sit still.
Juliet was waiting with a safety net.
He said "Don't bury me cause I'm not dead yet".
[Chorus:]
Why don't you tell me 'bout the mystery dance.
I wanna know about the mystery dance.
Why don't you show me,
'cause I've tried and I've tried,
and I'm still mystified.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
Well I remember when the lights went out
and I was tryin' to make it look like it was never in doubt.
She thought that I knew, and I thought that she knew,
so both of us were willing, but we didn't know how to do it.
[Chorus]
Well I was down under the covers in the middle of the night,
tryin' to discover my left foot from my right.
You can see those pictures in any magazine.
But what's the use of looking when you don't know what they mean.

Top Elvis Costello, Pay it Back

Stop thief; you're gonna come to grief
if you don't take a little more care.
You're gonna get more than the family plan
from this one shoestring affair.
I may be crazy but I can't contemplate
being trapped between the doctor and the magistrate.
[Chorus:]
One of these days I'm gonna pay it back, pay it back,
one of these days.
One of these days I'm gonna pay it back, pay it back,
one of these days.
And then they told me I could be somebody
if I didn't let too much get in my way.
And I tried so hard just to be myself,
but I keep on fading away.
Until the lights went out, I didn't know what to do.
If I could fool myself, then maybe I'd fool you too.
[Chorus]
I wouldn't say that I was raised on romance.
Let's not get stuck in the past.
I love you more than everything in the world.
I don't expect that will last.
They told me everything was guaranteed.
Somebody somewhere must've lied to me.

Top Elvis Costello, No dancing

Oh I know that she
Has made a fool of him
Like girls have done so many nights before
Time and time again
Life is so strange
I don't know why
But somebody, somebody has to cry
There's gonna be no dancing when they get home
There's gonna be no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing when they get home
Now he's telling her
Every little thing he's done
Once he glanced at the jackets of some paperbacks
Now he's read every one
He's such a drag
He's not insane
It's just that everybody
Has to feel his pain
There's gonna be no dancing when they get home
He's getting down on his knees
He finds that the girl is not so easy to please
Oh oh, after all, his nights were just a paper striptease
She's caught it like some disease
If he says no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing on my own
She can't even speak to him
He can't face her now
He says "Even though I wanna shake your hand
All I ever do is bow.
So now you see
How can it be.
Why can't you give me anythin' but sympathy?"
There's gonna be no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing
There's gonna be no dancing

Top Elvis Costello, There's A Story In Your Voice

Once upon another time
If you had the need
I'd step right in the shoes that you've been walking
'Cos someone put the hurt in you
For every one to see
And you only have to speak to tell your fortune
There's a story in your voice
Both by damage and by choice
It tells of promises and pleasure
And a tale of wine and woe
The uneasy time to come
And the long way 'round we go to get there
Once you told me fairytales
Everybody knows
But I didn't care for their prediction
Now you say you're leaving me
And packing up your clothes
I finally see you were a work of fiction
There's a story in your walk
Then you crumble just like chalk
And I could say that I was sorry
But I wouldn't mean it much
There are pages I can't touch
And something that's been torn out of this chapter
Far away, not far enough
'Cos I can still recall
How it felt when I read that last sentence
Now I go inside some rooms with Gideon in them all
And hide myself from all hope of repentance
There's a story in your eyes
Cheap sunglasses might disguise
But when the bedroom light reveals
All that bravado and that fright
That you cover up in spite
Attempts to strip away this fabrication
There's a story in your voice
Both by damage and by choice
It tells of promises and pleasure
And a tale of wine and woe
The uneasy time to come

Top Elvis Costello, Unwanted Number

You should hear the things that they say about me
They're saying "She's no better than she needed to be"
They don't know that he was kind and strong and tender
And now I'll never be another Unwanted Number
Unwanted Number
How can I tell them?
How can I express?
How it felt to step out of this life and into his embrace
How can I tell them?
How can I explain?
All the love that I never had I found in him
There may be a stain on the family name
And if my father was here I think I know who he'd blame
Mama says that he just doesn't care to remember
And all he thinks of me is another Unwanted Number
Unwanted Number
(How can I tell her?
How can I express?
How it felt when he came to my room
And helped me to undress
What can she tell me?
How can I believe
That she really didn't hear me cry
When he wouldn't leave?)
There's a local game where they whisper my shame
They say "He gave her his child
He wouldn't give her his name"
They will torture me from January till September
And soon there's going to be another Unwanted Number
Unwanted Number
Unwanted number
And I will give my love to another Unwanted Number
Unwanted Number

Top Elvis Costello, The Other End (of the Telescope)

Shall we agree that just this once
I'm gonna change my life
Until it's just as tiny or important as you like?
And in time we won't even recall that we spoke
Words that turned out to be as big as smoke
As smoke that disappears in the air
There's always something that's smoldering somewhere
[Chorus:]
I know it don't make a difference to you
But oh! It sure made a difference to me
You'll see me off in the distance, I hope
At the other end
At the other end of the telescope.
The promise of indulgence in my confidential voice
Approached immortal danger but you'll never know how close
Then down the hall I overheard such a heavenly choir
They interrupted my evil designs
One day you are up in the clouds
The next thing you're down with the Sweet Adelines
[Chorus]
Lie down baby now don't say a word
There there baby your vision is blurred
Your head is so sore from all of that thinking
I don't want to hurt you now
But I think you're shrinking
You're half-naked ambition and you're half out of your wits
Or several tiny fractions that this portrait still omits
And it's so hard to pick the receiver up when I call
I never noticed you could be so small
The answer was under your nose but the question never arose
I know it don't make a difference to you
But oh! It sure made a difference to me
'Cause late in the evening as I sit here moping
With a bamboo needle on a shellac of Chopin
And the cast-iron heart that you failed to tear open
At the other end

Top Elvis Costello, Psycho

Can Mary fry some fish, mama
I'm as hungry as can be
Oh lord, how I wish, mama
You could stop the baby cryin'
'Cause my head is killing me
I saw my ex again last night mama
She was at the dance at Miller's store
She was with that Jackie White mama
I killed them both
And they're buried under Jacob's sycamore
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
I didn't mean to break your cup
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
You better let 'em lock me up
Oh, don't hand me Johnny's pup mama
As I might squeeze him too tight
I'm havin' crazy dreams again mama
So let me tell you 'bout last night
I woke up in Johnny's room mama
Standing right there by his bed
With my hands around his throat mama
Wishing both of us were dead
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
I just killed Johnny's pup
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
You'd better let 'em lock me up
Oh you recall that little girl mama
I believe her name was Betty Clark
Oh don't tell me that she's dead mama
'Cause I just saw her in the park
We were sitting on a bench mama
Thinking of a game to play
Seems I was holding a wrench mama
Then my mind just walked away
You think I'm psycho don't you mama
I didn't mean to break your cup
You think I'm psycho don't you mama

Top Elvis Costello, Blue Chair

Now it's just you and me, my blue friend
And you say that it's you that she's thinking of
And our affair must end
But if it's you that she's thinking of
I think my broken heart might mend
[Chorus:]
Now it's my turn to talk and your turn to think
Your turn to buy and my turn to drink
Your turn to cry and my turn to sink down in the Blue Chair
Down in the Blue Chair
Now I've made up my mind I've made my mistake
And I know that she cries for you
When she's barely awake
Well she's going to bend your mind
Well I hope it don't break
[Chorus]
Down in the Blue Chair
We can watch our troubles rise
Like smoke into the air
And drift up to the ceiling
Down in the Blue Chair
You can feel just like a boy or a man
And next minute you can find yourself kneeling
Down in the Blue Chair
They're boasting of loving the daylights right out of her in the small hours
Down in the Blue Chair
You say that your love lasts forever when you know the night is just hours
And still I want her right now
Not any minute, hour or day
And wherever she is tonight
I want her anyway
I suppose she never said to you,
You were just in the way
[Chorus]
Down in the Blue Chair
Down in the blue
Blue becomes you

Top Elvis Costello, Battered Old Bird

The landlady's husband came up to town today
Since he left them both ten years ago to serve the ministry
The dark down road of his approach in constant rain was drenched
The tenant's boy said "How d'ya do" then swore in French
Did you teach this little child these curses on my soul
You should both be shut down in the coal-hole
That's the way to treat a child who cries out in the night
And a woman who teaches wrong from right
[Chorus:]
He's a Battered Old Bird
And he's living up there
There's a place where time stands still
If you keep taking those little pink pills
"Hush your mouth you hypocrite"
His humour cut her deep
The tight lipped leer of judgement
That had seen her love desert her just like sleep
"Filthy words on children's lips are better, my dear spouse
Then if I were to speak my mind about this house"
[Chorus]
On the first floor there are two old maids
Each one wishing that the other was afraid
And next door to them is a man so mild
'Til he chopped off the head of a visitor's child
He danced upon the bonfire
Swallowed sleeping pills like dreams
With a bottle of sweet sherry that everything redeems
[Chorus]
And on the second floor is the Macintosh Man
He's in his overcoats more than out of them
And the typewriter's rattling all through the night
He's burgundy for breakfast tight
He says "One day I'll throw away all of my cares
And it is always Christmas in a cupboard at the top of the stairs"
[Chorus]
"Well here's a boy if ever there was
Who's going to do big things
That's what they all say and that's how the trouble begins
I've seen them rise and fall
Been through their big deals and smalls
He'd better have a dream that goes beyond four walls"
You think he should be sent outside playing with the traffic

Top Elvis Costello, Forgive Her Anything

Oh, a TV went off like three day old milk
That shook this town down better than most
And it always was less of an idea and more of a boast
Oh, you're burning in the bloom of life
Till you're powder in the grave
Or you're pounding in the counter begging for more
Till you evaporate
You'd forgive her anything
If you look like you, my pretty miss
I wonder where you are tonight
And this place becomes pitiless?
Oh, I couldn't sleep, but I can't complain
Oh, this won't hurt a bit, oh, this won't hurt again
When the roof comes down and the walls move in
Oh, he didn't know it could feel like that
And your face turned away and the day turned black
And the rain fell like a curtain
Oh, it's my turn to begin
To forgive her anything
You'd forgive her anything
If you knew what I know
You'd forgive her anything
So where did all my pride go?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, you'd forgive her anything
If you knew what I know
You'd forgive her anything

Top Elvis Costello, Crimes Of Paris

I thought it was you and your optimist's view of the clock
And how it's always another day
Just after twelve o'clock's struck
You said "Now I only want you so I don't have to promise"
But tiny children in grown-up clothes whispered all the Crimes of Paris
[Chorus:]
You're not the girl next-door or a girl from France
Or the cigarette-girl in the sizzle hot-pants
All the words of love seem cruel and crass
When you're tough and transparent as armoured glass
You're everywhere girl in an everyday mess
Who'll pay for the Crimes of Paris
I heard that you fell for the "Hell or to Hammersmith Blues"
In the tiny torn up pieces of his mind he's irresistible too
Now it's hard to say now if he's only stupid or smart
When he crawled through the door
And poured out more of his creeping-Jesus heart
[Chorus]
And it's all here and now
She hit him with that paper-weight Eiffel Tower
And I tried to hold on to you but I don't know how
And I find it hard to swallow good advice
Like going down three times to only come up twice
She's so convenient, he's always stiff as hair-lacquer
It's hard to discover now he's in love with her
It was her way of getting her own back
You never did anything she couldn't do on her own
You're as good as your word and that's no good to her
You'd better leave that kitten alone

Top Elvis Costello, A Town Called Big Nothing

Big nothing.
He stood in the road outside of town with a broken clockwork toy in
his hand: A graveyard for childish dreams in his palm; a broken lifeline.
Big nothing.
The mechanical amusement sputtered to life in his fist. As he clenched, it
whirred and died again. It was a cowboy who drew his gun, but the
pistol was welded to the holster by age and careless children, so it
struggled and strained and it unwound his own spring.
Big nothing.
He didn't need tattoos to show where he had been and who he had loved. It
was the same thing that men had cried for; that women had dyed their hair
for. The cellophane illusion of a starry sky stretched over an open sore.
Big nothing.
He thought about his lost daughter: the way her eyes would alight at the
greedy circus barker's blackmail song; how he wanted to smash her skull
when she parroted back, 'tell mommy; tell poppy; you need this little
dolly.'
Big nothing. (x2)
The smoky voice of the petaled girl woke him long enough. There was too
much light in the room, so he unscrewed the bulb. She took him to bed like
an adopted dog.
Big nothing.
She lit sickly incense, as he tried to tell if the resemblance was pure
and coincidental. He unleashed his grip on the toy, all it meant to him,
and it wound down forever.
Big nothing.
He woke up in a sweat. The next day, with her smile still painted on his
mouth, he walked out of a town called Big Nothing.

Top Elvis Costello, Upon A Veil Of Midnight Blue

Upon a veil of midnight blue
There hung a crescent moon
To light the view
But I don't whisper the words
When the moment arose
I wonder how he knows
You say your tongue is tied
Your words escape and hide
But he's so patient and kind
He's prepared to read your mind
That's very well till you find
Because of the wine you drank
Your mind is still a blank
I wonder how he knows
I guess I will wonder until
I pluck up the courage to tell him
How I feel
So close I can feel his heart tremble
That look in his eyes as they close
I wonder how he knows

Top Elvis Costello, Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo

Baby's got a brand new hairdo, but doesn't she look so nice?
She said everything that she cares to, she's saying it not once but twice
She said it doesn't matter unless I say it matters
Well, I don't care about all that modern jazz
The girl that used to have it, and the girl I still have
She's the girl that used to have it and the girl I still have
Baby's got a brand new hairdo, and doesn't she look so fine?
She said everything that she used to
Except she's picking your heart, not mine
She said "it doesn't matter unless I say it matters"
I don't care about all that modern jazz
The girl that used to have it, and girl I still have
She's the girl that used to have it, and the girl I still have
Baby's got a brand new hairdo, and doesn't she look so good?
She looks like Billy Boy Arnold, said I wish you would
I wish you would
Baby's got a brand new hairdo, I wonder what's left inside
She used to [?] at med school, before she learned how to be snide
She walks in the place and everybody scatters
I don't care about all the modern girls
She's the girl that I used to have and the girl I still have

Top Elvis Costello, American Without Tears #2

Outside in New Orleans the heat was almost frightening
But my hotel room as usual was freezing and unkind
On TV they prosecute anyone who's exciting
So I put on my overcoat and went down to find
In Revlon and Crimpelene they captured my heart
To the strain of a piano and a cocktail murderess
She was singing that "It's Too Late", I agreed with that part
For two English girls who had changed their address
[chorus]
Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years
Now I don't speak any English, just American without tears
Just American without tears
One had been a beauty queen and the other was her friend
They had known rogues and rascals and showbiz impresarios
While the boys were licking Hitler they had something to defend
>From men armed with chewing gum and fine nylon hose
By a bicycle factory as they sounded the siren
And returned into the dancehall she knew he was the one
Though he wasn't tall or handsome she laughed when he told her
"I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John"
[chorus]
At a dock in Southampton full of tearful goodbyes
Newsreel commentators said "Cheerio, G.I. brides"
Soon they'll be finding the cold facts and lies
New words for suspenders and young girls backsides
Now I'm in America and running from you
Like my grandfather before me walked the streets of New York
And I think of all the women I pretend mean more than you
When I open my mouth and I can't seem to talk
Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years
Now I don't speak any English just American without tears
Just American without tears

Top Elvis Costello, I Want You

Oh my baby baby I love you more than I can tell
I don't think I can live without you
And I know that I never will
Oh my baby baby I want you so it scares me to death
I can't say anymore than "I love you"
Everything else is a waste of breath
I want you
You've had your fun you don't get well no more
I want you
Your fingernails go dragging down the wall
Be careful darling you might fall
I want you
I woke up and one of us was crying
I want you
You said "Young man I do believe you're dying"
I want you
If you need a second opinion as you seem to do these days
I want you
You can look in my eyes and you can count the ways
I want you
Did you mean to tell me but seem to forget
I want you
Since when were you so generous and inarticulate
I want you
It's the stupid details that my heart is breaking for
It's the way your shoulders shake and what they're shaking for
it's knowing that he knows you now after only guessing
I want you
It's the thought of him undressing you or you undressing
I want you
He tossed some tattered compliment your way
I want you
And you were fool enough to love it when he said
"I want you"
I want you
The truth can't hurt you it's just like the dark
It scares you witless
But in time you see things clear and stark
I want you
Go on and hurt me then we'll let it drop
I want you
I'm afraid I won't know where to stop
I want you
I'm not ashamed to say I cried for you
I want you
I want to know the things you did that we do too
I want you
I want to hear he pleases you more than I do
I want you
I might as well be useless for all it means to you
I want you
Did you call his name out as he held you down
I want you
Oh no my darling not with that clown
I want you
You've had your fun you don't get well no more
I want you
No-one who wants you could want you more
I want you
Every night when I go off to bed and when I wake up
I want you
I want you
I'm going to say it again 'til I instill it
I know I'm going to feel this way until you kill it
I want you

Top Elvis Costello, Next Time 'Round

As I stepped out upon the landing my heart was already down the stairs
She's in the bedroom with that boy of hers
Though her face is creased and her eyes seem strange
There's a second-hand emotion on battered forty-five
My tears were never enough to keep that girl alive
Now she seems contrite will she make the change
[Chorus:]
The next time 'round
The next time 'round
You'll be someone else's baby
But I'll be underground
The Next Time 'Round
Then you took two steps forward and then one step on your back
Now it's a future for me and you that I lack
You'll be the one who'll stands out in the dark
Even when you're all dressed in black
[Chorus]
You've got something I want now
And I've got something I can't hide
I've got too much love for you now
Have you got too much pride
Sometimes I name and number all the things you gave to me
Your elastic love, this velvet-line purgatory
You used to take the breath out of me
Now I think you'll be the death of me
[Chorus]
You'll be in some sputnik baby
But I'll be underground

Top Elvis Costello, Poor Napoleon

I can't lie on this bed anymore it burns my skin
You can take the truthful things you've said to me
And put them on the head of a pin
Poor Napoleon
You always look so disappointed when I take my stockings off
Don't you know the facts of life, boy
Don't you know what these things cost
She was selling stolen kisses to travelling salesmen and minstrel singers
You put a penny in the slot
She called you her Magic Fingers
Poor Napoleon
I bet she isn't all that's advertised
I bet that isn't all she fakes
Just like that place where they take your spine
And turn it into soapflakes
so good night little school boy, you'd better learn some self control
did you mess up your hairstyle, pour scorn in your begging bowl
Bare wires from the socket to the bed where you embraced that girl
Did you ever think there's far too many people in the world?
One day they'll probably make a movie out of all of this

Top Elvis Costello, Seven Day Weekend

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Monday's calling you too early when you're sound asleep
Bells are ringing by your bedside and out in the streets
You say Monday's long enough, but this is just the start
Tuesday's just the same as Monday without the surprising part
Wednesday's point of no return
When you've squandered all you've earned
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven day weekend. [x2]
This is all I'm thinking about as the days go by
Spend your life on holiday and even when I die
There could be but one inscription: "This was not his day"
If it isn't Thursday anymore, it must be Friday
I can't wait until I maybe
Get off work and see my baby
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven day weekend [x2]
I can't wait until I maybe
Get off work and see my baby
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven day weekend

Top Elvis Costello, Tokyo Storm Warning

The sky fell over cheap Korean monster-movie scenery
And spilled into the reservoir of the crushed capsule hotel
Between the Disney abattoir and the chemical refinery
And I knew I was in trouble but I thought I was in hell
So you look around the tiny room and you wonder where the hell you are
While the K.K.K. convention are all stranded in the bar
They wear hoods and carry shotguns in the main streets of Montgomery
But they're helpless here as babies 'cause they're only here on holiday
[Chorus:]
What do we care if the world is a joke
(Tokyo Storm Warning)
We'll give it a big kiss
We'll give it a poke
(Tokyo Storm Warning)
Death wears a big hat 'cause he's a big bloke
(Tokyo Storm Warning)
We're only living this instant
The black sand stuck beneath her feet in a warm Sorrento sunrise
A barefoot girl from Naples or was it a Barcelona hi-rise
Whistles out the tuneless theme song on a hundred cheap suggestions
And a million false seductions and all those eternal questions
[Chorus]
So they flew the Super-Constellation all the way from Rimini
And feasted them on fish and chips from a newspaper facsimile
Now dead Italian tourists bodies litter up the Broadway
Some people can't be told you know they have to learn the hard way
Holidays are dirt-cheap in the Costa del Malvinas
In the Hotel Argentina they can hardly tell between us
For Teresa is a waitress though she's now known as Juanita
In a tango bar in Stanley or in Puerto Margarita
She's the sweetest and the sauciest
The loveliest and the naughtiest
She's Miss Buenos Aires in a world of lacy lingerie
[Chorus]
Japanese God-Jesus robots telling teenage fortunes
For all we know and all we care they might as well be Martians
They say gold paint on the palace gates comes from the teeth of pensioners
They're so tired of shooting protest singers
That they hardly mention us
While fountains fill with second-hand perfume
And sodden trading stamps
They'll hang the bullies and the louts that dampen down the day
[Chorus]
We braved the cold November air and the undertaker's curses
Saying "Take me to the Folies Bergere and please don't spare the hearses"
For he always had a dream of that revolver in your purse
How you loved him 'til you hated him and made him cry for mercy
He said "Don't ever mention my name there or talk of all the nights you cried
We've always been like worlds apart now you're seeing two nightmares collide"

Top Elvis Costello, Uncomplicated

Blood and Chocolate
I hope you're satisfied what you have done
You think it's over now
But we've only just begun
I asked for water
And they gave me rose' wine
A horse that knows arithmetic
And a dog that tells your fortune
[Chorus:]
It's in your eyes
Uncomplicated
I want to buy you
A big blue Diamel
Cheap white plastic shoes
That don't walk out and don't let in
I want to show you
How I love you
When you're over me
There's no-one above you
[Chorus]
You think it's over now
But this is only the beginning

Top Elvis Costello, 13 Steps Lead Down

When nobody knows she puts on secret clothes
And lies in the meadow with her hands tied behind her back
I won't refuse if you know how to use it
Just stop playing that ugly drug music
[Chorus:]
Thirteen steps lead down
Thirteen steps lead down
There's commoners and kings
And everyone's a prisoner of
Paper and glue
And a decent pair of scissors
So tonight I'm drinking to your health
Because I just can't stand myself
Thirteen steps lead down [4x]
She stands and fails
On fashion fingernails
Her lovers have her walking 'round
On instruments of torture
And one of them is poisonous
The other is a thief they say
So what one could give to her
The other cannot take away
When nobody knows she puts on secret clothes
And lies in her splendour for a picture opportunity
Cover up that bruise, put on patent leather shoes
Just stop playing that bad mood music
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, 20% Amnesia

What is your destiny? the policewoman said (20% amnesia)
The word that she wanted was destination I'm afraid (20% amnesia)
This is your future boy, this is your fate (20% amnesia)
And you're obsolete and they can't afford to educate you (20% amnesia)
In his bedtime boot boy jersey
Ringing up some fantasy tart
Give me strength or give me mercy
Life intimidates art
[Chorus:]
Give me strength or give me mercy
Don't let me lose heart
From rage to anaesthesia
Twenty percent amnesia
Were you passed out on the sofa (20% amnesia)
While justice was bartered by a drunken oaf? (20% amnesia)
This is all your glorious country thinks of your life (20% amnesia)
Stripped Jack naked with a Stanley knife (20% amnesia)
So the German Queen went home again
But she couldn't find forgiveness
They made a fist of her hand of friendship
But it's only business
[Chorus]
The wine you drink has never seen a grape
And now your sci-fi suit has lost its shape
But its a dangerous game that comedy plays
Sometimes it tells you the truth, sometimes it delays it
Think back, think back if you still can
When the trumpet sounded and the world began
Somebody said 'We must have won'
So they started burying the bogeyman
Mister Gorbachov came cap in hand (20% amnesia)
From a bankrupt land to a bankrupt land (20% amnesia)
Mister Gorbachov and some other fella (20% amnesia)
Were taken to a show called 'Cinderella' (20% amnesia)
It wasn't an accident, it wasn't a mystery (20% amnesia)
It was calculated and the rest is history (20% amnesia)
You don't have to listen to me
That's the triumph of free will
When there are promises to break
And dreams to kill
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, Home is Anywhere

Here comes Mr. Misery
He's tearing out his hair again
He's crying over her again
He's standing in the super-market shouting at the customers
Here comes Mr. Misery
He'll never be any good with a mouth full of gold and blood
He's contemplating murder again
He must be in love
Chorus: But you know she doesn't want you
But you can't seem to get it in your head
Oh and you can't sleep at night
And she haunts you when you go to bed
When you're tired of talking and you can't drink it down
So you hang around and drown instead
Home isn't where it used to be
Home is anywhere you hang your head
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere you hang your head
Here comes Mr. Misery
Looking for a place for his mouth to shoot
Saying "You'd look cute in your birthday suit"
You tore him out and screwed him up
Like a bad page in a naughty picture book
They day ended as it began
As he was seconds older than the man he was this morning
And the world has wiped it's mouth since then
Or maybe it was yawning
Chorus

Top Elvis Costello, I Hope You're Happy Now

He's a fine figure of a man and handsome too
With his eyes upon the secret places he'd like to undo
Still he knows who knows who and where and how
And I hope you're happy now
He's got all the things you need and some that you will never
But you make him sound like frozen food, his love will last forever
Still he know what you want and what you don't allow
And I hope you're happy now
I hope that you're happy now like you're supposed to be
And I know that this will hurt you more than it hurts me
He's acting innocent and proud still you know what he's after
Like a matador with his pork sword, while we all die of laughter
In his turquoise pajamas and motorcycle hat
I hope you're happy now because you'll soon put pay to that
I knew then what I know now I never loved you anyhow

Top Elvis Costello, (What's So Funny 'Bout)Peace, Love And Understandi

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

Top Elvis Costello, (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea

Photographs of fancy tricks to get your kicks at sixty-six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that he's going to fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there's no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she's last year's model
They call her Natasha when she looks like Elsie
I don't want to go to Chelsea
Oh no it does not move me
Even though I've seen the movie
I don't want to check your pulse
I don't want nobody else
I don't want to go to Chelsea
Everybody's got new orders
Be a nice girl and kiss the warders
Now the teacher is away
All the kids begin to play
Men come screaming, dressed in white coats
Shake you very gently by the throat
One's named Gus, one's named Alfie
I don't want to go to Chelsea
Oh no it does not move me
Even though I've seen the movie
I don't want to check your pulse
I don't want nobody else
I don't want to go to Chelsea
Photographs of fancy tricks to get your kicks at sixty-six
He thinks of all the lips that he licks
And all the girls that he's going to fix
She gave a little flirt, gave herself a little cuddle
But there's no place here for the mini-skirt waddle
Capital punishment, she's last year's model
They call her Natasha when she looks like Elsie
I don't want to go to Chelsea
Oh no it does not move me
Even though I've seen the movie
I don't want to check your pulse
I don't want nobody else

Top Elvis Costello, Alison

Oh it's so funny to be seeing you after so long, girl.
And with the way you look I understand
that you are not impressed.
But I heard you let that little friend of mine
take off your party dress.
I'm not going to get too sentimental
like those other sticky valentines,
'cause I don't know if you've been loving somebody.
I only know it isn't mine.
Alison, I know this world is killing you.
Oh, Alison, my aim is true.
Well I see you've got a husband now.
Did he leave your pretty fingers lying
in the wedding cake?
You used to hold him right in your hand.
I'll bet he took all he could take.
Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking
when I hear the silly things that you say.
I think somebody better put out the big light,
cause I can't stand to see you this way.
Alison, I know this world is killing you.
Oh, Alison, my aim is true.
My aim is true.

Top Elvis Costello, Accidents Will Happen

Oh, I just don't know where to begin
Love doesn't wait forever
It's now or never
But she keeps 'em hangin' on
You said you're so alone
She says she can't go home without a chaperon
Accidents will happen
They only hit and run
You used to be a victim now you're not the only one
Accidents will happen
They only hit and run
I don't want to hear it cause I know what I've done
There's so many fish in the sea
That only rise up on the sweat and smoke of mercury
But they keep you hangin' on
they say you're so young
Your mind is made up but your mouth is undone
Accidents will happen
They only hit and run
You used to be a victim now you're not the only one
Accidents will happen
They only hit and run
I don't want to hear it cause I know what I've done
it's the damage that we do we never know
it's the words that we don't say that scare me so
there's so many people to see
so many people to hangin' on and add to your collection
But they keep you hangin' on
until you well hung
Your mouth is make up but your mind is undone
Accidents will happen
They're only hit and run
You used to be a victim now you're not the only one
Accidents will happen
They only hit and run
I don't want to hear it cause I know what it
I know what it
I know what it done
I know (x4)

Top Elvis Costello, Brilliant Mistake

He thought he was the King of America
Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine
Now I try hard not to become hysterical
But I'm not sure if I am laughing or crying
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
It was a fine idea at the time
Now it's a brilliant mistake
She said that she was working for the ABC News
It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use
Her perfume was unspeakable
It lingered in the air
Like her artificial laughter
Her mementos of affairs
"Oh" I said "I see you know him"
"Isn't that very fortunate for you"
And she showed me his calling card
He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two
He was a fine idea at the time
Now he's a brilliant mistake
He thought he was the King of America
But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams
A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals
The words of love in whispers
And the axe of love in screams
I wish that I could push a button
And talk in the past and not the present tense
And watch this lovin' feeling disappear
Like it was common sense
I was a fine idea at the time

Top Elvis Costello, Beyond Belief

History repeats the old conceits
The glib replies the same defeats
Keep your finger on important issues
With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues
I'm just the oily slick
On the windup world of the nervous tick
In a very fashionable hovel
I hang around dying to be tortured
You'll never be alone in the bone orchard
This battle with the bottle is nothing so novel
So in this almost empty gin palace
Through a two-way looking glass
You see your Alice
You know she has no sense
For all your jealousy
In a sense she still smiles very sweetly
Charged with insults and flattery
Her body moves with malice
Do you have to be so cruel to be callous
And now you find you fit this identikit completely
You say you have no secrets
And then leave discreetly
[Chorus:]
I might make it California's fault
Be locked in Geneva's deepest vault
Just like the canals of Mars and the great barrier reef
I come to you beyond belief
My hands were clammy and cunning
She's been suitably stunning
But I know there's not a hope in Hades
All the laddies cat call and wolf whistle
So-called gentlemen and ladies
Dog fight like rose and thistle
I've got a feeling
I'm going to get a lot of grief
Once this seemed so appealing
Now I am beyond belief

Top Elvis Costello, Everyday I Write The Book

Yeah, don't tell me you don't know what love is
When you're old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Chapter one we didn't really get along
Chapter two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of chapter three
But you were up to your old tricks in
Chapters four, five and six
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
The way you walk, the way you talk and try to kiss me
And laugh in four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks
I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Everyday I write the book
Don't tell me you don't know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal
I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel
I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book, yeah
Everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book
Everyday, everyday
Everyday I write the book

Top Elvis Costello, Clubland

With a handful of backhanders and a bevy of beauty
You're going off limits
Going off duty
Going off the rails
Going off with booty
They tell tales of fiction found on all the criminal types
Lead to a higher ranking man or a face with thin red stripes
Chorus:
The boys next door
The mums and dads
New weds and nearly-deads
Have you ever been had in Clubland?
There's a piece in someone's pocket to do the dirty work
You've come to shoot the pony
They've come to do the jerk
They leave him half way to paradise
They leave you half way to bliss
The ladies' invitation never seemed like this
Chorus
The long arm of the law slides up the outskirts of town
Meanwhile in Clubland they are ready to pull them down
The right to work is traded in for the right to refuse admission
Don't pass out now, there's no refund
(when) Did you find out what you were missing
The crowd is taking forty winks minus ten percent
You barely get required sleep to go lingering with contemptment
Thursday to Saturday
Money's gone already
Some things come in common these days
Your hands and work aren't steady
Chorus

Top Elvis Costello, You'll Never Be A Man

You need protection from the physical art of conversation
Though the fist is mightier than the lip, it adds the aggravation
[Bridge and Chorus:]
I got the password
I got persuasion
A proposition for invasion of your privacy
Give yourself away and find the fake in me
You'll never be a man
No matter how many foreign bodies you can take
You'll never be a man
When you're half a woman and you're half awake
(1) With a face full of tears and a chemical shake
(2) Under the table with a chemical shake
Given half a chance, that I can take
Are you so superior, are you in such pain
Are you made out of porcelain?
When they made you they broke the cast
Don't wanna be first, I just want to last
You strike a profile on the low side of my imagination
My eyes climbed down to find the point of possible saturation

Top Elvis Costello, White Knuckles

White knuckles came down to put the frighteners on
I believe she's the one that he's got his heart set on
It doesn't matter if your face doesn't fit
There's no charge for changing it
Oooh ooh
What are you doing
You see right through him
You don't have to take it when he gets cruel
[Chorus:]
White knuckles on black and blue skin
(1,4) You don't have to take it so you just give in
(2,3) He didn't mean to hit her but she kept laughing
White knuckles sweatin' on the headboard
He never found out what the kisser was for
Losing face with the boys while she's whispering in his ear
They never found out why they called it laughing gear
Maybe they weren't loved when they were young
Maybe they should be hung by their tongues
Oooh ooh
Under the blankets with the body jerk
He needs her like the axe needs the turkey
Making a mockery of his fancy footwork
[Chorus]
There's always someone new to toy with when the penny drops in the slot
Now it's all petty crime on the news at nine
But it's all she's got
Love on the never never dreams don't come cheap
I don't close my eyes when I go to sleep
Oooh ooh
It gets right under your skin
It makes you as miserable as sin but
you don't have to take it so you just give in
[Chorus]
Why don't you come round anymore
Mama said
He's using you
Sister said
I told you so too
When he goes through your head

Top Elvis Costello, Radio, Radio

Top Elvis Costello, Running Out of Angels

They say they're running out of angels
They say I'm running out of time
Oh you don't have to be lucky
It is easier than trying, now they're bringing down a
Hammer on anything that sells
I suppose you're a winner
Because they're running out of angels
And all the lies upon the tongues of all the girls upon the rails
Will ruin any man who moved too soon
All except the one who seems to know more than she tells
You know she looks just like an angel
but she sings so out of tune
They say they're running out of angels
They say I'm running out of time
Oh you don't have to be lucky
It is easier than trying, now they're bringing down a
Hammer on anything that sells
I suppose you're a winner
Because they're running out of angels

Top Elvis Costello, The Beat

We're all going on a summer holiday
Vigilante's coming out to follow me.
Heard somebody say they're out to collar me.
Anybody wanna swallow me?
It takes two to tumble. It takes two to tango.
Speak up; don't mumble if you're in the combo.
On the beat, on the beat.
Till a man comes along and he says,
'Have you been a good boy, never played with your toy?
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ.'
See your friends in the state their in.
See your friends getting under their skin.
See your friends getting taken in.
Well, if you only knew the things you do to me.
I'd do anything to confuse the enemy.
There's only one thing wrong with you befriending me.
Take it easy. I think you're bending me.
I've been a bad boy with the standard leader.
My neighbor's revving up his Vauxhall Viva.
On the beat, on the upbeat.
Till a man comes along and he says,
'Have you been a good boy, never played with your toy?
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ.'
See your friends walking down the street.
See your friends never quite complete.
See your friends getting under their feet.
Oh, I don't want to disease you,
but I'm no good with machinery.
Oh, I don't wanna freeze you.
Stop looking at the scenery.
I keep thinking about your mother.
Oh, I don't wanna lick them.
I don't wanna be a lover.
I just wanna be your victim.
I don't go out much at night.
I don't go out much at all.
Did you think you were the only one
who was waiting for a call
On the beat, on the upbeat.
Till a man comes along and he says,
'Have you been a good boy, never played with your toy?
Though you never enjoy, such a pleasure to employ.'
See your friends treat me like a stranger.
See your friends despite all the arrangements.
See your friends Nothing here has changed.

Top Elvis Costello, This Year's Girl

See her picture in a thousand places
'cause she's this year's girl.
You think you all own little pieces
of this year's girl.
Forget your fancy manners,
forget your English grammar,
'cause you don't really give a damn
about this year's girl.
Still you're hoping that she's well spoken
'cause she's this year's girl.
You want her broken with her mouth wide open
'cause she's this year's girl.
Never knowing it's a real attraction,
all these promises of satisfaction,
while she's being bored to distraction
being this year's girl.
Time's running out. She's not happy with the cost.
There'd be no doubt, only she's forgotten
much more than she's lost.
A bright spark might corner the market
in this year's girl.
You see yourself rolling on the carpet
with this year's girl.
Those disco synthesizers,
those daily tranquilizers,
those body building prizes,
those bedroom alibis,
all this, but no surprises for this year's girl.
All this, but no surprises for this year's girl.

Top Elvis Costello, Little Triggers

Little triggers that you pull with your tongue.
Little triggers. I don't wanna be hung up, strung up,
when you don't call up.
Little sniggers on your lips.
Little triggers in your grip.
Little triggers. My hand on your hip.
Thinkin' all about those censored sequences,
worryin' about the consequences,
waiting until I come to my senses.
Better put it all in present tenses.
Worryin' about the common decency
when it is only a question of frequency
when you say O.K. But I gotta cheek to be

Top Elvis Costello, Living In Paradise

I don't like those other guys looking at your curves
I don't like you walking round with physical jerks
Everything they say and do is getting on my nerves
Soon they will be lucky to be picking up the perks
'Cause when they pull the shutters down
and throw up in the dark,
they'll find that all the dogs outside
bite much worse than they bark.
[Chorus:]
Here we are living in paradise,
living in luxury.
Oh, the thrill is here but it won't last long
You better have your fun before it moves along
And you're already looking for another,
fool like me.
I call you Betty Felon 'cause you are a pretty villain
And I think that I should tell them that you'd
make a pretty killing
'Cause meanwhile up in heaven they are waiting at the gate
saying 'We'd always knew you'd make it,
didn't think you'd come this late'.
And now it's much too dangerous to stop what you've begun
When everyone in paradise carries a gun
[Chorus]
Later in the evening when arrangements are made,
I'll be at the keyhole outside your bedroom door.
'Cause I'm the first to know whenever the plans are laid
that never go further than floor to floor.
You think that I don't know the boy that you're touching,
but I'll be at the video and I will be watching

Top Elvis Costello, Night Rally

I would send out for assistance but there's someone on the signal wire
And the corporation logo is flashing on and off in the sky
They're putting all your names in the forbidden book
I know what they're doing but I don't want to look
You think they're so dumb, you think they're so funny
Wait until they've got you running to the
Night rally, night rally, night rally
Everybody's singing with their hand on their heart
About deeds done in the darkest hours
That's just the sort of catchy little melody
To get you singing in the showers
Oh, I know that I'm ungrateful
I've got it lying on a plate
And I'm not buying my share of souvenirs
You can stand to attention
You can pray to your uncle
Only get that chicken out of here
Everyone gets armbands and 3-D glasses
Some are in the back room
And they're taking those night classes
You think they're so dumb, you think they're so funny
Wait until they've got you running to the

Top Elvis Costello, No Action

I don't wanna kiss you. I don't wanna touch.
I don't wanna see you 'cause I don't miss you that much.
I'm not a telephone junkie.
I told you that we were just good friends.
But when I hold you like I hold that bakelite in my hands,
there's no action,
there's no action,
there's no action.
Ev'ry time I phone you, I just wanna put you down.
He's got the keys to the car.
They are the keys to the kingdom.
He's got ev'rything you need.
It's a shame that he didn't bring them.
I'm not a telephone junkie.
If I'm inserting my coin I'm doing just fine.
And the things in my head start hurtin' my mind.
And I think about the way things used to be,
knowing you with him is driving me crazy.
Sometimes I phone you when I know you're not lonely,

Top Elvis Costello, LIP SERVICE

You left the motor running.
But I know you're so attractive.
Getting in some sharp practice.
You better not do anything reckless.
But everybody is going through the motions.
Everybody is going through the motions.
Are you really only going through the motions?
Lip service is all you'll ever get from me.
Lip service is all you'll ever get from me.
Lip service is all you'll ever get from me.
But if you change your mind
you can send it a letter to me
Don't make any sudden movements.
These are dangerous amusements.
When did you become so choosy?
Don't act like you're above me;
just look at your shoes.
[Repeat bridge and chorus]
But if you change your mind
you can send it a letter to me
But if you change your mind
you can send it a letter to me
But if you change your mind

Top Elvis Costello, Lipstick Vogue

Don't say you love me when it's just a rumour
Don't say a word if there is any doubt.
Sometimes I think that love is just a tumour;
you've got to cut it out.
You say you're sorry for the things that you've done.
You say you're sorry but you know you don't mean it.
I wouldn't worry. I had so much fun.
Sometimes I almost feel just like a human being
It's you
not just another mouth in the lipstick vogue
It's you
not just another mouth in the lipstick vogue
oh yeah.
Get to the slot machine almost dead on arrival
Just hit me one more time with that live wire
Maybe they told you you were only a girl in a million
You say I've got not feelings;
this is a good way to kill them.
Select the control and then insert the token
You wanna throw me away but I'm not broken.
You've got a lot to say. Well I'm not joking.
There are some words they don't allow to be spoken.
Sometimes I almost feel just like a human being
It's you

Top Elvis Costello, Impatience

How long do I have to wait?
Before I can tell you the things I've been wanting to say
How long must I hesitate?
I know it makes sense but it's hard for me to stay away
But if this is how it has to be
Maybe it's just a feeling
That I could name
But I'd probably best blame...impatience
You can't miss - what you've never known
It's quite absurd how you started disturbing me so
Sometimes - when I am all alone
I lose my senses
I have no defences to go
But if this is how I lose my heart
Then I shall just embrace that
My pulse is racing still
I'm secretly thrilled
By the laughter that tumbled
And the tears that I spilled
As far as I know no one ever got killed
By impatience
Tell me - is there danger still?
I took no heed so a word might as well be deed
Although - I'd really like to see you now
I'm almost certain it can't be accomplished with speed
So, if this is how I'll bide my time
Then I will set it down
Til we lose our caution
I'll honour your order
'Cos it's such sweet torture
To carry this torch
In the light of temptation
Beyond conversation and all expectation
Pausing a moment or two just to mention...

