Hey Clockface (2020)

• Revolution #49
• No Flag
• They're Not Laughing At Me Now
• Newspaper Pane
• I Do (Zula's Song)
• We Are All Cowards Now
• Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me?
• The Whirlwind
• Hetty O'Hara Confidential
• The Last Confession Of Vivian Whip
• What Is It That I Need That I Don't Already Have?
• Radio Is Everything
• I Can't Say Her Name
• Byline 

Revolution #49 lyrics - Elvis Costello

Cold as stone, hard as winter

She turned to me and this she said

"Kiss me once and you'll remember

Lay with me 'til we're both dead"

The land was white, the wind a dagger

Life beats a poor man to his grave

Love makes a rich man from a beggar

Love is the one thing we can save

Love is the one thing we can save

Love is the one thing we can save

Cold as stone

Cold as stone

Cold as stone

No Flag lyrics - Elvis Costello

I got no religion, I got no philosophy

Got a head full of ideas and words that don't seem to belong to me

You may be jokin' but I don't get the gag

I sense no future but time seems to drag

No time for this kind of love

No flag wavin' high above

No sign for the dark place that I live

No God for the damn that I don't give

I got no illusions, I've had no epiphany

Why should anybody listen to me?

She said, "I'm tearin' up the sheets that your love letters stained

All of your magic powers have drained"

No time for this kind of love

No flag wavin' high above

No sign for the dark place that I live

No God for the damn that I don't give

Here's a line in the sand, a word or two in the aftermath

I'm an arrow that shoots up and down on an advertising graph

I could write you verses and recite more than one

But they're not worth the paper that they're written on

No time for this kind of love

No flag wavin' high above

No sign for the dark place that I live

No God for the damn that I don't give

We want everythin' and we don't wanna share

Outer space for the faces we fear

Look in the mirror and see who I used to be

Made out of plastic in a factory

No flag

No flag

They're Not Laughing At Me Now lyrics - Elvis Costello

Tell me, how does it feel?

In the hour of deception and the moment of pretend

To be scorned by those rank and those unkind strangers

You were fool enough to call your friends

Will you say as the curtain descends?

"They're not laughing at me now"

When the last of the garlands and laurel crowns

And fine bouquets have all been swept away

You were lost in the smokescreens of cavalcades

And accolades instead of traitor's pay

Where will you find the courage to say?

"They're not laughing at me now"

You could shake my hand

If I could unfold my fist

If I were a gentleman

If I were a Christian

But I wouldn't risk it

Why would you?

You know my name now

And it's "Mister" to you

Now we're back at the start, no forgiveness in your heart

You turned your coat and asked me to turn my cheek

And it's all in a language

That I can understand but never bring myself to speak

I'll leave it to you, if you dare

It's a peal too appalling to bear

I wonder if you're here or you're there

They're not laughing at me now

They're not laughing at me now

They're not laughing at me now

Newspaper Pane lyrics - Elvis Costello

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"Newspaper Pane" lyrics

Elvis Costello Lyrics

Écoutez "Newspaper Pane"

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"Newspaper Pane"

She looked at the pictures on a newspaper pane

That was taped to the window to keep out the wind

To keep out the rain

To keep out the nonsense

And block out the needing

To keep up her spirits

With improving reading

But the ink from the columns

Dissolved down into the stain

On the bare wood floor

That extended to the door

Pictures of bright futures somehow ignored

That offered her finery she could never afford

Tempting out savings she didn't have, or could never risk

Not a fashionable kindness, it was grotesque

The beaus with their fiddles played The Rascal's Release

We toasted to valor and wished there were peace

Six months later, in a newspaper margin

They were all cut down in a cavalry charge

Weeping Miss Imogen said to her priest

"I gave him my virtue, it was the least I could leave him

On the eve of departure

Though I will long for him now and hereafter"

"And the child I'll be raising may have his blue eyes

What if he grows up and dies

On some distant unnameable hillside or field

'Cause a king and a concubine put a mark on his shield?"

Thomas tomorrow, Thomas no more

Father and sunshine, beyond and before

William, who brought his drum home from the war

To beat it for young lads whose days didn't even add up to a score

I don't spend my time perfecting the past

I live for the future 'cause I know it won't last

A bent note on a horn I can't play

The ghosts in the window that I can't wish away

Freedom to be reckless, freedom to plunder

Freedom to dream, freedom to wonder

When you get where I am now, you may feel differently

The cliff drops away sharply, falls into the sea

No work today, no hope tomorrow

No bread for breaking, no wine for sorrow

Nobody is selling, no truth for telling

No work tomorrow, no work today

Look at that child bride and her ideal bouquet

Boys, pick up a rifle, that's too much to pay

Count out her teardrops, wipe them away

I Do (Zula's Song) lyrics - Elvis Costello

There's a tree at the crossroads

There's a nail in my shoe

Repeat to me softly

As you vow that we'll see it through

Let's go to the other side

And take in the view

Our eyes will see better there

Watching the river flow

You may say, "I don't know", but "I do"

Every night will be starless

Every day will be fine

Each hour will be peaceful

As the reeds make the river slow

The earth will be broken

And will lie there below

I am yours, you are mine

To long for longer is a crime

You may say, "I don't lie", but "I do"

But "I do"

We Are All Cowards Now lyrics - Elvis Costello

Time has taught us

That they're sending out their sons

To take away our guns and our daughters

We are all cowards now

Rivers rising

Darkness fell upon

People blotting out the sun

Disguising how

We are all cowards now

At least the Emperor Nero had an ear for music

But that's history

Caligula said "God's speed, my steed"

But that's his story

They're coming for our Peacemakers

Our Winchesters and Colts

The rattle of our Gatling Guns

Our best cowboy revolts and threats and insults

We are all cowards now

The emptiness of arms

The openness of thighs

The pornography of bullets

The promises and prizes can't disguise

We are all cowards now

They're draping stones with colours

And a roll of stolen names

Except those we never cared about

And those we need to blame

We'll extinguish that flame, just the same

We are all cowards now

Arms are empty

The pornography of plenty

Count commands from one to ten

Number sins from ten to twenty

There's an illusion we believe in

There is honour in their need

Pretty confetti, chemical debt

And a necessity to bleed

My fears too fleet to scupper

My prayers too thin to scream

On my lover's back a zipper

On her limb a straightened seam

So, close the windows tightly

Lower lamps and shades

On the screen, silent rehearsals

For tomorrow's parades

For tomorrow's parades

For tomorrow's parades