Top Elvis Costello, IMAGINATION

So you’re trying to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall
She’ll be out again this evening, when you come around to call
So, you dodge the lady-killer, who came creepin’ ’cross the floor
Then you caught up in a whirlwind, you got blown right out the door
Oh, yes it was a whirlwind, sweet romance was on your side
If you wanna dance on my face, you must tell me why you lied
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
When you try to believe her just a little too much
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
I’ll go out of my mind, if I’m losing your touch
I see a look of recognition, so well hidden in your eye
And your peepshow regulations, they just don’t seem to apply,
Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand
Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band
Oh, you can follow your dreams, oh but please don’t lead me on,
If you wanna bleed in my face, you were here and now you’re gone
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
When you try to believe her just a little too much
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
I’ll go out of my mind, if I’m losing your touch
I’ll go out of my mind, if I’m losing your touch
I’ll go out of my mind, if I’m losing your touch

Top Elvis Costello, It Tears Me Up

I see you walk with him
I see you talk to him
It tears me up, oh, it tears me up
And I can't stop crying
Oh, baby, I can't stop crying
I see you kiss his lips
And squeeze his fingertips
It tears me up, oh, baby, it tears me up
And there's nothing I can do about it
Oh, baby, baby, can't you see I'm still in love with you
It's a faithless world we're livin' in
When I turn around and there you are with my best friend
Sometimes when you pass me on the street
You look at me as if to say I'm sorry my sweet
And being sorry might be enough
Then you look back at him and [ ? ] a smile
And that makes me feel kinda rough
Oh, darlin, it tears me up
I see you smile at him
You never tire of him
It tears me up
Oh, baby, it tears me up
There's nothing I can do about it
Baby, can't you see I'm still in love with you
Still hungry for something I can't have
Oh, it tears me up so bad
Still hungry for something I can't have
Tears me up so bad
Can't you see I'm still in love with you
Still hungry for something I can't have
Baby, please, please, please
I'm still hungry for something I can't have
It tears me up so bad
Oh, oh, it tears me up so bad

Top Elvis Costello, International Echo

The streets were deserted and the house was dark
Down in the basement there was the faintest spark
Three boys hoping to make their mark
International echo
They said it was nothing but a worthless toy
Sign right here and you can be employed
Woke up startled in the state of joy
International echo
The roof is shaking and the house is ablaze
I've been wide-awake for days
I thought I heard a signal breaking through
And at this distance that is hard to do
Could be seven inches
Could be twelve
Drop the needle on it and let it revolve
I felt a pulse and a drum tattoo
I was just thinking about you
Send out a message and it's sure to rebound
What's that I hear?
What is that sound?
Seems to be coming from under the ground
International echo
It can't be repeated
It can't be resisted
It went out straight and it came back twisted
If you didn't see it then, then you probably missed it
International echo
Must be something in the atmosphere
Let me be your volunteer
I thought I heard a signal coming through
In a language that I never knew
Give me seven inches
Give me twelve
Drop the needle on it and let it revolve
I felt a pulse and a drum tattoo
Even though it was taboo
Solo!
They paid me money for playing pretend
And they said this must be the end
I was just following the popular trend
International echo
Beer from the bottle and wine from the grape
Stood up straight, got bent out of shape
Now I'm just looking for some way to escape
International echo
Everything I said just seems automatic
Radio plays nothing but static
I think that I'm about to flip my lid
My waitress said that she might be my kid
Give me seven inches
Give me twelve
Drop the needle on it and let it revolve
Did you hear me calling you?
'Cos hear I go
International echo
Echo
Solo!
The streets were deserted
The house was dark
Down in the basement there was the faintest spark
Three boys hoping to make their mark

Top Elvis Costello, King Of Confidence

She had her mind made up just like her face
She painted in the lines and shadows
She shaded color in that would express
The lonely mood that follows
Love, short and painful and tidy lies in self-defense
She just told a thing or two to the King of Confidence
You said that he could tell her anything
She even held him when he was crying
And made her feel she was the only one
You knew that he was lying when he said he was lying
Love is short and painful, that she finally made sense
Of the love he had for the one and only King of Confidence
It's hard enough to be your lover and alone your confidant
You say you know what I need but you don't know who I want
It's just another tawdry morning now
another tarnished farewell
Your body's tired and complaining now
But you're too tore down to tell
Love is short and painful, all you kind ladies and gents
I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence
It's hard enough to be your lover and alone your confidant
You say you know what I need but you don't know who I want
It's just another tawdry morning now
another tarnished farewell
Your body's tired and complaining now
But you're too tore down to tell
Love is short and painful, all you kind ladies and gents
I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence

Top Elvis Costello, Just A Curio

In the cold pale sunlight that was slanting down, I spied
Frost reflecting on the glass and in the air outside,
Fond relations mouthing words of love and tragedy.
Though it's cold there's vapour rising from a moving stream.
In a narrow, shallow bed of fine linen and starch,
Where her long hair tumbled once upon her graceful arch,
Lace hung on the counters and the walnut cabinets,
Teeth ware chattering like schoolgirls clicking castanets.
There will be no light to guide as you ascend the stairs.
There may be a candle as you kneel and say your prayers.
Throw the window wide and open, keep this mark from me,
Just the letter 'T' and its most dread companion 'B'.
How in heaven? Hadn't it been conquered long ago?
How did it come back again? It's just a curio.

Top Elvis Costello, Green Song

Fine rain was falling on the gravel and glades.
The last rays of September bejewelled broken blades.
But there's someone that I long for.
Oh, where have you been?
As the red earth lies under a covering of green.
Do you trip on the city's golden gutters and kerbs?
As the seasons grow wild and the ground undisturbed.
`Till you find what you are now
Is less than you've been;
As the red earth lies under a covering of green.
Is patience exhausted?
Are your pockets picked clean?
I was lost in the next world
Or somewhere in between.
And it's much as predicted,
They go down that same track.
They say they'll return
But they never come back.
Fine rain was falling on the gravel and glades.
The lest rays of September bejewelled broken blades.
Are you still restless'
Or are you serene?

Top Elvis Costello, Less Than Zero (Dallas Version)

Jenny takes her clothes off in succession,
While her husband rides a bumper in the President's procession.
She's sees him on the screen as she looks up from giving head.
When he's had enough of that her lover throws her on the bed
to teach her she's alive and suddenly he's dead.
Turn up the TV. No one listening will suspect,
even your mother won't detect it,
no your father won't know.
they think that I've got no respect
but everything means less than zero.
Hey, ooh hey, hey, ooh hey.
Calling Mister Oswald, calling anyone at the scene,
If you were taking home movies there's a chance you might have seen him.
They've got a thousand variations, every witness in a file.
Jenny puts on some coffee and she comes back with a smile.
She says, "I hear that South America is coming into style."
chorus
A pistol was still smoking, a man lay on the floor.
Mister Oswald thought he had an understanding with the law.
She's got rubies on her fingers, Jenny turns and looks away.
Her mind upon a basement out of the USA.
She says, "Let's talk about the future now we've put the past away."

Top Elvis Costello, Life Shrinks

Shall I wear a buttonhole to jog your memory?
So you'll recall the promise
That I swore you made to me when we were younger
You look sorry for yourself but what about?
I'm some idea you're not without a doubt
So you can put away that tongue
I don't know who I'm trying to kid
I'll find another name for you
I'll try to put the blame on you
For everything we did
Life shrinks and before you know it
You have forgotten all the cuts and bruises
Just be thankful we were only fighting for buttons
And you know by now who loses
You're only half awake because you never go to bed
And when he hears about it
You know then the both of you's is dead and that's a promise
You'll be sorry because I won't tell you again
You'll stick like that one day
And if you don't believe me go and ask St. Thomas
I don't know where it's going to stop
Spend your whole time trying to stay
From breaking down or running away

Top Elvis Costello, Let Me Tell You About Her

I wasn't very indiscreet and yet
That is a notion that I might as well forget
Friends look at me these days with fond surprise
But when I start to speak they roll their eyes
Let me tell you about her
Hush now, I've said too much
There's something indescribable I can't quite catch
Let me tell you about her
The way that she makes me feel
Then draw a curtain on this scene I shan't reveal
Some things are too personal
Too intimate to spill
And gentlemen don't speak of them
And this one never will
I wasn't very conversational
Accept to say that, "You're sensational"
Friends now regard me with indulgent smiles
But when I start to sing they run for miles
Let me tell you about her
Hush now, I've said too much
There's something indescribable I can't quite catch
Let me tell you about her
The way that she makes me feel

Top Elvis Costello, Suspect My Tears

Do you remember how to say please?
You've had your own way for such a long time
Your lash is sweet now, I dry your cheek
You think I'm powerless when you weep
You may have something, I don't deny
You look too beautiful when you cry
If I seem unconcerned
Perhaps it's time you learned
I'll cry until you suspect my tears
I'll cry until you suspect my tears
You're not the only one who can turn it on
Where and when you need to
Do you remember how bad it felt?
Big eyes would fill up
That lip would tremble
You want to hurt me
Make me feel guilty
You always promise to lose control
I stole the trick that you used to play
I'm tired of you having it your own way
With the power to persuade

Top Elvis Costello, Tart

Hear silver trumpets will trill in Arabic streets of Seville
Oranges roll in the gutter
And you pick them up
And peel back the skin
To the red fruit within
[Chorus:]
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
And you say that you only feel bitterness
When you know it's a lie, lie, lie...
Wild with a blackberry bush
There were blossoms of cherries to crush
There, at the edge of the asphalt tempting fingertips
They stain your hand, press too hard
They'll colour your lips...
But the flavour is...
Tart
And the flavour is...
Tart
Is it something you crave?
'Cos you say that you only feel bitterness
Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness?
[Chorus]
Odd, where nothing else grows
It was something like love that she chose
Always a creature of habit
When pity would do
She wore down that heel with no feeling
She kept on her shoes
[Chorus]
Nylon was hung from a peg
And a kohl black seam ran down her leg
Fishermen look for their nets
And send their regrets
The bug lay there broken
She spoke, "Is this some kind of joke?"
But the flavour is...

Top Elvis Costello, The Court

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, The Days Take Care Of Everything

If you wanna feel sorry for yourself
Then go ahead, I'm not gonna stop you
Sometimes you're just like a petulant child
You seem to get so much satisfaction
Just from being denied
And now that he's taken
Everything you can give
You come to me asking
How can I continue to live
Chorus:
The days take care of everything
You've had your fling
You poor little thing
But don't despair
Yes the days take care of everything
You'll pass on the street
You'll know him from someplace
But you won't know where
The days take care of everything
We sat up all night and talked it through
You drank down the bottle
And I blew a lower note
I said " Now I must be going now it' s getting late"
But what if I was less of a friend
And more of a traitor
But how could you know
How I was longing inside
Our eyes never met
And my hands stayed by my side
And as you gave me a rather
Affectionate kiss
How could you know
I had been waiting
For a chance like this
I've been an upstate conventional turn
I overheard a heavenly choir
And though you still turn to me
From time to time
One day you're up in the clouds
Next thing you're down with the
Sweet Adelines
And now I can see
It was not meant to be
You'll take him back
And never spare another thought
From me

Top Elvis Costello, The Face Of Bottom

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, The Fairy And The Ass

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Tear Off Your Own Head (Its A Doll Revolution)

Who dries your eyes when you cry real tears?
Who know or cares what an imitation is?
Only you do
You can paint his nails
Make him wear high heels
Why waste time altering the hemline?
Or do you?
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
You can bat your lashes
You can cut your strings
You can pull his hair with your moveable fingers
It looks so real
If one won't do it, so collect the set
Dress him in pink ribbons
Put him in a kitchenette
How does this feel?
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
What's that sound?
It will turn you around
It's a doll revolution
They're taking over
And they're tearing it down
It's a doll revolution
You can pull and pinch him
'Til he cries and squeals
You can twist his body 'til it faces backwards
Those plastic features
You could make somebody a pretty little wife
But don't let anybody tell you how to live you life
Broken pieces
Tear off your own head
Tear off your own head
It's a doll revolution
Tear off your own head

Top Elvis Costello, Tears, Tears And More Tears

Wake up early in the morning
I got you on my mind
Even a simple phone call would suit me just fine
Tears, tears and more tears
I can't help but keep on crying
Tears, tears and more tears
I can't get you off of my mind
You didn't say what happened
You just walked away
You've been nothing but sorrow
And a lot of rainy days
Tears, tears and more tears
Baby won't you please come home
Tears, tears and more tears
Oh you've been gone too long
I remember the good times
The good times we had
How can you leave all that behind
Like it was just another place you've had
Remember the time when we drank sweet wine
I thought that everything was fine
Remember the walk in the park
When we talked about love and peace of mind?
Remember the night when I held you tight
Let the world pass us by
Remember the day when I heard you say
We can make it if we try
Tears, tears and more tears
What happened to the love we had?
Tears, tears and more tears
I got the blues and I got them bad
Wake up early in the morning
I got you on my mind
Even a simple phone call would suit me just fine
Tears, tears and more tears
I can't help but keep on crying
Tears, tears and more tears
I can't get you off of my mind
Tears, tears and more tears
Baby won't you please come home
Tears, tears and more tears

Top Elvis Costello, That Day Is Done

I feel such sorrow, I feel such shame
I know I won't arrive on time
Before whatever out there is gone
What can I do, that day is done
It's just a promise that I made
I said I'd walk in her parade
Hot scalding tears I thought would flow
Still in my heart they'll never show
[Chorus:]
That day is done
That day is done
You know where I've gone I won't be coming back
That day is done
Well I recall the time and place
When they announced her precious face
I thought at once my heart would burst
Still every time is like the first
There was applause when she stepped up
I wished that I could interrupt
I made no sign, I made no sound
I know I must stay underground
[Chorus]
That's why she walks, or so they say
She always knew just what I needed
Now if she would just look my way
One time before they proceed
She sprinkles flowers in the dirt
That's when a thrill becomes a hurt
I know I'll never see her face
She walks away from my resting place

Top Elvis Costello, The Conspiracy Of Oberon And Puck

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Fake Tin Star

Things these days are better by far,
A horse can out run a motor car,
If the wheels are rubber and the rails are steel
That beast can outrun any automobile
Here's the story of progress and all the bullets they spent
On a sheet hung up in a circus tent
There's a lantern shining - it's pointing the way
This kind man has probably had his day
But they keep him around with his last vain hope
For selling tickets while spinning a rope.
They brought him down off the vanishing trail
But nobody these days wants to hear his tale
So he spends his nights leaning up at the bar
The real gone cowboy with the fake tin star.
Up on the screen there's a boy half his age
They pay him 20 times his weekly wage
For dodging phony bullets and catching blunt blades
For blowing up horses and kissing young maids.
Children cheer
Women throw flowers
Men just glower
Up at the screen
But they don't know
Just what it means
Vengeance and dreams.
Girls just swoon at the mention of him
With his face all powdered and his immaculate brim
And his hair pommaded and his fingernails clean
While old men whisper "Just look at him preen"
And outside muttering through a cheap cigar

Top Elvis Costello, Dust

If only dust could talk
What would we hear it say?
Before it's brushed aside
Just as it's swept away
It's just the evidence
It's of no consequence
It's only flesh and bone
Why don't we leave it alone?
If only dust could gather into lines of chalk
Around a silhouette detective fiction walks
For it's the only witness that can testify
Can I spit out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
Why did they dam the land?
How did they flood the plain?
Did they erase the name?
And wipe away the stain
You kept your mouth well shut
Appeared to turn your coat
Now there's a name for you but it's stuck in my throat
If dust could only mutter
Or in laughter trill
If it could warn and whisper from the windowsill
But it's the only witness that can testify
Can I split out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
Here comes the juggernaut
Here come The Poisoners
They choke the life and land
And rob the joy from us
Why do they taste of sugar?
Oh, when they're made of money
Here come the Lamb of God
And the butcher's boy, sonny
If dust could only gather in the needle track
Then it would skip a beat and it would jump right back
If dust could only gather in a needle track
Then it would skip a beat

Top Elvis Costello, Fire Suite 3

That all could gather
That we could marry
Still
Faces absent
That she could see this
As if time hovered
That he'd caress him
That jars and lads and Carol Ann were
Shouts from brilliant corners
Word 'n tears confused
Sparks long sky bound
Long sky bound
Had I been wiser
And not so bleedin'
Still geezer poet
Wine cross the lips flow
Love through eyes goes
That he'd embrace him
That jars and lads and Carol Ann were
That all could gather
That we could marry
Still
Faces absent
That she could see this
As if time hovered
That he'd caress him
That jars and lads and Carol Ann were

Top Elvis Costello, Fire Suite 1

I remember that dance
On the roof of my car
When St. Lucy's mad torch
Took away our best bar
Say we drank
And we prayed
Some just sat like a choir
Came the smoke
In the night
Came the heat
Came the fire
Ember glow lagered ash
I was pissed as a fart
Stricken some dumb plum numb
We was broken at heart
Say we drank
And we prayed
Some just sat like a choir
Came the smoke
In the night
Came the light

Top Elvis Costello, Down Among The Wines And Spirits

Down among the wines and spirits
Where a man gets what he merits
Once he was written in letters of nine feet tall
Now he finds how far he's fallen
Since he set his mind on her completely
Oh well, I guess that you mustn't have seen him lately
Walking around with a pain that never ceases
He starts to speak and then he falls to pieces
Down among the wines and spirits
Where a man gets what he merits
Lives with the echoing words of their final quarrel
The vacant chamber and the empty barrel
But as he picks himself up from a sawdust floor
Clicks his fingers to that swinging door
Suddenly he's calling out more, more, more
I'm twice the foolish man I was before
Down among the wines and spirits
Bubbles escaping from him from the rim of a glass of grape
She sails through his memory just like a ship of chaplet
As it started to sink, he was drinking to drown his sorrows
That fill his nights and they empty his tomorrows
But as he picks himself up from a sawdust floor
Clicks his fingers to that swinging door
Suddenly he's calling out more, more, more
Speaks of invisible things he hardly credits
Down among, down among
Down among the wines and spirits

Top Elvis Costello, Darling You Know I Wouldn't Lie

Here I am late again for the last time
And like I promised, I just told her goodbye
Please believe me 'cause this time, it's really over
And darling, you know I wouldn't lie
Didn't I come and tell you about her
How temptation lured she and I
Now I know it was only fascination
And darling, you know I wouldn't lie
I had to let her down easy as slow as I could
After all, she's got feelings too
But it took a little longer than I thought it would
But this time, she knows we're really through
She wanted to hold me forever
And this lipstick shows her final try
And these tears on my shoulder are proof that she failed

Top Elvis Costello, Drum & Bone

Maybe we're nothing but skin and bone
Blare and rubber
Eyes that blubber
Teeth that bite
Hands that slight
And I'm trying to do the best I can
But I'm a limited, primitive kind of man
Maybe we're nothing but skin and bone
Nerves that shatter
Tongues that flatter
Lips that mutter
Lashes that flutter
Mounds of dust and lips of ripe
Twice as vicious
As the words I type
Under a ribbon
Of every stripe
There's a grip that tightens
A dark that frightens
A wise that crackles
A fear that shackles
And I'm trying to do the best I can
But I'm a limited, primitive kind of man
And then that kinder creation
Becomes a fine fixation
All of a sudden
With the parts we've hidden
Because they are forbidden
Beneath a hide of pain
You'll find a soul of stain
While fists still beat
At heart's deceit
And I'm trying to do the best I can
But I'm a limited, primitive kind of man
Maybe with nothing but a drum and drone
I want to beat it 'til I get unknown
Pig some skin
Stretch it tight
Make myself up overnight
Maybe this is nothing but drum and drone
Wanna beat it 'til I get unknown
Dig my pin
Kick up some stink
Find myself a brand new kink
Prick that berry
And squeeze this ink
Scratch out all of the words I think
Before your very eyes can blink
And I'm trying to do the best I can

Top Elvis Costello, Dr. Watson I Presume

I sat in a motel room with the doctor
Just before we were supposed to sing
He said regarding this guardian wing
This black and clipped misshapen thing
Hobbling on from claw to ring
Hung upside down and cawing
Pecking at carrion of the fallen
Battalion
Thawing
On frozen mooring
Blackbird in a crust no more
They fell down 4 and 20
Bloodstained the land of want and plenty
Now raven standing at his shoulder
Stared with eyes of molten solder
Dripping on a lacquer box
Introducing keys to locks
Seven talents there where hidden
Mysterious and some forbidden
Take the honey from the comb
Ravel thread around the loom
Dig the dirt up from the tomb
Dr. Watson, I presume
One will follow
Two unknown sorrow
Three for laughter
Four ever after
Five-foot flood when the waters hit
Six feet deep, the eternal pit
Seven prayers and seven pleas
To eight imagined deities
Cat o' nine tails
Cat of nine lives
Brides turned into old wives tales
Your complexion colours then it pales
And into the sunset it sails
Soon these secrets will be scattered
Heaven knows what lies inside
It took a moment to discover
A lifetime to decide
Take the honey from the comb
Ravel thread around the loom
Dig the dirt up from the tomb

Top Elvis Costello, Couldn't You Keep That To Yourself

The tiny slip at midnight
A little sip at noon
You're tired and torn approaching dawn
My penitent buffoon
Wouldn't you think I'd know by now
I shouldn't have entertained it
Couldn't you keep that to yourself
You cried for my forgiveness
You say it sets you free
You summon dear the shameful tears
That spill all over me
Wouldn't you think I'd know by now
I shouldn't have entertained it
Couldn't you keep that to yourself
The penny rides at evening tide
The vain requests
The blush of the night
And the blooming bush
Where you failed every test
What should I believe of you?
What should I forget
Am I innocent yet
Is it the wife you would have beaten
Is it the child you couldn't bear?
I fear you have mistaken me
For somebody who cares
The sophisticated victim
That you skilfully request
You can hide behind your wishes
You can hide behind despair
And all the wretched syndroms
That carry away the blame
Couldn't you keep you keep that to yourself
And wouldn't you shouldn't you couldn't you

Top Elvis Costello, Church Underground

She stood spotlit in a plain print dress
Came howling out of the wilderness
There beat a cunning and murderous heart
Beneath that calm exterior
"You know my name
You don't know my mind
Don't doubt my eyes
They betray the past
And I've already forgotten
Much more than you will ever know"
And every word that I have spoken is true
Except for those that were broken in two
I'm trying to make peace after a long night of pretend
I need a pawnbroker or moneylender
Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
Turn up the volume, just to turn it down
The trivial secrets buried with profound
It's enough to put a Church Underground
Deflowered young and then ever since
She's tried to wash off his fingerprints
So every charlatan and prince
Was made to feel inferior
She worked for tips in a 10-cent dance
Said moving pictures might pay perchance
10,000 one-way tickets to the sparkling coast
From the blank interior
Everybody's either talking in code
Or getting ready to explode
Then she was singing with five-piece band
But seems that no-one wants this sound
Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
Turn up the volume, just to turn it down
The trivial secrets buried with profound
It's enough to put a Church Underground
The shaft of fanlight streaked with rain
Poured through the glass, punched through the pain
A holy picture hidden in the midden of that poisoned stitch
Her lonely voice was just a ruin in these riches
Must have been dreaming this all along
Could she be redeeming herself in song?
"I'm no-one's martyred, plaster saint
Below the grease, beneath the paint"
I'm rolling like barrel
Swinging like a gallows
I'm rising up fast like all hell and all hallows
Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing "Hallelujah," Sister
I'll be damned or purgatory bound
Before those jokers ever understand

Top Elvis Costello, Needle Time

Top Elvis Costello, After The Fall

In an anonymous rendezvous
Where the forbidden lovers repair
They're burning down another damn candle
They're melting the tables and chairs
Beneath them applause from the balcony
whenever they accomplished making love
Other times they thought they heard laughter
Coming from the balcony above
[Chorus:]
She lies to his right and she carelessly recites
All of her brand new appetites
She seems brittle and small, it don't sound like her at all
Since she came back to him after the fall
She said "You never visit the countryside"
"So I've made you a country to order"
She put up a little tent in the bedroom
Crickets played on a tape-recorder
The ceiling was festooned with phosphorous stars
She noticed his skin turning cold
Burning all his clothes on the bonfire
"Relax" she whispered and tightened the blindfold
[Chorus]
You've changed but not for the better babe
I'd tell you why but what's the use
'Cos it's the same kind of pity
A drunkard gives as his excuse
You were sharp and ideal as a bobby pin
Now your eyes are deserted and quiet
We both look like those poor shattered mannequins
Thrown through the window in the riot
She lies in his arms and without any qualms
Revels in shallow delights
She seems brittle and small, it don't sound like her at all

Top Elvis Costello, Your Mind Is On Vacation

I see you laughin'
Right in my face
I guess I'm gonna have to
Put you in your place
Because if silence was golden
You couldn't raise a dime
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime
You're quoting figures
And dropping names
You're tellin' stories
About the dames
You're over-laughin'
When things ain't funny
You're tryin' to sound
Like you're the big money, honey
If talk was criminal
You'd lead a life of crime
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime
Life is short, talk is cheap
Don't go makin' promises that you can't keep
If you don't like this little song I'm singin'
Just grin and bear it
All I can say is if the rich shoe fits, wear it
If you must keep talkin', please try to make it rhyme
Because your mind is on vacation
And your mouth is working overtime
Well, I recall when we first met
It was on a Friday night
We spent two lovely hours together
And the world seemed all right
I'm beggin' you, baby, please stop that off-the-wall jive
'Cause if you don't treat me no better
It's gonna be your funeral and my trial
Well, the Lord made the world and everything that's in it
The way my baby loves me, it's a sign that it's it [?]
She can love to heal the sick, she can love to raise the dead
You might think that I'm jokin', you better believe what I said
I'm beggin' you, babe, please stop that off-the-wall jive
Oh, if you don't treat me no better
It's gonna be your funeral and my trial
I see you laughin'
Right in my face
I guess I'm gonna have to put you in your place
'Cause if talk was criminal
You'd lead a life of crime
Because your mind is on vacation

Top Elvis Costello, B Movie

I found America hiding in the corner of my wallet
It's a well kept secret, thought that I had better swallow it
Before they make me spit out the truth
Before they find you're lying about your youth
B movie, that's all you are to me
Just a soft soap story
Don't want the woman to adore me
You can't stand it when it goes from real to reel
Too real too real
You can't stand it when I throw punch lines you can feel
All the time, there's a rule book in Brittania
That no one ever waives
And everybody's on the make
It's not your heart I want to break
Turn out the lights
I'm thinking that I want to go to sleep now
Just give me a promise that I'm supposed to keep now
I don't want some fool asking me why

Top Elvis Costello, 5ive Gears In Reverse

Five gears in reverse
For girls looking for the big lift
Somebody send out for the night nurse
Please don't stick me on the late shift
If you don't know by now
Nobody's gonna tell you
If you don't know by now
The shock will probably kill you
[Chorus:]
But if your patience is exhausted and you still cannot decide
You're sitting in the garage contemplating suicide
And you have no motivation you can't even catch your breath
All of this acceleration is driving you to death
Five gears in reverse
You think I don't know what I'm doing
Another fashionable first
Like walking down the road to ruin
But if you're safe and sound
Don't let me interrupt you
And if you're gagged and bound
Well how can I corrupt you

Top Elvis Costello, Black And White World

I was looking at the black and white world
It seemed so exciting
If you'd only put me back to back with that girl
When the night's inviting
With just a little lighting
There'll never be days like that again
When I was just a boy and men were men
You never go from moment to moment
You're the living double of a single fiction
You're very colourful with your compliments
As you feel the finger's friction
It's a freeze-frame
Still it's real life
You don't want to look
Cause you've seen the film and you've read the book
I was looking at the black and white world
Trying to name some pin-up
Those days she was just a beautiful girl
Now she's framed and hung up
I thought she was young
Up until I saw her last night in close detail
Though they all fade away when you're so pale
It's more than just a physical attraction
It starts with a face and ends up a fixation
But you're never gonna feel a fraction
Of the way it used to work on your imagination

Top Elvis Costello, Beaten To The Punch

You say that you can and then you run to get your mummy
And you're almost beaten to the punch
Looking for the man who sold you the dummy
And you're almost beaten to the punch
Laughing at the older guys who say it's just as well
Saved by the wedding bell
Almost beaten to the punch
You're looking for somebody new that you can knock around
You are almost beaten to the punch
If you've got a head for figures then you'd better count me out
You were almost beaten to the punch
You pulled the piece but you soon called it love
You go hand in glove
Almost beaten to the punch
Your body speaks much louder than your voice
You let it do the talking so I don't have any choice
Now you find the younger guys are putting up resistance
And you're almost beaten to the punch
You better get out now because you'll never go the distance
And you're almost beaten to the punch
You'll find a girl and you'll promise her anything
Even a wedding ring

Top Elvis Costello, Clowntime Is Over No. 2

Clowntime Is Over
Tears on your blackmail
Written to ransom
A point of the fingernail
Says that he's handsome
Clowntime is over
Time to take cover
While others just talk and talk
Somebody's watching where the others don't walk
Clowntime is over
A voice in the shadows
Says that his men know
He don't step back as expected
He's otherwise and unprotected
Chorus
Almost too good to be true
Who do you? why do you? what do you do?
While everybody's hiding under covers
Who's making lover's lane safe again for lovers?
Chorus

Top Elvis Costello, Clowntime Is Over

Tears on your blackmail
Written to ransom
A point of the fingernail
Says that he's handsome
[Chorus:]
Clowntime is over
Time to take cover
While others just talk and talk
Somebody's watching where the others don't walk
Clowntime is over
A voice in the shadows
Says that his men know
He don't step back as expected
He's otherwise and unprotected
[Chorus]
Almost too good to be true
Who do you? why do you? what do you do?
While everybody's hiding under covers
Who's making lover's lane safe again for lovers?

Top Elvis Costello, Getting Mighty Crowded

I'm packing up my memories
And I'm gonna move all out of your heart
I'm turning in my keys
And I'm gonna move all out of your heart
'Cause there ain't room enough for two
In dreams that were made for me and you
I'm telling you, it's getting mighty crowded
Too crowded for me
It's getting mighty crowded
I'm gonna take these things of mine
And I'm gonna move all out of your life
Stop wasting my time
And I'm gonna move all out of your life
'Cause there ain't room enough for three
In dreams that were made for you and me
So you see, it's getting mighty crowded
Too crowded for me
It's getting mighty crowded
I'm saving you the trouble of putting me down
Starting on the double, yeah yeah
I'm gonna shop around
I'm gonna find another heart
Where I can live all by myself
Gonna find another heart
I don't have to share with anybody else
'Cause you don't treat me like you should
And hanging around this neighborhood is no good
It's getting mighty crowded
Too crowded for me, getting mighty crowded
I'm packing up my memories, getting mighty crowded
Too crowded for me, getting mighty crowded

Top Elvis Costello, Dr. Luther's Assistant

Everything seems so tranquil
Home movies with no subtitles
Don't you wish you knew what they were sayin'
When the film keeps playin', playin' ?
Oh, he's Doctor Luther's assistant
He'll close in when he seems so distant
Doctor Luther's assistant
He'll get on top of you when you lower your resistance
Some say he is just a lackey
Changing words while the ink is still tacky
He's absolutely indispensable
He keeps the other boys in suspense
Oh, he's Doctor Luther's assistant
He'll close in when he seems so distant
Doctor Luther's assistant
He'll get on top of you when you lower your resistance
Luther is locked in a broken-down cinema
Watches his wife with his video camera
Sees his best boy makin' her grin
Out of the kitchen, she's gone with the wind
Oh, Doctor Luther's assistant
He'll close in, when he seems so distant
Doctor Luther's assistant

Top Elvis Costello, High Fidelity

Some things you never get used to
Even though you're feeling like another man
There's nothing that he can do for you
To shut me away as you walk through
Lovers laughing in their amateur hour
Holding hands in the corridors of power
Even though I'm with somebody else right now
[Chorus:]
High fidelity
Can you hear me?
There's a new kind of dedication
Maybe you'll find it down the tunnel
Maybe I got above my station
Maybe you're only changing channel
Even though you're nowhere near me
And I know you kiss him so sincerely now
Even though the signal's indistinct
And you worry what silly people think
Who just can't wait to feel so frozen out
I bet he thinks that he was chosen out of millions
I suppose he'll never know about

Top Elvis Costello, Ghost Train

Maureen and Stan were looking for a job
They got songs for every occasion
And a little limelight robbery
No one will employ them
There's nothing to decide
So he autographs his overdraft
While she goes out of her mind
Stuck on the wall with a thousand faces
Unwanted posters of the haunted places
Roll up for the ghost train
Non-stop through the city
Step right up and show your face
We only want the pretty ones
Roll up for the ghost train
Non-stop through the city
Step right up and show your face
We only want the pretty ones
Maureen and Stan at the skating rink
Looking for the drummer who threw up in the sink
Laughing and singing, dressed up like dice
Maybe they could freeze to death out there on the ice
Look at the graceful way she dances
One foot speaks, the other answers
Roll up for the ghost train
Non-stop through the city
Step right up and show your face
We only want the pretty ones
Roll up for the ghost train
Non-stop through the city
Step right up and show your face
We only want the pretty ones
She plays the queen of the fleapit
He plays a Spanish guitar
He got a black eye from a waitress
She's not seeing any stars
You can be refused, you can be replaced
You can change your name but you can't change your face
While they make believe it's just another holiday
They turn on each other when they hear that joker say
Roll up for the ghost train
Non-stop through the city
Step right up and show your face
We only want the pretty ones
Roll up for the ghost train

Top Elvis Costello, Honey Hush

Come into this house and stop that yakity yak
'Cause your sugar-daddy don't want no talkin' back
You keep on babblin', talkin' 'bout this and that
I got news for ya baby, you ain't nothin' but an alley cat
Turn off the waterworks baby, they don't move me no more
I'm leavin' this town, ain't comin' back no more
Honey hush
Come into this house and stop that yakity yak
You're makin' me nervous and I'm holdin' a baseball bat
Hi-ho, hi-ho silver

Top Elvis Costello, He's Got You

I got the picture that you gave to me
And it's signed with love, just like it used to be
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got the picture, he's got you
I got the records that we used to share
And they still sound the same, as when you were here
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got the records, he's got you
I got your memory, or has it got me?
I really don't know, but I know it won't let me be
I got your class ring that proves you care
And it still looks the same as when you gave it dear
The only thing different, the only thing new
I got these little things, he's got you
I got your memory, or has it got me?
I really don't know, but I know it won't let me be
I got the picture that you gave to me
And it's signed with love, just like it used to be
The only thing different, the only thing new

Top Elvis Costello, I'm Your Toy

You may be sweet and nice
That won't keep you warm at night
'Cause I'm the one who taught you how
To do the things you're doing now
He may feel all your charms
He may hold you in his arms
But I'm the one who let you in
I was right beside you then
Once upon a time
You let me feel you deep inside
And nobody knew, nobody saw
Do you remember the way you cried?
I'm your toy, I'm your old boy
But I don't want no one but you to love me
Oh I wouldn't lie
You know I'm not that kind of guy
Once upon a time
You let me feel you deep inside
And nobody knew, nobody saw
Do you remember the way you cried?
I'm your toy, I'm your old boy
But I don't want no one but you to love me
Oh I wouldn't lie

Top Elvis Costello, How Much I Lied

Darling, there is one thing I must tell you, you must know
It's so hard to say the words I feel
This fancy that I'm on's been going on too long
It's time to stop pretending things are real
'Cause I've been living deep in sin, I've been living blind
And I just don't know what's right or wrong
To take a chance on losing you is such a silly thing to do
A chance I might wake up and find you gone
Blue, so blue, my love is burning blue
Any private flame could be a lie
Blue, so blue, my love still burns for you
But I know I'll only make you cry
A thief can only steal from you
He cannot break your heart
He can never touch the precious things inside
Someone like you should surely be
Miles and miles away from me
Then you'd never care how much I lied
So try to understand the pain
It takes so long when I explain
Please don't you forget how much I lied

Top Elvis Costello, I Hope

Sometime, somewhere
We're gonna meet again, I know
And I won't love you anymore
I hope
Somewhere, somehow
You're gonna need me
Like I'm needing you right now
I hope
Keep on dancing and let the music play
Tonight's the night I'm gonna dance the night away
Tomorrow, tomorrow
You'll be gone
So long, goodbye
I know that I'm gonna cry
But I'll forget you by and by

Top Elvis Costello, Brown to Blue

We stood there in the courthouse room so close but far apart
You brought along the lawyer and I brought a broken heart
The judge pronounced the words the way you wanted him to do
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue
I couldn't help my tears from falling on the courtroom floor
My love, they took away my right to love you anymore
My world just seemed to stop as I stood there so close to you
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue
The judge forgot to tell me how I'd live my life alone
What I would do without you after loving you so long
He didn't seem to care that I'm still in love with you
You changed your name from Brown to Jones and mine from Brown to Blue
I couldn't help my tears from falling on the courtroom floor
My love, they took away my right to love you anymore
My world just seemed to stop as I stood there so close to you

Top Elvis Costello, Darling,You Know I Wouldn't Lie

Top Elvis Costello, Cry, Cry, Cry

Everybody knows where you go when the sun goes down
They say you only live to see the lights of town
I wasted my time when I would try, try, try
'Cause when the lights have lost their glow, you'll cry, cry, cry
Soon your sugar-daddies will all be gone
And you'll wake up some cold day and find you're alone
You'll come to me but I'm gonna tell you bye, bye, bye
When I turn around and walk away, you'll cry, cry, cry
You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll cry alone
When everyone's forgotten and you're on your own
You're gonna cry, cry, cry
I lie awake at night and wait till you come in
You stay a little while and then you're gone again
Every question that I ask, I get a lie, lie, lie
For every lie you tell, you're gonna cry, cry, cry
When your fickle little love gets old, no one will care for you
You'll come back to me for a little love that's true
I'll tell you no and you're gonna ask me why, why, why
When I remind you of all of this, you'll cry, cry, cry
You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll want me there
It'll hurt when you think of the fool you've been

Top Elvis Costello, New Amsterdam

You're sending me tulips mistaken for lilies
You give me your lip after punching me silly
You turned my head till it rolled down the brain drain
If I had any sense now I wouldn't want it back again
[Chorus:]
New Amsterdam it's become much too much
Till I have the possession of everything she touches
Till I step on the brakes to get out of her clutches
Till I speak double dutch to a real double duchess
Down on the mainspring, listen to the tick tock
Clock all the faces that move in on your block
Twice shy and dog tired because you've been bitten
Everything you say now sounds like it was ghost-written
[Chorus]
Back in London they'll take you to heart after a little while
Though I look right at home I still feel like an exile
Somehow I found myself down at the dockside
Thinking of the old days of Liverpool and Rotherhide
The transparent people who live on the other side
Living a life that is almost like suicide

Top Elvis Costello, Opportunity

Born in the middle of a second big baby boom
Those noisy boys just might have spoken up too soon
Now I'm looking for a little girl, I wonder where she's gone
Big money for families having more than one
[Chorus:]
Opportunity, opportunity
This is your big opportunity
They shop around
follow you without a sound
Whatever you do now
Don't turn around
Whatever happened to the pride of the nation?
They say, "just wait until you break formation"
She was sitting pretty on a velvet cushion
But her bedroom eyes were like a button she was pushing
She said, "When they get to Dover they'll be be taking over"
I said I'd come to her defense and then she pulled me over
[Chorus]
I'm in the foxhole, I'm down in the trench
I'd be a hero but I can't stand the stench
The Fitness Institute was full of General Motormen
And the "Hello House of Beauty" wouldn't stand a chance with them
The chairman of this boredom is a compliment collector
I'd like to be his funeral director
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, Possession

If there's anything that you want
If there's anything that you need
There's no need to be evasive
Money talks and it's persuasive
Possession
Now you're sending me your best wishes
Signed with love and vicious kisses
You lack lust, you're so lacklustre
Is that all the strength you can muster
Possession
Even when we are out of touch
Now I know that I've seen too much
Seen too much
So I see us lying back to back
My case is closed my case is packed
I'll get out before the violence
Or the tears or the silence
Possession

Top Elvis Costello, Riot Act

Forever doesn't mean forever anymore
I said forever
But it doesn't look like I'm gonna be around much anymore
When the heat gets sub-tropical
And the talk gets so topical
[Chorus:]
Riot act - you can read me the riot act
You can make me a matter of fact
Or a villain in a million
A slip of the tongue is gonna keep me civilian
Why do you talk such stupid nonsense
When my mind could rest much easier
Instead of all this dumb dumb insolence
I would be happier with amnesia
They say forget her
Now it looks like you're either gonna be for me or against me
I got your letter
Now they say I don't care for the colour that it paints me
Trying to be so bad is bad enough
Don't make me laugh by talking tough
Don't put your heart out on your sleeve
When your remarks are off the cuff

Top Elvis Costello, Just A Memory

Layin' about, lyin' in bed
Maybe it was something that I thought I'd said
With the tempo of today and the temptation of tomorrow
I don't know if I could give you anything but sorrow
They stay alive this late on Radio Five
But the pen that I write with won't tell the truth
'Cause the moments that I can't recall
Are the moments that you treasure
Better take another measure for measure
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don't mean that much to me
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don't mean that much to me
Now you're here, I'm here too
Could be this easy for me and you
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don't mean that much to me
Losing you is just a memory
Memories don't mean that much to me
Lyin' about layin' in bed
Maybe it was something that I thought I'd said

Top Elvis Costello, King Horse

Cheap cut satin and bad perfume
Showtime is almost here
Teased up by a strip cartoon
Laughing up your sleeve
Sniggering in your beer
He'd seen the bottom of a lot of glasses
But he'd never seen love so near
He'd seen love get so expensive
But he'd never seen love get so dear
[Chorus:]
Now I know that you're all King Horse
Between tenderness and brute force [Repeat]
She can turn upon a sixpence in the mouth and trousers set
Hit the bill, ring the bell, never spill a sip
And still she knows the kind of tip that she is gonna get
A lot of loose exchanges, precious little respect
When it's someone else's weekend
That's the best you can expect
[Chorus]
So fond of the fabric
So fond of fabrication
From comic books to tragic
Through the heart of complications
Meanwhile back in some secluded spot
He says 'will you please?' and she says 'stop'
If I ever lose this good thing that I've got
I never want to hear the song you dedicated tonight
Cause I knew that song so long before we met
That it means much more than it might

Top Elvis Costello, My All Time Doll

When I was away I needed you so
And now coming I'm home to stay
I won't wake in the night and reach for you
And turn on the light and to my dismay
You're not there
You're never around
Or is it me?
It's so hard to see
I flick off the switch
And stare in dark
And wait for you to appear
You're My All-Time Doll
I'm out of control
It's broken my mind
But that's not all that you stole
You're My All-Time Doll
You're all I adore
I'd swear to it now it
But I already swore
My eyes are blinded with tears
But it's all my own fault
My lips taste of cruel words
My eyes sting with salt
But you can take the way I feel about you
And put it in a vault
You're My All-Time Doll
From near and from far
I've known many a girl,
Now... I'm closing in
My heart is beating
Like a whip on a hide
It's raining outside
You're My All-Time Doll
I'm out of control
It's broken my mind
That's not all that you stole
You're My All-Time Doll
You're all I adore
I'd swear to it now it
But I already swore
Every time I rant and rail
Every time I try and fail
Any time I want to quit
And say, "That's the end of it"
When I stand and start to leave
You cool my brow, you tug my sleeve
You're My All-Time Doll
I'm walking, I'm pacing, my heart is racing
I swear that clock is running slow
It only speeds up for a moment or so
Each time it's time for me to go
You're My All-Time Doll
I'm out of control
It's broken my mind
That's not all that you stole
You're My All-Time Doll
You're all I adore
I'd swear to it now it
But I already swore
In the far flung cry of a closing saloon
On the blank back side of that poisonous moon
I tried not to think about you
I thought I was immune..

Top Elvis Costello, Men Called Uncle

Now there's newsprint all over your face
Well maybe that's why I can read you like a book
Just when I thought I was getting my taste to bite
I go and lose my appetite
Look at the men that you'd call uncle
They'd like to sink their teeth into you
For the pride and the pleasure
And the privilege of having you
If I say you're the one do you think that I'm serious
You get that kind of talk from older men
If I say I love you then I must be delirious
So why are you trying to put my temperature up again
Look at the men that you'd call uncle
Having a heart attack round your ankles
When you wake up with X-rated eyes
When you wake up still shaking
How can I apologize
As you check your effects and check your reflection
I'm so affected in the face of your affection
Look at the men that you'd call uncle
Having a heart attack round your ankles
I could swear, I could promise that I'll always be true to you
But we may not live to be so old
I could even say I'm going to do something new to you
Now the girls I see just leave me cold

Top Elvis Costello, Must You Throw Dirt In My Face

What is it that brings you to this part of town
Curiosity, conscience or fate
I know it's not love
Cause I once gave you love
And all you showed me was the gate
I got a feeling you've come back
To just rub it in
And to really put me in my place
You've already but big old tears in my eyes
Must you throw dirt in my face
Must you keep telling me that you've got a new love
I don't need you to remind me
Must you keep telling me how I look so lonely
And my better days are behind me
Must you keep showing me pictures of him
Boasting of his warm embrace
You've already put big old tears in my eyes
Must you throw dirt in my face
You've already left me
And broken my heart
Told me how much you don't want me
Believe me I'm happier when we're apart
Why must you come back now to haunt me
Must you keep showing me pictures of him
Boasting of his warm embrace
You've already put big old tears in my eyes
Must you throw dirt in my face
You've already put big old tears in my eyes
Must you throw dirt in my face

Top Elvis Costello, Payday

Let's go out on the town tonight
My pockets are heavy with loot
And get drunk and blasted
(And loud in your dress of blue)
I've been living from hand to mouth
It must be three or four weeks
And I can tell you one thing Jack
You listen when your stomach speaks
I feel good just like I knew that I would
And all on account of that wine that I bought today
I'm smiling so sweet
At every little girl that I meet
Some fools will try to tell you it's a sin to feel this way
It feels so funny having all of this money
I think I feel like dancing the night away
I think I feel like dancing the night away
I got me this long legged girl
To help me to spend my dough
Her heart as big as your mama's stove
And her body like Brigitte Bardot
I'm all ready for some Rock and Roll
With the guitar turned up loud
And the fancy footwork
And the (drunk) down, druged up crowd
I feel good just like I knew that I would
All on account of that wine that I bought today
I'm smiling so sweet
At every little girl that I meet
Some fools will try to tell you it's a sin to feel this way
It feels so funny having all of this money
I think I feel like dancing the night away

Top Elvis Costello, The Sweetest Punch

You only saw red
After I said, "How can we continue?"
Hidden from your view
In the blue corner that I painted myself into
Then we started to fight
And it changed everything
Here's the ring
You dropped the band, I can't understand it
Not after all we've been through
Words start to fly, my glass jaw and I
Will find one to walk right into
You knocked me out
It was the sweetest punch
The bell goes...
I can hear it ringing, but I didn't see it coming
We all say things we don't mean
You can't take it back
Now the room is spinning, but was I the last to notice?
I can see I'll never win
So if you're going
Then you better go to him
Then you better go to him
I only saw stars
I dropped my guard, and that's how it ended
What was I to do
In the blue corner where I seemed to hang suspended?
Then with seconds to go
You delivered the blow
Here I go
You dropped the band, I can't understand it
Not after all we've been through
Words start to fly, my glass jaw and I
Will find one to walk right into
You knocked me out
It was the sweetest punch
The bell goes...
I can hear it ringing, but I didn't see it coming
We all say things we don't mean
You can't take it back
Now the room is spinning, but was I the last to notice?
I can see I'll never win
So if you're going
Then you better go to him

Top Elvis Costello, The Long Division

Did somebody try to catch your eye
And almost change your sad expression?
Did somebody's hand linger too long?
Must I now make my confession?
But you'll never know
What suspicion is
Until you lie awake
And every night you ask yourself
"What am I to do?"
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There's nothing left over
How's it gonna feel? This time it's real
It's not a temporary fracture
This is what you get, the stage is set
For you and your attempted rapture
Is he gonna smile
That indulgent smile
When you come running home?
And every night you ask yourself,
"What am I to do?"
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There's nothing left over
What am I gonna say? You turn away
And you leave me here despairing
What am I going to do? I look at you
You seem to be so long past caring
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Only to find out now that it's a joke
So ask yourself,
"What am I to do?"
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There's nothing left over
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,
"Can we still be friends?"
Did somebody say,

Top Elvis Costello, Remove This Doubt

It's hurting me
It's hurting me
This doubt is hurting me
So remove this doubt
From my heart little girl
And let me live my life
Knowing you care
Remove this doubt
From my mind little girl
And let me breathe again
Feeling my love is shared
Each time we meet
You make me feel so incomplete
There's no joy in the air
I just don't think you care
Close the door
On doubt forever
And may it nevermore
Make me unsure
Turn the key
And lock away this doubt in me
Keep it in the dark
Not in my heart
Be more tender
Completely surrender
Your love to me
Is sweet and not discrete
Remove this doubt
From my heart little girl
And let me live my life
Knowing you care
Remove this doubt
From my mind little girl
And let me breathe again
Knowing my love is shared
Each time we meet
You make me feel so incomplete
There's no joy in the air
I just don't think you care

Top Elvis Costello, Running Out Of Fools

Sure you haven't got the wrong number
Sure it's me you want to talk to tonight
Everyone in town's got your number
Everyone in town's got you pegged just right
Is that why you got in touch with me
I guess you must be running out of fools
Even when you left me there crying
Your goodbye was even colder than ice
You didn't care that you left me there crying
Now you wanna break my heart twice
Is that why you got in touch with me
I guess you must be running out of fools
I guess you got back to my name in your little black book
Hey guess what I bet you forgot how I even look
So go ahead with all your sweet talking
Go ahead for all the good it will do
Have yourself a dime's worth of talking
Then I'm gonna hang right up on you
Cause this time you're not getting through to me
I guess you must be running out of fools
Even fools like me
Even fools like me
I guess you're running out of fools
Even fools like me

Top Elvis Costello, Please Stay

If I got on my knees and I pleaded with you
Not to go but to stay in my arms
Would you walk out the door
Like you did once before
This time be different
Please stay don't go
If I call out your name like a prayer
Would you leave me alone with my tears
Knowing I need you so
Would you still turn and go
This time be different in some way
Don't go please stay
You took me away from the rest of the world
When you taught me to love you like this
Now I hang my head when I think how you lied
But I still can be saved by your kiss
I loved you before I even knew your name
I wanted to give you my heart
But when you came back after leaving me one time
Oh I knew, yes I knew that the heartaches would start
If I told you my life was a song
That was written for you, you alone
Would you hurt all my pride
Oh, till I cry this time be different
Please stay
Oh, this time be different in some way

Top Elvis Costello, Pouring Water On A Drowning Man

You push me when I'm falling
And then you put me down
I guess I missed my calling
I should have been a clown
How much more
How much more can I stand
You're pouring water
On a drowning man
You put me on the right track
And then you put me down
You stab me in the back
Everytime I turn around
Criticize my lovin'
When I'm doing the very best I can
You're pouring water
On a drowning man
You're pouring water
On a drowning man
You treat me like
The fool that I am
You bet that I like everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
It's sad but it's true
You warm me with your kisses
Then you leave me in the cold
How can I know your wishes
When I've never been told
Won't you please forgive me
Just try and understand
You're pouring water
On a drowning man
You're pouring water
On a drowning man
You treat me like
The fool that I am
You bet that I like everything you do
Put salt in my wounds
It's sad but it's true
You warm me with your kisses
Then you leave me in the cold
How can I know your wishes
When I've never been told
Won't you please forgive me
Just try and understand
You're pouring water
On a poor drowning man
I got tears in my eyes
Oh, I'm a drowning man
I got tears in my eyes
You're pouring water
On a drowing man
You're pouring water

Top Elvis Costello, Crawling To The U.S.A.

I thought I would go to the sea and shrink down very tiny
And slide inside the telephone wire that runs under the briny
Till I found there is a way of crawling to the U.S.A.
You had better not go too far
There's one way out, there's only one way
Leave your mother and your father
Crawling to the U.S.A.
Saw it late one night on a secret channel
It's farther on along the tunnel
It's way beyond the final station
That's the one they never mention
You had better not go too far
There's one way out, there's only one way
Leave your mother and your father
Crawling to the U.S.A.
You don't have to pay them that much
You had better bring your lunch
It's undercover, around the houses
Up your skirt and down your trousers
You had better not go too far
There's one way out, there's only one way
Leave your mother and your father
Crawling to the U.S.A.
She said, "I catch you taking liberties and they do not impress me
Attach me to your credit card and then you can undress me
Everybody is on their knees except the Russians and the Chinese
You had better not go too far
There's one way out, there's only one way
Leave your mother and your father

Top Elvis Costello, Big Tears

Everyone is busy with the regular routine
The sniper just takes his aim
Everyone is window shopping, no one is amazed
Even if he hit you, you'd still think it's just a graze
You go to a movie, you go to a show
You think that you're living, you don't really know
Big tears mean nothing
You can count them as they fall
Big tears mean nothing
When you're lying in your coffin
Tell me who's been taken in
Oh, you talk about the new boss automatic clause
But of course they make it all up for you
Always fascinated by the weird edge of town
Come home disappointed every time they put you down
Laughing with the old boys, saying that it's all noise
I suppose big tears mean nothing
You can count them as they fall
Big tears mean nothing
When you're lying in your coffin
Tell me who's been taken in
All the buttons of my overcoat
They have fallen off one by one
You wouldn't even like me if you'd never had a drink
You wouldn't even like me if you never stopped to think
Standing in the shadow, turning wives to widows
Don't you know big tears mean nothing
You can count them as they fall
Big tears mean nothing
When you're lying in your coffin
Tell me who's been taken in
Tell me, me or yous been taken in

Top Elvis Costello, Hand In Hand

No, don't ask me to apologise.
I won't ask you to forgive me.
If I'm gonna go down,
you're gonna come with me
You say 'Why don't you be a man about it,
like they do in the grown-up movies?'
But when it comes to the other way around,
you say you just wanna use me. Oh,
you sit and you wonder whether
it's gonna be syndicated.
You sit with your knees together.
All the time your breath is baited.
Hand in Hand.
No, don't ask me to apologise.
I won't ask you to forgive me.
If I'm gonna go down,
you're gonna come with me
Don't you know I got the bully boys out
changing someone's facial design,
sitting with my toy room lout,
polishing my precious china
Don't you know I'm an animal?
But don't you know I can't stand up steady?
But you can't show me any kind of hell
that I don't know already.
Hand in Hand.
No, don't ask me to apologise.
I won't ask you to forgive me.
If I'm gonna go down,
you're gonna come with me

Top Elvis Costello, Green Shirt

There's a smart young woman on a light blue screen
Who comes into my house every night.
And she takes all the red, yellow, orange and green
And she turns them into black and white.
But you tease, and you flirt
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
Better cut off all identifying labels
Before they put you on the torture table
'Cause somewhere in the "Quizling Clinic"
There's a shorthand typist taking seconds over minutes
She's listening in to the Venus line
She's picking out names
I hope none of them are mine
But you tease, and you flirt...
Never said I was a stool pigeon
I never said I was a diplomat
Everybody is under suspicion
But you don't wanna hear about that
'Cause you tease, and you flirt...
Better send a begging letter to the big investigation
Who put these fingerprints on my imagination?
You tease, and you flirt...
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it

Top Elvis Costello, Toledo

All through the night you telephoned
I saw the light blinking red
Beside the cradle
But you don't know how far I've gone
Now I must live with the lie
That I made
But if I call, I know I won't have to say it
You'll hear my voice - something is bound to betray it
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But it's no use saying that I love you
And how that girl really didn't mean a thing to me
For if anyone should look into your eyes
It's not forgiveness that they're gonna see
You hear her voice - "How could you do that?"
You hear her voice - "How could you do that?"
So I walked outside in the bright
Sunshine and lovers pass by
Smiling and joking
But they don't know the fool I was
Why should they care what was lost
What was broken?
But if I call, I know I won't have to say it
You'll hear my voice - something is bound to betray it
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But it's no use saying that I love you
And how that girl really didn't mean a thing to me
For if anyone should look into your eyes
It's not forgiveness that they're gonna see
But do people living in Toledo
Know that their name hasn't travelled very well?
And does anybody in Ohio
Dream of that Spanish citadel?
But we still have Florence, Alabama

Top Elvis Costello, This House Is Empty Now

These rooms play tricks upon you
Remember when they were always filled with laughter?
But now they're quite deserted
They seem to just echo voices raised in anger
Maybe you will see my face
Reflected there on the pane
In the window of our poor
Forlorn and broken home
Still this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
These walls were lined with pictures
Remember the glass we charged in celebration?
But now I fill my life up
With all that I can to deaden this sensation
Do you recognize the face
Fixed in that fine silver frame
Were you really so unhappy then?
You never said
So this house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
Oh, if I could just become forgetful
When night seems endless
Does the extinguished candle care
About the darkness?
It's funny how my mem'ry
Will bring you so close then make you disappear
Meanwhile all our friends must choose
Who they will favour, who they will lose
Hang the garland high or close the door
And throw away the key
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how
Am I supposed to live without you?
This house is empty now
There's no one living here
You have to care about
This house is empty now
There's nothing I can do
To make you want to stay
So tell me how

Top Elvis Costello, Big Boys

I am starting to function
In the usual way
Everything is so provocative
Very very, temporary
I shall walk (I shall walk)
Out of this place (out of this place)
I shall walk
Out on you
'Cause you go silly
If she's willing
Trying so hard to be like the big boys
So you take her to the pictures
Trying to become a fixture
Inch by inch trying to reach her
All the way through the second feature
Worrying about your physical fitness
Tell me how you got this sickness, Oh ohhhh..
I was caught in the suction
By a face like a truncheon
I was down upon one knee
Stroking her vanity
I was stuck on a hammerhead
I came alive and left for dead
As my face returned to red
Choking on my pride and pity
We can talk (we can talk)
Until your face is blue (till your face is blue)
We can talk but she'll get to you
After you've been loved and hated
By the ones you've watched and waited
Found that they were overrated
She'll be the one - when the party's over
She'll be the one - when the girls have gone home
She'll be the one - that you'll wish you'd held onto
She'll be the one - but it's too late for you to
She'll be the one - who knows all your history
She'll be the one -
So you can cross her off your list
And you try so hard
And you try so hard
And you try so hard

Top Elvis Costello, What's Her Name Today?

What's her name today?
What's her name today?
She could be anyone
I might have known you'd leave her crying
What's her name again?
You should be ashamed
How could you treat her so unspeakably?
Or did you think she was a different girl?
For as the radio played in the bedroom wall
What was that name you called her?
Was she the one who took away your pride
And your reason?
Oh, why did you decide that
You'd punish any girl you meet
To try and make that feeling go away?
What's her name today?
What's her name today?
Is her hair hanging down?
Or maybe it's fixed with a ribbon
Are her eyes still blue?
Should she trust in you?
Because it's a lonely world
She wants to believe for a while in all the things you say
But as the radio played in the bedroom wall
What was that name you called her?
Isn't her smile reminiscent of someone else?
Well, is it or isn't it?
Oh, why did you decide that
You'd punish any girl you meet
To try and make that feeling go away?
What's her name today?
Is she going to stay
So you can ruin her?
And soon she'll be twisted in chiffon
Dress her like a doll
String her like a pearl
She hears peals of bells, but it's hard to tell
Now that she's hung up like a chandelier
What's her name?
What's her name?

Top Elvis Costello, I've Been Wrong Before

The night we met
The night that I won't forget
You've seen what I've been waiting for
But baby, I've been wrong before
You held me tight
And everything seemed just right
I couldn't ask for more
But baby, I've been wrong before
She used to smile at me
And hold my hand like you do
Then she left me
And broke my heart in two
See her face
And feel your warm embrace
You're all that I adore
But baby, I've been wrong before

Top Elvis Costello, Love Went Mad

I've looked at it every way I can
From under and above
And every chance I've had
My love went mad
Love went mad love went mad
You you feel like I feel?
Do you have a heart?
DO YOU HAVE A HEART OF IRON AND STEEL?
Are you a man now you wear a man's hat?
Are you a man now or are you a rat?
You go to church quiet as a mouse
You're a big cheese now in the workhouse
With these vulgar fractions of the treble clef
I wish you luck with a capital 'F'
A self-made mug is hard to break
A silent partner in someone else's mistake
Every day goes by without a hitch
YOU FEEL THE URGE BECOMING AN ITCH
The boys in blue are hard to catch
They're busy turning Piccadilly
Into Brands Hatch
But with your fingers in your ears
Feeling bright as a button
Thinking 'THANK GOD THERE'LL BE NO MORE
LAMB DRESSED AS MUTTON'
Playing family favourites on a tissue and a comb
DYING A THOUSAND DEATHS

Top Elvis Costello, Mouth Almighty

This town belongs to you and your tricks of confidence
All the pavements for miles around are littered with your footprints
Now every girl I get close to seems to be wearing your perfume
And the clock strikes the letters of your name
Both midnight and noon
But I used to shoot my mouth off
Till you'd had enough of me
Once or twice nightly
I know I've got my faults
And among them I CAN'T CONTROL MY TONGUE
But if you didn't believe me
Why did you have to leave me
With my mouth almighty
Mouth almighty that's what I've got
Mouth almighty telling you what's what
Mouth almighty
I wish I'd never opened my mouth almighty
SO I THREW AWAY THE ROSE AND HELD ONTO THE THORN
Crawling round with my crooner cufflinks and my calling card cologne
But the realization of being replaced starts to tell tales across my face

Top Elvis Costello, Pills And Soap

They talked to the sister, the father and the mother
With a microphone in one hand and a chequebook in the other
AND THE CAMERA NOSES IN TO THE TEARS ON HER FACE
The tears on her face
The tears on her face
You can put them back together with your paper and paste
But you can't put them back together
You can't put them back together
What would you say?
What would you do?
Children and animals two by two
Give me the needle
Give me the rope
We're going to melt them down for PILLS AND SOAP
Give me the needle
Give me the rope
We're going to melt them down for pills and soap
Four and twenty crowbars, jemmy your desire
Out of the frying pan into the fire
The king is in the counting house
Some folk have all the luck
And all we get are pictures of LORD AND LADY MUCK
They come from lovely people with a hard line in hypocrisy
THERE ARE ASHTRAYS OF EMOTION FOR THE FAG ENDS OF THE ARISTOCRACY
The sugar coated pill is getting bitterer still
YOU THINK YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU BUT YOU KNOW IT NEVER WILL
So pack up your troubles in a stolen handbag
DON'T DILLY DALLY BOYS RALLY ROUND THE FLAG
Give us your daily bread in individual slices

Top Elvis Costello, The Element Within Her

It's the element within her
Something under her skin
That is shining out through the face of the girl
Two sapphires and couple of rows of pearls
It's just a part of it
Like your fine tresses
You know what my guess is
La la la la la la la la la la la
He was a PLAYBOY
Could charm the birds right out of the trees
Now he says 'What do I do with these?'
La la la la la la la la la la la
This love in my heart
Let no-one set asunder
Sometimes I wonder
La la la la la la la la la la la
But back in the bedroom
With her electric heater
I SAY 'ARE YOU COLD?'

Top Elvis Costello, The Flirting Kind

She used to be the flirting kind
But the boy loved her anyway
He made up his mind
She said, What's a girl to do to be content?
Use your imagination
Time to experiment
Make love like a punishment
So they call her the flirting kind
The flirting kind
You better stop
Stop your running round
I got everything I wanted
I could make up for lost ground
With the flirting kind
The flirting kind
Your love is best
But I'll leave like the rest
The flirting kind
The flirting kind
They say that her fate is sealed
But she's much too beautiful to ever yield
She says, What's a girl to do to be content?
Use your imagination
Time to experiment
Make love like a punishment
So they call her the flirting kind
The flirting kind
She's crying in her sleep
For a man tone deaf
So is a man all over
He's all over, all over town
With the flirting kind
The flirting kind
Your love is best
But I'll leave like the rest
The flirting kind

Top Elvis Costello, The Greatest Thing

EVERYONE STOPPED WHEN SHE WALKED INTO THE ROOM
Isn't this the greatest thing
Everyone own up but nobody could touch her
Isn't this the greatest thing
PUNCH THE CLOCK keep boxing clever
You'll be young enough for ever
Isn't this the greatest thing
Isn't this THE GREATEST THING
I heard some new confection
Said we can't afford to feel affection
And it's the lastest thing
In and out of matrimony
Never once removed the Sony
'Cos it's a status thing
So girls like that above described
Are not to be so easily bribed
With a white frock and a ring
PUNCH THE CLOCK and in time you'll get pulled apart
IF YOU'RE MARRIED ON PAPER AND NOT IN YOUR HEART
But I won't be told that life with the one you love is sordid
Just because some authority says you can't afford it
Since nights were long and days were olden
Woman to man has been beholden
But since then times have been changing
She sends back HIS TRIBUTE OF A ROSE
And says this ring is better suited for the nose
He's always fingering
I PUNCH THE CLOCK and it's OK
I KNOW A GIRL WHO TAKES MY BREATH AWAY
And it's the greatest

Top Elvis Costello, The Invisible Man

I WAS COMMITTED TO LIFE AND THEN COMMUTED TO THE OUTSKIRTS
With all the love in the world
Living for thirty minutes at a time with a break in the middle for adverts
But it's a wonderful world within these cinema walls
WHERE A SHOWER OF AFFECTION BECOMES NIAGARA FALLS
And you wish she could step down from the screen to your seat in the stalls
BUT IF STARS ARE ONLY PAINTED ON THE CEILING ABOVE
Then who can you turn to and who do you love
I want to get out while I still can
I want to be like Harry Houdini
Now I'm the invisible man
My head is spinning round faster and faster
Here I stand on the edge of disaster
I'm shattered like a piece of crystal porcelain or alabaster
Crowds surround loudspeakers hanging from the lampposts
Listening to the murder mystery
Meanwhile someone's hiding in the classroom
Forging books of history
NEVER MIND THERE'S A GOOD FILM SHOWING TONIGHT
WHERE THEY HANG EVERYONE EVERYBODY WHO CAN READ AND WRITE
OH THAT COULD NEVER HAPPEN HERE BUT THEN AGAIN IT MIGHT
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, The World And His Wife

The family circle gather round from very far and near
To pass around the same remarks they passed away last year
The little girl you dangle on your knee without mishap
STIRS SOMETHING IN YOUR MEMORY
AND SOMETHING IN YOUR LAP
But it's a living
This is the life
For the world and his wife
The world and his wife
The kissing cousins slip outside to cuddle and confess
She says sweet nothing at all it's much more of a mess
The conversation melts like chocolate down their open jaws
As the juniper berry slips down just like last night's drawers
To tell the truth our Mum ran off with someone else's father
WENT FOR TWO WEEKS' HOLIDAY IN TARAMASALATA
Daddy went out with the rubbish and he kept on walking
Between Mum and the walls
God only knows who does the talking
But later on in the evening through the tears and fol de rol
Come the sentimental feelings for the lure of vitriol
Longing thoughts go hankering for the old home overseas
WITH A BLINDFOLD AND A NATIONAL ANTHEM

Top Elvis Costello, King Of Thieves

I had forgotten all about 'The Case Of The Three Pins'
THEY SAID I MUST BE CRACKED
Until the brown paper parcel landed on my welcome mat
Even the pretty secretaries who wouldn't even
Let me HANG MY HAT
All recognize my handwriting
And return to sender as a matter of fact
If I were you I'd change my name again
They don't care what they do to you believe me
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
His occupation is the King of Thieves
He can steal more than you can save
You can take him on, but you're not that brave
I'll tell your fortune in a minute or two
I might even tell you what comes next
The moguls want a HUMAN SACRIFICE
AND LOOK AT THAT GIRL, YOUNG HUNGRY AND PERPLEXED
They took away the best years of her life
Ah but it's all in good fun
And if you kept you nose clean
You can laugh now at the caring things they've done
I'll write this story down, but you'll never guess the
Final twist
Blow the whistle on the whole design
As they find my name on that fatal mailing list
I hear the clatter of a typewriter
Another rookie eating up the reams
I think it's time to place my feet under the desk
And PUT MY MARK ON ANOTHER MAN'S DREAMS
This is the coronation of the King of Thieves
And look at that girl
Look at that girl

Top Elvis Costello, Let Them All Talk

Hear what I say
See what I do
Believe me now I'm all over you
All over you
I know a place
A CERTAIN VERY TENDER SPOT
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
Listening to the sad song that the radio plays
Have we come this fa-fa-fa to find a soul cliche
Let them talk
Let them talk
Let them all talk
Oh yeah we're killing time
Just to KEEP YOU CLOCKING ON
These are the best years of your life
Now they're here and gone
Do the world a service
And you could do yourself a favour
WHOSE TONGUE NOW IS TASTING LAST WEEK'S FLAVOUR
Our day will come
When you have squandered all your youth
To have and to hold
A stranger to the truth
Listening to the sad song that the radio plays
Have we come this fa-fa-fa to find a soul cliche

Top Elvis Costello, Human Touch

I know I've just gotta get out of this place
I can't stand any more of that mechanical grace
Though you say it's only industrial squeeze
It looks like luxury and feels like a disease
[Chorus:]
Oh give it to me, give it to me
I don't want to know much about much
Give it to me, give it to me
I need, I need, I need the human touch
Left with just a house to hold
Drinking your way to drydock
It's easy to break up a model citizen
Living in the state of shock
I just can't believe I am responsible for this
What the makeup hides can't be hidden with a kiss
When I'm talking in tongues I go where you lead
I don't make you plead, oh I need you
How I'd like to fix her in a picture of rage
How I'd like to catch her when she's acting her age
But when she's laying stretched out on the floor
It's no mystery to me anymore

Top Elvis Costello, Kid About it

He saw no tears in her eyes
Say you wouldn't kid about it
She's telling all of those lies
She swore she'd never told before
But I doubt it
So he bit his tongue
And tried hard to capture his breath
When she said I waited all my life
For just a little death
[Chorus:]
Say you wouldn't kid about it
Say you wouldn't kid about it
Say you wouldn't kid about it
Sometimes he takes himself so seriously
She makes her movements mysteriously
Slow fast or furiously
It's a big responsibility
With a face full of mixed ability
Big dreams of elegance
Singing the leaving of Liverpool
And turning into Americans
Say you wouldn't kid about it
So what if this is a man's world
I want to be a kid again about it
Give me back my sadness
I couldn't hide it even if I tried girl
We fight so frail
Making love tooth and nail
You gave me the kiss of my life
I might even live to tell the tale

Top Elvis Costello, Passionate Fight

Obscure the late afternoon with a drape
Don't let him follow her latest escape
Or the fanfare of taxis that needlessly played
As a forty watt bulb burns a hole in the shade
Then they got into a passionate fight
Now she's lost in the shadows thrown over at twilight
At the Empire Hotel they first came face to face
Pieces would fall off all over the place
And there in the debris they'd laugh and recline
Tell me my dear are you more or less mine
Then they got into a passionate fight
She says now this isn't love it's what you do in spite of it
And I can't go on with it night after night after night
Camphor and cigarettes perfume the scandal
Now he's counting the hinges and watching the door handle
As he hangs the clothes on the back of the door
Perfectly matching outfits that she wore
Women come quietly and some remain with their pity
But others know the pain of the passion of fight
Though the chance they will win is impossibly slight
He cowers before them so invitingly
And in the long run they'll be chastised and hated
Or walk out frustrated or humiliated
That is the pointless delight of a passionate fight
This isn't love what you do in spite of it

Top Elvis Costello, Pardon Me Madam My Name Is Eve

Pardon me, Madam, my name is Eve
I think it's time for you to leave
I don't believe that we have met
That's one thing you would not forget
In another time or life
When I was his only wife
When I was his only bride
Before I was torn out from his side
In the orchard apples are withering
In the shadows something is slithering
So go along there if you must
And try to do as I suggest
He's just a gathering of dust
And if he can't recall my name
Tell him to take his time, it's worth recovering
Look at me, and what I'm covered in
I'm covered in shame
I came back looking for my man
Wandered everywhere and then
Stood outside and gazed upon
A beautiful garden, a shimmering pond
See the sunlight on the leaves that dapple
Did you see my little teeth marks on the apple?
Don't close the door on the hand I'm offering
There is always someone on the outside doing all of the suffering
In the orchard, apples are withering
In the shadows, something is slithering
But in another time or life
When I was his only wife
When I was his only bride
Before I was torn out
Before I was torn out
Before I was torn out
From his side
Pardon me, Madam, my name is Eve
Pardon me, Madam, my name is Eve

Top Elvis Costello, Stalin Malone

[Instrumental]
I'm going to make you even fear the dream
you dream
So don't even think about it don't make a wish
You think that I don't see you as you trawl
those young weak fish
Hooked on those poor wonders, till they want
you alone
Though they can't tell a cuckoo-clock from the
squeals of saxophones
That's when they'll fear my name
Stalin Malone
I'm telling you the day will come when this
man gets what he merits
Though people still wear animal skins to ward
off evil spirits
Only wife-swapping and witchcraft woke the
dormitory town
'Til horse's heads up in the trees came
dripping down
Yes, horse's heads up hung in the trees after
the bird had flown
Did you wonder of my whereabouts as the
barrack-room was blown
Did anybody call my name?
Stalin Malone
In a room called creation, where you all obey
my laws
Where Seconal is gravity and pain is like
applause
You think that this phenomenon is some
coincidence
But I've got people everywhere, you're under
my surveillance, in the pocket of my pants
Okay, she left me, but I'll soon get over that
Falling out of the "Blood Tub" and rolling, on
my back
Waking up to the one o'clock gun with a
Punch and Judy bird
Reaching out for a gelignite beer that fills me
up with murder
To overhear forbidden songs her lover must
have known
Between the pity and advice... "There's no one
here to help you now, but speak after the tone"
Leave for me a message of hope
Stalin Malone
Now the church door is a roller-shutter with
padlocks and keys
Just like all of the other dispensaries
The saloon is like a casket, stained wood and
human dust
Stale with conversation that hangs on your
clothes like smoke
The wooden clock said she would dance
dressed only in flower
As the jazz band drowns the hysterical bird that
it spits out on the hour
I'd drop out of sight and disappear, turn up in
another town, but somehow
I just can't seem to put it down, put it down
put it down
I just want to hold her now in that I'm not alone
but do I have to see her fall into his arms
before I can atone..
Get my jacket on, get my story straight,

Top Elvis Costello, St Stephens Day Murders

I knew of two sisters whose name it was Christmas
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve
I wonder if they grew up hating the season
Of the good will that lasts till the Feast of St. Stephen
For that is the time to eat, drink and be merry
'Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey is flowed
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury
Are feeding their faces until they explode
[Chorus:]
There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias
Mixed up with that drink made from girders
And it's all we've got left as you draw your last breath
And it's nice for the kids as you've finally got rid of them
In the St Stephen's Day Murders
Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air
While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair
And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize
The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize
His gin-flavoured whispers and kisses of sherry
His best crimble shirt flung out over the shop
While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly
His face closes in like an old cold pork chop
[Alternate Chorus:]
And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast
May still be found haunting the kitchen
And there's life in it yet we may live to regret
When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'

Top Elvis Costello, Sticks And Stones

People talkin', tryin' to break us up
Why don't they let us be
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But talk don't bother me
(No) People talkin', tryin' to break us up
When they know that I love you so
So I don't care what the people might say
I'm never gonna let you go
I've been abused (I've been abused)
In my heart (I've been accused)
I've been accused (I've been accused)
I've been rebuked and I've been stomped
(Well) People talkin', tryin' to break us up
They're scandalizing my name
They'll say anything just to make me feel bad
They'll say anything to make me shamed
I've been abused (I've been abused)
In my heart (I've been accused)
I've been accused (I've been accused)
I've been rebuked and I've been stomped
(Well) People talkin', tryin' to break us up
They're scandalizing my name
They'll say anything just to make me feel bad

Top Elvis Costello, Little Savage

I would have waited all my life
Just to make love out of something other than spite
But the beauty is the beast you're baiting
Should really be worth the waiting
[Chorus:]
You do something very special to
Mr. Average
Now the lamb lies with the lion
He's just a little savage
And so you turn your back on me
And all the hot air that only echoes stale tobacco
Actions speak louder now than words
By just a fraction
What's the use of saying I love you whe I'm drinking to distraction
We save our sanity
By saying such and such
After all its been discussed
You say you must be touched

Top Elvis Costello, Some Took The Words Away

Poor head
Can hardly move my lips for speaking
I said
So, what is this thing I cannot explain?
I'd blame all the things I feel but can't quite place
Perhaps they're written on my face
Someone took the words away
Why don't you speak up and say what you mean?
Summon my powers of conversation
I talk to myself,
I'm fine
When you're around,
Then I decline the invitation
It's strange to finally find myself so tongue-tied
A change has come over me
I'm powerless to express
Every thing I know but cannot speak
And if I try my voice will break
Someone took the words away

Top Elvis Costello, Smile

Still
These few lines I'll devote
To a marvelous girl covered up with my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin
Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast
Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met
There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"
Still
I was moving very fast
But in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips
I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush
Hush
Still, still"

Top Elvis Costello, Spooky Girlfriend

I want a girl to make a mess
To do no wrong she must confess
And then perhaps hitch up her dress
'Cos when the flashbulbs explode
She's such a sensitive soul...
I want a girl who is helpless and frail
Who won't pull on my ponytail
I want a girl who has no past
She's made up now
But that won't last
'Cos when she sits on my knee
And then she whispers to me
'Can't you see
I could be, I could be
Your spooky girlfriend...'
The broken toys are all scattered in the attic
Newspapers play with the words of the fanatic
While the greeting cards are your most poetic lyric
And the flat champagne is sweet sugar syrup
I want to paint you with glitter and with dirt
Picture you with innocence and hurt
The shutter closes
Exposes the shot
She says, "Are you looking up my skirt?"
When you say "No"
She says "Why not?"
I want a girl to turn my screw
To wind my watch, to buckle my shoe
And if she won't her mother will do
But when she does as she's told
We'll all turn platinum and gold
But when she sits on my knee
I hear her whispers to me
'Can't you see?'
'I could be your spooky girlfriend.'

Top Elvis Costello, Soul For Hire

Hang my head and shut my eyes
What kind of justice is this?
Fool I was, I thought that you fought fire with fire
Got to me more than just a soul for hire
Speaking for myself I wouldn't take the fame, the fees, the glory
For whoring in the practice of the law
I make my case stop and stutter
Soul comes unglued from the uppers
Blood is seeping in the hole
A mother's eye is weeping
I see every human kind
And still the truth is distant
I see every evil men do and desire
Got to be more then just a soul for hire
When it's time to give protection
To the ones who need it most, who are desperate
I get distracted from my job
Streams of ink and piles of paper
What are the breaks?
Jump out the window? Parole? Escape?
Blood is seeping in the hole
A mother's eye is weeping
Hang my head and shut my eyes
I can't see justice twisted
I see every evil men do and desire
Got to be more than just a soul for hire
When it's time to give protection
To the ones who need it most, who are desperate
I get distracted from my job
Streams of ink and piles of paper
To hand them over to dopers and kiddie-rapers
Corrupt in every twisted grudge
And that is just the judge
Hang my head and shut my eyes

Top Elvis Costello, From Head To Toe

Oh, well, now you're the girl I'm simply mad about.
Oh yes, I'm really glad it's been me. Oh yeah.
I hope that you've been getting ready,
'Cause I'm gonna ask you to go steady with me.
I got two eyes that happened by ya,
And when they saw you, they said they knew you were fine.
I got two lips that long to kiss you,
And when they speak, they say they wish you were mine.
Hey, sweet baby, oh don't you know that I am yours from head to toe.
Oh, I got a little heart inside me beating
And when it speaks it keeps repeating your name all the time.
You better watch out 'cause of what I say
Cause baby, don't you know that I ain't playing a game?
Hey, sweet baby, oh don't you know that I am yours from head to toe.
All the way down from the top to the ground, sweet baby.
I got two legs and I got two feet that always take me to your street
Everyday, all the time.
No matter which way I try to go, my legs and my feet
They seem to know the way.
Hey, sweet baby, oh don't you know that I am yours from head to toe.
All the way down from the top to the ground. Hey, sweet baby.

Top Elvis Costello, Sleep

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Six fingered Man

Six-Fingered Man
Playing a seven-string guitar
There are Seven Deadly Sins
Any one of them can do you in
Take what you lost from what you win
It's never enough
Six-Fingered Man
Always the first to blow his horn
His achievements multiply
Pity half of them seem to be lies
Always helps to advertise
It's never enough
He seems so satisfied
With a reputation to protect
Unless he thinks that you're more qualified
Gets so much of his own affection
Stares for hours at his reflection
Long-legged gal walking a very tiny man
They say that it should be forbidden
Must be something he has hidden
Take what you want from what you're given
Oh, it's never enough
Six-Fingered Man
Shaking his fist at everyone
Couldn't even act his age
If you put him on a stage
You might say he's all the rage
But it's never enough
Getting his prints on everything
He's got semi-precious gems
Glinting in his signet ring
Needs his fingers and his thumbs
To help him calculate his sums
Six-Fingered Man
Can't be bothered to stir himself
Sleeps the whole day long or more
Dreams of someone he adores
Drains one drink and starts to pour
Oh, it's never enough
Oh, it's never enough
Oh, it's never enough
Six-Fingered
Man Alive!

Top Elvis Costello, Almost Blue

Almost blue
Almost doing things we used to do
There's a girl here and she's almost you
Almost all the things that your eyes once promised
I see in hers too
Now your eyes are red from crying
Almost blue
Flirting with this disaster became me
It named me as the fool who only aimed to be
Almost blue
It's almost touching it will almost do
There's a part of me that's always true...always
Not all good things come to an end now it is only a chosen few
I've seen such an unhappy couple
Almost me
Almost you

Top Elvis Costello, She

May be the face I can't forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
May be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
May be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I'll remember till the day I die
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough and ready years
I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is

Top Elvis Costello, Human Hands

I've been talking to the wall and it's been answering me
Oh darling how I miss you
I'm just the mere shadow of my former selfishness
I crave the silhouette of your kiss
With only the blue light of the TV on
Lip reading threats and false alarms
There's a boy somewhere holding hands with himself
And a girl in a window on the Reeperbarn
[Chorus:]
Whenever I put my foot in my mouth and you begin to doubt
That it's you that I'm dreaming about
Do I have to draw you a diagram?
All I ever want is just to fall into your human hands
With the kings and queens of the dance hall craze
Checkmate in three moves in your heyday
But the girls don't listen to your line anymore
Now you're part of someone else
On the factory floor and you still say "Wheres the action?"
Now you manufacture happiness
And get sold on the cheap for someone's satisfaction
[Chorus]
All you toy soldiers and scaremongers
Are you living in this world sometimes I wonder
In between saying you've seen too much and saying you've seen it all before
Tighter and tighter I hold you tightly
You know I love you more than slightly
Although I've never said it like this before

Top Elvis Costello, Waiting for the End of the World

The man from the television crawled into the train.
I wonder who he's gonna stick it in this time.
Everyone was looking for a little entertainment,
so they'll probably pull his hands off
when they find out his name.
And then they shut down the power all along the line,
and we got stuck in the tunnel where no lights shine.
They got to touching all the girls were to scared to call out.
Nobody was saying anything at all.
We were waiting for the end of the world,
waiting for the end of the world,
waiting for the end of the world.
Dear Lord I sincerely hope you're coming
'cause you really started something.
Things got back to normal as the train began to roll again.
We got to the station about twenty minutes later.
The legendary hitchhiker says that he knows where it's at.
Now he'd like to go to Spain or somewhere like that,
with his two-tone Bible and his funny cigarettes,
his suntan lotion and his castanets.
He was waiting for the end of the world,
waiting for the end of the world,
waiting for the end of the world.
Dear Lord I sincerely hope you're coming
'cause you really started something.
And then the bride, the groom, the congregation and the priest
all got onto the train when we were three stations east, yeah.
Hiding from a scandal in the national press,
they had been trying to get married since they stole the wedding dress.
You may see them drowning as you stroll along the beach,

Top Elvis Costello, Watching The Detectives

Nice girls, not one with a defect
Cellophane shrink-wrapped, so correct
Red dogs under illegal legs
She looks so good that he gets down and begs
She is watching the detectives
Ooh, he's so cute, she is watching the detectives
When they shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot
They beat him up until the teardrops start
But he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart
Long shot at that jumping sign
Invisible shivers running down my spine
Cut to baby taking off her clothes
Close-up of the sign that says, 'We never close'
He snatch at you and you match his cigarette [unverified]
She pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet
I don't know how much more of this I can take
She's filing her nails while they're dragging the lake
She is watching the detectives
Ooh, he's so cute, she is watching the detectives
When they shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot
They beat him up until the teardrops start
But he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart
You think you're alone until you realize you're in it
Now fear is here to stay, love is here for a visit
They call it instant justice when it's past the legal limit
Someone's scratching at the window, I wonder who is it
The detectives come to check if you belong to the parents
Who are ready to hear the worst
About their daughter's disappearance
Though it nearly took a miracle to get you to stay
It only took my little fingers to blow you away
Just like watching the detectives
Don't get cute, it's just like watching the detectives
I get so angry when the teardrops start
But he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no hearts
Watching the detectives
It's just like watching the detectives
Watching the detectives
Watching the detectives
Watching the detectives

Top Elvis Costello, Charm School

Men made out of monkeys
Men made into mice
Happy days are here again
And all the drinks half price
A girl with a trick and a man with a calling
Trying to make a living out of your downfalling
TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING out of anything at all
Didn't they teach you anything except how to be cruel
In that charm school
You and I as lovers
Were nothing but a farce
TRYING TO MAKE A SILK PURSE
OUT OF A SOW'S ARSE
Saying 'Why don't you watch me'
Hardly speaking SOTTO VOCE
I've got a notion
I've got an angle
Take your dreams and promises
And put them through the mangle
They say it's hell to finance too
And I just want to romance you
In this perpetual nightclub
I'll be yours eternal
Though the hours are long
And the noise infernal
JUST ONE SHAMEFUL ACT OR SOMETIMES TWO

Top Elvis Costello, Heathen Town

They used to call it Sin City
now it's gone way past that.
Painting the town
and then burning it down
now even that's old hat.
Now there's a choir of angels
at the fall of Rome
singing "Ave Maria"
or "Home Sweet Home"
[Chorus:]
It's just a heathen town
I hear only evil
as my tongue is tightened.
I used to be god-fearing
now I'm so frightened
'cause the devil will drag you under
by the sharp tailfin
of your checkered cab
And I can't sit down,
I'm going overboard
in this heathen town.
It starts as a flirtation
and ends up as an expensive habit.
With one eye on her place
in debtor's prison
And the other on a girl
dressed as a rabbit.
Now you can live forever
endure fits and starts
The only stake you cannot raise
Is the one driven through your heart.

Top Elvis Costello, Painted From Memory

Such a picture of loveliness
Didn't you notice the resemblance?
Doesn't it look like she could speak?
Those eyes I tried to capture
They are lost to me now forever
They smile for someone else
Funny, how looks can be deceiving
But she's not easily
Painted from memory
You'd think that I would know by now
Those eyes I tried to capture
They are lost to me now forever
They smile for someone else
And so this had to be
Painted from memory
She is gone, and I must accept it
She is lost to me now
But I can't look away just yet though
She smiles for someone else
And so this had to be
Painted from memory
Funny, now I can see
How looks can be deceiving
And so this had to be
Painted from memory
Funny, now I can see

Top Elvis Costello, Such Unlikely Lovers

On a hot city day
When your white shirt turns to grey
That's when she'll arrive
When you look how you feel
Someone steps upon your heel
That's when she will come
Listen now
I'm not saying that there will be violins
But don't be surprised if they appear
Playing in some doorway
Still I can't believe that this is happening
We're such unlikely lovers
Though no one seems to notice as they hurry by
Ask me what I'm thinking, and I won't deny it
Can you believe it's happening?
Can you believe it's happening?
There were no magic spells
You can keep the flowers and bells
They just don't seem right
Can it actually be?
Me and you and you and me
Though we're like day and night
Listen now
I'm not saying that there will be violins
But don't be surprised if they appear
Playing in some doorway
Still I can't believe that this is happening
We're such unlikely lovers
Though no one seems to notice as they hurry by
Ask me what I'm feeling, and I won't deny it
Can you believe it's happening?
I am bewildered
Can you believe it's happening?
Somebody help me

Top Elvis Costello, I Still Have That Other Girl

I have to say that we should finish it now
Before we weaken 'cause we already know this is wrong
I could give in, sometimes I think that I will
Despite the temptation I try to be very strong
In my reluctance seems a surprise
It's not 'cause I don't want you
But I just
Know I must... hesitate
Because I still have that other girl
In my head
I still have that other girl in my head
There may be ugly rumors that
I have been lying
There may be angry tears, but
They're never worth the crying
That is why
Sometimes I... hesitate
Because I still have that other girl
In my head
I still have that other girl in my head

Top Elvis Costello, My Thief

When I go to sleep, you become my thief
Why don't you steal what you can keep?
But you won't let me be
You break into my dreams
And every day seems different
Sometimes I pretend you'll come back again
And you'll console the heart you stole
Have pity on the man
Who knows that you have gone
And has begun to break down
I feel almost possessed
So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
You can take all I have left
I know it's over
If you can't be my lover
Be my thief
I'm so drowsy now, I'll unlock the door
What fades in time will hurt much more
So here's that happy scene
Where you come back to me
It's only found in fiction
I feel almost possessed
So long as I don't lose this glorious distress then
You can take all I have left
I know it's over
If you can't be my lover
Be my thief
"I didn't lead you on,
But there will always be
A little larceny in everyone
So hush and don't you cry
I'm trying to be kind

Top Elvis Costello, Wave A White Flag

Take off your shoes, hang up your wings
Stack up the chairs, roll up the rug
Savor the things that sobriety brings
Drain in the last from a jug
But when I hit the bottle, there's no tellin' what I'll do
'Cause something deep inside me wants to turn you black and blue
I can't resist you, I can't wait
To twist your loving arms 'til you capitulate
Beat me in the kitchen, and I'll beat you in the hall
There's nothing I love better than a free for all
To take your pretty neck and see which way it bends
But when it is all over we will still be friends
Wave a white flag, put away the pistol
Too many people just can't get kissed
But if there's nothin' I can do to make amends, baby
Hope you don't murder me
Oh, was it all right, or was it okay
I'll make it all up to you someday
Oh, but you didn't have to laugh that way
Oh, no, you didn't have to laugh that way
Wave a white flag, put away the pistol
Too many people just can't get kissed
But if there's nothin' I can do to make amends, baby
Hope you don't murder me

Top Elvis Costello, Welcome To The Working Week

Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired
and you can have anyone that you have ever desired,
all you gotta tell me now is why, why, why, why.
Welcome to the workin' week.
Oh I know it don't thrill you, I hope it don't kill you.
Welcome to the workin' week.
You gotta do it till you're through it so you better get to it.
All of your family had to kill to survive,
and they're still waitin' for their big day to arrive.
But if they knew how I felt they'd bury me alive.
Welcome to the workin' week.
Oh I know it don't thrill you, I hope it don't kill you.
Welcome to the workin' week.
You gotta do it till you're through it so you better get to it.
I hear you sayin', "Hey, the city's all right
when you only read about it in books.
Spend all your money gettin' so convinced
that you never even bother to look.
Sometimes I wonder if we're livin' in the same land,
Why d'you wanna be my friend when I feel like a juggler
running out of hands?

Top Elvis Costello, Indoor Fireworks

We play these parlour games
We play at make believe
When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave
Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try
We go straight past pretending
To the part where everybody loves to cry
[Chorus:]
Indoor fireworks
Can still burn your fingers
Indoor fireworks
We swore we were safe as houses
They're not so spectacular
They don't burn up in the sky
But they can dazzle or delight
Or bring a tear
When the smoke gets in your eyes
You were the spice of life
The gin in my vermouth
And though the sparks would fly
I thought our love was fireproof
Sometimes we'd fight in public darling
With very little cause
But different kinds of sparks would fly
When we got on our own behind closed doors
[Chorus]
It's time to tell the truth
These things have to be faced
My fuse is burning out
And all that powder's gone to waste
Don't think for a moment dear that we'll ever be through
I'll build a bonfire of my dreams
And burn a broken effigy of me and you

Top Elvis Costello, Miss Mary

Angels announce with trumpets
Crown you with jewels and stars
Hercules lives
Next door to Venus and Mars
Beside your pretty blue shoulder
something may trouble Jerome
Now that you're up with your friends
I know you'll never come home
Singing so babe, I know this song
Miss Mary I'm nothing without you
Everything I've done is wrong
Miss Mary I try not to doubt you
I walk in their brilliant parade
Banish the primitive gloom
Now I know where I can find you
Hung up in some Frenchman's room
Pitiful Magdalena for all to see
Must have been beautiful
So just show a little mercy to me
Hey babe, I sing this song
Miss Mary I'm nothing without you
Everything I've done is wrong
Miss Mary I try not to doubt you
There at the foot of your staircase
I stood to take in the scene
All the ashes of roses
The veined steps of marble
Purple, gold and green
Oh I wish you were my queen
They only want to possess you
Lock you away in a vault
Such a heavenly vision
And dress you up in blue
I guess it's not their fault
I know this song
Miss Mary I'm nothing without you
Everything I've done is wrong
Miss Mary I try not to doubt you
So babe, I sing this song
Miss Mary I'm nothing without you
Everything I've done is wrong

Top Elvis Costello, The Birds Will Still Be Singing

Summertime withers as the sun descends
He wants to kiss you. Will you condescend?
Before you wake and find a chill within your bones
Under a fine canopy of lover's dust and humourous bones
Banish all dismay
Extinguish every sorrow
Eternity stinks, my darling. That's no joke
Don't waste your precious time pretending you're
heartbroken
There will be tears and candles
Pretty words to say
Spare me lily-white lillies
With the awful perfume of decay
Banish all dismay
Extinguish every sorrow
If I'm lost or I'm forgiven
The birds will still be singing
It's so hard to tear myself away
Even when you know it's over
It's too much to say.
Banish all dismay
Extinguish every sorrow
If I'm lost or I'm forgiven

Top Elvis Costello, The Deportees Club

In the Arrivederci Roma nightclub, bar and grill
Standing in the fibreglass ruins watching time stand still
All your troubles you confess
to another faceless backless dress
Schnapps chianti porter and ouzo
Pernod vodka sambuca I love you so
Deportee
Tatty beauty talking in riddles
Rome burns down everybody's on the fiddle
Two thousand dollars for wife and some class
A thousand years drowned in a chaser glass
How I wish that she was mine
I could have been a King in Six Eight Time
Schnapps chianti porter and ouzo
Pernod vodka sambuca I love you so
Deportee
It's a brittle charm but she's had enough
Still she wrote her number on his paper cuff
You don't know where to start or where to stop
All this pillow talk is nothing more than talking shop
When I came here tonight my pockets were overflowing
They took my return ticket without me even knowing
I pray to the saints and all the martyrs
For the secret life of Frank Sinatra
But none of these things have come to pass
In America the law is a piece of ass

Top Elvis Costello, Shatterproof

I see those newlyweds, their eyes wide and believing
They bill and coo at the mention of Chez Nous
Appearances can be deceiving
It's just a door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof
A door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof
We papered over all the cracks and painted a cat's lick and a promise
The landlord was a man of few words, and most of them were ominous
It's just a door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof
A door and a window
Four walls and a roof
But a home of your own would be shatterproof
It was nothing really to write home about
Then one day it all appears too much
Here comes my little hammer and its shatterproof touch
He said, "Be practical,
These are most unreasonable demands.
Forget about the broken spectacles and the damage to your hand."
It's just a door and a window
Four walls and a roof

Top Elvis Costello, Shipbuilding

Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have
sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her
name is Veronica
Chorus:
Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica
Did the days drag by? Did the favours wane?
Did he roam down the town all the time?
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at
the door, reaching out for Veronica
Well it was all of sixty-five years ago
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica
On the Empress of India
And as she closed her eyes upon the world and
picked upon the bones of last week's news
She spoke his name outloud again
Chorus
Veronica sits in her favourite chair and she sits
very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get
right and if they don't then nobody else will
But she used to have a carefree mind of her
own, with devilish look in her eye
Saying You can call me anything you like, but
my name is Veronica
Chorus

Top Elvis Costello, Shadow and Jimmy

Shadow and Jimmy were always yesterday's news
Jimmy's a bowler, Shadow rents out his green bowling shoes
Late Friday night when the bars are all shuttered and dark
He shadows back Jimmy to the lot in the lost trailer park
For shadow and Jimmy all the weekends end up the same
If it's Saturday night, then it must be the hockey game
After cold beer and barbecued ribs the night is complete
With wrestling stories and elegant bones
That are tired of walking and on their way home
[Chorus:]
And they talk about the women
And they look at the girls
They'll never know the ways of the world
They've got a mouthful of much obliged
And a handful of gimme
And the love for each other
Of Shadow and Jimmy
For Shadow and Jimmy now the story is told
There's nothing to hold on to and no one to hold
Men without women are like fish without
water to swim in
With their eyes bugging out
They flop on the beach
And look up at the girls

Top Elvis Costello, Shamed Into Love

I fear, my dear
We've forgotten the things strangers do
If we could look back
To the terrible thrill that we knew
Am I imagining a world without you?
Must we be shamed into love?
What can I say?
Will you pardon my stupid embrace?
Sometimes I'm desperate
While you're wiping the smile from your face
Am I surrendering, or am I replaced?
Must we be shamed into love?
Shamed into love
You're once a fool for having it
Twice a fool for letting it go
Somewhere my love there's a feeling deep inside of me
That I can't let go
Oh you'll never know
But then my darling
I've forbidden myself to confess
I've looked around now
But I always return to your face
In a world where everything
I once cursed, I bless
It must be you who shamed me into love

Top Elvis Costello, My Brave Face

My brave, my brave, my brave face
I've been living in style
Unaccustomed as I am
To the luxury life
I've been hitting the town
And it didn't hit back
I've been doing the rounds
Unaccustomed as I am
To the time on my hands
Now I don't have to tell anybody
When I'm gonna get back
Ever since you went away I've had the sentimental inclination not to change a single thing
As I pull the sheet back on the bed I want to go bury my head in your pillow
Now that I'm alone again
I can't stop breaking down again
The simplest things set me off again
Take me to that place
Where I can find my brave face
Where I can find my brave face
My brave, my brave, my brave face
I've been living a lie
Unaccustomed as I am
To the work of a housewife
I been breaking up dirty dishes
And been throwing them away
Ever since you left I have been trying to compose a "Baby, would you please come home" note meant for you
As I clear away another untouched TV dinner from the table I made for two
Now that I'm alone again
I can't stop breaking down again
The simplest things set me off again
Take me to that place
Where I can find my brave face
Where I can find my brave face

Top Elvis Costello, Punishing Kiss

I favour a good punishing kiss
It helps pass the lonely afternoons
Another stiff drink
Wipe off that lipstick
For when you reach a certain age
All the most villainous men
Can be found on Channel Ten
And I make them dance
In attendance
We will be back
In a minute or two
And he will punish that girl
Oh I forget the reason
Just look at me I'm lost in a social whirl
She was never so witty
Always struggling to be full of fun
On weekdays from midday to one
In a little black cocktail dress everyone hates
She'll be saving the world in-between fashion plates
I know what she gets up to in the back of that black limousine
And I find myself shouting at the screen
I think that it's time to turn over
They say it's harmless I know
A hundred and ten percent certain virtually real
If you need something to feel
Then favour a good punishing kiss
It helps chase the wasted afternoons
The flowers and the pearls
The long lost relations
That love sick tom boy comes in bloom
All the pointless heartache
That seems to belong in my blue bloom
Can't stand the suspense
The endless embraces
When each episode
Lends the silly pretence
Say I can turn away
When I will never miss
It starts with a joke

Top Elvis Costello, The Stamping Ground

The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Coming in with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
The big fella on the front door knows your face.
The barman pretends that he's saved you a place,
but when your back is turned
they say she's older than she tells.
I could stand the main attraction,
but not the clientele.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Coming in with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
Everybody knows
evrybody's trouble,
who comes in alone,
who leaves as a couple.
When they seen you coming, babe,
they act like they're pleased to meet you.
Say "It's very nice to know you,
but I wouldn't want to be you."
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Going home with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
You talk like you don't have a brain in your head.
You act like you don't have a care in your bed.
Th lights are on,
there's no one home,
it scares you to death.
You stamp on anyone who stops to take a breath.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
still hang around.
Going home with the same blokes,
going home with the same jokes,
if you ever go missing
I know where you'll be found :
the stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.

Top Elvis Costello, The Loved Ones

Don't get smart or sarcastic
He snaps back just like elastic
Spare us the theatrics and the verbal gymnastics
We break wise guys just like matchsticks
[Chorus:]
What would the loved ones say
Your pride and joy is all blown up
What would the loved ones say
The bride and boy are barely grown up
You're not my particular poison
I've got nothing against you myself
You could have been a danger to the boys and girls
Now you're a danger to yourself
Oh what would the loved ones say
What would the loved ones say
Oh what would the loved ones say
What would the loved ones say
The ugly little scenes run round your bed
The ugly little dreams you get the needle and no thread
They stitched you up this time
They say you'll do
They bitch about your pretty face turning ugly on you
The butcher the baker and the bassline maker
Say you can leave her I can take her
You live your whole life like a minute or two later
One day its going to end sooner than greater
What would the loved ones say
He'll be remembered young and pretty
What would the loved ones say
Now he's a hit in every city
Now there's a name well never forget
There's one born every minute
Dont pin a medal on me yet
They might be waiting for you
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, Town Cryer

I'm the town crier
And everybody knows
I'm a little down
With a lifetime to go
Maybe you don't believe my heart is in the right place
Why don't you take a good look at my face
Other boys use the splendour of their trembling lip
They're so teddy bear tender and tragically hip
I'm never going to cry again
I'm going to be as strong as them
They say they'd die for love
And then they live it out
They'll give you something to cry about
And suddenly you really fall to pieces
I'm the town crier
And everybody knows
I'm a little down
With a lifetime to go
Maybe you don't believe my heart is in the right place
Why don't you take a good look at my face
Other boys use the splendour of their trembling lip
They're so teddy bear tender and tragically hip
Love and unhappiness go arm in arm
Long suffering friends of your fatal charm
Isn't it a pity that you're going to get hurt

Top Elvis Costello, The World Of Broken Hearts

Every night you'll find me in the only world I own.
It's a crowded place that's filled with people all alone.
It's a place that I could write a book about.
When they let you in, you'll find there's no way out.
There you don't get in, 'cause there's no way out
There's just no way out.
No way out when your in a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
of broken hearts,
of broken hearts.
Those who enter here are told to leave their dreams behind.
You may never get to sleep again, but you don't mind.
It's a place that I could write a book about.
When they let you in, you'll find there's no way out.
There you don't get in, 'cause there's no way out
There's just no way out.
No way out when your in a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
of broken hearts,
of broken hearts.
In a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
in a world of broken hearts,
of broken hearts,
of broken hearts.

Top Elvis Costello, Shabby Doll

Giving you more of what for
Always worked for me before
Now I'm a shabby doll
What's going on behind the green elevator door
With just a shabby doll
[Chorus:]
There's a hit man facing
A compromising situation
With just a shabby doll
And a very neat line in character assassination
She's just a shabby doll
She's just a shabby doll
She's putting him off and putting you on
She's just the shabby doll
You're swearing upon you know in your heart
She's gone you know in your heart
She's just a shabby doll
There's a girl in this dress
There's always a girl in distress
She's just a shabby doll
She's so sure she's self-possessed
Then again she's half undressed
She's just a shabby doll
The boy that I used to be
Showed no sign of sympathy
For just a shabby doll
I have betrayed you and me
And paid for my own bribery
With just a shabby doll
[Chorus]
He's the tired toy that everyone enjoyed
He wants to be a fancy man but he's nothing but a nancy boy
He's all pride and no joy
And being what you might call a whore
Always worked for me before
Now I'm a shabby doll
Untie the gag the cat's out of the bag
But won't show his claws
He's just a shabby doll
She said you must be joking
Some things are left unspoken
You're just a shabby doll
He's lying limp and soaking
He was openly broken
By just a shabby doll

Top Elvis Costello, Really Mystified

He will break your heart, if you go with him.
Tear it all apart, and that would be a sin.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
I'm the one that needs you, I love you constantly.
Answer me, I need you, I'm waitnig patiently.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
Darling, if I let you go by, I'll be living in a dream of emptiness.
The feeling in my heart, my mind and my soul, if you would surely cure my loneliness.
He will break your heart, if you go with him.
Tear it all apart, and that would be a sin.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
Darling, if I let you go by, I'll be living in a dream of emptiness.
The feeling in my mind, my heart and my soul, if you would quickly cure my loneliness.
He will break your heart, if you go with him.
Tear it all apart, and that would be a sin.
I'm really mystified, I even sat right down and cried.
Ooh Yeah, mystified.
Really mystified.

Top Elvis Costello, The Long Honeymoon

All the bedroom lights go out
As the neighbourhood gets quiet
Everything in heaven and earth is almost right
But there's a wife whos wondering where her husband could be tonight
And when the phone rang only once she took a dreadful fright
Little things just seem to undermine her confidence in him
He was late this time last week
Who can she turn to when the chance of coincidence is slim
'Cause the baby isn't old enough to speak
[Chorus:]
There's been a long honeymoon
She thought too late and spoke too soon
There's no money back guarantee on future happiness
There's been a long honeymoon
If he's out on a date then her life's in ruins
She never thought her love could ever be as strong as this
All the movies and the papers
Feature the murders of lonely women
If he isn't in by ten she'll call up her best friend
Why doesn't he come home
Why does her friends phone keep on ringing
Maybe she should just pretend

Top Elvis Costello, Tears Before Bedtime

I know the name on the tip of your tongue
And I know that accusing look
Everybody knows I've been so wrong
That's the problem and here's the hook
[Chorus:]
Tears before bedtime
There'll be trouble tonight
I don't want to talk about it anymore
I don't want to have another fight
I don't want to talk I don't want to fight
How wrong can I be before I am right
For the tears that you boo hoo hoo hoo
There can be no defence
You say you'll forgive and forget
But it's only a pretence
Either you can leave the past behind
Or give me something to disconnect my mind
I sleep with my fists clenched tight
When I don't lie awake all night
I guess time gave up the ghost too late
And the balance of our love
Very soon turns to hate
Darling your suspiciousness
Tortures me at night
But I can't excuse the cruel words
That I use whenever we fight

Top Elvis Costello, Pidgin English

There's a young girl with her old man who's too sick to mention
She'll be turning twenty seven as she draws her widow's pension
But he couldn't catch a common cold he couldn't get arrested
Too terrified to answer back
Too tired to have resisted
Many hands make light work
Shorthand makes life easy
When he's out on night work
Make sure no one sees me
It all ends up in a slanging match with body talk and bruises
A change is better than a rest
Silly beggars can't be choosers
[Chorus:]
One of a thousand pities you can't categorize
There are ten commandments of love
When will you realise
There are ten commandments of love
I believe, I trust, I promise, I wish love's just a throwaway kiss
In this Pidgin English
If you're so wise use your lips and your eyes
Take it to the bridge she sighs
You go cheep cheep cheep between bulleyes and bluster
Stiff as your poker face
Keener than mustard
From your own back yard to the land of exotica
From the truth society to neurotic erotica
Silence is golden
Money talks diamonds and ermine
There's a word in Spanish
Italian and German
In sign language, morse code, semaphore and gibberish
Have you forgotten how to say it
In your Pidgin English?
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, Night Time

Wait until the light goes out,
I don't want to be seen about,
maybe we could find a place to go.
Find a crowded place where they don't care about your face,
or if your name is even Santa Claus or Joe.
I'll be right at home if they leave me alone.
That's why I only operate at night time.
Wait until the clock strikes ten,
it'll all start happening then.
Baby, just you wait and see.
We can have a little party, laugh and sing and everything,
I know you'll like it, just you wait and see.
Maybe first we'll dig a movie,
then we'll hit they high spots feelin' groovy.
That's why I only operate at night time.
The right time is the night time.
I wait `til it's late and I can concentrate,
making love by the light of the moon.
So when it's way past nine, get ready for a swinging time,
`cause I don't know where to draw the line.
We can have a little party, laugh and sing and everything,
I know you'll like it just you wait and see.
Maybe first we'll dig a movie,
then we'll hit the high spots feelin' groovy.
That's why I only operate at night time.
Night time.

Top Elvis Costello, Hoover Factory

Five miles out of London on the Western Avenue
Must have been a wonder when it was brand new
Talkin' 'bout the splendour of the Hoover factory
I know that you'd agree if you had seen it too
It's not a matter of life or death
But what is, what is ?
It doesn't matter if I take another breath
Who cares ? Who cares ?
Green for go, green for action
From Park Royal to North Acton
Past scrolls and inscriptions like those of the Egyptian age
And one of these days the Hoover factory
Is gonna be all the rage in those fashionable pages
Five miles out of London on the Western Avenue
Must have been a wonder when it was brand new
Talkin' 'bout the splendour of the Hoover factory
I know that you'd agree if you had seen it too
It's not a matter of life or death
But what is, what is ?
It doesn't matter if I take another breath

Top Elvis Costello, Red Cotton

I'm cutting up her pure white dress
That I dyed red
That I dyed red
I'm putting scraps in cheap tin lockets
What time erases and memory mocks
I'll send them over the ocean foam
Right into those gentle European homes
The slave ship "Blessing" slipped from Liverpool
Over the waves the Royal Navy rules
To go and plunder the Kingdom of Benin
Where certain history ends and shame begins
Dahomey traders paid in powder and shot
Line up their prisoners and they sell them in lots
They packed them tight inside those coffin ships
And they took them to the brand new world of
Auction blocks and whips
I'm cutting up her pure white dress
That I dyed red
That I dyed red
I'm putting scraps in cheap tin lockets
What time erases and memory mocks
I'll send them over the ocean foam
Right into those gentle European homes
White is the sheet on your fine linen bed
The blood stained red on each cotton thread
The merchants gather at St. George's Hall
To unveil the kneeling slave who is carved upon the wall
Picture the scene at the Old Salt House docks
Where they loaded the iron shackles and locks
Between a sandstone crocodile, a barrel and a bale
You will see the nameless faces they were offering for sale
So, I sing the praises of God's glory
As a blue cetacean floats in the basement
An elephant on the second storey
And they queue all day to see him
In my American Museum
But the Lord will judge us with fire and thunder
As man continues in all his blunders
It's only money
It's only numbers
Maybe it is time to put aside these fictitious wonders
But man is feeble
Man is puny
And if it should divide the Union
There is no man that should own another

Top Elvis Costello, Imperial Bedroom

Everyone agreed that she looked delightful
Except for her sister, who was hateful and spiteful
Blushing bright red from her head to her feet
But rushing into her bridal suite
The imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
Life turns out like a TV serial
A head full of daydreams, his hands full of material
She says it's not fair, he's messing up her hair
And still he looks so neat
Stepping into the bridal suite
The imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
So the best man will do his best again
Now they're getting dressed again
Blushing bright red from her head to her feet
Sneaking out of the bridal suite
The imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
We know who you're with and where you are
In the imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir
Two names under the register
In the imperial bedroom, the regal boudoir
This casual acquaintance led to an intimate bonsoir

Top Elvis Costello, Man Out of Time

So this is where he came to hide
When he ran from you
In a private detective's overcoat
And dirty dead man's shoes
The pretty things of Knightsbridge
Lying for a minister of state
Are a far cry from the nod and wink
Here at traitor's gate
'Cause the high heel he used to be has been ground down
And he listens for the footsteps that would follow him around
[Chorus:]
To murder my love is crime
But will you still love
A man out of time
There's a tuppeny hapenny millionaire
Looking for a fourpenny one
With a tight grip on the short hairs
Of the public imagination
But for his private wife and kids somehow
Real life becomes a rumour
Days of dutch courage
Just three French letters and a German sense of humour
He's got a mind like a sewer and a heart like a fridge
He stands to be insulted and he pays for the privilege
[Chorus]
The biggest wheels of industry
Retire sharp and short
And the after dinner overtures
Are nothing but an after thought
Somebody's creeping in the kitchen
There's a reputation to be made
Whose nerves are always on a knife's edge
Who's up late polishing the blade
Love is always scarpering or cowering or fawning
You drink yourself insensitive and hate yourself in the morning

Top Elvis Costello, One Bell Ringing

Raining slapping on the window pane
An hour or more of teeming
Storm punching like a hurricane
That tore him out of dreaming
Air screaming through the slightest gap
Rattling between the frame and the sill
Drapes hanging from the final act
When I had you still
One lonely bird is singing
Lower the hood hung of his lament
Dash him down on cold cement
One Bell Ringing
Flies buzzing round strip search light
They've got him down on his knees
He thinks of honey dripping from a spoon
Girls whispering in Portuguese
Between muzzle and the black site
Electrical contact
Deny your name and then carry the blame
Somewhat after the fact
One lonely bird is singing
Lower the hood hung on that last lament
Dash him down on cold cement

Top Elvis Costello, She Was No Good

She could be no good, I'm telling you
Gather 'round boys for a tale that is tragic and true
On the Mississippi riverboat, "Magnolia"
No one onboard was smelling too sweet
That precious one must have been stamping her feet
Dictating demands all well and fine
A few rods west of the Bridgeport line
But the veil was drawn and the halo slipped
Tippling tinctures and reciting scripture
Faces where slapped just as kid gloves were suffered
Vile threats were uttered and challenges were offered
On the Cumberland riverboat, "E. W. Stephens"
Daggers were drawn on pistols pulled
Staggering 'til dawn filled up with whiskey and rum
And several drunken players ran amok
Rampaging with the crew around the deck
And I received a blow that was unkind
It turned my cheek to the colour of gentian violet
I wouldn't say that this journey had quite been the highlight
Of the All-American Tour
Teetering on the edge of war
Out of the genteel Northern prosceniums
Filled up with imitation Europeans
Down along the river of rough damnations
By the blood-stained cotton and the slave plantations
She could be no good, I'm telling you
Gather round boys for a tale that is tragic and true
And I received a blow that was unkind
It turned my cheek to the colour of gentian violet
I wouldn't say that this journey had quite been the highlight
Of the All-American Tour
Teetering on the edge of war
Out of the genteel Northern prosceniums
Filled up with imitation Europeans
Down along the river of rough damnations

Top Elvis Costello, She Handed Me A Mirror

She handed me a mirror
That she had gazed upon
The glass still held an image
The glass still held an image
But it was of a man
I turned from the reflection
To see who it might be
Is that poor vanity quite
How she pictures me?
She handed me a mirror
Rather than tell me, "No"
She let slip her handkerchief
Gentle laughter flowed
Just as her lips bestowed
The dashing word like, "Brother"
The crushing word like, "Friend"
If there was no beginning
How could this be the end?
She handed me mirror
So I could recognize
The distance from my heart to hers
The distance from my heart to hers
The pity in her eyes
She liked my pretty story
I thanked her for her song
And then I wrote a tale not very long to tell
You are much more than pretty
You are beautiful
She handed me mirror and I saw her instead
She handed me a mirror
She handed me a mirror
And that is all she did

Top Elvis Costello, I Turn Around

Sometimes I try so hard to resist, you say you will and I say you won't.
Sometimes I think that you don't exsist and sometimes you don't.
Pinch me 'cause I don't believe it.
Kiss me 'cause it feels like a hit.
I turn around and you're not there.
Why must it always be the less I see of you, the more I care?
You're determined to make me as miserable as you can.
You're like Harry Houdini or the Invisible Man.
Count 10 and then down again.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Doing everything they say shouldn't be done,
more fun than you can have with your clothes on.
Pinch me 'cause I don't believe it.
Kiss me 'cause it feels like a hit.
I turn around and you're not there.
Why must it always be the less I see of you, the more I care?
You're determined to make me as miserable as you can.
You're like Harry Houdini or the Invisible Man.
I turn around and you're not there.
Why must it always be the less I see of you, the more I care?
The less I see of you, the more I care.

Top Elvis Costello, Shallow Grave

When I fall in endless sleep
I hope that I'll be buried deep
Let me be the one that fortune favours
Even good children got shallow graves
Throw another clown to the lions
Throw another Joan on the blaze
Cast me away on the cruel calm ocean
and leave me for days and days and days and days and days
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
I won't lie, I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Dig me down deep where the dead men sleep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Bless the poor 'cos like the rich
They all end up in a ditch
In this world of fools and knaves
Even good children got shallow graves
The tinker, the tailor, the fabulous five
Nobody gets out of this alive
Dig me down deep where the dead men sleep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Dig me down deep where the dead men sleep
I won't lie in this poor shallow grave
Dig me down, dig me down, dig me down deep

Top Elvis Costello, Colour Of The Blues

Up above me are the skies
Like the twinkle in your eyes
Blue must be the colour of the blues
In the mail, the letters came
But you can't pay for love the same
Blue must be the colour of the blues
The bluebird singin' in the trees
Seems to sympathize with me
'Cause he's not singin' like he used to do
Pretty waters in the sea
Feel as cold as you left me
Blue must be the colour of the blues
Blue days come and blue days go
The way I feel, nobody knows
Life is finally empty without you
There's a blue note in each song
That I sing since you've been gone

Top Elvis Costello, ...And in Every Home

You turn to the sinister when you get the boot
Sliding down the banister in your Sunday suit
Lying on a slag heap of blankets and magazines
She's only thirty-five going on seventeen
You'd better roll over and go to sleep if you don't come clean
[Chorus:]
And in every home there will be lots of time
I will be all yours you might have been admired
(And in every home there will be lots of time)
They say they're very sorry but you are not desired
Oh heaven preserve us
Oh heaven preserve us
Oh heaven preserve us
Because they don't deserve us
Holding your life in your hand
With an artificial limp wrist
And so a young blade becomes a has-been
Looking for a new twist
A year after the wedding he broke all their china plates
He's in prison now she's running with his mates
Sees him every Sunday
And he asks her where she's been
She's only thirty-five going on seventeen
She's going to cop a packet if he ever finds her
In between the sheets

Top Elvis Costello, Worthless Thing

Top Elvis Costello, Oh Well

The ink is running
The words are taught
I'm sitting helpless with my paper and charts
I had to follow my passion
Oh well
I don't get paid that much for all I deserve
To waste a sentence or shatter my nerves
I had to follow my passion
Oh well
Sometimes I long to run outside
I'd give it all up but it's my pride
Oh well
Oh well
I had a dream once or so I thought
I'd be a pilot or an astronaut
I had a dream like that until I found
Even an astronaut goes into the ground
Life is just passing us bye-bye
Oh well
Oh well

Top Elvis Costello, No Hiding Place

In the not very distant future
When everything will be free
There won't be any cute secrets
Let alone any novelty
You can say anything you want to
In your fetching cloak of anonymity
Are you feeling out of breath now?
In your desperate pursuit of infamy
Two lovers rocking up and down
In an elevator
15 minutes later
They'll make a killing in the market
They know how to work it
On that close circuit
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
You'll find these days that there's
No Hiding Place
How proud you are
You got the knack
Of howling in a vacuum
Whatever I said about you
I didn't say it behind your back
I paid for my immortal sins
I know the enemy within you
As it seems these days
There is no hiding place
Next time someone wants to hurt you
Or set alight your effigy
Don't call on me to help you out
Don't come crying to me for sympathy
You stay there with your daubs and scratches
While I summon up the red machine
I'll be handing somebody matches
And carrying a can of kerosene
Walk up to me
And say what you said
Let's see how brave you are
When I'm about this far
You sit in judgment and bitch
Well, baby that's rich
You're nothing but a snitch
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
My, my, it's a terrible disgrace
You'll find these days that there's

Top Elvis Costello, I Lost You

I Lost You
I Lost You
You slipped from your costume
Like an actress in this tragedy
You're just an apparition in a haunting mystery
I fear that you've passed over me...
And there's nothing I can do because
I Lost You
Just like a rich man who is careless of his change
I took you for granted
And then you went to strangers
From deep within my heart I feel a distant fading pulse
A poor woman looking for last coin in her purse
I Lost You
I Lost You
You slipped from your costume
Like an actress in this tragedy
You're just an apparition in a haunting mystery
I fear that you've passed over me...
And there's nothing I can do because
I Lost You
Just like a counterfeit you pass from palm to palm
I chased the one I surely loved to someone else's arms
I mislaid my senses, now that's easy to say
A fool who took his pleasure but then threw his love away
I Lost You
I Lost You
You slipped from your costume
Like an actress in this tragedy
You're just an apparition in a haunting mystery
I fear that you've passed over me...
And there's nothing I can do because

Top Elvis Costello, Sad About Girls

To all the girls that awake to escape in the morning
You want to leave him without even a warning, a trace, or a calling card
Sad about girls who know perfectly well why he's so sad about this girl
He's so mad about this girl tonight
So understanding--oh, she's so undemanding
So in control, so on the whole--she's so good to you until it gets to you
Sad about girls in your polythene world
Where you unwrap and rewrap and know when she leaves
That the next girl to suffer, putting you (posed?)
Unwrap and love you before she can know you
She's just got to show you the way that you're gonna be sad
Sad about girls that awake to escape in the morning
Get up and leave without even a warning
But no where is sad as the girls in the night
So ready to please you, so ready to bite
Sad about girls who know perfectly well he's so sad about this girl
You're so sad about your girl tonight
Sad about girls tonight

Top Elvis Costello, Seconds Of Pleasure

Seconds of Pleasure
You say you don't desire me,
she's only a hired hand,
now you are tired of me.
Expensive care is meaningless,
feeling nothing and caring less.
Cut off at the pass,
she knows where you were headed,
she wants double-time or a temporary wedding.
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure,
though she? with forty-five years
for seconds of pleasure.
I thought I knew you too well,
now I find the man is a mystery,
and the promises you made
are really only ancient history.
Everyday goes by without a hitch,
you say the urge becomes an itch.
You say that I'm no go for you, that's rich,
or am I being bitchy?
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure,
though she forty-five years
for seconds of pleasure.
And the hands on the clock move so precisley,
You say you only kissed her once or twice.
You didn't do it for love, you didn't even do it with stealth.
I can't help you now,
I can't help myself.
Commited to life and then commuted to the outskirts.
I was living for thirty minutes at a time
with a break in the middle for adverts.
You treat me like a piece of human furniture.
You say when? you sad soul,
if you can look all that you like,
but I won't let you touch and poke.
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure,
though she ? forty-five years

Top Elvis Costello, New Lace Sleeves

Bad lovers face to face in the morning
Shy apologies and polite regrets
Slow dances that left no warning of
Outraged glances and indiscreet yawning
Good manners and bad breath get you nowhere
Even presidents have newspaper lovers
Ministers go crawling under covers
She's no angel
He's no saint
They're all covered up with white washed grease paint
And you say...
[Chorus:]
The teacher never told you anything but white lies
But you never see the lies
And you believe
Oh you know you have been captured
You feel so civilized
And you look so pretty in your new lace sleeves
The salty lips of the socialite sisters
With their continental fingers that have
never seen working blisters
Oh I know they've got their problems
I wish I was one of them
They say daddy's coming home soon
With his sergeant stripes and his Empire mug and spoon
No more fast buck
And when are they gonna learn their lesson
When are they gonna stop all of these victory processions
And you say...

Top Elvis Costello, Pretty Words

I ask you nicely
Get my face slapped under wraps
What's going on precisely
Is there something wrong perhaps?
Surprise, surprise (surprise, surprise)
It's more like a booby trap than a booby prize
Civil disobedience from a soldier with a dirty rifle
You're loosening all the screws that hold the hinges of my life
Fat cats and army brats
Hep cats and dog tags pawing over girly mags
[Chorus:]
Pretty words don't mean much anymore
I don't mean to be mean much anymore
All I see are snapshots, big shots, tender spots
(1) mug shots, machine slots
(2) machine slots, mug shots
Till you don't know what's what
You don't know what you got
Curious women running after curious men
Curiosity didn't kill the cat
It was a poisoned pen
But there's not much choice (it's Hobson's choice)
Between a cruel mouth and a jealous voice
Got back to London
Picked a paper from the mat
No words of consolation
Just cartoons and chitter chatter
Well well, fancy that
Millions murdered for a kiss me quick hat
No backbone, blood and guts
Better keep your big mouth shut

Top Elvis Costello, Twenty-Five To Twelve

You say you don't desire me
You only tire me
Now you'll hire me
Expensive care is meaningless
Feeling nothing and caring less
Cut off at the passion
She knows where you're headed
She wants double time
Or a temporary wedding
[Chorus:]
And the lucky girl leads a life of leisure
With 45 years for seconds of pleasure
The hands on the clock move so precisely
And I only kiss but once or twice
I can't help you now,
I can't help myself
'Cause the time's running out
And it's twenty-five to twelve
Crowds surround loudspeakers
On the lampposts
Listening to the murder mystery
Meanwhile someone's in the classroom
Busy forging books on history
Wouldn't give that man my hand
He'd steal my fingers
So the sleuth ends up in stitches
And your urges turn to itches
[Chorus]
I was committed to life
And then commuted to the outskirts
I was living with thirty minutes at a time
With a break in the middle for adverts
See the human furniture
But its only for show
Now you can look all that you like
But they only let you touch and go

Top Elvis Costello, Weeper's Dream

(Instrumental)

Top Elvis Costello, Shot With His Own Gun

How does it feel now you've been undressed
by a man with a mind like the gutter press
So disappointed to find it's no big sin
Lying skin to skin
[Chorus:]
Shot with his own gun
Now dad is keeping mum
Shot with his own gun
Now somebody has to pay for the one who got away
What's on his mind now is anyone's guess
Losing his touch with each caress
Spending ev'ry evening looking so appealing
He comes without warning
Leaves without feeling
[Chorus]
On your marks, man, ready, set
Let's get loaded and forget
The little corporal got in the way
And he got hit by an emotional ricochet
It's a bit more now than dressing up dolly
Playing house seems so melancholy
[Chorus]
Oh it's too sad to be true

Top Elvis Costello, Strict Time

There's a hand on a wire that leads to my mouth
I can hear you knocking but I'm not coming out
Don't want to be a puppet or a ventriloquist
'Cause there's no ventilation on a critical list
Fingers creeping up my spine are not mine to resist
Strict time
[Chorus:]
Toughen up, toughen up
Keep your lip buttoned up
Strict time
Oh the muscles flex and the fingers curl
And a cold sweat breaks out on the sweater girl
Strict time
Oh he's all hands, don't touch that dial
The courting cold wars weekend witch trial
Strict time
All the boys are straight laced and the girls are frigid
The talk is two-faced and the rules are rigid 'cause it's strict time
Strict time
[Chorus]
You talk in hushed tones, I talk in lush tones
Try to look Italian through the musical Valium
Strict time
Thinking of grand larceny
Smoking the everlasting cigarette of chastity
Cute assistants staying alive
More like a hand job than the hand jive
Strict time

Top Elvis Costello, When That I Was And A Little Tiny Boy

When that I was and a little tiny boy
With a Hey-ho
The wind and the rain
A foolish thing was but a toy
For the rain it raineth
Every day
But when I came to man's estate
With a Hey-ho
The wind and the rain
'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate
For the rain it raineth
Every day
But when I came alas to wife
With a Hey-ho
The wind and the rain
By swaggering I could never fright
For the rain it raineth
Every day
But when I came unto my bed
With a Hey-ho
The wind and the rain
With tosspots still a drunken head
For the rain it raineth
Every day
A great while ago the world began
With a Hey-ho
The wind and the rain
But that's all one our play is done
And we'll strive to please you

Top Elvis Costello, Lover's Walk

I won't walk with my head bowed
(Be on) Beyond caution where lovers walk
My love walks where three's a crowd
Beyond caution where lovers walk
Lovers walk, lovers scramble
Beyond caution where the lovers walk
Lovers step, shuffle and gamble
Beyond caution where lovers walk
Lovers trip, lovers stumble
Lovers dip, lovers fumble
Lovers lip where love has crumbled
Beyond caution where lovers walk
Lovers strut, lovers stroll, lovers leap
Lovers late, lovers wait
Making promises that they can't keep
Lovers link up arm and arm
Lovers slink up, lovers charm
Lovers drink up and come to harm
Beyond caution where lovers walk
Love is gone and it's no one's fault
Love has stopped here, lovers halt
Lovers don't walk, lovers run
Will you look what love has done
Will you look what love has done
Will you look what love has done
Beyond caution where lovers walk
Now love's limping on a lover's crutch
Looking for a hand with a personal touch

Top Elvis Costello, Luxembourg

Dressed up like a dog's dinner
Butter wouldn't melt on your paws
If this is a dog's life
Then you're the cat's clothes
They hire out your sons
And hire out your daughters
The man from abroad says he's already bought her
And now you look like a lover but you're only a tourist
[Chorus:]
You're either talking or yawning
You didn't listen to a thing you heard
Don't start your morning moaning or you might wake up in Luxembourg
You get over
You're worried by her body
She's worryin' about her bodily odour
You pull off
The pull over
You say that you love her when you really loathe her
Serves you right now she wants you to feed her and clothe her
[Chorus]
They're smiling sweetly while they're looking daggers
Kick you where it really matters
Send all your friends to Coventry
And look for your name in last night's obituaries
If you've got the Deutschmarks
If you've got the Yen, then
You get the shirt off her back and the clock off Big Ben
Somebody's soft touch
Struck all these bargains
In the drinking clubs with the council men
Making plans to put lead back in their pencils again

Top Elvis Costello, Mistress And Maid

She said, "Come in, my dear,
You're looking tired tonight
Your bath is drawn, let me loosen your tie
And fix you your usual drink"
He settles back
Takes a magazine
Kicks off his shoes
As he studies the form
Of every appealing soubrette
But where are the flowers that he used to bring?
Every endearing remark
Reminds her of passionate promises
That he only made in the dark
In her bed
She wants to shout at the back of his head
Look at me, look at me, look at me
I'm afraid
See what it's come to
I'm just your mistress and maid
The wine is warm
But the dinner is cold
The look in his eye tells her it won't be long
Till the girls on the page come to life
And they'll get the flowers that he used to bring
With every endearing remark
And all of the passionate promises
He'll never fulfil in the dark
In their bed
She wants to shout at the back of his head
Look at me, look at me, now that I'm not afraid.
See what it's come to
I'm not your mistress and maid
See what it's come to

Top Elvis Costello, Mr. Feathers

They looked at her this way ever since she was a girl
Mr. Feathers, Mr. Feathers
The echo in every smile that would curl into a leer
Oh my dear, Mr. Feathers is near
The counter is falling
Something is spoiling
It's really appalling
You pleased and you promised
You never saw it through
Nobody knows the damage that we do
Do you carry it with you?
She passed him out in the street
He suddenly seemed so frail
As her fast heart beat
She should kick him anyway
Sharpen her nails...
For eyes that strayed where hands should never stray
She thought she was wanton ever since she was a girl
Mr. Feathers, Mr. Feathers
The kindness in every smile that would curl into a sneer
Oh my dear, Mr. Feathers is near
Her lover is calling
Something is spoiling
It's really appalling
You pleased and you promised
You never saw it through
Nobody knows the damage that we do

Top Elvis Costello, You Bowed Down

I expect you're entitled to know why I'm making contact
With acquaintances scattered all over the land
I'd promise you now and again that I'd honour the contract
If it hadn't crumbled away in my hand
So we broke that vow independently now
But I don't know why you absolutely deny
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
When you first looked away I might say it was really a kindness
It must have hurt you to see how dreams sour
Now they say that justice and love are the next things to blindness
Well you're getting plenty of both of them now
And so you parade where appointments are made
And never meant to be kept
Unless you accept
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You value the burnt amber of falling leaves
And you long to delay
As you feel their breath as they whisper
"It won't hurt you now to betray
If you just bow down"
And now every time that we meet on the edge of hysteria
You're helping them sell off some new party line
I remember a time when you would have seemed so superior
Now you say "Will you please meet this good friend of mine?"
So you're in demand as long as you kiss their hand
But all the applause is for their name not yours
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down
You bowed down
You bowed down

Top Elvis Costello, Jimmie Standing In The Rain

Third-Class ticket in his pocket
Punching out the shadows underneath the sockets
Tweed coat turned up against the fog
Slow coaches rolling o'er the moor
Between the very memory
And approaches of war
Stale bread curling on a luncheon counter
Loose change lonely, not the right amount
Forgotten Man of an indifferent nation
Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station
Somebody's calling you again
The sky is falling
Jimmie's standing in the rain
Nobody wants to buy a counterfeited prairie lullaby in a colliery town
A hip flask and fumbled skein with some stagedoor Josephine
Is all he'll get now
Eyes going in and out of focus
Mild and bitter from tuberculosis
Forgotten Man
Indifferent nation
Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station
Somebody's calling you again
The sky is falling
Jimmie's standing in the rain
Her soft breath was gentle on his neck
If he could choose the time to die
Then he would come and go like this
Underneath a painted sky
She woke up and called him "Charlie" by mistake
And then in shame began to cry
Tarnished silver band peals off a phrase
And then warms their hands around the brazier
Forgotten Man
Indifferent nation
Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station
Somebody's calling you again
It's finally dawning
Jimmie's standing in the rain
Brilliantine glistening
Your soft plaintive whistling
And your wan wandering smile
Died down at The Hippodrome
Now you're walking off to jeers,
The lonely sound of jingling spurs,
The "toodle-oos" and "Oh, my dears" down at "The Argyle"
Vile vaudevillians applaud sobriety
There's no place for a half-cut cowboy in polite society
Forgotten Man
Indifferent nation
Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station
Somebody's calling you again
It's finally dawning

Top Elvis Costello, Where Is The Love

Where is the love
It's such a ruthless business
Where is the faith
The hope and the forgiveness
Twisting the words you say until the meaning fits
It starts with a little lying
Then there's no end to it
At best you are a cruel coward
At worst you are a worthless hypocrite
Where is the love
Now it's so badly needed
I heard a cry that always goes unheeded
Between your heart and hide
Something gets lost because it takes a tragedy
To trick it out of us
We never do the thing we should do
You just say anything to get your way
Where is the love
Where is the love
How can you face your face in the mirror
How can you turn a blind eye to all
What lurks inside of you that allows you to steal from the table of life
How can you place your head on the pillow
Knowing you are so guilty of all but the truth
Between your heart and hide
Something gets lost because it takes a tragedy
To trick it out of us
At best you are a cruel coward
At worst you are a worthless hypocrite
Where is the love

Top Elvis Costello, My Lovely Jezebel

She attracts dark rumours
Travels in blue and other humours
Each time she walks in the room
Brings in much more than you'd assume
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and out through that window I fell
She's My Lovely Jezebel
She neglects you and then ransacks you so very well
She suspects your sweet confection
When you talk in contradictions
Then she walks without detection
Overrules all your objections
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and through that window I fell
She's My Lovely Jezebel
Man is miserable ape and sad pile of sticks
He comes out swinging, gets in a few licks
The longest of drumrolls for the shortest of tricks
So she attracts bad intentions
She distracts all my attention
With her ways and her wild inventions
The facts of life they forgot to mention
Ooo, I looked in her eyes and down through that window I fell
She's My Lovely Jezebel

Top Elvis Costello, National Ransom

Running pell-mell and harum-scarum
Running as hot as they do or dare
Stick out your tongue
And drink down all the venom
From Cut-Throat Cuthbert
And Millicent St. Cyr
From the real old Macau
To the new False Americas
In the liberated territories
Unusual suspects shake down, shake down, shake down various dubious characters
Mother's in the kitchen picking bones for breakfast
Boiling them down by the bushel and the score
Pull out your thumb and count what's left of your fist
There's a wolf at the window with ravening maw
Did you find how to lie?
Did you find out just how to cheat?
The elite bleat, their obsolete
But are your prospects?
Exact, perfect object
Now, if you'd only genuflect
They're running wild
Just like some childish tantrum
Meanwhile we're working every day
Paying off the National Ransom
Woe betide all this hocus-pocus
They're running us ragged at their first attempt
Around the time the killing stopped on Wall St.
You couldn't hold me, baby with anything but contempt
Letters peal slowly from our speech
The claxton attempts to preach
Stretching for stars still out of reach
Drowning
Flailing
Outside someone's wailing
They're running wild
Just like some childish tantrum
Meanwhile we're working every day

Top Elvis Costello, Love For Tender

You won't take my love for tender
You can put your money where your mouth is
But you're so unsure
I could be a miser or a big spender
But you might get much more than you bargained for
Check in on a checkmate
Grassing on a classmate
So beautiful and fortunate
You're the one who hates to love
But he's the one who loves to hate
He can fix you all for good
Because he is the neighbourhood
You can get money for blood
Blood money for doing no good
Better tell me now, have you made your selection?
Are you ready for correction?
Cause the wages of sin are an expensive infection
It'll make you bankrupt
Better pay up now, don't interrupt
So in love, I'm so sincere
Just like a well-known financier
You know I've never been corrupt
I'll pay you a compliment
And you'll think I am innocent
You can total up the balance sheet
And never know if I'm a counterfeit

Top Elvis Costello, My Flame Burns Blue (blood Count)

As the last light glimmers
And the evening hours dim
Maybe I'm too proud to utter it out loud
Even though my flame burns blue
As the night's descending
Once again I find I'll tarry and pretend
My confidential friend
Will suddenly appear in view
All my might
Between velvet and dynamite
Blow out the doors
Let in the light
Falling dust in the beam
And a small stifled scream
Alibis and decoys
Were his eyes so turquoise?
Covered with a lash
They flatter and they flash
Even though my flame burns blue
If I seem a stranger
I feel far from danger
We tamper and we toy
With passion over joy
Even though my flame burns blue
Even though the fire that once was desire
Doesn't look for trouble or dare to flare
Look now

Top Elvis Costello, The Judgement

The accused will rise to be torn in two
Guilty of nothing but loving you
This is the judgement
And I'm willing to plead
How you don't want me
Hoping this torment will cease
Will I be released?
There'll be lies, there'll be tears
A jury of your peers
With a pitiful lack of experience
Hand down the judgement
And if I done wrong
And loved you too long
Stand up and just testify
How can I deny?
Objection overruled
I wait for my reprieve
With the trust of the deceived
The wisdom of the fool
It's his sorrowful face
Too heavy for his head
Cos he bowed it as something come over him
It was the judgement
He falls to his knees
Have mercy on me
He clings to the hem of her gown

Top Elvis Costello, (What's So Funny 'bout) Love And Understanding

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love understanding?

Top Elvis Costello, Freedom For The Stallion

Freedom for the stallion
Freedom for the mare and her colt
Freedom for the baby child
Who has not grown old enough to vote.
Lord, have mercy, what you gonna do about the people who are praying to you?
They got men making laws that destroy other men,
They've made money "God"
It's a doggone sin,
Oh, Lord, you got to help us find the way.
Big ship's a-sailing, slaves all chained and bound,
Heading for a brand new land that some cat said he upped and found.
Lord, have mercy, what you gonna do about the people who are praying to you?
They got men making laws that destroy other men,
They've made money "God"
It's a doggone sin.
Oh, Lord, you got to help us find the way.
Some sing a sad song
Some got to moan the blues
Trying to make the best of a home
That the man didn't even get to choose
Lord, have mercy, how you gonna be with people like John and me
They've got men building fences to keep other men out
Ignore him if he whispers and kill him if he shouts
Oh, Lord, you got to help us find the way
Oh, Lord, you got to help them find the way

Top Elvis Costello, Gigi

Gigi
Am I a fool without a mind?
Or have I nearly been too blind to realize
Oh Gigi
While you've been growing up before my eyes
Gigi
You're not at all that funny awkard little girl I knew
No, overnight there's been a breathless change in you
Oh Gigi
While you were trembling on the brink
Was I out yonder somewhere blinking at a star?
Oh Gigi
Have I been standing up too close or back too far?
When did your sparkle turn to fire?
And your warmth become desire
Oh what miracle has made you the way you are?
When did your warmth become desire?
And your sparkle turn to fire?
Oh what miracle has made you the way you are?

Top Elvis Costello, I Cant Stand Up For Falling Down

Date: Wed, 03 Mar 93 16:11:59 LCL
From: PA113718%UTKVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: Definitive(?) Can't Stand Up
The reason I'm so certain about these lyrics is that at a record show years
ago, I bought a battered copy of Sam and Dave's version. It's done in a
stately gospel style that Elvis later adopted for concert performances of the
song. Here goes: (minor correctios by Paul Hosken (rmcb@vm.op.dlr.de))
I'm the living result
Of a man who's been hurt a little too much
And I've tasted
The bitterness of my own tears
Sadness is all my lonely heart can feel
I can't stand up etc.
Simple though love is,
still it confused me
Why I'm not loved the way I should be
Now I've lived with heartaches
and I've roomed with fear
I've dealt with despair
And I've wrestled with tears
I can't stand up etc.
The vow that we made,
you broke it in two
but that don't stop me
from loving you
I can't stand up etc.

Top Elvis Costello, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

I just don't know what to do with myself
I just don't know what to do with myself
I'm so used to doing everything with you
Planning everything for two
And now that we're through
I just don't know what to do with my time
I'm so lonesome for you, it's a crime
Going to a movie only makes me sad
Parties make me feel as bad
When I'm not with you, I just don't know what to do
Like a summer rose needs the sun and rain
I need your sweet love to beat all the pain
I just don't know what to do with myself
I just don't know what to do with myself
Baby, if your new love ever turns you down
Come back, I will be around
Just waiting for you, I don't know what else to do
Don't know what else to do
I don't know what else to do
I'm still so crazy for you

Top Elvis Costello, Back On My Feet

How many days does the wet weather lack?
I wanna go where the clouds when they roll back
Reveal a man in an old mack
Living on a park bench
Sitting on his own
Cut to the rain as it rolls down the glass
But then she leaves through the lightning and thunder
You see a man going under
This is how it happens
This is what he said
"I don't need love
Temptation is sweet
Give me your hand
Till I'm back on my feet
You're always telling me
About my misery
I'll see things you'll never see
Don't pity me"
Focus in on the breath of a man
Takes a brown paper bag from his knapsack
Between his whispers and wisecracks
He's looking for the wishing
Screaming at the sky
"I don't need love
Temptation is sweet
Give me your hand
Till I'm back on my feet
You're always telling me
About my misery
I'll see things you'll never see
Don't pity me"
"I'll be fine again,
Be all right without you
I'll stand up again
Kick off the puzzlement, too"
Cut back again to a girl walking by
To the beat of her old shoes and rolled socks
Climb on an invisible soapbox
Laughing at the traffic
Shouting at the word
"I don't need love
Temptation is sweet
Give me your hand
Till I'm back on my feet
You're always telling me
About my misery
I'll see things you'll never see
Don't pity me"
"I'll be fine again,
Be all right without you
I'll stand up again
Kick off the puzzlement, too"
Seeing life through the eyes of a man
As he lives and he dies by a simple titan
Well there you go, though you trying hard to know
When he's there on his legs
Sees the kinks where the people all go
Things start to fade as he pulls down the shade

Top Elvis Costello, Bedlam

I've got this phosphorescent portrait of gentle Jesus meek and mild
I've got this harlot that I'm stuck with carrying another man's child
The solitary star announcing vacancy burnt out as we arrived
They'd throw us back across the border if they knew that we survived
And they were surprised to see us
So they greeted us with palms
They asked for ammunition, acts of contrition and small alms
I might recite a small prayer
If I ever said them
I lay down on an iron frame
Found myself in bedlam
I wish that I could take something for drowning out the noise
Wailing echoes down the corridors
I've got this imaginary radio, and I'm punching up the dial
I've got the A.C. trained on the T.V. so it won't blow up in my eye
And everything that I thought fanciful and mocked as too extreme
Must be family entertainment here in the strange land of my dreams
Now I'm practicing my likeness of St. Francis of Assisi
For if I hold my hand outstretched
A little bird comes to me
I might recite a small prayer
If I ever said them
I lay down on an iron frame
Found myself in bedlam
Escaping from the fingers that were stretching through the bars
Wailing echoes down the corridors
The player piano picks out "Life Goes On"
Ring tone rang out "Jerusalem"
And in this pit of sadness
Where the rank of wretched plunge
We've buried all the innocents
Now we must bury revenge
They've got this scared and decorated girl strapped to the steel trunk of a mustang
And then they drove her down a cypress grove where traitors hang and stars still spangle
They dangled flags and other rags along a coloured thread of twine
And then they dragged that bruised and purple heart along the road to Palestine
Someone went off muttering, he mentioned thirty pieces
Easter saw a slaughtering, each wrapped in bloodstained fleeces
Then my thoughts returned to vengeance, but I put up no resistance
Though I seemed a long way from my home
It really was no distance
And I might recite a small prayer
If I ever said them
I lay down on an iron frame
Found myself in bedlam
Bowing like an actor acknowledging applause
Playing the Crusader who was conquering the Moors
And he knew the consequences, but he won't accept the cause

Top Elvis Costello, Ill Never Fall In Love Again

What do you get when you fall in love?
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That's what you get for all your trouble
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
What do you get when you kiss a girl
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
After you do, she'll never phone you
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Don't tell me what it's all about
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you give your heart
You get it all broken up and battered
That's what you get, a heart that's shattered
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Out of those chains those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So for at least until tomorrow
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again

Top Elvis Costello, 45

Bells are chiming for victory
There's a page back in history
They came back to the world that they fought for
Didn't turn out just like they thought
[Chorus:]
Here is a song to sing to do the measuring
What did you lose?
What did you gain?
What did you win?
Nine years later a child is born
There's a record, so you put it on
Nine years more, if we're lucky now
Nine-year-old puts his money down
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I held for you
There's a stack of shellac and vinyl
Which is yours now and which is mine?
[Chorus]
Bass and treble heal every hurt
There's a rebel in a nylon shirt
But the words are a mystery, I've heard
'Til you turn it down to 33 and 1/3
'Cos it helps with the elocution
Corporations turn revolutions
So don't you weep and shed
Just change your name instead
What do you lose when it all goes to your head?
I heard something peculiar said:
"Perhaps he's got a shot and now he's dead"
Bells are chiming and tears are falling
It creeps up on you without a warning
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I bless
I'd be lost, I confess

Top Elvis Costello, I Stand Accused

Girl, I stand accused, people say I love you
Yeah, I stand accused, oh, but what can I do
You belong to some other guy
Hope I never have to testify
If loving you is a big crime
I've been guilty a long time
Girl, I stand accused with no more than a chance
Girl, I stand accused and I got no defense
All I need is a touch from your hand
To find myself on a witness stand
I'd be unable to lie, girl
I got a love that won't die, girl
Tell the world that I was guilty
I wouldn't stand a chance
Tell the world that I was a victim
A victim of circumstance
They might show some mercy if I could explain
Girl, I love you so much that I'm almost insane
You disturbed my balance of mind
I couldn't help what I did at the time
I stand accused and I'm guilty
Maybe I always will be
I need a witness, baby
You disturbed my balance of mind
I couldn't help what I did at the time
I stand accused and I'm guilty
Maybe I always will
I need a witness, baby
I stand accused of loving you
So guilty baby
Oh yeah
I stand accused
I S-T-A-N-D A-C-C-U-S-E-D
I stand accused, loving you
So guilty, baby

Top Elvis Costello, All These Things

The touch of your lips next to mine
Gets me excited makes me feel fine
The touch of your hand
Your sweet hello
The fire inside you
When you're holding me close
Your love so warm and tender
The thrill is so divine
It is all these things that make you mine
If you should leave me
I surely would die
You started to go
I started to cry
I've got it bad
But that's alright
As long as you're with me every night
Your love so warm and tender
The thrill is so divine
It is all these things that make you mine
If I should live forever
The only thing that I want to do
With all that time
Would be to give forever
All of my love, all my love
To you
Your love so warm and tender
The thrill is so divine

Top Elvis Costello, Leave My Kitten Alone

You better leave my kitten all alone
You better leave my kitten all alone
Well I tell you big bad bulldog
Well, you better leave her alone
Don't you know
My kitten isn't dead
Don't you know
My kitten isn't dead
So get your hands off of her
Cause I'm her lovin' man
Well mister dog
I'm gonna hit you
On the top of your head
That girl's gonna miss you
And you're gonna wish that you were dead
You better leave my kitten all alone
I love my little kitten
Well, like you hounddogs love your bone
Well mister dog
I'm gonna hit you
On the top of your head
That girl's gonna miss you
And you're gonna wish that you were dead
You better leave my kitten all alone
I tell you big bad bulldog
Well, you better leave her
I tell you big bad bulldog
Well, you better leave her
I tell you big bad bulldog
Well, you better leave her alone
You better leave
You better leave
You better leave

Top Elvis Costello, Can You Be True

Can you be true?
Can this possibly be real?
I knew quite suddenly
Do you sense how I feel?
I long to hear you whisper my name
'Til you tell me
"My Darling, you may be my man."
There will be days when you must go from my sight
There may be nights when clouds deny us starlight
Only time will tell us
I hope that it speaks gently if it isn't meant to be
Then again
By then we might not be listening so attentively
I will be there
If the days bring torments and trials
To close the distances only measured in miles
I long to hold you all through the night
And to tell you
"My Darling, you make everything seem right"
And then I'll hear you calling in my name
And I'll answer

Top Elvis Costello, Changing Partners

We were dancing together
To a dreamy melody
When they called out, "Change partners"
And you waltzed away from me
Now my arms feel so empty
As I gaze around the floor
And I'll keep on changing partners
Till I hold you once more
Though we danced for one moment
And too soon we had to part
In that wonderful moment
Something happened to my heart
So I'll keep changing partners
Till you're in my arms again
Oh my darling, I may never
Change partners again
Though we danced for one moment
And too soon we had to part
In that wonderful moment
Something happened to my heart
So I'll keep changing partners
Till you're in my arms again
Oh my darling, I will never
Change partners again
Oh my darling, I will never
Change partners again

Top Elvis Costello, Bullets For The New-born King

No one looks in this place for motive or any hope
But for the dead shot of an amber glass
The blue light of a votive
The rain obscured the window
As the pain was dulled by the grains
Absolved in spoons and flames
In fear in time dissolving
It's not for the faint of pulse
Or anybody false
Those amateurs who only shed their skin
So where are those traitors now, we once called patriots?
Just like those saints who seem to revel in their sins
O my eyes were filled with tears that were stinging
After our assassin's work was done
But hands and bells are only there for the wringing
As we were bringing bullets for the new-born king
The trumpet sounds lamenting
Trampling down the blooms of the deceased
The double agent girl and the fallen priest were heading for the border
Somewhere at the high command there stayed the palest hand
That saw the order countermand
Erased a tape recorder and then they hung him from a window cord
Swallow down that voodoo vial to still your breath a while
Before we spill this tale that has been spun
And so I shall now confide all that I once denied
Oh I'm so sorry for the things I've done
O my eyes were filled with tears that were stinging
After our assassin's work was done
But hands and bells are only there for the wringing

Top Elvis Costello, Button My Lip

Don't want to talk about the government
Don't want to talk about some incident
Don't want to talk about some peppermint gum
Don't want to talk about the time to come
Button my lip
'Til I'm smart enough
Don't raise your hand
'Cos I'm not offering
It serves you right
Now you are suffering
Give me a chance
To see it though
It all depends on what you hold is true
Button my lip
With your kiss
Don't want to hear some little sniveling
You just don't get what I'm delivering
Maybe you want me
But you know you can't
I'd say, 'I want you?
But you know I don't
Button my lip
'Til I'm old enough
'Til I'm smart enough
'Til I'm?
Button my lip
Don't want to come at your beckoning
For any day they'll be a reckoning
Don't want to hear what is impossible
Baby, you've become invisible
Button my lip
I've seen those clowns vacant and insolent
I stand accused but I am innocent

Top Elvis Costello, American Gangster Time

One, two, three, four
Somewhere downtown a pretty girl kneels
Offers her soft lips and a handful of pills
Peels off her dress and then the rest of her skills
It buys what she wants and the rest she just steals
He speaks between deep swallows of rum
While her head is beating like a big bass drum
And she wishes he were mute and not just dumb
When the trick asked her quick, "Did you come?"
It's a drag
Saluting that starry rag
I'd rather go blind
For speaking my mind
Or use it just like a gag
So raise it in anger
Just let it hang
American Gangster Time
He sits back and starts to invent
All about some Saigon correspondent
"'Til the carbine fell silent and spent
I never knew it could be so eloquent"
Next week there'll be some fashionable new sin
For each harlot and each Puritan
Pull off their wings stick them on a pin
And just watch the money roll in
It's a drag
Saluting that starry rag
I'd rather go blind
For speaking my mind
Or use it just like a gag
So raise it in anger
Just let it hang
American Gangster Time
What you got hidden up your sleeve?
The tracks of the train that were bidding you to leave
When they say that you should flatter to deceive
Don't count on any reprieve
The hands of the helpless are raised
Your dead little secrets are praised
The people stand dumbstruck and dazed
By the inches that you have erased
It's a drag
Saluting that starry rag
I'd rather go blind
For speaking my mind
Or use it just like a gag
So raise it in anger
Just let it hang
American gangster time
Committing the perfect crime
In American Gangster Time
Here we go
Bye bye

Top Elvis Costello, Basement Kiss

Lucy Grace can't show her face down in the North End Road
For in Bellgravia
Rumours have been whispered and suggestions have been made
Did you sell your friends out when the heat got too intense?
You say you need the danger, but it's only a pretence
You say you need the money, but everybody knows
You can always fall back on your inheritance
Did you bruise your arms on those false alarms?
Did you bruise your pride on his smile so wide?
Only fingertips from forbidden bliss
Did you bruise your lips on his basement kiss?
Who's that peeking 'round the door?
You can't come here no more, will you go home again
She used to sit alone for hours
Spends the evening watering dried flowers
When you mother came to stay and finally went to bed
Lucy Grace was in the front room rushing through your head
She took your breath away and gave you something else instead
Did you bruise your arms on those false alarms?
Did you bruise your pride on his face so snide?
Only fingertips from forbidden bliss
Did you bruise your lips on his basement kiss?
She's preening at the function in her Audrey Hepburn hat
It doesn't suit her much, but she'll get over that
She's feining pained indifference as they're handing out the prizes
Spilling Daddy's words of wisdom and her ugy sister's tranquilizers
Why were you so tardy putting up your guard?
When you hurt so easy and you try so hard
Did you bruise your arms on those false alarms?
Did you bruise your pride on his face so snide?
Only fingertips from forbidden bliss

Top Elvis Costello, Abandoned Masquerade

The glitter on a paint and plaster face
Is covering desire and disgrace
We could be lovers
But no one suspects at all
Once you're inside that costume ball
And now I'm sitting here before the mirror
I have the skill still to disguise my tears
Then as the magic starts to fade
I find myself abandoning the masquerade
Even though you're suffering
You try to hide it
And pretend you're so nonchalant
You can cry a pool of tears
And sit beside it
Then perhaps you'll know what you want
I hope you never feel this much despair
Or know the meaning of that empty chair
As the illusions that we made all fade away

Top Elvis Costello, All These Strangers

"Mistreat me darling and I might just disappear"
Upon freighter running dark out of Algiers
Put tiny grains in children's tears
While taking 25% of all the flashbulbs and mementoes
From the mechanized divisions rolling over your frontiers
I saw my baby talking with another man to day
Speaking softly in a confidential way
I saw a shadow pull his glove off
As a bluebird flew over
Life's is no pleasure
When you doubt the one you love
Who Are All These Strangers?
I never will go back again
Go back into the past
For the flood is rising fast
You can break your window and look down
Into a muddy glass
It's mirror or lens to burn...
There was a deal done in Benghazi and Belgrade...
Upon a scimitar or other crooked blade
Ransacks and loots, vacated suits
And pistol points but never shoots, army sitting in a locomotive yard without their boots
Upstairs your man is painting the rain out in the street
Imagines woman that he's destined still to meet
He's trying sidetrack one to count on
Caught somewhere between countess or a courtesan
And it's only love to feign and then it's gone
Who Are All These Strangers?
He's a privateer as dusk gets near
A brigand after dark, his victim lined with chalk
A corsair, filled with horsehair to the core
Dashed on your eyes of Adamantine, you despised his stripling whine
That little smudger and the mouthpiece that he's with
Using his clause just like a practised fingersmith
I dreamed I took his digit prints
And then sewed then on a villain's hands
Watched him ransom and demand
Until called the flatfoots in
I never will go back again
Go back into the past
For the flood is rising fast
You can break your window and look down
Into a muddy glass
It's a mirror or lens to burn...
Who Are All These Strangers?
All These Strangers
I sat down on a narrow bed
I thought about the things she said
All These Strangers
How I wished the night would never end
So tried to stop the days ahead
I'd carve her name down in the wood

Top Elvis Costello, A Slow Drag With Josephine

The snitch, the snoop, the tattletale
Lead a threadbare up stairs
Adieu, my little ballyhoo
You broke my heart in two
And now I haunt the bars and scent those trite affairs
She went home to gather her comb
And caught him unawares
And there was her man enjoying the lay of the land
He took a walk in the dark with a dish from the stand
Girls and their creations
Tight in the brightest grenadine
But I'd take all that I've seen
For a Slow Drag with Josephine
Josephine, Josephine
But I'd trade all that I've seen for a Slow Drag with Josephine
Gavotte, garrotes, Cotillions and slow Arabesques
Drum-rolls and Farandoles were all made in jest
But when you make that move
I can't resist
When will you declare your armistice?
Josephine, Josephine
But I'd trade all that I've seen for a Slow Drag with Josephine
In another time and place a different fate was cast
He tried to skeddle-daddle-do
She might have slapped him
Just for saying "Grant one more chance before you pass"
"Then curse the nurse that named me the first or bury me at last"
And in three-quarter time
The true and the false
Dancing the "Hesitation Waltz"
Then comes the "Flirtation"
And temptation
Hip, hip hooray
Listen to what I say

Top Elvis Costello, Hidden Charms

Her lips are sweet
Her legs are big
Her looks can make you
Dance the jig
Her touch is so soft
Her heart is so warm
What knocks me out
Is your hidden charms
Her voice is so soft
Her love is so true
I think about her
That's all I do
She's weak and wanton
In my arms
What moves me darling
Is your hidden charms
When I hold you
In my arms
Brings out all of your
Hidden Charms
Her kiss is so pure
As the morning dew
A real gone love
Is exciting too
Her eyes that talk
They say "c'mon"
What kills me baby
Is your hidden charms
When I hold you
In my arms
Brings out all of your

Top Elvis Costello, Why Can't A Man Stand Alone?

Why can't a man stand alone?
Must he be burdened by all that he's taught to consider his own?
His skin and his station, his kin and his crown, his flag and his nation
They just weigh him down
You know pride is a sin that we tend to forgive
But it gets hard to live
When you don't have the love in her heart to begin with
Why can't a man stand alone?
Why can't a woman be just what she seems?
Must she be tarnished by men who can only be men in their dreams?
When beauty meets ignorance they shout in the street
Repeating their offer to each girl they meet
The respect that she needs, it isn't a gift
But it gets hard to lift yourself up
When you don't have the strength to begin with
Why can't a woman stand alone?
Why can't a baby sleep at night and dream of the time to come
And never fear the world outside the touch of someone very near
Why can't a man stand up?
Why can't a man stand up?

Top Elvis Costello, I Threw It All Away

I once held her
In my arms
She said she would always stay
But I was cruel
And I treated her like a fool
I threw it all away
Once I had mountains
In the palm of my hand
And rivers to drink through everyday
But I must have been mad
I never knew what I had
Until I threw it all away
Love is all there is
That makes the world go round
Love as only love
Can't be denied
Not matter what you think about it
Just won't be able to do without it
Take a tip from one who's tried
So when you find someone
Who gives you all of her love
Take it to your heart don't
Let is stray
Cause one thing for certain
You will surely be hurting
If you throw it all away

Top Elvis Costello, You Tripped at Every Step

Take your tiny feet out of your mother's shoes
Or there is going to be a terrible scene
It's not just the lipstick drawn on crooked
When they find how wicked we are
How wicked we have been
How I've been tempted
[Chorus:]
How you tripped at every step
You tripped at every step, you tripped at every step
How you tripped at every step
There's a merry tune that starts in "I"
And ends in "You," like many famous pop songs do
You would sing along with little tell-tale staggers
While balancing on daggers
Though they were killing you
You looked so deadly
[Chorus]
And I would try to catch you
Anytime you call
Only you drank that potion
And went out of control
There's nothing to stop you
So how can you fall?
Let me take your hand
Put down that frying pan
Darkness would become me underneath the table
As the fury raged around the house
Your despairing tread was angry and unstable
You never suspected
Just as that cartoon mouse
Went undetected
So you tripped at every step
In another world of gin and cigarettes
Those cocktail cabinets put mud in your eye
Maybe that is why you find it hard to see me
And if you don't believe me
Before you start to cry
"Don't ever leave me"
As you start to lose your grip
(Once you start losing your grip)
You will stumble as you slip
(And you will stumble and slip)
As you tripped at every step
You tripped at every step, you tripped at every step

Top Elvis Costello, All This Useless Beauty

It's at times such as this she'd be tempted to spit
If she wasn't so ladylike
She imagines how she might have lived
back when legends and history collide
So she looks to her prince finding he's so charmingly
slumped at her side
Those days are recalled on the gallery wall
And she's waiting for passion or humour to strike
[Chorus:]
What shall we do, what shall we do with all this useless beauty?
All this useless beauty
Good Friday arrived, the sky darkened on time
'Til he almost began to negotiate
She held his head like a baby and said "It's okay if you cry"
Now he wants her to dress as if you couldn't guess
He desires to impress his associates
But he's part ugly beast and Hellenic deceased
So she finds that the mixture is hard to deny
[Chorus]
She won't practice the looks from the great tragic books
That were later disgraced to face celluloid
It won't even make sense but you can bet
If she isn't a sweetheart or plaything or pet
The film turns her into an unveiled threat
Nonsense prevails, modesty fails
Grace and virtue turn into stupidity
While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise
And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts
They still think they're the gods of antiquity
If something you missed didn't even exist
It was just an ideal -- is it such a surprise?

Top Elvis Costello, Hurry Down Doomsday

The man in the corner of this picture has a sinister purpose
In the teeming Temple of the Railroad Kings
He's planting a trashy paperback book for accidental purchase
Containing all the secrets of life and other useless things
But I can't bring myself to look
Wake up Zombie write yourself another book
You want to scream and shout my little flaxen lout
Hurry down Doomsday the bugs are taking over
She sleeps with the shirt of a late, great country singer
Stretched out on her poor jealous husband's pillow
In time you can turn these obsessions into careers
While the parents of those kidnapped children start the bidding
for their tears
But I can't bring myself to look
Wake up Zombie
Get yourself off the hook
You want to scream and shout my little waxen lout
Hurry down Doomsday the bugs are taking over
Forget about Beethoven, Rembrandt and rock and roll
Forget about Mickey Mouse, Marlboro and Coca Cola
Forget about Cadillac, Mercedes and Toyota
Forget about Buddha, Allah, Jesus and Jehovah
Hurry down Doomsday the bugs are taking over
Any day now a giant insect mutation
Will swoop down and devour the white man's burden
Starting out with all of the sensitive ones
Better make like a fly if you don't want to die
Look out there goes Gordon
But I can't bring myself to think
Wake up Zombie
Kick up a big stink
You want to scream and shout my little Saxon lout

Top Elvis Costello, Kinder Murder

Here in the bar, the boys like to have fun
There's a wager lost and an argument won
There's a stone-washed damsel on a junk food run
It's a kinder murder
There's a ladder to heaven from a battered stiletto
Spitting out the words that he put into her mouth
See her in silhouette going down south
It's a kinder murder
It's a kinder murder
She could have kept her knees together
Should have kept her mouth shut
It's a kinder murder
It's a kinder murder
Jimmy took her down to the perimeter fence
He was back in half an hour, he said he left her senseless
Then he went back to his regiment
It's a kinder murder
The officer said it has to be denied
There's a tear-stained would-be teenage bride
All the family pride in the little ram-rider
It's a kinder murder
It's a kinder murder
She could have kept her knees together
Should have kept her mouth shut
It's a kinder murder
It's a kinder murder
The child went missing and the photo fit his face
Dishonoured Jimmy just read about the case
He said that he was just taking up space
It's a kinder murder
Jimmy took his best friend's keys from the pile on the table in a flash
He was dreaming of the pigskin seats and the walnut dash
The knickers in her handbag and the one false eyelash
It's a kinder murder
It's a kinder murder
She could have kept her knees together
Could have kept her mouth shut

Top Elvis Costello, Couldn't Call It Unexpected No.4

I saw a girl who'd found her consolation
She said "One day my Prince of Peace will come"
Above her head a portrait of her father
The wilted favour that he gave her still fastened to the frame
"They've got his bones and everything he owns
I've got his name"
Well you can laugh at this sentimental story
But in time you'll have to make amends
The sudden chill where lovers doubt their immortality
As the clouds cover the sky the evening ends
Describing a picture of eyes finally closing
As you sometimes glimpse terrible faces in the fire
We'll I'm the lucky goon
Who composed this tune
from birds arranged on the high wire
Who on earth is tapping at the window?
Does that face still linger at the pane?
I saw you shiver though the room was like a furnace
A shadow of regret across a young mother's face
So toll the bell or rock the cradle
Please don't let me fear anything I cannot explain

Top Elvis Costello, Deep Dark Truthful Mirror

One day you're going to have to face
A deep dark truthful mirror
And it's going to tell you things that I still love
you too much to say
The sky was just a purple bruise, the ground
was iron
And you fell all around the town until you
looked the same
[Chorus:]
The same eyes, the same lips, the same lie from
your tongue trips
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror
Deep dark, deep dark truthful mirror
Now the flagstone streets where the newspaper
shouts ring to the boots of roustabouts
But you're never in any doubt, there's something
happening somewhere
You chase down the road till your fingers bleed
On a fiberglass tumbleweed
You can blow around the town, but it all shuts
down the same
[Chorus]
So you bay for the boy in the tiger-skin trunks
They set him up, set him up on the stool
He falls down, falls down like a drunk
And you drink till you drool
And it's his story you'll flatter
You'll stretch him out like a saint
But the canvas that he splattered will be the
picture that you never paint
[Chorus]
A stripping puppet on a liquid stick gets into it
pretty thick
A butterfly drinks a turtle's tears, but how do
you know he really needs it?
'Cos a butterfly feeds on a dead monkey's hand,
Jesus wept he felt abandoned
You're spellbound baby there's no doubting that
Did you ever see a stare like a Persian cat?

Top Elvis Costello, Poor Fractured Atlas

He's out in the woods with his squirrel gun
To try to recapture his anger
He's screaming some words at the top of his lungs
Until he begins to feel younger
But back at his desk in the city we find
Our trembling punch-drunken fighter
Who can't find the strength now to punish the length
Of the ribbon in his little typewriter
[Chorus:]
Poor Fractured Atlas
Threw himself across the mattress
Waving his withering pencil
As if it were a pirate's cutlass
I'm almost certain he's trying to increase his burden
He said "That's how the child in me planned it;
A woman wouldn't understand it"
I believe there was something that I wanted to say
Before I conclude this epistle
But you would forgive me for holding my tongue
'Cause man made the blade and the pistol
Yes man made the waterfall over the dam
To temper his tantrum with magic
Now you can't be sure of that tent of azure
Since he punched a hole in the fabric
[Chorus]
A woman wouldn't understand it

Top Elvis Costello, The Bridge I Burned

I'm walking down Times Square in the Electric Daylight
The sailors on shore leave stand out in their perfect white.
I'm up here with my spying glass at the window up above
For better or for worse - it's a perverse universe, my love.
Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned
Now I know, somehow I don't feel so alone.
"And remember to free faraway from the unbridled, and the impudent,
the malicious, and the unlucky.
For these being full of bad demons or rays are maleficent,
and like lepers and people striken with plague,
they harm not only by touch but even by proximity and by sight." (Dig it!)
[Quote from Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher (1433-1499)]
You mutter underneath your breath - IT ECHOES ROUND THE WORLD
Everybody comes from nowhere.
There is hope, it loops up in the air
Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned
Now I know, somehow I don't feel so alone.
You said I used to be handsome if you screwed up your eyes
Professors and vampires drank up all the tears I cried.
Now there's a bird at my window, he feeds upon the pane (pain)
and sometimes he sings to me - a mocking bird in the twilight of infamy.
Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned
Now I know, somehow I don't feel so alone.
Now I know, I should have never walked over the bridge I burned
Now I know, they've burned one sinner and the others are sadly following
(set to follow?)
Now I know.
Now I know.

Top Elvis Costello, London's Brilliant Parade

Outside my window
Not long before sleep arrives
They come with their sirens
And they sweep away all the boys
Busy draining the joy from their lives
They never said their prayers out loud
And while I'm dreaming
There's a passing motor car
That broadcasts a popular song
And a girl appears to be saying
"Do you think that I'm going to go far?"
[Chorus 1:]
Just look at me
I'm having the time of my life
Or something quite like it
When I'm walking out and about
In London's brilliant parade
She's one of those girls that you just can't place
You feel guilty desiring such an innocent face
But of course they knew that when they cast her
Along with the red Routemaster
And the film takes place in an MGB
And a perfect re-creation of "The Speakeasy"
Everybody looks happy and twisted
Though she probably never existed
For old times' sake
Don't let me awake
I wouldn't want you to walk across Hungerford Bridge
Especially at twilight
Looking through the bolts and the girders
Into the water below
You'll never find your answer there
They sounded the "all-clear" in the occidental bazaar
They used to call Oxford Street
Now the bankrupt souls in the city
Are finally tasting defeat
[Chorus 2:]
Don't look at me
I'm having the time of my life
Or something quite like it
When I'm walking out and about
In London's brilliant parade
When I'm walking out and about
In London's brilliant parade
From the gates of St. Mary's, there were horses in Olympia
And a trolley bus in Fulham Broadway
The lions and the tigers in Regents Park
Couldn't pay their way
And now they're not the only ones
At the Hammersmith Palais
In Kensington and Camden Town
There's a part that I used to play;
The lovely Diorama is really part of the drama, I'd say

Top Elvis Costello, My Dark Life

She says nobody wants to believe
You're the same as everyone.
What makes me unique? My Dark Life.
There was a kink in the world
Sent that statue tumbling
An invitation east
So we can watch it all crumbling
She came off like light and so softly she spoke:
"You don't know, no you don't know about my dark life"
And you think you're a guest, you're a tourist at best
Peering into the corners of your dark life
Now that you tear your dreams from consumptive ballerinas
She'd stand on tiptoes for you in a grey and tattered tutu
She stays where she is because of voyeurs like these
With an accusative look that says My Dark Life.
Robber men await you then in each beguiling alley
To shake you and to pierce you and remind you of
My Dark Life.
Enter the pious elite, in their preening finery
And bang the tambourine
They're dining on rice paper scenery
See how the villain attracts envious glances from everyone
She's waitressing by day
It doesn't bring in much money now
And his strong concealed arms set off bells and alarms
In the strangest locations of My Dark Life
But the fantasy slipped as he tipped her in cigarettes
She tries to smile very graciously when she wants to kill him
Now the victory is sweet, you'll get down on your knees
It's the perfect position for kissing western leather
So they came from Ugly Texas and from Nameless Tennessee
From Peculiar Missouri and from places closer to me.
All the cream of heartless England, cheered the carnival is over
There are remnants of red army bandsmen

Top Elvis Costello, Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)?

Why don't you love me like you used to do?
How come you treat me like a worn out shoe?
My hair is still curly and my eyes are still blue
Why don't you love me like you used to do?
Ain't had no lovin' like a-huggin' and a-kissin' in a long, long while
We don't get nearer, further, closer than a country mile
Why don't you be the sort you used to be?
How come you find so many faults with me?
I'm the same old trouble that you've always been through
Why don't you love me like you used to do?
Ain't had no lovin' like a-huggin' and a-kissin' in a long, long while
We don't get nearer, further, closer than a country mile
Why don't you spark me like you used to do?
Say sweet nothings like you used to coo
Somebody's changed, so let me give you a clue

Top Elvis Costello, Your Angel Steps Out Of Heaven

You tell me you married an angel
She's made heaven out of your home
You say there couldn't be rainbows in heaven
'Cause she's brought you happiness that you've never known
You may hate me for what I've to tell you
But you'll thank me for setting you right
While you work to keep angels in heaven
Your angel steps out of heaven each night
Her heaven's not the same as you're living in
It's any place where there's music and a free drink from him
So call her your angel, I won't say you're not right

Top Elvis Costello, Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down

Tonight the bottle let me down
It let your memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found
Tonight the bottle let me down
I've always had a bottle I could turn to
And lately I've been turnin' every day
But the wine don't take effect the way it used to
And I'm hurtin' in old familiar ways
Tonight the bottle let me down
It let your memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found
Tonight the bottle let me down
Each night I leave the bar room when it's over
Not feeling any pain at closing time
But tonight your memory found me much too sober
I can't drink enough to keep you off my mind
Tonight the bottle let me down
It let your memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found

Top Elvis Costello, Too Far Gone

I can tell somewhere there's someone you love more than me
Someone you love more than me
And it hurts to say it that you have a right to be free
I know that's the way it should be
Oh but I'm too far gone
Too far gone
I know I've loved you too much for too long
And I'm too far gone
If ever your new love should hurt you or make you feel blue
Hurt you or make you feel blue
Just remember your old love will still be around loving you
I'll be around loving you
Oh 'cause I'm too far gone
Too far gone
I know I've loved you too much for too long

Top Elvis Costello, Sweet Dreams

Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
I should hate you girl the whole night through
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
You don't love me it's plain
I should have known you'd never share my name
Why can't I forget you girl, start loving someone new?
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
Why can't I forget my past, start loving someone new?
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
I should hate you girl the whole night through

Top Elvis Costello, There Won't Be Anymore

Don't wait for the telephone if you want a call from me
There won't be anymore, there won't be anymore
And don't wait for the mailman if you want a letter from me
There won't be anymore, there won't be anymore
All the love we had until you turn back
And it broke my lovin' heart in two
When you're heart is breakin' and you want some lovin' from me
There won't be anymore, it won't be like before
It won't be like before, there just won't be anymore
All the love we had until you turn back
And it broke my lovin' heart in two
When you're heart is breakin' and you want some lovin' from me
There won't be anymore, it won't be like before

Top Elvis Costello, Sittin' And Thinkin'

I got loaded last night on a bottle of gin
And I had a fight with my best girlfriend
When I'm drinkin' I am nobody's friend
So please baby wait for me until they let me out again
I know the same thing has happened before
And each time it happens, I hate it more & more
When I'm drinkin' I am nobody's friend
So please baby wait for me until they let me out again
I spent a whole lotta time sittin' & thinkin'
Sittin' & just thinkin' 'bout you
If I didn't spend so much time sittin' & drinkin'
We'd still have the love I thought we knew
I won't promise the same thing won't happen again
But I can promise, it'll be a long, long time till then
'Cause when I'm drinkin' I am nobody's friend

Top Elvis Costello, Success

We used to go out walkin' hand in hand
You told me all the big things you had planned
It wasn't long till all your dreams came true
Success put me in second place with you
You have no time to love me anymore
Since fame & fortune knocked upon our door
I spend all my evenings all alone
Success has made a failure of our home
If we could spend an evening now & then
Perhaps we'd find true happiness again
You never hold me like you used to do
It's funny what success has done for you
You have no time to love me anymore
Since fame & fortune knocked upon our door
I spend all my evenings all alone

Top Elvis Costello, My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You

I might say that I don't care
Hold my head up in the air
Even tell my friends I'm glad that you don't call
But when the day is through
That's when my heartaches start anew
And that's when I miss you most of all
And my arms keep reaching for you
And my eyes keep searching for you
And my lips keep calling for you
And my shoes keep walking back to you
No matter how much I pretend
I wish I had you back again
'Cause nothin' means half as much as you
My world just seemed to die
The day you said goodbye
And I can't forget no matter what I do
And my arms keep reaching for you
And my eyes keep searching for you
And my lips keep calling for you

Top Elvis Costello, The Wedding

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Too Blue

There may be a break in the road
The future looks drab and dreary
But if you were here with me, dear
I'd spin you a line that's far from cheer
There's always some scribe
Who's taken the bribe
Describing some Gentleman Jim
Who says he's in love with a beautiful girl
But she don't care about him
Say what you do
That sky is much to blue
You'll know sorrow
That's deeper than the ocean
It's a pitiful chain of events
You'd think that I might have more sense
He says
"The birds in the braches may whistle and croon
"But they're singing out of tune"
There may be bend in the track
But if you come back to see me
I'll be waiting patiently here
And if you believe that then I fear
There's always some clown
Who's bringing me down
By humming a tragic refrain
He says he's in love with a beautiful girl

Top Elvis Costello, Tommy`s Coming Home

She was counting out the window of the outbound train
All the poles of the telegraph
And the rock-a-bye rhythm in the song of the rails
Couldn't make the sweeper laugh
Down down down so deep
Down down drowning in his sleep
Tommy's coming home again
And a hawk hovered high above a skinny jackrabbit
Pursued by a hungry fox
And a broker awoke her from a fitful slumber
Then consulted his shares and his stocks
Down down down they go
Down down how he'll never know
Tommy's coming home again
And it's almost April Fools' Day
As he glanced on his paper looking through the veil (?)
He could see she was really upset
As she tucked back the ribbon in a velvet box
As he offered her a cigarette
Down down down she took a drag
Now he's covered in a flag
Tommy's coming home again
And it's almost April Fools' Day
Almost April Fools' Day
And the joke's on everyone
He had that premonition
Only dead men dwell upon
But how could he know that only twelve months later
She would wear her skirt up over her knee
And in the very same carriage she'd be flattened with roses
And forget the tears of bigotry (?)
Down down down they flow
Now now now it just don't matter anymore
Tommy made it home again
When it was almost April Fools' Day
Almost April Fools' Day
And the joke's on everyone
He had that premonition
Only dead men dwell upon
Tommy's coming home again
Tommy's coming home again

Top Elvis Costello, Town Where Time Stood Still

I made my selection from the lonely hit parade
In the town where time stood still
And I was feeling very little pain
Until some joker played "Almost Persuaded"
Now every girl I see
Looks so much prettier to me
This faithfulness has faded
And their looks are sharp as daggers
And the conversation heated
Since the boys have all been laid up
And are walking 'round defeated
In the town where time stood still
Teach me to say "I love you"
They'll teach you to say "You will"
In the town where time stood still
Or maybe I can find a little girl
To wind me up with all the usual skill
There's nothing else to do but rearrange somebody's features
Or drop your figures in the till
And the bar is full of girls just like the creature with the curse
And the food is just like cabaret and vice versa
In the town where time stood still
Somebody in charge must have pretended
That the future's been suspended
And I say I don't want trouble
But I find myself back in it
In the town where time stood still
I am the man of the minute
Suddenly I saw her through the smoke and empty beers
In the town where time stood still
She might have have well been waiting years
Now I suppose we did some things we used to do
But no amount of darkness could ever turn her into you
And so I woke up in the town where time stood still
With a headache and a heartache
And a handful of pills
And a welcome mat, a scandal rag, and unpaid bills
With a headache and a heartache
And an hour or two to kill
I only wish we were together...

Top Elvis Costello, Tormentress

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Twisted Entangled Transform And Exchange

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Twenty five Fingers

Twenty five fingers baby
I love your nails I love your touch
I love to touch you baby
It never fails to kill me
Some say gimme five
But I'll give you ten
You could make it twenty
But you're holding out again
Think it over think it over baby
Well think it over think it over baby
I will always love you
That can't be denied
Love you up until the day
That heaven knows I've tried
For the time being I will tell you this
I'd love to love you love to love you
But there's something missing
Baby listen unconditionally
Put your hand in my hand and surrender to me
Think it over think it over baby
Well think it over think it over baby
Twenty five fingers feel so divine
Twenty five fingers wish you were mine
Wish you were mine
Well so our hands met and twenty fingers entwined
I couldn't help I couldn't help but see
She didn't quite believe me
She said listen cause there's one little thing
Where did you get that lovely wedding ring
Think it over think it over baby
Well think it over think it over baby
Some things are forbidden
Never meant to be
Well that might be all right for you
But not for you and me
Twenty five fingers feel so divine
Twenty five fingers wish you were mine

Top Elvis Costello, Let Him Dangle

Bentley said to Craig "Let him have it Chris"
They still don't know today just what he meant
by this
Craig fired the pistol, but was too young to swing
So the police took Bentley and the very next thing
Let him dangle
Let him dangle
Bentley had surrendered, he was under arrest,
when he gave Chris Craig that fatal request
Craig shot Sidney Miles, he took Bentley's word
The prosecution claimed as they charged them
with murder
Let him dangle
Let him dangle
They say Derek Bentley was easily led
Well what's that to the woman that Sidney
Miles wed
Though guilty was the verdict, and Craig had
shot him dead
The gallows were for Bentley and still she
never said
Let him dangle
Let him dangle
Well it's hard to imagine it's the times that
have changed
When there's a murder in the kitchen that is
brutal and strange
If killing anybody is a terrible crime
Why does this bloodthirsty chorus come round
from time to time
Let him dangle
Not many people thought that Bentley would
hang
But the word never came, the phone never rang
Outside Wandsworth Prison there was horror
and hate
As the hangman shook Bentley's hand to
calculate his weight
Let him dangle
From a welfare state to society murder
Bring "back the noose" is always heard
Whenever those swine are under attack
But it won't make you even
It won't bring him back
Let him dangle

Top Elvis Costello, Miss Macbeth

All the children testified that Miss Macbeth
wore a fishbone slide in her cobweb tresses
Her eyes were black like first foot coal, clutched
as white as chalk-dust
Her fingers sweated india-ink and poison-pen
letters
There is a hungry hanging tree, just below your
bedroom window
You can hear her take a broom to beat out a
tattoo on the ceiling
Her bloodless face ran red inside but was she
really evil, was she only pantomime
Now the chalk on the wall says that somebody
saves, that somebody's face has just been
washed off the pavement
Into a puzzle where petrol will be poisoned by rain
Miss Macbeth saw her reflection
As confetti bled it's colours down the drain
[Chorus:]
And everyday she lives out another love song
It's a tearful lament of somebody done wrong
Well how can you miss what you've never
possessed
Miss Macbeth
Well we all should have known when the
children paraded
They portrayed her in their fairytales, sprinkling
Deadly Nightshade
And as they tormented her she rose to the bait
Even a scapegoat must have someone to hate
And everyday she lives out another love song
"You're up there enjoying yourself, and I know
it's wrong"
Well how can you miss what you've never
possessed
Miss Macbeth
Sometimes people are just what they appear to be
With no redemption at all
We try to walk upright when we can't even crawl
Miss Macbeth has a gollywog she chucks under
the chin and she whispers to it tenderly
Then sticks it on a pin
And It might be coincidence, but a boy down
the lane, that she said "went white as he could
do," then doubled over in pain

Top Elvis Costello, This Sad Burlesque

I write in hopes that by the time you get this letter
We may live to see a change for the better
Or are we so devoted to these wretched selfish motives
When the cold facts and figures all add up
They cannot contradict this sad burlesque
This sad burlesque
With miserable failures making entertainment of our fate
Laughter cannot dignify of elevate
This sad burlesque
Now can they recall being young and idealistic
Before wading knee-deep in hogwash and arithmetic
The pitying smirk
The argument runs like clockwork
Will run down eventually and splutter to a stop
P.S. Well by now you know the worst of it
And we've heard all the alibis that they've rehearsed
The smug predictions
If it's not a contradiction
Keep faith in human nature

Top Elvis Costello, This Offer Is Unrepeatable

DON'T SEND ANY MONEY!
Fate has no price
Ignore at your peril this splendid advice
An invaluable link in an infinite chain
An offer like this will just not come again
You wish you had women to charm and bewitch
Power of life and death over the rich young girls will
be swooning
Because you're exciting them
And not only fall at your feet but be biting them
Guaranteed, guaranteed to capture your breath
Or just possibly scare you to death
Sign it and seal it and send it to friends
But don't mention my name
Don't make any long term plans
In thirty-six hours your fortunes will change
Your best friends won't know you
And neither will strangers
Do not keep this letter
It must leave your hand
You have been selected from over five thousand
A twister or dupe will bamboozle or hoodwink you
I can't say more it would only confuse you
The wine that they offer will go to your head
And you'll start to see double in fishes and bread
Guaranteed, guaranteed for a lifetime or more
Guaranteed, for this world and the next
Guaranteed, guaranteed for the world and its mother
Cherish this life as you don't get another one
UNLESS you should take up this fabulous offer
Don't leave it too late or you'll be bound to suffer
And woebetide anyone so woebegone
You won't know you're born or about to pass on
You'll never get tired
You'll never get bored
By the way I just hope you're insured
And if you're not satisfied
If you want more
We can always provide an improved overture
Guaranteed at a price that is almost unbeatable
This offer is unrepeatable
Your trouble will vanish
Your tears will dry
Your blessing will just multiply
Guaranteed at a price that is almost unbeatable
This offer is unrepeatable
Guaranteed, guaranteed to bring fortune and favor
In a riot of colours, (a variety of) and flavours
Guaranteed at a price that is almost unbeatable
This offer is unrepeatable
Would I lie to you? Would I sell you a dud?
Just sign on the line. Could you possibly write it in

Top Elvis Costello, The Letter Home

c/0 St. Ignatus House, Willoughby Drive, Parrametta,
New South Wales
This fifth day of July, in the year of Our Lord nineteen
hundred and thirty five
Why must I apologize every time that I sit down to write
Through my own fault I may find
You're no longer living at this address
Please excuse the lack of news
The feeling of strange privilege
for the hour of trial, in these times of distress
Mean more than years imprisoned by etiquette.
I can remember when we were children
Though I could never imagine this day
Your brother told me we'd live forever
"I'll go one better," I heard myself say
And it seems so strange, now that he's gone to recall all these
games
While the years have divided us
Friendships have strained and broken
Oh, by the way, how's that girl that you wed
I hated you then, but I'm over the worst of it
I can't come home, I might as well say, life is short

Top Elvis Costello, The First to Leave

I should open with a kiss
For if you're reading this
You must have opened up your case
And found this letter where I placed it
In between the silk and lace
There were other clues, like your walking shoes
But I still refused to believe
That you were meant to be the first to leave
Everybody here sends you their love
How can I forget you still walk above
below
Perhaps you'll never know this purgatory
We never could agree
There's a thought, there's a pause
No time to repent
Eternally yours
In a permanent lent
But if I should give you up
If you're right and life just stops
And I never see your face again
Then from unearthly pleasures, proud and plain
I shall abstain
Until you realise, my loss is your surprise
Unless you know otherwise
Then don't grieve

Top Elvis Costello, Taking My Life In Your Hands

My dear impulsive darling I suspect my letter got to
you too late
And it's really just a silly fragment of paper
But it means so much to those who wait
All the suffering days and nights till I dare dream again
There you suddenly stand and I'll be damned if you
didn't disappear with the dawn
[Chorus:]
Hours pass and darkness comes
Soon I will close my eyes
Will you return if you don't reply
You'll be taking my life in your hands
You'll be taking my life in your hands
Taking my life in your hands
I don't know why my dearest darling
I can't tell you how I feel when you are near
When I see you have returned my letters unopened
I will tear them up, your voice ringing in my ears
But you're kidding yourself if you think this
correspondence will end
I can always pretend words I don't have the courage to
send
Reach you

Top Elvis Costello, Swine

You're a swine and I'm saying that's an insult to the pig
In the foul furrow that you dig
Why don't you lay your head down
In that unconsecrated ground
WAS she your MOTHER?
Or WAS she your bride
To defile and to blister
To gnaw at her side
Is this the end of the world?
Now that you've finished your life

Top Elvis Costello, In The Darkest Place

In the darkest place
I know
That is where you'll find me
Even though you didn't have to remind me
I shut out the lights
Your eyes adjust
They'll never be the same
You know I love you so
Lets start again
Since you put me down
It seems
I've been very gloomy
You may laugh, but pretty girls look right through me
They don't sense the faintest glimmering
That is the torch I bear
There's light enough for me to find my way
But I only have to tell myself that by now
You could be with someone else
Is there light beneath your door and
Laughter from within?
Do your friends come around
Saying, "Try to find another lover"?
He won't love you like I do
In the darkest place
I'm lost
I have abandoned every hope
Maybe you'll understand I must
Shut out the light
Your eyes adjust
They'll never be the same
You know I love you so
Lets start again
Do your friends come around
Saying, "Try to find another lover"?
He won't love you like I do
In the darkest place
That is where you'll find me
In the darkest place

Top Elvis Costello, Last Post

(Instrumental)

Top Elvis Costello, Veronica

Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have
sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her
name is Veronica
[Chorus:]
Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes,
Veronica has gone to hide?
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica
Did the days drag by? Did the favours wane?
Did he roam down the town all the time?
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at
the door, reaching out for Veronica
Well it was all of sixty-five years ago
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica
On the "Empress of India"
And as she closed her eyes upon the world and
picked upon the bones of last week's news
She spoke his name outloud again
[Chorus]
Veronica sits in her favourite chair and she sits
very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get
right and if they don't then nobody else will
But she used to have a carefree mind of her
own, with devilish look in her eye
Saying "You can call me anything you like, but
my name is Veronica"

Top Elvis Costello, God Give Me Strength

Now I have nothing
So God give me strength
'Cos I'm weak in her wake
And if I'm strong I might still break
And I don't have anything to share
That I won't throw away into the air
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength
God give me strength
I can't hold on to her
God give me strength
When the phone doesn't ring
And I'm lost in imagining
Everything that kind of love is worth
As I tumble back down to the earth
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength
God if she'd grant me her indulgence and decline
I might as well
Wipe her from my memory
Fracture the spell
As she becomes my enemy
Maybe I was washed out
Like a lip-print on his shirt
See, I'm only human
I want him to hurt
I want him
I want him to hurt
Since I lost the power to pretend
That there could ever be a happy ending
That song is sung out
This bell is rung out
She was the light that I'd bless
She took my last chance of happiness
So God give me strength

Top Elvis Costello, Stalin Malone(Instrumental)

I'm going to make you even fear the dream you dream
So don't even think about it don't make a wish
You think that I don't see you as you trawl those young weak fish
Hooked on those poor wonders, 'til they want you alone
Though they can't tell a cuckoo-clock from the squeals of saxophones
That's when they'll fear my name
Stalin Malone
I'm telling you the day will come when this man gets what he merits
Though people still wear animal skins to ward off evil spirits
Only wife-swapping and witchcraft woke the dormitory town
'Til horse's heads up in the trees came dripping down
Yes, horse's heads up hung in the trees after the bird had flown
Did you wonder of my whereabouts as the barrack-room was blown
Did anybody call my name?
Stalin Malone
In a room called creation, where you all obey my laws
Where Seconal is gravity and pain is like applause
You think that this phenomenon is some coincidence
But I've got people everywhere, you're under
my surveillance, in the pocket of my pants
Okay, she left me, but I'll soon get over that
Falling out of the "Blood Tub" and rolling, on my back
Waking up to the one o'clock gun with a Punch and Judy bird
Reaching out for a gelignite beer that fills me up with murder
To overhear forbidden songs her lover must have known
Between the pity and advice...
"There's no one here to help you now, but speak after the tone"
Leave for me a message of hope
Stalin Malone
Now the church door is a roller-shutter with padlocks and keys
Just like all of the other dispensaries
The saloon is like a casket, stained wood and human dust
Stale with conversation that hangs on your clothes like smoke
The wooden clock said she would dance dressed only in flower
As the jazz band drowns the hysterical bird that it spits out on the hour
I'd drop out of sight and disappear, turn up in another town, but somehow
I just can't seem to put it down, put it down, put it down
I just want to hold her now in that I'm not alone
but do I have to see her fall into his arms before I can atone..
Get my jacket on, get my story straight, I'm leaving on my own

Top Elvis Costello, Tramp The Dirt Down

I saw a newspaper picture from the political
campaign
A woman was kissing a child, who was obviously
in pain
She spills with compassion, as that young child's
face in her hands she grips
Can you imagine all that greed and avarice
coming down on that child's lips
Well I hope I don't die too soon
I pray the Lord my soul to save
Oh I'll be a good boy, I'm trying so hard to behave
Because there's one thing I know, I'd like to live
long enough to savour
That's when they finally put you in the ground
I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down
When England was the whore of the world
Margeret [sic] was her madam
And the future looked as bright and as clear as
the black tarmacadam
Well I hope that she sleeps well at night, isn't
haunted by every tiny detail
'Cos when she held that lovely face in her hands
all she thought of was betrayal
And now the cynical ones say that it all ends
the same in the long run
Try telling that to the desperate father who just
squeezed the life from his only son
And how it's only voices in your head and
dreams you never dreamt
Try telling him the subtle difference between
justice and contempt
Try telling me she isn't angry with this pitiful
discontent
When they flaunt it in your face as you line up
for punishment
And then expect you to say "Thank you"
straighten up, look proud and pleased
Because you've only got the symptoms, you
haven't got the whole disease
Just like a schoolboy, whose head's like a tin-can
filled up with dreams then poured down
the drain
Try telling that to the boys on both sides, being
blown to bits or beaten and maimed
Who takes all the glory and none of the shame
Well I hope you live long now, I pray the Lord
your soul to keep
I think I'll be going before we fold our arms
and start to weep
I never thought for a moment that human life
could be so cheap
'Cos when they finally put you in the ground
They'll stand there laughing and tramp the

Top Elvis Costello, Pads, Paws And Claws

She's a feline tormentor, not any vaudeville wife
But with a drunk-town lament he leads her a miserable life
But when he's full of that beer-champagne
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws
And if he should wake up in some terrible dive
And he don't know if he's so-so
But he's so surprised he's alive
"Come on little honey, let me under your hive"
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws
She pads, pads around the bedroom, practicing ways to flirt
He paws, pours another drink and anything in a skirt
Anything wearing a necklace
He thinks of claws scratching his back
He's going out there he's not coming back
She's got spider-leg fingers, sharpened whenever he strays
And she carries a bird-purse, with all of her womanly ways
Till he's drinking hairspray, she knows that he never would dare
She could be in pictures if she wasn't all covered in fur
He's coming home now and here's the surprise
You wouldn't believe the lies that he tries
She cut him down to her favourite size
She pads, paws, pads, paws and claws

Top Elvis Costello, Satellite

She looked like she learned to dance from a
series of still pictures
She's madly excited now, she throws her hands
up like a tulip
She looks like an illustration of a cocktail party
Where cartoon bubbles burst in the air,
champagne rolls off her tongue
Like a second language
And it should have been her biggest night
The satellite looks down on her as she begins
to cry
All over the world at the very same time people
sharing the same sorrow
As the satellite looks down her darkest hour is
somebody's bright tomorrow
He pulled on a cigarette, in the crook of his
first finger
Felt the static electric charge of her perfect
hour-glass figure
As he undressed her with his eyes her weakness
was his talent
How could she know as she stepped through
the lights, that her dress would become
transparent
And with his face pressed to the screen, he
muttered words he'd never dare to say if she
could see him
All over the world at the very same time
People sharing the same cheap sensation the
thrill of watching somebody watching those
forbidden things we never mention
[Chorus:]
The satellite looks down right now and forever
What it has pulled apart let no man tether his
own body to his dream,
His dream to someone else
Oh no, oh no.
She went back to a pitiful compromise
He'd go back to his family
But for the matter of a thousand miles that
separated them entirely
In the hot unloving spotlight, with secrets
it arouses
Now they both know what it's like inside a
pornographer's trousers
And in a funny way it's anonymous, the satellite
it blesses us and makes these dreams come
true... All over the world

Top Elvis Costello, Step Inside Love

Step inside love, let me find you a place
Where all the cares of the day
Will be carried away
By the smile on your face
We are together now and forever
Come what may
Step inside love and stay
Step inside love
Step inside love
Step inside love
I want you to stay
You look tired love, let me turn down the light
Come in out of the cold
Rest your head on my shoulder
And love me tonight
I'll always be here if you should need me
Night and day
Step inside love and stay
Step inside love
Step inside love
Step inside love
I want you to stay
When you leave me, say you'll see me again
For I know in my heart
We will not be apart
And I'll miss you till then
We'll be together now and forever
Come what may
Step inside love and stay
Step inside love
Step inside love
Step inside love

Top Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello

Strange things seem to occur, somewhere behind the nursery door
Though I was just a bit of a kid, it was the bit that she was looking for
Now I don't know where to begin confessing
The way she's making me feel it can't be a sin
I was taught to believe you were looking down on everyone
And your benevolent face is beautiful to gaze upon
Now I just don't know who to tell to go to hell
Who put the old devil in the distorted angel?
Distorted Angel
Pure illuminated sweetness
Frightening small children is just about your only weakness
I thought that you would tell me what I'm living for
But I can't see you anymore
I don't know what we did but I'm sorry if it made you cry
And if there's any justice at all I'd be punished for it I'd surmise
It will mark the spot very well where I fell
Under the shadow of the distorted angel
Beneath the shadow of the distorted angel
Below the shadow of the distorted angel
Angel
Beneath the shadow of the distorted angel
Below the shadow of the distorted angel

Top Elvis Costello, Sparkling Day

Oh, it was such a sparkling day
That I should be singing its praises
Just to catch my senses as they slip away
But my sentences and phrases
Are about as worthless as wonder can be
And there are words that I could say
Perhaps I lack the sense of occasion
Seems that I've been looking down so long you see
That it seemed like up to me
I should be ashamed, I'm sure you will agree
So don't go calling out for Jude or Anthony
Maybe I was lost, I'm a hopeless case
So that every night I listen carefully
But there was no message for me
No message for me
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Things I never said
Some things you never heard
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Now I wait in vain to see
That there was no message for me
When love is constant and content
You always fear some lingering temptation
Silhouettes escaping underneath locked doors
I'm astonished and amazed
Perhaps my message was erased
So don't go calling out for Jude or Anthony
Maybe I was lost, I'm a hopeless case
But then every night I listen carefully
But there was no message for me
No message for me
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Things I never said
Some things you never heard
Sparkling day, sparkling day
Now I wait in vain to see

Top Elvis Costello, Almost Ideal Eyes

Here she comes with her almost ideal eyes
And her flawless skin and her petulant pout
The memory of such a long blonde alibi
Still makes me want to shout out loud and clear
When you clear your head my dear
You can't come round here in those stolen clothes
Telling me all about some mystery
I hope she isn't one, I hope she isn't one of those
Almost ideal eyes
Viewed through a rosy hue
So beautiful, trusting
You'll find liberal is an insult now and care is what you pay for
Be sure of what you wish upon, be careful what you pray for
When you look into those almost ideal
Love is smiles, he will hypnotize you while
He tries to analyze your dream
Fill you up with all his big ideas while he really wants to make you
Scream out loud at the phony innocence
And the pained pretence and the dismal rage
The vacant lot that thankfully time forgot
Where you never have to act, you never have to act your age
Almost ideal eyes
Viewed through a rosy hue
So beautiful, trusting
You'll find stupid is a compliment and thrill is what you play for
Be sure of what you wish upon, be careful what you pray for
When you look into those almost ideal
In despair all your friends get uglier
And you find you're wearing an evening gown
Weeping over some tiny broken bird
While the sky is decorated
Shocking pink and a dirty shade of brown
And you think you need to be tranquil
Lies the fear that befits your new career
Whatever you invent you'll never be content in
Almost ideal eyes
Viewed through a rosy hue
So beautiful, trusting
Rebellion is just currency, the moon is what you bay for
Be sure of what you wish upon, be careful what you pray for
When you look into those almost ideal
When you look into those almost ideal
When you look into those almost ideal
Here she comes, here she comes now

Top Elvis Costello, Ascension Day

Not a soul was stirring
Not a bird was singing, at least not within my hearing
I was five minutes past caring
Standing in the road just staring
Thought I heard somebody pleading
I thought I heard someone apologise
Some fell down weeping
Others shook their fists up at the skies
And those who were left
Seemed to be wearing disguises
Now there's a queen in waiting
Not enough loving and too much hating
For the prince hidden within her man
Always seems to be hesitating
He said, "Let her go, let her go, God bless her"
"She hasn't been gone long enough for me to miss her"
"Except every minute of every hour of every day when I wish I could possess her"
40 days passed by
40 alibis
So carry on... that way
And in time... you'll pay
But we'll all be together
Come Ascension Day
Not a hound was howling
Or whimpering or prowling
Now the wind had departed
Not a leaf was hanging on the tree like when it started
But I know they will return
Like they've never gone away

Top Elvis Costello, Heart shaped Bruise

Tell me now, or am I only dreaming?
Tell me now, or are you only teasing?
I felt the cold hard facts of life
Five degrees from freezing
Does it amuse you to always hurt me so?
I try my best, it's not enough
Should I give up and let you go?
There's nothing more to take from me
There's nothing more to give you dear
There's nothing else that I can lose
Except this heart-shaped bruise
It will fade from purple to black
It will fade just as the day was lost into twilight
Tell me now or am I only dreaming?
You said that you'd be mine for life
And now you say you're leaving
If I could hold you once more before you go
When I approach you you just lash out
Should I give up and let you...
What more is there to take from me?
There's nothing more to give you dear
There's nothing more that I can lose

Top Elvis Costello, Episode Of Blonde

I spy for the "Spirit of Curiosity"
All the scandals of each vain monstrosity
I gossip and I pry and I insinuate
If the failure is great
Then it tends to fascinate
A tornado dropped a funnel cloud with twenty tons of rain
Though she had the attention span of warm cellophane
Her lovers fell like skittles in a 10-pin bowling lane
But nothing could compare with the explosion of fame
So you jumped back with alarm
Every Elvis has his army
Every rattlesnake his charm
Can you still hear me?
Am I coming through just fine?
Your memory was buried in simple box of pine
[Chorus:]
Did her green eyes seduce you and make you get so weak?
Was there fire engine red that she left upon your cheek?
It's such a shame you had to break the heart
You could have counted on but the last thing you need is another
...Episode of blonde
Revolving like a jeweller's figure on a music box
Spangled curtain parted and night-club scene unlocks
Pinned and fixed and fastened in a follow spot
Arms thrown out to everyone, she's giving all she's got
To the last gasp of a wounded bandeon
Tiny man imploring to the ceiling fan
This stolen feeling
Amplified up through a busted speaker
Blaring, blasting, advertising, distorted beyond reason
Into the street where petty crime-coats shadow panic drunkards,
Half out of the taxi cab the barker seized my elbow
He thought I was another lonely, likely pilgrim looking for St. Telmo
[Chorus]
I tried to keep a straight face but you know it never pays
He would stare into those eyes and then vacation in her gaze
She was a cute little ruin that he pulled out of the rubble
Now they are both living in a soft soap bubble
The film producer's contemplating, entertaining suicide
The picture crumpled in his fist, his runaway child bride
The timepiece stretched across his wrist
She couldn't care less cast aside
The scent that so repelled him that he swore: "insecticide"
And there's farewell note to mother
That will conclude "your loving Son"
"Oh, tell your other children not to do as I have done"
[Chorus]
So an artist drags a toothbrush across the first thing that he sees
And names the painting "Christ's Last Exit into Purgatory"
Receiving secret messages from an alien intelligence
Paying off his stalker it's a legitimate expense
So paste up pictures of those shrill and hollow girls
With puckered lips
She's a trophy on your arm
A magnet for your money clip
The moral of this story is the sorry tale to say

Top Elvis Costello, Either Side Of The Same Town

Nothing can ever be the same
All of the promises we made seem hollow
But there's still some streets in this town
Oh, they're marked, they're marked with your shadow
So if you see me, look surprised
Well, well, well, if you don't
Oh, just pass me by
And I may, I may even brush your sleeve
Oh, as you turn around, turn around and leave
Now it's hard to act like strangers
When we used to be so strong
Everything is changing
And most of it is wrong
What do we know of anything
Two fools of some renown
Either side, either side of the same town
Somewhere there's a light
Oh, I can sense it
Though I may fall back again
Oh, I know, yes, I know it's a fight
Oh, but I must, Lord, I must
Withstand the strain
Now it's hard to keep ignoring
Someone you recognise
And if I seem contented
Well, that's only my disguise
What do we know of anything
Two fools of some renown
Either side, either side of the same town

Top Elvis Costello, Dust 2

If dust could only talk
What would we hear it say?
Before it's brushed aside
Just as it's swept away
It's just the evidence
It's of no consequence
It's only flesh and bone
Why don't you leave it alone?
If dust could only speak
Caught in a falling beam
If dust could only cry
If dust could only scream
For it's the single witness that might testify
Could I spit out the truth?
Or would you rather just swallow a lie?
But dust is always caught behind a coat of paint
Beneath the marble fingernails of kings and saints
And in the theatre curtain where they hang a drape
Or in the ticket pocket where your hands escape
Before they start to wander
Or they start to shrink
You rub your eye a little and appear to blink
And then she caught you staring
She knows just what you're thinking
What got into you was not a ghost as such
It was just dust
Here comes the juggernaut
Here come The Poisoners
They choke the life and land
And rob the joy from us
Why do they taste of sugar
Oh, when they're made of money
Here comes the lamb of God
And the butcher's boy, Sonny
Well I believe we just
Become a speck of dust...

Top Elvis Costello, Don't Be Careless Love

Burn the midnight lamp
Down until the dawn
I'll keep watch
Until I'm sure you're coming home
Shadows play
And flicker on the bedroom wall
They turn into a bad dream overnight
Something could be terribly wrong
Don't be careless love
Don't be careless love
Don't be, don't be careless
In my dream you're running nowhere
Every step you've taken turns to glue
Walking down a spiral staircase
Failing through, failing through
Don't be careless love
Be careless love
The lamp burns down and out
I'm getting pretty tired of this
I feel so bad
Something might be going amiss
I won't be there
So look out for yourself
You're getting in deep whatever you do
Don't let me go back to sleep
Don't be careless love
Don't be careless love
Don't be, don't be careless
Saw your face in the morning paper
Saw your body rolled up in a rug
Chopped up into two little pieces
By some thug
Don't be careless love
Be careless love
But in the morning light
When I wake up again
You're by my side
And that's the way it's always been
But in the dark
Your mind plays funny tricks on you
Your mind plays funny tricks on you
Your mind plays funny tricks on you

Top Elvis Costello, Forty five

Bells are chiming for victory
There's a page back in history - 45
They came back to the world that they fought for
Didn't turn out just like they thought - 45
Here is a song to sing to do the measuring
What did you lose, what did you gain, what did you win?
Nine years later a child is born
There's a record so you put it on - 45
Nine years more if we're lucky now
Nine year old puts his money down - 45
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I held for you - 45
There's a stack of shellac and vinyl
Which is yours now or which is mine? - 45
Here is a song to sing to do the measuring
What did you lose, what did you gain, what did you win?
Bass and treble heal every hurt
There's a rebel in a nylon shirt
But the words are a mystery I've heard
Till you turn it down to thirty-three and a third
'Cause it helps with the elocution
Corporations turn revolutions - 45
I heard something peculiar said
"Perhaps he's got a shot" and "Now he's dead" - 45
So don't you weep and shed(?)
Just change my name instead
But what do you lose when it all goes to your head?
Bells are chiming and tears are falling
It creeps up on you without a warning - 45
Every scratch, every click, every heartbeat
Every breath that I've blessed

Top Elvis Costello, For The Stars

The stars were so much brighter then,
They dim and die,
So why pretend
The sky goes on forever:
But if they fade as science teaches,
Poets lose the power of speech.
Waste paper, ink and feather.
If I'd taken up the trumpet
As I should have done,
Then I wouldn't be
Always losing sleep,
While I'm trying to make this rhyme.
For the stars
Were so much,
They were so much brighter then.
If I couldn't put a price on your head,
What's the use of me trying
For the stars?
The morning comes, the days are
Just the time between
Until the dusk,
When we can be together,
If I'd taken up the drums
And I could play in time,
If I had the power,
Would I be wond'ring how,
I'm ever going to write this down.
For the stars
Were so much,
They were so much brighter then.
If I couldn't put a price on your head,
Then what's the use of me trying

Top Elvis Costello, Fallen

All the leaves are turning yellow, red and brown
Soon they'll be scattered as they tumble down
Although they may be swept up so invitingly
I never did what I was told
I trampled though the amber and the burnished gold
But now I clearly see how cruel the young can be
You can convince yourself of anything
If you wish both hard and long
And I believed that life was wonderful
Right up to the moment when love went wrong
I gaze up at the tree-tops and laugh
I need somebody to shake me loose
I want to know what happens next
'Til I don't care at all
There I go

Top Elvis Costello, Extra Verse)

Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill.
He jumped out the window cause he couldn't sit still.
Juliet was waiting with a safety net.
He said "Don't bury me cause I'm not dead yet".
Why don't you tell me 'bout the mystery dance.
I wanna know about the mystery dance.
Why don't you show me,
'cause I've tried and I've tried,
and I'm still mystified.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
Well I remember when the lights went out
and I was tryin' to make it look like it was never in doubt.
She thought that I knew, and I thought that she knew,
so both of us were willing, but we didn't know how to do it.
chorus
Well I was down under the covers in the middle of the night,
tryin' to discover my left foot from my right.
You can see those pictures in any magazine.
But what's the use of looking when you don't know what they mean.
chorus
I'm gonna walk right up to heaven dodgeing lightning rods
I'm gonna have this very personal conversation with god
I said "You got the information, Why don't you say so?"
He'll say "Well I've been around and I still don't know."
chorus

Top Elvis Costello, 15 Petals

15 Petals
One for every year I spent with you
Jewels and precious metals will never do
I love you twisted
And I love you straight
I'd write it down but I can't concentrate
Words won't obey they do as the please
And all I am left with are these...
15 Petals
One for every year I spent with you
Jewels and precious metals will never do
The thorn is blunted
The perfume will fade
I stand where sun is set
I crave the shade
Down in the tavern with Mary and Joe
Palms reached for alms as they throw
15 Petals...
One for every hour that we're apart
Tears and useless battles
I'll never start
Mussolini highway
There's a frankincense tree
I picked some up there to carry with me
You take me to places where I'd never go
I love you more than you know
15 Petals
Scattered in the path where you will tread
15 Petals
Of vivid red
One wine-bar vamp with the polythene face
Ein Panzer Kommander with no hair in place

Top Elvis Costello, Dissolve

Sugar cube drop into a yellow cup
What makes the world just waking up
Revolve?
Dissolve
Who know where on earth it's going to stop?
I can't hear you 'cos we're breaking up
Dissolve
And the stones in the track make work for the mechanic
The birds all fly from the branches in a panic
And a back-fire echoes down the hillside
As the last headline report dies
Dissolve
Ice is melting a the distant Pole
The gin and tonic glasses overflow
Dissolve
The precious little else that I could say
Your stupid tear of laughter washed away
Dissolve
While the poisonous light pours from the picture palace
And it flickers on, tries so hard to be scandalous
A child keeps beating on a toy drum
And the tablets dropped on your tongue
Dissolve
"So salute me in moving frame"
"I might not be there when you look again"
The mourning border card behind the clock
The hour that he passed, unwound and stopped

Top Elvis Costello, Deportee

In the Arrivederci Roma nightclub, bar and grill
Standing in the fiberglass ruins watching time stand still
All your troubles you confess to another faceless, backless dress
Schnapps, chianti, porter and ouzo
Pernod, vodka, sambuca - I love you so
Deportee
There's a tatty beauty talking in riddles
Rome burns down and everybody fiddles
Deportee
But a thousand dollars won't buy you a Yank, you wife, alas
There's a thousand years of history ground in this chaser glass
And how I wish that she was mine
I could have been the King in Six Eight Time
Deportee
Oh, it's a brittle charm, but she's had enough
Still she wrote her name upon his paper cuff
And you don't where to start or where to stop
All this pillow talk is nothing more than finally talking shop
When I came here tonight my pockets were overflowing
They took my return ticket without me even knowing
Well, I pray to the saints and all the martyrs
For the secret life of Frank Sinatra
But none of these things have come to pass
In America the law is a piece of ass
Deportee
So it's Schnapps, chianti, porter and ouzo
Pernod, vodka, sambuca - I love you so
Deportee
Deportee
Poor Deportee

Top Elvis Costello, Im In The Mood Again

Hail to the taxis
They go where I go
Farewell the newspapers that know more than I know
Flung under a street-lamp still burning at dawn
I'm in the mood again
I walk the damp streets rather than slumber
Along the fine windows of shameless and plunder
But none of their riches could ever compare
I'm in the mood again
I don't know what's come over me
But it's nothing that I'm doing wrong
You took the breath right out of me
Now you'll find it in the early hours
In a lover's song
I lay my head down on fine linens and satin
Away from the mad-hatters who live in Manhattan
The Empire State Building illuminating the sky

Top Elvis Costello, Alibi

You did it 'cos you wanted
Alibi, alibi
And you took it
'Cos you need it
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus:]
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
Alibi, alibi, alibi...
And you don't need anybody
Alibi, alibi
But you are the only one who knows this
Alibi, alibi
You deserve it 'cos you're special
Alibi, alibi
Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam
Alibi, alibi
But if I've left something out
I apologise
But if you look in my eyes
Then I'm sure you'll see...
Alibis, alibis, alibis...
Sometimes I'm so forgiving
Everything seems bad to me
But I can't go on living
With this alibi, alibi, alibi...
"Insane," what a mundane
Alibi, alibi
And you only wanted to be famous
Alibi, alibi
Sorry, but your mummy doesn't love you
Alibi, alibi
Stop me if you've heard this...
Alibi, alibi
But if I've done something right then don't be surprised
There are soldiers who will kill but refuse to die
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
Alibi, alibi, alibi, alibi...
You were weak...
You couldn't help it
Alibi, alibi
But you never had a pony
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus]
And you're such a people person
Alibi, alibi
And I will be true to you forever
Alibi, alibi
But you're stupid and you're lazy
Alibi, alibi
Maybe we can make the future better
Alibi, alibi
[Chorus]
Sometimes I'm So Forgiving
Everything seems bad to me
But I can't go on living
With this alibi, alibi, alibi...
You were happy when you were poor
And more honest and that's your...
Alibi, alibi
Sister is a whore, brother isn't sure
Alibi, alibi
You don't fit the body that you're trapped in
Alibi, alibi
Papa's got a brand new
Alibi, alibi
But if I've done something wrong there's no "ifs and buts"
'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts
But if I've left something out
I apologise
But if you look in my eyes
Then I'm sure you'll see...

Top Elvis Costello, I Throw My Toys Around

I've got no time for fairy stories
I'm not a little girl
So you can leave me all alone
And turn off the lights as well
If you were frightened
Then listen:
But I don't think you'd like it
Such a nice kid
Nobody's lookin' now
I throw my toys around
Somebody's bein' very bad
I wonder who it can be
Somebody's goin' to get in trouble
I know it isn't me
I'm just a little angel
But you don't know what I've done
When your back's turned
Nobody's lookin' now
I throw my toys around
Pick up those building blocks
Chop off the baby's locks
Swing dolly by the hair
Put down that teddy bear
Slam dunk that happy clown
I throw my toys around
I've got no time for bedtime stories
I'm not a little child
Everything makes me furious
And everything makes me wild
If you were frightened
Then whistle:
And they'll come runnin' to you
As you boo-hoo
Nobody's looking now
I throw my toys around
I throw my toys around

Top Elvis Costello, The Spark Of Love

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, She (Tous Les Visages De L`amour)

May be the face I can't forget
A trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She may be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day.
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
A smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell
She who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She may be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I'll remember till the day I die
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough and many years
Me I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is
She, she, she

Top Elvis Costello, Shes Pulling Out The Pin

She's pulling out the pin
That lets her hair fall down
She shakes her head and
It goes tumbling
Her smile was out of place
So she swept it off her face
Let me find the words and say them
Like some softly whispered Amen
As she starts to pull away
And the lights begin to dim
Is she thinking of me
Or is she thinking of him
She's pulling out the pin
She's slipping off the hook
Unbuttoning her dress
There's just enough to make some man a mess
She tears away the veil
With her fingernails
She came out high and kicking
While the band played "Hey good lookin'"
Do you hear something ticking?
Did somebody tell her?
You can really be redeemed
Could she actually be?
As desperate as she seems
She's tearing at the seams
She's going to extremes
Nobody told her it was a sin
So she's pulling out the pin
She's taping up her hands
Just as a boxer will
They started laughing
But if looks could kill
She'd take them down right now
She's covering her mouth
With someone or without
There's nothing more to say
This is her wedding day
Full of shattered glass and mayhem
Not one softly whispered amen
She's knocking down some doors
And the smoke begins to fill
Where the world without her ends
And the next one begins

Top Elvis Costello, Red shoes

Oh I used to be disgusted
And now I try to be amused.
But since their wings have got rusted,
You know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain,
That's when I knew that I could not refuse.
And I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Oh-oh.
I was watching while you're dancing away.
Our love got fractured in the echo and sway.
How come everybody wants to be your friend?
You know that it still hurts me just to say it.
Oh, I know that she's disgusted. (Oh why's that)
'Cause she's feeling so abused. (Oh that's too bad)
She gets tired of the lust, (Oh I'm so sad)
But it's so hard to refuse.
Can you say that I'm too old,
When the angels have stolen my red shoes?
Oh, I said "I'm so happy, I could die."
She said "Drop dead", then left with another guy.
That's what you get if you go chasing after vengeance.
Ever since you got me punctured this has been my sentence.
Oh I used to be disgusted
And now I try to be amused.
But since their wings have got rusted,
You know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain,
That's when I knew that I could not refuse.
And I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Oh I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Red shoes, the angels wanna wear my red shoes. (repeat and fade)

Top Elvis Costello, Rope

Down by the harbourside
A boat is fastened by a length of rope.
It was a perfect match,
Dreaming of escape,
Feeling almost detached.
Look beneath the waves -
The seabirds diving down into black water.
The morning bells begin,
Schoolchildren chant and spin.
A length of rope
Below a hanging tree,
Like cruel secrets some of us turn out to be.
Should our love increase,
We are all released like statues from marble.
While in a prison yard,
They're taking turns to guard
A length of rope.
Are you too weak to fight?
Picking up a thread and then stretching it tight.
Look beneath the waves -
The seabirds diving down into black water.
Still our love increased,

Top Elvis Costello, Put Your Big Toe In The Milk Of Human Kindness

Put your big toe in the milk of human kindness
Have you ever seen the like of this mankind?
If a boy or girl is cute, we simply shoot to starry heights
Any maybe, any might
But always so capricious, in the face of wonder we're suspicious
And though we came from frogs and fishes
Our taste is far from fine
Put your big toe in the milk of human kindness
Put your big toe in the milk of human kindness
Have you ever seen the like of this mankind?
You take the Himalayas, you'll take Manhattan's finest mountain top
He wouldn't change his whiskey sour for any bitter crop
But always so contrary, from Father Christmas to the Virgin Mary
And though the moments of belief
Fly by before you find if you'd just unhand your mind
Put your big toe in the milk of human kindness
But always so contrary, from Father Christmas to the Virgin Mary
And though the moments of belief
Fly by before you find if you'd just unhand your mind

Top Elvis Costello, Radio Silence

Signal fading, listen to what I'm saying
Testing, testing
This better be worth all of the breath I'm wasting
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Barricaded in the talk radio station
Hostage taken
The red "On-Air" light shines on
Something cheaper that passes for free speech
Will have to do
Hear him coming through loud and clear
Trickling in your ear
He'll tell you anything you want to hear
The tape starts running
He's going to tell you something
The strings start strumming
Another humdrum conundrum
Signing off now
Maintaining radio silence from now on
But there's one thing I should have said
"The hostage will end up dead"
It's just a comedy
The hostage is me
So pay the ransom
Beyond the run-out grove
Get my wife down here
A helicopter on the roof
No police marksman
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Mystery voices
Drowned out by too much choice
That's not to mention
The sad waste of this wonderful invention
Maintaining radio silence from now on
Libraries filled up with failed ideas
There's nothing more for me there
I trust in tender ink and gentle airs
Do those drug dealer still polish women made of wax?
Gangster and world leaders
Require the same protection from attack
From this distance it's hard to tell the difference
Between a king and jack
Between a poet and hack

Top Elvis Costello, Puck One

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Puck Two

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Peace, Love & Understanding

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin’ for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
There’s one thing I wanna know:
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding?
And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
’cause each time I feel it slippin’ away, just makes me wanna cry.
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding?
So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.
’cause each time I feel it slippin’ away, just makes me wanna cry.
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love & understanding?

Top Elvis Costello, Prelude

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Honey Are You Straight

Who do you see when you turn your eyes down?
Who do you see when I'm not seeing you?
The news is out all over town and all these girls
Are taking turns at being you
Chorus: Well, well, well
You'd better make up your mind
Honey, are you straight or are you blind?
She's coming in between us you know that she is
I'm not holding on to her but one of us is
My hands are in my pocket, my face is in a book
She could walk 'round naked and I wouldn't sneak a look
Chorus
Honey are you straight or are you blind?
She walked in and your eyes flew out the door
You squeezed my hand 'til the circulation ceases
She's just a doll like so many more
She's the kind of doll that you'd like to pull to pieces
Chorus
Well, well, well
You'd better make up your mind

Top Elvis Costello, Pony Street

She lives on Pony Street
And they should scatter flowers at her feet
But when they come calling I think it's appalling
They're sober and they're polite
They're deeply respectful when I would expect them
To keep her out all night
That little martinet
Will get her own way yet
If you need instruction in mindless destruction
I'll show you a thing or two
You used to adore me but now my life flashes before me
For you to view
Oh mother, oh mother, sometimes you are so mortifying
From the hole in your leopard skin tights I can tell you've been spying
But your generation confesses before it transgresses
Those Super-8 movies of daddy in your disco dresses
If you're going out tonight
I won't wait up
Reading "Das Kapital"
Watching "Home Shopping Club"
While you're flogging a dead horse
All the way down Pony Street
Where you live after a fashion
All the way down Pony Street
The life and the soul of every indiscretion
That lives on, that lives on, that lives on
Pony Street
Daughter, oh daughter, you know I will love you forever
But spare me the white ankle socks with the lace and the leather
For you and your cartoon threat do no good to resist me
For I am the genuine thing but for you it's just history
If you're going out tonight
How can you be sure
Where you lay your pretty head
Mother may have been before
So you're flogging a dead horse
All the way down Pony Street
Where you live after a fashion
All the way down Pony Street
The life and the soul of every indiscretion
That lives on [5x]
She lives on Pony Street [2x]

Top Elvis Costello, The Spell That You Cast

The spell that you cast
Seems to be wearing off fast
(The spell that you cast)
Come back baby, cos I don't know if I can last
(The spell that you cast)
And I wonder whether
You got some other kind of lover
That you like to please
Better than me
I don't think I can take it
How am I going break it?
The Spell That You Cast
The spell that you've woven
Seems to be coming undone
(The spell that you cast)
Come back, Baby or at least tell me where you are going
(The spell that you cast)
'Cos you know quite well
I'm not a jealous kind of feller
But they look in your eyes
And they're all hypnotized
I'm going to miss you madly
'Cos I love you sadly
The Spell That You Cast
Jimmy come quickly 'cos I feel quite sickly
(The Spell That You Cast)
You're like a gangster's Molly with a cannonade volley
(The Spell That You Cast)
I don't think I can take it
How am I going break it?

Top Elvis Costello, You Hung The Moon

The homecoming fanfare is echoing still
Now tapping on tables
And sensing a chill
Poor families expecting loved one's return
Only summon some charlatan spectre
Oh, when will they learn?
You hung the moon
From a gallows in the sky
Choked out the light
From his blue lunar eye
The shore is a parchment
The sea has no tide
Since he was taken from my side
The lines of the fallen are viewed through a glass
But you cannot touch them at all
Or hear their footfall just as they go past
The drunken ground is where they are bound
You hung the moon
From a gallows in the sky
Put out the light in his blue lunar eye
The shore is a parchment
The sea has no tide
Since he was taken from my side
So slap out his terrors
And sneer at his tears
We deal with deserters like this
From the breech to the barrel, the bead we will level
Break earth with a shovel, quick march on the double
Lower him shallow like tallow down in the abyss
You hung the moon
From a gallows in the sky
Choked out the light in his blue lunar eye
The shore is a parchment
The sea has no tide

Top Elvis Costello, Favourite Hour

Figure hanging on a leather band
Cog consults the watch he cups in his hand
Bejewelled movement measures lost and vanished time
Pray for the boy who makes his bed in cold earth and quicklime
[Chorus:]
So stay the hands, arrest the time
Till I am captured by your touch
Blessings I don't count
Small mercies and such
The flags may lower as we approach the favourite hour
Now there's a tragic waste of brutal youth
Strip and polish this unvarnished truth
The tricky door that gapes beneath the ragged noose
The crippled verdict begs again for the lamest excuse
[Chorus]
Put out my eyes so I may never spy
Waving branches as they're waving goodbye
Their vile perfume brings to my mouth a bitter taste
The murmuring brooks had best speak up, it's a terrible waste

Top Elvis Costello, I Thought I'd Write to Juliet

I thought I'd write to Juliet, for she would understand
And when someone is already dead they can no longer let
you down
Instead I find myself talking to you, as my oldest friend
Tell me how I can advise someone, that I don't even know,
To welcome death
For I received a letter that is worth reporting
And though it may raise a cynical smile
It leaves a sinking feeling
Like when a soldier in a story says to the sergeant...
"Have you seen my pride and joy?..."
You know the rest...and it's no joke...Forgive me please as
I quote...
"This is a letter of thanks, as I'm so bored here in I can't
say where.
So I'm writing to people that I may never meet
And I was thinking if something you said..."
"I'm a female soldier, my name is Constance.
I enlisted in the military needing funds for college
I'm twenty-three years old and if I do get home alive
I imagine I may think again..."
"I'm sleeping with my eyes open for fear of attack
Your words are a comfort, they're the best thing that I have
Apart from family pictures and, of course, my gas mask

Top Elvis Costello, Jacksons, Monk and Rowe

Sister 4 and Brothers 3
Hanging off the family tree
Practising for getting old
Do you want your fortune told
They're looking for you high and low
Now there's nowhere for you to go
So you'll just have to come out and face the music
Jacksons, Monk and Rowe
Long ago when we were kids and we cut your hair to bits
As we carried off like spoils the heads we'd smash right off
your dolls
But the wind is changing you know
Are you sure of your friends and your foe
Have you got what it takes to carry it off
Jacksons, Monk and Rowe
As the sun beats down and life begins to complicate
Will we both incinerate
If we touch that brass name-plate
Messrs. All, noble Sirs
Highly paid solicitors
Find enclosed my signed divorce
Sad proceedings you endorse
The burden of pity will show
In the people we used to know
Have you got enough strength to carry it off

Top Elvis Costello, For Other Eyes

I don't know what I would do
If this letter should fall into
Other hands than it should pass through
For other eyes
He said, "It was nothing...it's over and done"
But the rotten worm was burrowing still
Its spirit invades me bleeding me white
For other replies
I searched his pockets
I searched his eyes
I searched his wallet for clues and lies
And I found a number that I somehow dialed
A woman answered, a woman smiled
Then she hung up on the silence unperplexed
Innocently spun her rolodex
I dialed again I could not resist
Revealing just the dentist receptionist
One day we'll laugh about it or maybe we'll curse
But there is one thing that is making it worse
And it's the lack of forgiveness that I can't disguise
No matter how well he lies
Now we don't know each other anymore
And when we touch our lips feel sore
I question the longing left in his sighs

Top Elvis Costello, I Almost Had A Weakness

Thank you for the flowers
I threw them on the fire
And I burned the photographs that you had enclosed
GOD they were ugly children
So you're the little bastard of that brother of mine
Trying to trick a poor old woman
'Til I almost had a weakness
Last week Cousin Florence
Bit your Uncle Joe
Hit him on the forehead with a knife and a fork
(She) said that he looked like the devil
Then she said... "pass the vinegar," I'm beginning to think
(That) I'm the only one who hasn't taken to the drinking of it
Though I almost had a weakness
It pains me to mention
These delicate concerns
While I have to tolerate you family jewels
I really mustn't grumble
('Cause) when I die the cats and dogs will jump up and down
And you little swines will get nothing

Top Elvis Costello, Deliver Us

(Instrumental)

Top Elvis Costello, Expert Rites

I marvel at the wonder of it in our souless age
Fast flow the tears upon the page
Don't be alarmed I am her friend
Will I be excused if I presume
It's more than disappointment that we share
You share the same sorry life, the families fight,
that unhappy blade you both invite
This romantic ideal has a lonely appeal
I once loved someone the way that you do
But I had to let her go
I live with my regret

Top Elvis Costello, Dead Letter

(Instrumental)

Top Elvis Costello, Dear Sweet Filthy World

Dear sweet filthy world, my wife or whoever reads this
I think that I've lived too long
With all of my promise unfulfilled
But there is a veil drawn over all of that
I know you'll probably say, "Spare us the melodrama"
"I don't know how he chose the pills or the stupid revolver"
I'm out of luck
I'm not that strong
My hands, your neck
I might have wrung
Don't try to find me
I'm not worth anything anymore
I am not leaving you with all of your problems
The biggest one is me
Life is dark
Cold as the sea
Embrace me in my anguish
Put seaweed in my hair and vow that you won't cry because
I've gone
I can't go on, I can't go on, I can't go on

Top Elvis Costello, You Little Fool

Daddy's best girl in the world is not supposed to have a boyfriend
But she's never wanted at home
Other girls are allowed to wear their makeup
She sneaks out her lipstick powder and comb
She surrounds his name with hearts and flowers
Talks on the telephone for hours and hours
But with the bird in his hand
And two on a string
The words of love have an imitation ring
You little fool, you little fool
I suppose that your going to stay all night
You little fool
Don't look at me that way you know it isn't right
You little fool
They say no news is good news
The little girl wants information
Mother just gives her some pills to choose
And says go and use your imagination
Daddy's best girl in the world says just look what I have got
As she sits beside him on the high stool
With his arm around her neck snowball in one hand
And the other full of imitation jewels
She fingers a string of pearls
An imitation but he'll never know it
Imitation lashes flutter above
Looking for an imitation of love
You little fool
I suppose that your going to stay all night
You little fool
So don't look at me that way you know it isn't right

Top Elvis Costello, Damnation's Cellar

Did anybody notice, over marmalade and eggs
In between the Princess' legs
What with wars and floods and beggars
Not to mention stocks and shares
If you have a moment to spare
Can you write and reassure me that I have seen
They're constructing a time machine
There will be no need for the obituary pages
We can have any hero from the bygone ages
'Til the truth emerges, the argument rages
[Chorus:]
The major and the minor
Turn from tallow into tar
Should we leave them in their place?
Down in damnation's cellar
When any form of deity that you might enjoy
Can be conjured with a test-tube and a flame
If it's out there then science can explain it
Or at least remove the blame
And if theres is anyone you'd like to see again
The speak up quickly
Send us back Da Vinci then we don't have to ponder
The maddening smile of "La Giaconda"
The critics say Nijinsky, the dancer, of course
While the punters would probably prefer the horse
You'll find it's quicker than history, cheaper than divorce
[Chorus]
Bring back Liberace or Ollie and Stan
Shakespeare will have to wait his turn
Elvis Presley and Puccini shall return
I suppose we live and learn, though it's hard to believe as we
cheerfully burn
It's curious
Some will call for justice.
There are murders to solve
What about Hitler? Or at least Lee Harvey Oswald
Give us this day and everything we squander
Anyone beautiful
Somebody blonder
They'll never please mankind, so lie back and enjoy it
Stop press: They've just decided to destroy it

Top Elvis Costello, The Only Flame In Town

I know a girl got my mind in a mess
I never heard her say goodnight and God bless
She's not the only flame in town
And when we're alone we never quarrel
I'm miles away now here's the moral
She's not the only flame in town
She's not the only flame in town
She's got to stop thinking that I'm
carrying this torch around
He struck a match and it lit up her face
We should have struck a match girl
To burn down the whole place
Now you're not the only flame in town
But you blew hot and cold
Turned my heart to a cinder
And with each passing day
You'd be less tender and more tinder
Now you're not the only flame in town
She's not the only flame in town
She's got to stop thinking that I'm
carrying this torch around
Thought I saw your face in the fire
But it's so hard to remember
Even an inferno can cool down to an ember
Now you're not the only flame
You're not the only flame
You're not the only flame in town

Top Elvis Costello, That's Not The Part Of Him

I have a friend
She's just a friend
I tried to comfort and defend
I gave her what you might call advice
But nothing like that comes without a price
The rumour was a cruel surprise
And she dissolved before my eyes
I offered my hand and hers and mine entwined
I thought about back then when I wished that she had been mine
There's no use in shedding any tears
He's no good to you the way he is
He's beyond forgiving and believing
Half of his heart is torn like paper
It's sweet as the syrup from the maple
But that's not the part of him you're leaving
In time they're bound to wonder why
It's just a thrill you can't deny
I offered my shoulder right away
Now people will talk about what I can't say
And yet the whispers still persist
They're getting harder to resist
How am I supposed to stop loving you now I've begun?
And I'm sorry for what I might do more than what I have done
There's no use in shedding any tears
He's no good to you the way he is
He's beyond forgiving and believing
Half of his heart is filled with pain
That's sweet as a lick of sugarcane
But that's not the part of him you're leaving
Love is a many splintered thing
That only cuts roses and ribbons that cling

Top Elvis Costello, The Comedians

I fell under such gentle persuasion
You can't refuse it's like a home from home
Meanwhile in the Motor car kingdom
They're finding that all that glitters is not chrome
The social circle have these cardiac complaints
Their hearts are empty when their hands are full
All these new found fond acquaintances
Turn out to be the red rag to my bull
[Chorus:]
And I'm up while the dawn is breaking
Even though my heart is aching
I should be drinking a toast to absent friends
Instead of these comedians
I've looked into these eyes upon reflection
They've seen the face of love, they've seen a few
What kind of love is this upon inspection
You'll be the last to know who's fooling who

Top Elvis Costello, The Great Unknown

They took old Danny Boy for a ride
From the arms of his bride to be
Threw him into the murky waters
By the dog biscuit factory
Quick dry the tears and stifle cheers
As he sinks just like a stone
Footprints set in sentimental cement
Now burden down his bones
Lest we forget
Here lies the Great unknown
[Chorus:]
My my my Delilah
Who's the butcher that you harbour
Take the rich man to the cleaners
And the strong man to the barber
From her face down to her torso
Sort of gruesome only more so
Hooks and eyes, fingers and thumbs
Ladies and gentlemen here she comes
The Great unknown
Where shall we sing
At a wedding or a wake
Whose name shall we cherish
And for whose sake
Now this year's cannon fodder
Tell the future general's jokes
They were keeping the home fires burning
As we slipped out for a smoke
Though the VIP's sang "Wooden Heart"
The band played "Hearts of Oak"
[Chorus]
And here comes the day I shall perish all alone

Top Elvis Costello, Sleepless Nights

Through the sleepless nights
I cry for you
And wonder who
Is kissing you
Oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two
Somehow, through the day
I don't give in
I hide the tears
That wait within
Oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart again
Why did you go?
Oh, why did you go?
Don't you know, don't you know
I need you?
Through the sleepless nights
I cry for you
And wonder who
Is kissing you
Oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two
Oh, oh, oh, oh, these sleepless nights
Will break my heart in two
Oh, oh, oh, oh, these sleepless nights

Top Elvis Costello, Sour Milk-Cow Blues

You like coffee and you like tea
Much more than you like me
And everybody says watch out yeah
For the sour milk-cow blues
You like your coffee just a little too sweet
Without your sugar life is incomplete
And everybody says watch out yeah
For the sour milk-cow blues
I think about you everyday
Something about you is not the same
Something about the things you say
Sounds like a different woman with a different name
Sour milk-cow blues
You wear a different size and style of shoe
I think that someone must be poisoning you
To replace you with a living double
Get out of my life right now and save them all of the trouble
They changed your complexion and your personality
Somebody's putting ideas in your head
They took the girl of my dreams and left you here instead
Sour milk-cow blues
You take your place in this parade of pleas
You dial a number and they offer relief
All alone with just your own device
They give you something and it isn't advice
To break the hearts of a million listeners
Start out as lovers and you end up as prisoners
Somebody's suffering from the things that you do
Somebody's suffering but you're glad it isn't you
Put your fingertips up to the screen
Repeat after me, wake at the count of three
Now I don't know which is worse
What they're doing to you or what you're doing to me

Top Elvis Costello, Still

These few lines I'll devote
To a marvellous girl covered up with my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin
Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast
Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met
There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"
Still
I was moving very fast
But in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips
I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush
Hush

Top Elvis Costello, Sulphur To Sugarcane

Top Elvis Costello, Love Field

You lie so unfolded
In a love field
With your contempt for any modesty
In a love field
In a love field
In a love field
You yield with your lips still sealed
In a love field
Lost in a sea of imaginary women
Everything you'd want
from the dawn to the dimming
Breath comes sharp and heart beats faster
In a love field
Cold ground for a pillow
Under a blanket of stars
In a love field
In a love field
In a love field
Headlights that startled
This embrace of hours
In a love field
In a crooked house
Where things can be arranged
You think you're different from the rest
But you don't see how you've changed
Under an archway
On a road of white linen
In a love field
Feel the anxious rhythm of a functional stranger
In a love field
In a love field
In a love field
She's so tense but it's never mentioned

Top Elvis Costello, Motel Matches

Somewhere in the distance I can hear "Who Shot Sam?"
This is my conviction, that I am an innocent man
Though you say I'm unkind
I'm being as nice as I can
[Chorus:]
Boys everywhere, fumbling with the catches
I struck lucky with motel matches
Falling for you without a second look
Falling out of your open pocketbook
Giving you away like motel matches
I wake with the siren in an emergency
Though your mind is full of love
In your eyes there is a vacancy
And you know what I'll do
When the light outside changes from red to blue

Top Elvis Costello, Song With Rose

Between last breaths and first regrets
The days dragged on like cigarettes
In the distance martyrs and martinets
Dally, dancing with the empty silhouettes of threats
So, where but heaven does love end
And where on earth does it begin
It's not the kind of love that is pinned
Like a medal
Or presses pennies in a tin
There is hope, and after that, there is only faith
Love like a wraith
Never made me afraid
Consoled as I was by that shade...
Here lie the roses in the ashes
Deep as the barnacles that cling
Just like a lace that runs through everyone and everything
In that other still forever
In that time before the past
I told myself we'd be together
Can you promise me that it will be eternally?
There is hope, and after that, there is only faith
Love like a wraith
Never made me afraid
Consoled as I was
Consoled as I was

Top Elvis Costello, Speak Darkly My Angel

Speak darkly, my angel
Or do I have to plead?
The sweetness has gone out of it
And all that's left is bitter barren greed
A needy lover with her almost vanished liar
Entangled as the gloom is strangled by the clinging briar
That ventures out to gather in the gloom
That perfect mouth is ruined now
For as you turn down the corners of your smile
And cloud your dim corrupted eyes
Just before the concertina wrecks your noble brow
The fatal flaw I can't allow
Depart now, my angel
The gaoler of my youth
Sends fifty thousand reasons why I never ever try to tell the truth
The season's over
And it's time for either one of us to go
Stand by the window
But don't lean so temptingly into the drop that calls below
For if you tumble back

Top Elvis Costello, Taking Liberties

Top Elvis Costello, When I Was Cruel

Top Elvis Costello, Spike

Top Elvis Costello, Out of Our Idiot

Top Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True

Top Elvis Costello, How Deep Is The Red

They said that Jenny too was once an ugly wretch
And how her dress was torn and ragged
Back when her life was brief and rugged
She had no sense for fine perfume
And still her eyes cast down as she walks
Through each gilded room
You'll note her gowns are never
Hung with a string of pearls
No one who sees her, plain and modest
Senses the illegitimate girl, hidden within
So, hark and hail, "The Swedish Nightingale"
Is this is not a pretty tale? Is this not a riddle?
A bow shoots arrows through the air
A bow drags notes from a fiddle
But who is the beau of poor girl's dreams?
That a king may send to battle
Is this not a pretty tale? Is this not a riddle?
If red is the breast of soldier's tunic
Hung with a silver medal
And red is the thorn that protects the rose
A deeper red than the petal
How deep is the red our redeemer bled
The debt of our sins to settle?
How deep is the red?
How deep is the red?
How deep is the red our redeemer bled?
How deep is the red?

Top Elvis Costello, You Turned To Me

You turned to me
And all at once
I knew I was betrayed
My eyes met yours just down the darkened path
Where both of us had strayed
Nothing good can come out of this
I know it may not be
But just then you turned to me
And I thought for a moment
Like the fool that I've become
I might be the one
To turn these lights back on
Just as I began to say
It's never worth the price you pay
I was going there anyway
You turned to me
And all at once
I knew that you had seen
How I was lost in something quite like love
When all I did was dream
Now as evening becomes the dawn
I wonder where you'll be

Top Elvis Costello, Distorted Angel

Top Elvis Costello, Georgie and Her Rival

Georgie grew to hate her name
It sounded like a tiny man
And the one she had said "I can't see you, but I'll call you
whenever I can"
Sometimes the phone would ring, when she was half-asleep
A voice would drag her down with its suggestions
Though she often felt cheated, she never felt cheap
[Chorus:]
Well heaven knows what fills the heart and makes you feel so
alive
It's impossible to tear apart
Georgie and her rival
It was half-past February
And he hadn't called since New Year's Day
Maybe he'd found another woman to say those words no chapel girl
should say
Her mother would phone and always keep talking
She'd try to be polite, making faces
But somewhere in the back of her mind, her rival was stalking
[Chorus]
Her rival would always wait till the eighth or ninth bell
He'd be desperate anyway and drunk as well
She always liked to hurt him to prove he was prepared
To love her anyway that she wanted
So she could tell which she preferred
He sat up with his address book trying to think what mood he's in
His finger traced past Georgie's name to someone who needed less
persuading
He didn't hear through her disguise he didn't leave her in a rush
Just like the promise that he left on her machine
That almost made her blush
The radio plays a lover's symphony
"The number you have dialed has been re-directed"
Now she puts him on the speaker-phone
Whenever she has company

Top Elvis Costello, Broken

If I am frightened then I can hide it
If I am crying, I'll call it laughter
If I am haunted, I'll call it my imaginary friend
If I am bleeding, I'll call it my wine
But if you leave me then I am broken
And if I'm broken then only death remains
If I am drifting, then I can fight it
If I am sinking, no-one will know it
If I am blinded I'll have my voices still to guide me
If they yet fled away I'd bless the silence
But if you leave me then I am broken

Top Elvis Costello, All Grown Up

"I'm trouble" she said
Spread out on the floor of her father's house
Her promise was almost undone
Under her tongue, dissolving her responsibilities
To finally deny everyone with every unflattering comparison
[Chorus:]
All grown up
And you don't care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
Did I hear you right?
You're feeling hounded and pushed around
You want to just lay down and die
If all of this life has been such a big disappointment to you
Why don't you stop blaming some guy
And go give the next one a try
[Chorus]
But look at yourself
You'll see you're still so young
You haven't earned the weariness
That sounds so jaded on your tongue
"I'm weak" she says
And blesses herself and gets into bed
Clutching the covers to her throat
"So punish me now and let me go back to the sham of my life"
"This night is the perfect antidote for all of the poison that
you wrote"

Top Elvis Costello, I Want to Vanish

[Chorus:]
I want to vanish
This is my fondest wish
To go where I cannot be captured
Laid on a decorated dish
Even in splendor this curious fate
Is more than I care to surrender
Now it's too late
Whether in wonder or indecent haste
You arrange the mirrors and the spools
To snare the rare and precious jewels
That were only made of paste
If you should stumble upon my last remark
I'm crying in the wilderness
I'm trying my best to make it dark
How can I tell you I'm rarer than most
I'm certain as a lost dog
Pondering a sign post
[Chorus]
I want to vanish
This is my last request
I've given you the awful truth

Top Elvis Costello, Invasion Hit Parade

Now that you set everybody free
What are you going to do about me?
Don't want to be treated like some poor grateful clown
I'd rather go back to the sweet underground
Where I can tell by the colour of my skin
And I know my neighbour 'cos he's the one, yes he's the one
Who always turns me in
A woman works the tunnel in the middle of the night
Picking up every lost object in sight
Handbags, toupees, lost legs and fingernails
The black market eats up all your failures
Her transistor offers no salvation or regrets
No pool, no pets, no cigarettes
Just non-stop Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes
[Chorus:]
There's no name, no name for the place or pain we'll cause you
again and again
If you do not co-operate with the Invasion Hit Parade
The liberation forces make movies of their own
Playing their Doors records and pretending to be stoned
Drowning out a broadcast that wasn't authorised
Incidentally the revolution will be televised
With one head for business and another for good looks
Until they started arriving with their rubber aprons and their
butcher's hooks
[Chorus]
They're hunting us down here with Liberty's light
A handshaking double talking procession of the mighty
Pursued by a T.V. crew and coming after them
A limousine of singing stars and their brotherhood anthem
The former dictator was impeccably behaved
They're mopping up all the stubborn ones who just refuse to be saved

Top Elvis Costello, Interlude:Couldn't Call It Unexpected

(instrumental)

Top Elvis Costello, How to Be Dumb

I was hell-bent on destroying my powers of concentration
While you were living like a saint
And all the time the very one you trusted was washing off
somebody else's paint
Now you've got yourself a brand new occupation
Every fleeting thought is a pearl
And beautiful people stampede to the doorway
of the funniest fucker in the world
They're here to help you
Satisfy your desire
There's a bright future for all you professional liars
[Chorus:]
Now you know how to be dumb
Are you ready to take your place in the modern museum of mistakes?
Don't you know how to be dumb?
Like a building thrown up overnight in one of those reverse earthquakes
They emptied out all the asylums, they emptied out all the gaols
The "New Bruise" was the name of a dance craze
By "Jesus Cross and the Cruel Nails"
Followed up by "Torturing Little Beaver"
With their contraption of barbed wire
Between the fear and the fever lies all the rejection they require
They'll be howling by midnight, they'll be drooling by dawn
Skulls shrunk down to the size of their brains
Heads shaven and shorn
[Chorus]
Trapped in the House of the Perpetual Sucker
Where bitterness always ends so pitifully
You always had to dress up your envy in some half-remembered
philosophy
Now you're masquerading as pale powdered genius
Whose ever bad intention has been purged
You could've walked out any time you wanted but face it you
didn't have the courage
I guess that makes you a full time hypocrite or some kind of
twisted dilettante
Funny though people don't usually get so ugly till they think
they know what they want
Scratch your own head stupid
Count up to three
Roll over on your back
Repeat after me
Don't you know how to be dumb?
Are you ready to take your place in the modern museum of mistakes?
Don't you know how to be dumb?

Top Elvis Costello, Harpies Bizarre

He selects the plainest face form a spiteful row of girls
Elegant insulted women, a flaw of cultured pearls
He drops a name or two, she fails to catch
At last he's met his match
Unspoiled and unaffected, he wants her so much
She puts up half-hearted resistance, like she was taught to do
She's heard some of those small town playboys but this is
something new
His promise seems dangerous, she'd like to believe
He says "You'd better leave"
"You've only got yourself to blame, shame, or deceive"
The waiting lines are long
They never get too far
Everyone wearing that medal with pride
Harpies Bizarre
I looked on but hesitated
I failed to interrupt
You're so hard to tell the truth to
So easy to corrupt
I'll memorize your face
Your tragic smile
The hurt look in your eyes
As you betrayed yourself to the part of him that dies
The waiting lines are long
They never get too far
They're shining up their shoes to kick a falling star
You think you should be somebody
But you don't know who you are
Everyone wearing that medal with pride

Top Elvis Costello, So Young

Do do do do do.
So young, we've discovered. Got them so confused.
Don't mind putting the time in. It's shocking.
That's what they all say now when we're walking hand in hand
As one, you and I.
[Chorus:]
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah, you said it's timed out
We've got them hangin' on a string.
There's no time for compromises; we got that good old thing.
So young, so young. [x4]
It's wrong to run for cover. We've got them in a spin.
You don't mind sticking the sticker in. It's too late.
That's what they all say now when we're walking hand in hand
As one, you and I.
[Chorus]
Do do do do do. Do do do.
[Chorus], again.

Top Elvis Costello, The Very Thought Of You

Top Elvis Costello, Strange

How many wrinkles in a pickle
How many hairs in a head
How many waves in the ocean
How many crumbs in bed
But last but not least, but baby most of all
Why do I mmmumble everytime you call
[Chorus:]
Because you're strange to me baby
Oh, you're good to me mama
Well, I admit you are strange
But baby please don't change
I know I belong with you
How many bubbles in soap
How many chewings in gum
How many rolls in a wheel
Where did eyeballs come from
But last but not least
But baby most of all
Why do I mmmumble everytime you call
[Chorus]
How many blanks in a blanket
How many cuts in a knife
How strong is a bedbug
And how deep is his bite
But last but not least
But baby most of all
Why do I mmmumble everytime you call
[Chorus]
Stange you got a big double head and one bloodshot eye
Strange you got five double chins...???
Strange your knees look like the knees on a billy goat
Strange you got two left legs ...???
Strange there's something wrong with you I don't know what it is

Top Elvis Costello, Secondary Modern

This must be the place
Second place in the human race
Down in the basement
Now I know what he meant
Secondary modern
But there won't be a problem till the girls go home
This is the hand that you never shook
You never gave me the chance that I took
Secondary modern
But there won't be a problem till the girls go home
Is it out of the question
Between you and me
Is it pleasure or business
Or a packet of three?
Nobody makes me sad like you
Now my whole world goes from blue to blue
Secondary modern

Top Elvis Costello, No Wonder

I stole a glance at my reflection,
Though these days I tend to hurry by.
How pale the rose of my complexion,
How strange the knowing look that's in my eye.
But when the springtime was ablaze,
You took my hand, you held my gaze.
There is no wonder there,
I learned my lesson well,
No need to wonder where that girl has gone.
There is a secret no one knows,
I set my face, I changed my clothes
I dreamed I stood as you were passing,
Just as the horse-drawn carriage sped away.
Of petticoats in puddles dragging,
And my highbutton boots were splashed with clay.
But when the summer was in flame,
You broke your word, denied my name.
There is no wonder there, etc.
But as the winter drags along,
It blurs your sense of right and wrong.

Top Elvis Costello, Starting To Come To Me

It's started to come to me
Your new career would probably end like this
All that professional lipstick pressed into an amateur kiss
Farewell to the studied lines and carefully broken hearts
The overpowering perfume and the glimpse of her garter
Mingling with the sweet smoldering scent of the martyr
Well it's starting to come to me (come to me, come to me)
Starting to come to me
So you began to recognize the well-dressed man that everybody loves
It started when you chopped off all the fingers of those pony skin gloves
Then you cut a hole out where the lovelight used to shine
Your tears of pleasure equal measure crocodile and brine
You try to laugh it off saying "I knew all the time...
But it's starting to come to me" (come to me, come to me)
Starting to come to me
Sometimes you bring me down to play reluctant confidant
You say you may reward him if he gives you what you want
But these are days to treasure and to hold
They are much too precious to be sold
You'd probably play the pirate if you weren't so busy digging up the gold
Now you could tell he wanted you 'cause you almost taste it on his breath
But you always cheated life just like the bold dare-devil cheated death
Incidentally, late last night your understudy finally got what you deserve
In private she's seductive but in public she's prim, porcelain and nervous
Afraid someone will recognize the shame in her eyes
You've still got your dignity or the next best disguise
You never know when to say no and when to compromise
But it's starting to come to me (come to me, come to me)
Starting to come to me (come to me, come to me)

Top Elvis Costello, Five Small Words

Maybe you'll recognize in time
Maybe one day you will discover
All the pain that lies behind
You and your unfortunate love
Somebody might be more
Unsuitable and strange
With eyes that offer everything
And are capable of danger
My mind turns over lies you told
Things said to your other lover
Sweet as they had been to me
You lay there telling them to each other
Now I stand outside the door
My head is filled phrases
Inside someone's calling out
Their voices rise with praises
Five Small Words
"I don't want you anymore"
Five Small Words
"I don't need you anymore"
Five Small Words
Coward that you are, you would faithlessly implore
"Baby please don't leave me"
"Why don't you believe me?"
"Why did you deceive me?"
It didn't take some shiny dagger
The tattooed fingers grip and hone
I walked under some dark ladder
Heard your final loving moan
All your indiscretions are
So merciful and brief
Genteel poison sprinkled on your Spanish handkerchief
Five Small Words
"Don't you love me anymore?"
Five Small Words
But then who is keeping score?
Coward that you are, you would so faithlessly implore
"Baby please don't leave me"
"Why don't you believe me?"
"Why did you deceive me?"
Maybe in time you'll want me more
Accidentally like this '45

Top Elvis Costello, Party Party

We're gonna drink enough tonight to drown the average army
By new year's day the next door neighbour will be goin' barmy(yep,
That's how it's spelled)
The milkman arrives at midday with his usual wisecrack
Who knows a girl with wednesday legs so when's they gonna snap?
Chorus:
Why does everybody have to be so hale and hearty
Can't they see we're tryin' to have a party party party party
The last thing I remember I was talkin' to some fellas
Then she said she'd have a word for me with her good-looking mate
And handed me a pint-pot filled with advocaat and tizer
And I woke up in the flowerbed fearing fertilizer
(I would have thought "feeling fertilizer" would make more sense, but
Maybe that's just me and my strange sense of humour!)
(note: advocaat is a dutch drink, sometimes described as the "dutch
Eggnog", tizer is a scottish drink (I think), it even has it's own
Website: www.tizer.co.uk)
Chorus
Bridge:
So shift yourself and shake your bod
You got bullet proof insurance from fire, flood and act of god
You got to learn from your mistakes
When you got a face like last week's cornflakes
The doors and the window frames are by pablo picasso
The party decorations owned by michelangelo
The fine music that you hear is by stravinsky
With overall design by leonardo davinci
Chorus
Bridge:
So shift yourself and shake your bod
You got bullet proof insurance from fire, flood and act of god
You got to learn from your mistakes
When you got a face like last week's cornflakes
Two boys are upstairs in your bed
Three girls are downstairs cryin'
The alka seltzer in the glass is roarin'like a lion
You think you've aged 10 years tonight and still never been kissed
So you overdose on aftershave and try to slash your wrist

Top Elvis Costello, Overture

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, On Your Way Down

Sunrise
Sunset
Since the beginning it hasn't changed yet
People fly high begin to lose sight
You can't see very clearly when you're in flight
It's high time that you found
The same people you misuse on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down
Vintage wines from the year '62
It's your thing, it's your thing
It pleases you
You got to frown when you cross town
You think it's an honor just to have you around
It's high time that you found
The same dudes you misuse on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down
You think the sun rises and sets for you
But the same sun rises, sets and shines
On the poor folks too
I don't mind you turning round
I myself would even like a little higher ground
It's high time that you found
The same people you walk on on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down

Top Elvis Costello, Oberon Humbeld

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Oberon And Titania

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, O Mistress Mine

O, mistress mine
Where are you roaming?
O, stay and hear
Your true love's coming
That can save both high and low
Trip no further pretty sweeting
Journeys end in lovers meeting
Every wise man's son doth know
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Trip no further pretty sweeting
Journeys end in lovers meeting
Every wise man's son doth know
What is love?
'Tis not hereafter
Present mirth
Hath present laughter
What's to come is still unsure
In delay there lies no plenty
Then come kiss me sweet and twenty

Top Elvis Costello, Nothing Clings Like Ivy

Nothing clings like Ivy
Frightened by the dark
Though she cuts deep
It never leaves a mark
No one quite like Ivy
Ever gets it straight
What she believes
She won't negotiate
All the words of tenderness
That never quite got through
She said "You know how young girls are
From my contempt for you."
Outside in the hollow
She may dare herself
For there may be
A serpent in the grass
Nothing clings like Ivy
Trying to scare herself
And it may strike or
Wait for her to pass
All the words of tenderness
That she never possessed
"So what's the use of promises?
I had my fingers crossed."
All the words of tenderness
That never quite got through
She said, "I laughed behind your back
When I told them to you."
Nothing clings like Ivy
Frightened by the dark
Though she cuts deep

Top Elvis Costello, North

The East has that Englishmen
And the rising sun
The West has the open plains
And how they were won
On Independence Day
For all it's worth
You can ring those southern belles
I'm going
North
Up were the rushing rivers run and salmon leap
I could even get there in my sleep
Give me the ice and snow
Time to go...
North
So run up a banner and we'll stand underneath
You gave me a starry flag
For one with a leaf
I'm on the borderline
I jump back and forth
There's nothing to stop me now
I'm heading...
North
Up where the polar bears and moose and geese will play
And some of them address you en francais
Give me the ice and snow
Time to go...
North
And so I must leave you all
Alas and alack
And though we are parting now
I'll always come back
So as the compass points
That's where I'll be
But if you could only see
The perfection of...
North
It's something I will always carry in my heart
A place when dreams begin and life can start
Who cares what people know?
Let me go...

Top Elvis Costello, Go Away

Are we rolling?
One, two, one, two, three, four
Here in my little spy movie
With my garter and dagger
And my gag and my cuff
And my gunslinger swagger
You used to be my hand-painted villain
You used to be so thrilling
It's a switch that you're flicking
A fuse you're always tripping
A button that you're pressing
A number that you're pushing
You're always delaying
Denying
And betraying
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
Go Away, Go Away
Why don't you go away?
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
Budapest intrigue
Three hours of black and white
Squinting at subtitles
Through a telescopic sight
Hungarian melody
Repeating endlessly
Is this the end I see?
Approaching in front of me
A switch that you're flicking
A fuse you're always tripping
A button that you're pressing
A number that you're pushing
You're always delaying
Denying
Or betraying
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
Go Away, Go Away
Why don't you go away?
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
In this hysterical epic
Secret passage of the palace
Powder from a hollow ring
Into the poisonous chalice
Unfrocked fondler
In a half moonlit gondola
Pampered hog in a ringlet wig
Gamboled a merry jig
You're always pursuing
But she won't need possessing
Just undoing and undressing
Please don't stop confessing
You're always delaying
Denying
Or betraying
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
Go Away, Go Away
Why don't you go away?
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
In my mystery caper
As I lower my lamp
On a fey little gunsel
Who dreamed of drilling that vamp
I'm walking the shade
Of this silent parade
With my pepper and mace
And my heartbroken face
Rainy railway station
Drowns out a tearful parting
Last canister rolling
On our little melodrama
Is a one-horse opera
A screwball comedy
Mistaken identity
Well, who do you want to be?
A switch that you're flicking
A fuse you're always tripping
A button that you're pressing
A number that you're pushing
You're always delaying
Denying
Or betraying
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
Go Away, Go Away
Why don't you go away?
Why don't you come back, baby?
Why don't you go away?
Hey hey
Why don't you
Go away

Top Elvis Costello, Flutter & Wow

Last rays of sunlight die
Full moon begins to rise
Reflected in your eyes
I can't believe that this is happening
You make the motor in me
Flutter and Wow
The crowd was gathering
The clock struck five, then ten
My happy tears were descending
I can't believe that this is happening
You make the motor in me
Flutter and Wow
Flutter and Wow
Flutter and Wow
You make the motor in me
Flutter and Wow
Flutter and how
The incident tape across the bed
Threading it from the reel to the head
I'm planting this thought in a magnetic field
And pushing the button
And all of a sudden
Erase everything rotten
Fascinated and uptight
Make me shout out loud
Make me cry all day and night
My voice got stuck in my throat...
Pulled my hand up into the sleeve of my coat
So you'd never know how it was shaking
I can't believe that this is happening
You make the motor in me
Flutter and Wow
Flutter and Wow
Flutter and Wow
You make the motor in me
Start up and stop again
When I am spluttering
You make the motor in me
Flutter and wow
Flutter and how
Flutter and wow
Flutter and how
To the bridge
The incident tape across the bed
Threading it from the reel to the head
I'm planting this thought in a magnetic field
And pressing the button
And all of a sudden
Erase everything rotten
Fascinated and uptight
Make me shout out loud

Top Elvis Costello, The Imposter

Trying to be too bad
Trying to talk too tough
Trying to jack the lad
You'd think he'd had enough
But he's not the man you'd think that he can be
I just don't know why you can't see
That he is only the imposter
That he is only the imposter
You've never been this far
You've always been too smart
And you know all our boys
Are really girls at heart
But he's not...
When I said that I was lying I might have been lying
Never let me hear you say you're not trying
This is your big decision
Hope you're not disappointed
He's got double vision
When you want him double jointed
And he's not...
He'll only bring you souvenirs
It's only gonna end in tears

Top Elvis Costello, Temptation

Who's this kid with his mumbo jumbo
Living in air-conditioned limbo
Though they treat him just like a guest
He's living under threat of arrest
Now that he's finally trying to make some sense
He drinks in self-defense
Give me temptation
The subtle touch of authority will
Take you anytime down to the station
You say that it's alright by me
Now you're living with the curse of sophistication
Now that you're shackled up to the rigmarole
With absolute control
I see you lying so wide awake
After I've given you all that you can take
So for heaven's sake
Give me temptation
Still you want to succeed so badly
Finding your life will not be deadly
You tell me you can take it or leave it
Sometimes I think that you really believe it
You're just itching to break her secret laws
As you go from claws to clause

Top Elvis Costello, Workers' Playtime

[Instrumental]

Top Elvis Costello, Wonder Woman

When I'm down and out she stays by me without a doubt
And if I stumble like I'm gonna fall
She's right there at my beck and call
She's my wonder woman, wonder one
What she can't do, can't be done
(Make me feel so good)
Early in the morning
(I feel so good and thing)
A friend a mine said with this girl I shouldn't stay
But hey guess what?
I stuck by her anyway
O Lord, I'm glad I did
Just look what I'd be missing if I'd listened to that young kid
Every now and then, yeah yeah
I thank my maker for the shape I'm in
(Make me feel so good)
Early in the morning
(I feel so good and thing)
She makes me feel ten feet tall
If I'm worth anything she's got it all
Weeks into months
Months into years
I got to tell you how sweet it is
If you ever leave my life
I would surely die (cry and cry)
(Make me feel so good)
Make me wanna...
(I feel so good and thing)
Sometimes I think something will go wrong
Nothing this good ever lasts long
Then you come along and guarantee
Just how much you care for me
Every now and then, yeah yeah
I thank my maker for the shape I'm in
(Make me feel so good)
Early in the morning

Top Elvis Costello, I Wanna Be Loved

Why must I be so lonely?
When so many people pass me by
I've been waiting for oh so long now
And yet I'm unable to answer why
I can't be made to give up now
Can you find room for me
in your heart somehow?
I wanna be loved
I just wanna be loved
I guess I'm a victim of loneliness
But why should this be my destiny?
A foolish man for a lot of my life
Shouldn't there be someone
Someone for me?
I hope and I pray some happy day
That I'll be around to hear you say
I wanna be loved
I just wanna be loved

Top Elvis Costello, I Dreamed Of My Old Lover

I dreamed of my old lover last night
I wonder if I spoke out loud
And if by chance my husband overheard
He put my face back in the crowd
His eyes were clear and gentle then
He kissed the troubles from my brow
I long to fall to sleep again
And I wonder how he would look now
Would our kids grow sullen or grow strong?
Would their limbs bronze in solitude and sun?
I like the way it feels but then
I rarely dream of anyone
In the songs of shame and the tales of dread
Where they seal the lovers' lips with lead
And all the vines wind through their eyes
Oh, but no one knows this passion now
Oh, no one knows this passion now
So I keep this fancy to myself
I keep my lipstick twisted tight
I long to fall to sleep again
I dreamed of my old lover last night
I long to fall to sleep again
'Cause I dreamed of my old lover last night

Top Elvis Costello, (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

Top Elvis Costello, Everybody's Crying Mercy

I can't believe the things I've seen
I wonder bout some things I've heard
Everybody's crying mercy
When they don't know the meaning of the word
A bad enough situation
Is sure enough getting worse
Everybody's crying justice
Just as long as there's business first
Toe to toe
Touch and go
Give a cheer
Get your souvenier
People running round in circles
Don't know what they're headed for
Everybody's crying peace on Earth
Just as soon as we win this war
Straight ahead
Knock em dead
Pack your kid
Choose your hypocrite
Well you don't have to go to off broadway
To see something played absurd
Everybody's crying mercy
When they don't know the meaning of the word
Nobody knows the meaning of the word
When they don't know the meaning of the word
Nobody knows the meaning of the word

Top Elvis Costello, Days

Thank you for the days
Those endless days those sacred days you gave me
I'm thinking of the days
I won't forget a single day believe me
I bless the light
I bless the light that shines on you believe me
And though you're gone
You're with me every single day believe me
Days I remember all my life
Days where you can't see wrong from right
You took my life
And then I knew that very soon you'd leave me
But it's alright
Now I'm not frightened of this world believe me
I wish today could be tomorrow
The night is dark
It just brings sorrow let it wait
Thank you for the days
Those endless days those sacred days you gave me
I'm thinking of the days
I won't forget a single day believe me
I bless the light
I bless the light that shines on you believe me
And though you're gone
You're with me every single day believe me
Days I remember all my life
Days where you can't see wrong from right
You took my life
And then I knew that very soon you'd leave me
But it's alright
Now I'm not frightened of this world believe me...days
Thank you for the days
Those endless days those sacred days you gave me
I'm thinking of the days
I won't forget a single day believe me
I bless the light
I bless the light that shines on you believe me
And though you're gone

Top Elvis Costello, In Another Room

in another room
just out of my sight
words we used to say
become so slight
'til they dissapoint
and i know you won't
return my kiss
did i not love you
quite like this
in another room
in another room
where i'm obliged to wait
'til i become the man
you barely tolerate
and the blood will pour
and it makes me drunk
at the temple door
did i not love you
anymore
in another room
in another room
now i feel vacant
i can't get used to it just yet
in another room
you're crying and shaking
cursing the very day we met
in another room
where we were before
now you take your boy
and you close the door
in another room
he's kissing you so hard
the glass that's in his hands
it shatters into shards
splinters in his thumb
and the blood will run
down in his cuff
did i not love you
quite enough?
in another room
just out of my sight
in another room
goodbye

Top Elvis Costello, Hora Decubitus

Siren is bending, the radio humming,
Sun is breaking through and the storm is coming
The score is obscure, the melody fractured
It went by my window
Refused to be captured
I hope that I wake up in time
Good King Neptune came flipping up my street
He was a sad case tripping up the staircase
Friends and relations are laughing at my head
Gathered like crows at the end of my bed
I hope that I wake up in time
If you can't or can't quite
Think again
You can't fight
That you might
Not be smite
If it's wrong, it's not right
I say it once and I'll say it again
Now and forever and ever, amen
Siren is bending, the radio is humming,
Who do you love now and who are you damning?
The score is obscure and the melody fractured
The bird by my window refused to be captured
I hope I wake up in time
If you can or can't quite
Think again
You can't fight
That you might
Not be smite
If it's wrong, it's not right
I'll say it once and I'll say it again
Life is a beautiful thing
I've said it before
I can't say it much more

Top Elvis Costello, A Voice In The Dark

You can read right through a book of matches
But that won't make you smart
You can laugh in the face of watches
But time will only break your heart
Kings reign beneath umbrellas
Hide pennies down in cellars
And money pours down and yet
No everyone gets soaking wet
When bores and bullies conspire
To stamp out your spark
Listen for...
A Voice In The Dark
Not a moment too soon as we blue the moon
And a wolf begins to howl in tune
I announced for all mankind
A boon
Stand aside you big baboon
Now I'm the a prize invention
You're the image of yourself
Forget your cares
And disapproving stares
I'm not here to try to jump your borders
Just ask your nieces and daughters
I'm flat as sole, I'm happy as a clam
But they don't know the kind of man I am
Little fish swimming in a jealous shoal
Now my net is overflowing
And I suddenly seem to be all seeing and all knowing
I've got something right there
They you need to hear
But have no fear
Lend a hand
Lend an ear
If your rent-money is in arrears
We'll be striking up a symphony bandstand
Long of hair and loose of tooth
There'll be pirouettes and startling handstands
And who but acrobats know how to tell the truth
When is said that then redundant
They gallivant in peg-leg pants
I'll be your servant
You'll be my pal
I'll be ever faithful you know I shall
There's no fool like an old fool
Who blames it all upon his youth
When times are tough and you find you're down
Without a star to wish upon
Just listen for...
A Voice In The Dark
I was striking through a box of matches
Hoping that one would spark
I heard somebody calling to me
A voice in the dark
A sound both wild and gentle
Daring and confidential
I thought there was music playing
But it was all and only talk
When liars and bullies conspire to stamp out spark
Fill up that empty space in your heart
Listen up, when the herald says, "Hark"

Top Elvis Costello, Weird Nightmare

Weird nightmare
You haunt my every dream
Weird nightmare
Tell me what's your scheme?
Can it be that you're a part
Of a lonely broken heart?
Weird nightmare
Why must you torment me?
Weird nightmare
Pain and misery
In a heart that's loved and lost
Take away the grief you've caused
Can't sleep at night
Twist, turn in fright
With the fear that I'll live it all again
In my dreams
You're there to haunt me
When you say she doesn't want me
I've been hurt
Do you know what that means?
Weird nightmare
Take away this dream you've born
Weird nightmare
Mend a heart that's torn
That has paid the price of love
A thousand fold
Bring me a love
With a heart of gold

Top Elvis Costello, Alison (LIVE)

Top Elvis Costello, Clown Strike

Top Elvis Costello, All The Rage

1-2-3,2-2-3
The twitching impulses to speak your mind
I'll lend you my microscope and maybe you will find it
Is it in that ugly place that's just behind your face
Where you keep my picture still despite the fact
That you had me replaced
[Chorus:]
Say "Goodbye"
Baby can't you act your age?
You know why
I'm going to give it to you straight
Although I'll never be
Unhappy as you want me to be
Still it's all the rage
I'll probably play along
Left to my own devices
Spare me the drone of your advice
The sins of garter and gin
Confession may delay
You know the measuring pole
The merry boots of clay
I've heard it all before
You'll say it anyway
[Chorus]
Alone with your tweezers and your handkerchief
You murder time and truth, love, laughter and belief
So don't try to touch my heart, it's darker than you think
And don't try to read my mind because it's full of disappearing ink
[Chorus]
Although I'll never be
Unhappy as you want me to be

Top Elvis Costello, The River In Reverse

How long does a promise last?
How long can a lie be told?
What would I take in exchange for my soul?
Would I notice when it was sold?
Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up with a slap or a kiss
There must be something better than this
'Cos I don't see how it can get much worse
What do we have to do to send
The river in reverse
Every man a crawling kingsnake
Every girl a half a heartbreak
Every woman sold into shame
To any son without a name
Are your arms too weak to lift?
Another shovel on the graveyard shift
Here comes the flood if you catch my drift
Where the things that they promised are not a gift
If man falls through the mirror of a lake
They fish him out quick and they call him a fake
Give him all the temptations he can take
Tie him up high 'til his bones break
Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up with a slap or a kiss
There must be something better than this
'Cos I don't see how it can get much worse
What do we have to do to send
The river in reverse
I thought I heard somebody laugh
Look out your window
They're chasing shadows in the dark
They're counting widows
I felt a sliver of glass
Saw a cross in splinters
I felt the truce of spring
Dig me out of the trench of winter
So count your blessings when they ask permission
To govern with money and superstition
They tell you it's all for your own protection
'Til you fear your own reflection
But the times are passing from illumination
Like bodies falling from a constellation
An uncivil war divides the nation
So erase the tape on that final ape running down creation
Running down creation
Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up with a slap or a kiss
There must be something better than this
Wake me up
Wake me up with a slap or a kiss

Top Elvis Costello, The Fall Of The World's Own Optimist

There's no charity in you
And that surprises me
I guess I thought you were a golden idol
'Cause I called you majesty
On the balustrade
You watched me hunt for tips I was obliged to pick up
From the passing trade
[Chorus:]
Hey, kids - look at this
It's the fall of the world's own optimist
I could get back up if you insist
But you'll have to ask politely
'Cause the eggshells I've been treading
Couldn't spare me a beheading
And I'll know I had it coming
From a Caesar who was only slumming
Hey, kids - look at this
It's the fall of the world's own optimist
Well, I could have objections
Which you could override
But what's the point - we're only flogging the horse
When the horseman has up and died
Once I testified
And swore I'd never leave a stone unturned -
I bet you're really glad that I lied
[Chorus]
Hey, kids - look at this
It's the fall of the world's own optimist
I could get back up if you insist
But you'll have to ask politely
Yes, you'll have to ask politely

Top Elvis Costello, This Is Hell

[Chorus:]
This is hell, this is hell
I am sorry to tell you
It never gets better or worse
But you get used to it after a spell
For heaven is hell in reverse
The bruiser spun a hula hoop
As all the barmen preen and pout
The neon "i" of nightclub flickers on and off
And finally blew out
The irritating jingle
Of the belly-dancing phoney Turkish girls
The eerie glare of ultra violet
Perfect dental work
[Chorus]
The failed Don Juan in the big bow-tie
Is very sorry that he spoke
For he's mislaid his punchline
More than halfway through a very tasteless joke
The fraulein caught him peeking down her gown
He's yelling in her ear
And all at once the music stopped
As he was intimately bellowing "My dear . . ."
[Chorus]
The shirt you wore with courage
And the violent nylon suit
Reappear upon your back
And undermine the polished line you try to shoot
It's not the torment of the flames
That finally see your flesh corrupted
It's the small humiliations that your memory piles up
This is hell, this is hell, this is hell.
"My Favourite Things" are playing
Again and again
But it's by Julie Andrews
And not by John Coltrane
Endless balmy breezes and perfect sunsets framed
Vintage wine for breakfast
And naked starlets floating in Champagne
All the passions of your youth
Are tranquillised and tamed
You may think it looks familiar
Though you may know it by another name
[Chorus]

Top Elvis Costello, SULKY GIRL

She wears a wedding ring her sister lent
To throw them off the scent
Just let them guess, it's what they expect
Who in the world has bitten her neck?
She's discovered wearing last night's dress
The carnal and cunning, she couldn't express
Who do you think she's trying to impress?
[Chorus:]
I think you'd better hold your tongue
Although you've never been that strong
I'm sorry to say that I knew all along
You're no match for that sulky girl
She left her European town
Before she let the family down
She couldn't stand the Massacre Game
So she dyed her hair and adopted another name
With the evidence of passing out stamped on her hand
She glows in the dark
He thinks she's from another planet
[Chorus]
Sulky girl
I'm sure you look a picture when you cry
Threatening the silent treatment doesn't qualify
It's like money in the bank
Your expression is blank
But while the chance appears
You'll be nearer to tears
Sulky girl [2x]
He said "Hello, my pretty flower"
Just trying out his tycoon power
Avoiding the mirror, her pitying stare
She said "You're mistaken, your money's no good in here"
Just some stupid little know-it-all
Who thought she looked easy; he's not that astute
He'll pay for the distance
Between cruelty and beauty
[Chorus]
So I won't tell you again
What do you gain
By blackening her name
She's smarter than you
Oh isn't it a shame
You're gonna lose that sulky girl
Sulky girl
I saw you practising your blackmail faces
Suddenly you're talking like a duchess
But you're still a waitress
I saw through your pretence
But in my defence
There are a few events
I think will spare the censor

Top Elvis Costello, Still Too Soon to Know

Do you love him
Or is it still too soon to know?
When I think back a couple of days
Before I found you in his spell
Was there a warning?
What can I say
Should I look away
It's still too soon to know
Are you sorry
Or is it still to soon to know?
It didn't take much to break us in two
For it was in the way that he came close to touching you
The look in your eyes
I thought I recognised
It's still too soon to know
And it's still too soon to know
Will you stay or will you go?
It's still too soon to know
When I think back a couple of days
If I wasn't happy then, I never will be
I wonder was this ignorance or bliss?

Top Elvis Costello, Rocking Horse Road

The chains from the bridle and the reins fell from my hands
The engines are idle and the ship sails on dry land
I stood there stupefied, I thought I recognized
Walking down Rocking Horse Road, getting lost
Shot through Vaseline, he picks up the paper from the lawn
And tucks "The Suburban Assassin" underneath his arm
He smiles weakly and turns away
I know you'll never come to harm
Walking down Rocking Horse Road, it's so peaceful
It's like a photograph
From the other side of the world
I said "I want you only"
And then I left you alone
Crying on Rocking Horse Road, or somewhere quite like it
The cemetery gardens, there are names not numbers on the gateposts
And the eyes in the curtain follow you like a smirking ghost
I know I must not look back
'Cause part of me is waiting still
There on Rocking Horse Road for you
In a little dream house made for two
Well you were the one that made your escape
In your stocking feet and your sticky tape

Top Elvis Costello, Turpentine

I can't tell if this is real or if I am sleeping
I'll embroider the truth
And that's so I shall reap
I took things that didn't belong to me
I didn't mean to do you wrong
Looking back on all that stolen time
Back when I was drinking turpentine
Don't blame me
I only took you in
It takes time to do the poisoning
So let's close the door on this and lock it
And that's all it will ever be
Just an accident of chemistry
You did everything to me but stopped short of murder
Couldn't move me much closer to keeping my word
While the crowds threw stones at the hangman
The sky fell down
The bells rang
Looking back on all that stolen time
Back when I was drinking turpentine
Don't blame me
I only took you in
It takes time to do the poisoning
So let's close the door on this and lock it
And that's all that it will ever be
Just an accident of chemistry
Airless shaft of an underground railway
Effete assassin with a hawk in a sack
The earth will offer us in when our hearts fail
As it swallowed the river running under the track
Under the track yeah
I can't tell if I'm dreaming or if I'll awaken
With a song in my heart that is longing to break
Let it out and let it fly high
Up where the spires scrape the sky
Looking back on all that stolen time
Back when I was drinking turpentine
Don't blame me
I only took you in
It takes time to do the poisoning
So let's close the door on this and lock it
And that's all that it will ever be
Just an accident of history
Yeah
Airless shaft of an underground railway
Cute assassin with a hawk in a sack
The earth will offer us in when our hearts fail
Swallowed the river running under the track

Top Elvis Costello, My Science Fiction Twin

My science fiction twin
Is doing better than expected
He captured a little blonde trophy wife
Who's really very well connected
And when he calls home with his alibi
She says "Is this really necessary?"
But she knows that a man can't be a man
Unless he's punishing his secretary
He sips in the glow of a '61 vintage
Just as the day is dimming
With every intention of surrendering
To fifty-foot women
Who put the fascination back into my science fiction twin
My science fiction twin
Decided to become invisible
He has my eyes, my face, my voice
But he's only happy when I'm miserable
The words flew from his mouth
And they were gently gathered by reporters
Trying to frame his once infamous flame
With tattered pictures of her daughter
Her hair is all made out of porcupine
Her figure is fantastic
But as you know, they corrupted her
So they're being sarcastic
Who put the fascination back into my science fiction twin
He'll scream and shout
Everything is working out just as he predicted
Pride and position in the gallery of attempted people
Oh and the pain is so sweet
Better stamp his little feet
And you'll even have time to pity me
How can you feel content?
You wonder where this fellow went
My science fiction twin
Escorted by his lovely nieces
Filled up his purse dictating verse
While painting masterpieces
His almost universal excellence
Is starting to disturb me
They asked how in the world he does all these things
And he answered "Superbly"
He's trapped in his own parallel dimension
That's why I'm so forgiving
But how could I possibly forget to mention those fifty-foot women
Who put the fascination back into my science fiction twin

Top Elvis Costello, Just About Glad

I'm just about glad that I knew you once
And it was more than just a passing acquaintance
I'm just about glad that it was a memory
That doesn't need constant maintenance
There are a few things that I regret
But nothing that I need to forget
For all of the courage that we never had
I'm just about glad
CHORUS:
Just about glad we didn't do that thing
Just about glad we didn't have that fling
Just about glad we didn't give it a try
Just about glad, is that a tear in your eye
And on the few times I rang to propose
There was a man there or so I suppose
The greatest lover that you never had
I'm just about glad
They called time and vodka and lime
In some far flung Canadian club
(Just about glad)
And there I was just waiting to fall
Like a toe just aching to stub
(Just about glad)
Later on I could never accept it
When you finally gave it all to him
(Just about glad)
And you said that my nurse was sweet
But her lamp was just beginning to dim
I'm just about glad
That we never did that thing we were going to do
I'm just about glad I can look you in the eye
But I can't say the same for you
And though the passion still flutters and flickers
It never got into our knickers
For all of the courage that we never had
I'm just about, I'm just about
I'm just about, I'm just about
CHORUS
And it's all just a stupid creation
Of my feverous imagination
If I'm the greatest lover that you never had
I'm just about, I'm just about
I'm just about, I'm just about
CHORUS
Is that a tear in your eye [3x]

Top Elvis Costello, We Despise You

Hey you! Are you looking at me?
Don't waste your time
'Cos I know your crime
And the lines around your eyes don't show
When your face is in repose
The skin is tightening
As you touch a nerve
Did you get what your paid for?
Or did you only get what you deserve?
Go home, go home, go home, go home, go home
And don't come back again
'Til we tell you to
'Til we say you can
Go home, go home, go home, go home, go home
And don't come back again
We analyzed you
We despise you
And we can't help you now...
Sense - is it on your face?
As you think about that Cul-de-sac
Under which you lack
And the slanders you repeat
When I don't fall at your feet
Too old to be so frightened
And too sacared to tell the truth
You lie in teenage anguish
Which you can no longer blame upon your youth
Go home, go home, go home, go home, go home
And don't come back again
'Til we tell you to
'Til we say you can
Go home, go home, go home, go home, go home
And don't come back again
We analyzed you
We despise you
And we can't help you now
We despise you

Top Elvis Costello, When I Was Cruel No. 2

I exit through the spotlight glare
I stepped out into thin air
Into a perfume so rarefied
"Here comes the bride"
Not quite aside, they snide "She's number four"
"There's number three just by the door"
Those in the know, don't even flatter her,
They go one better
"She was selling speedboats in a tradeshow when he met her"
Look at her now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
She reaches out her arms to me
Imploring: "Another melody?"
So she can dance her husband out on the floor
The captains of industry just lie there where they fall
In eau-de-nil and pale carnation creation
A satin sash and velvet elevation
She straightens the tipsy head-dress of her spouse
While her recalls a honey house
There'll be no sorrows left to drown
Early in the morning in your evening gown
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
The entrance hall was arranged with hostesses and ushers
Who turned out to be the younger wives nursing schoolgirl crushes
Parting the waves of those few feint friends
Fingers once offered are now too heavy to extend
The ghostly first wife glides up stage whispering to raucous talkers
Spilling family secrets out to flunkeys and castrato walkers
See that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the "Dancing Queen"
Two newspaper editors like playground sneaks
Running the book on which of them is going to last the week
One of them calls to me
And he says, "I know you"
"You gave me this tattoo back in '82"
"You were a spoilt child then with a record to plug"
"And I was a shaven headed seaside thug"
"Things haven't really changed that much"
"One of us is still getting paid too much"
There are some things I can't report
The memory of his last retort
But it was so much easier
When I was cruel
Look at me now
She's starting to yawn
She looks like she was born to it
Ah, but it was so much easier

Top Elvis Costello, Goon Squad

Mother, Father, I'm here in the zoo
I can't come home 'cause I've grown up too soon
I got my sentence
I got my command
They said they'd make me major if I met all their demands
I could be a corp'ral into corp'ral punishment
Or the gen'ral manager of a large establishment
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the
Goon squad
They've come to look you over and they're giving you the eye
Goon squad
They want you to come out to play
You'd better say goodbye
Some grow just like their dads
And some grow up too tall
Some go drinking with the lads
Some don't grow up at all
And you must find the proper place
For everything you see
But you'll never get to make a lampshade out of me
I could join a chain of males or be the missing (a) link
Looking for a lucky girl to put me in the pink
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the
Good squad ....
Mother, Father, I'm doing so well
I'm making such progress now that you can hardly tell
I fit in a little dedication
With one eye on the clock
They caught you under medication
You could be in for a shock
Thinking up the alibis that ev'ryone's forgotten
Just another mummy's boy gone to rotten
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the

Top Elvis Costello, Clean Money

Payday's coming and we wash it away
Clean money, clean money
Payday's coming and we wash it away
Clean money, clean money
That's what I want to do
I want to spend it on you
Checking on a checkmate
Grassing on a classmate
So beautiful and fortunate
He hates to love, you love to hate
He can fix you for good
'Cause he is the neighborhood
You can't get money for blood
Blood money for doin' no good
But they won't take my love for tender
Payday's coming and we wash it away
Clean money, clean money
Payday's coming and we wash it away
Clean money, clean money
That's what I want to do
I want to spend it on you
Have you made your selection ?
Are you ready for correction ?
'Cause the wages of sin
Are an expensive infection
And it's under the counter
Under the Geiger counter
Who stole your thunder ?

Top Elvis Costello, Chemistry Class

She throws back her hair [hands] and she shows you her mouth
The breath that I waste trying to ruin your life
Beauty's on a budget but you take it on the chin
'Cause you have to do your duty taking orders from the kingpin
[Chorus:]
You've got a chemistry class I want a piece of your mind
You don't know what you started when you mixed it up with mine
Are you ready for the final solution? Oh. Oh.
[They] chopped you up in butcher's school
Threw you out of the academy of garbage
You'll be a joker all your life
A student at the comedy college
People pleasing people pleasing people like you
You've been around so long but you still don't know what to do
[Chorus]
Sparks are flying from electrical pylons
Snakes and ladders running up and down her nylons
Ready to experiment, you're ready to be burned
If it wasn't for some accidents then some would never ever learn

Top Elvis Costello, Senior Service

[Chorus:]
Senior service
Junior dissatisfaction
It's a breath you took too late
It's a death that's worse than fate
Senior service
Junior dissatisfaction
Though it may be second hand
It's by no means second rate
I want your neck
I want the seat that you sit at
I want your cheque
Because they told me I would get on
I wanna chop off your head and watch it roll into the basket
If you should drop dead tonight then they won't have to ask me twice
[Chorus]
They took me in the office and they told me very carefully
The way that I could benefit from death and disability
[Chorus]
I want your company car
I want your girlfriend and love
I want your place at the bar
Because there's always another man
To chop off your head and watch it roll into the basket
If you should drop dead tonight then they won't have to ask me twice

Top Elvis Costello, Party Girl

They say you're nothing but a party girl
Just like a million more all over the world
I know I shouldn't be raising my hopes so high
But I have seen the hungry look in their eyes
They'd settle for anything in disguise of love
Seen the party girls look me over
Seen 'em leaving when the party's over
They can't touch me now
You say you don't mind
We're so hard to find
I could give you anything but time
Give it just one more try
Give it a chance
Starts like fascination
Ends up like a trance
Oh you'll never be the guilty party girl
Maybe someday we can go hiding from this world
Maybe I'll never get over the change in style
But I don't want to lock you up and say you're mine
Don't want to lose you or say goodbye
I'm the guilty party and I want my slice
But I know you've got me and I'm in a grip-like vise.
They can't touch me now
You say you don't mind
We're so hard to find
I could give you anything
I would give you anything
I can give you anything but time

Top Elvis Costello, Busy Bodies

So you think that you have seen her
When you're lying in between her
And you tell me that you don't care
Busy bodies getting nowhere
Ev'rybody's getting meaner
Busy bodies
Caught in the concertina
You check her outline
Break her regulations
You watch her legs through several
Service stations
Busy bodies
Very busy
Getting nowhere
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
Now you're ready for the merger
With the company you're part of
And you do the dirty business
With your latest sleeping partner
You're becoming
Automatic
Busy bodies
Out playing with the traffic
You want attention
You try my patience
With the best intentions you are nothing but a nuisance
Busy bodies
Busy busy
Getting nowhere
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
Now you've given your performance
Though the matinee was idle
And you find that a wave of her right hand
Could seem so tidal
Just a second
Satisfaction
Busy bodies
Temporarily out of action
You wash and brush up
You want to dress up
You want to kiss her
But she's busy with her makeup
Busy bodies
Very busy
Getting nowhere

Top Elvis Costello, What Do I Do Now

Quickly she came dressed up for fame
Riding her perfume downstairs
Make-up like glue, she danced round the room
To the sound of her corduroy flares
Let's go to town, taxis all round
We could stop for a couple of beers
He looks at it all stifles a yawn
She tries not to look like she cares
[Chorus:]
What do I do now? Are we going under?
What did I do wrong?
I thought we had it sorted out the other day
Maybe I'm just stupid
Can't we try again?
No one told me it was raining (raining, raining)
Can't face a club, they walk to a nearby pub
Watch a couple of bands
Draining the glass they walk home at last
Reaching for each others hands
Nothing is said he goes to bed
Dreaming of her on his own
She stays up all week, watching him sleep
Scared that she'll wake up alone
[Chorus]
Oh I'll miss you every day of your life
Oh you'll feel it too, you're not that strong
You know I'm on to you
Oh I'll miss you every day of your life
Maybe when you're dead
I'll get some rest from holding onto you (holding onto you)
What do I do now? Are we going under?
What did I do wrong?
Thought we had it sorted
Is there someone else? Am I too familiar?
Was it when I said I wanted to have children?
Tore up all your photos, didn't feel too clever
Spent the whole of Sunday sticking you together
Now I'd like to call but I feel too awkward
Some things need explaining

Top Elvis Costello, Moods For Moderns

Moods for moderns [x4]
I get hit looking for a miss
I never thought that it would come to this
Moods for moderns [x4]
Though we may never be the same again
I am so proud that you've been taken in vain
What if none of your dreams come true?
I can never run from you
There's never been a how d'you do
There's never been an ending
Soon you'll belong to someone else
And I will be your stranger just pretending
[Chorus:]
Moods for moderns
Memory lingers
I let you into
Foreign fingers
Moods for moderns [x4]
I never thought that would see the day
I never thought that I would give you away
[Chorus]
Moods for moderns
Let them break us
Strong and sudden

Top Elvis Costello, When It Sings

All the words you say to me
Have music in them
All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
And says what is
But never asks what isn't
But a voice contains many precious things
It laughs
And then it sings
And all the lies that we can tell
To our foolish selves
Maybe this is the love song that I refused to
Write her when I loved her like I used to
And I fear my heart may spin and fracture
Like tears of stone falling from a statue
But a voice contains all that's true and false
Then cries for someone else
And for some honest tenderness
So I must confess
All the words you say to me
Have music in them
All the sorrows and the joys like magnetism
And a selfish boy looks through a prism
And says what is

Top Elvis Costello, When Did I Stop Dreaming?

You appeared when I was lost in reverie
If this is not a dream, it's my mistake
And now I lie in wait for dawn to break
I'm fairly sure I'm wide awake
Pardon me, if I seem distant and strange
Just tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Let me get this straight
Did I hallucinate?
This fine and helpless feeling
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Let me know if you can help me explain
I didn't recognise the danger
But people will talk
Was I just sleepwalking?
Footprints left on the ceiling
Tell me when did I stop dreaming?
Then why should you care?
This is my nightmare
Was this one dream too deep?
Now if I could only sleep
Answer me, if you see the end in sight
I'm just a soul who's lost in limbo
Neither bad or good
I'd spare you now if I could
One more teardrop
Then I'll wake up

Top Elvis Costello, When Green Eyes Turn Blue

Every single time
It becomes too much
There's nothing I can say
Or I can touch
But the glory is, as it comes passing through,
I know I will be there
When green eyes turn blue
It's the same for me
Time appears to teach
There is nothing quite beyond our reach
Wits may sharpen up
Their cuts and clever flays
Let them squander all of them
You brighten up my darkest gaze
And as a consequence I can see out of the gloom
That I gathered about myself
That I thought would flatter me
What the hell was the matter with me
Every single time I approached despair
I thought of your name and you were there
I won't burden you
As promises will do
But I know I will be there

Top Elvis Costello, Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further

We may seem happy like everything's alright
But from the outside looking in
Everything's uptight
But deep down inside we're covering up the pain
It's an old thing
It's a soul thing
But it's a real thing
Pray tell what's gonna happen to brother
Who's gonna help him get further
One another
One another
There's old dude standing on the corner
Waiting for a fox to pass
The only thing he's got to go by
Is this is where he saw her last
And there's old John, two dollars in his pocket
Talking loud and thinks he's rich
And look for little fool, too cool to go to school
Get a job, in two days he quits
Pray tell what's gonna happen to brother
Who's gonna help him get further
One another
Is that the truth?
One another
Yeah, you're right
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Pray tell what's gonna happen to brother
Who's gonna help him get further
One another
One another
Mama get up early, early in the morning
Papa's already gone
Going out a-working for half of what he's worth now
You know that it's wrong
What happen to the Liberty Bell I heard so much about?
Did it really ding-dong?
It must have dinged wrong
It didn't ding long
Pray tell what's gonna happen to brother
Who's gonna help him get further
One another
Is that the truth?
One another
Yeah, you're right
Mama get up early, early in the morning
Papa's already gone
Working two jobs for half of what he's worth now
You know that it's wrong
What happen to the Liberty Bell I heard so much about?
Did it really ding-dong?
It must have dinged wrong
It didn't ding long
Pray tell what's gonna happen to brother
Who's gonna help him get further
One another
Is that the truth?
One another
Yeah, you're right
Pray tell what's gonna happen to brother
Who's gonna help him get further
One another
Is that the truth?
One another
Yeah, you're right
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Did it really ding-dong?
It didn't ding long
Did it really ding-dong?

Top Elvis Costello, Withered And Died

This cruel old country has driven me down, teased me and lied.
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died.
Once I was bending the tops of the trees,
Kind thoughts in my head, kind voices to hear.
Then I took up with a girl from the West.
They'd run and hide, they'd run and hide.
Count one to ten and she's gone like the rest.
My dreams have withered and died.
If I was a butterfly, lived for a day,
I could be free just blowing away.
Silver moon sailor and silver moonshine
On the water so wide, water so wide,
Slip from the bed of a good friend of mine
My dreams have withered and died.
Once I was bending the tops of the trees
Kind thoughts in my head, kind voices to hear.
This cruel country has driven me down, teased me and lied.
Teased me and lied.
I've only sad stories to tell to this town.

Top Elvis Costello, Oliver's Army

Don't start that talking
I could talk all night
my mind was sleep walking
While I'm putting the world to rights
Call careers information
Have you got yourself an occupation ?
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's Army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
Than here today
There was a Checkpoint Charlie
He didn't crack a smile
But it's no laughing party
When you've been on the murder mile
All it takes is one itchy trigger
One more widow one less white nigger
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's Army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
than here today
Hong Kong is up for grabs
London is full of Arabs
We could be in Palestine
Overrun by a Chinese line
With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne
But there's no danger
It's a professional career
Though it could be arranged
With just a word in Mr. Churchill's ear
If you're out of luck or out of work
We could send you to Johannesburg
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's Army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
Than here today
And I would rather be anywhere else
Than here today
And I would rather be anywhere else
Than here today

Top Elvis Costello, My Funny Valentine

My funny valentine, sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable, unphotographable
But you're my favourite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
Don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine, stay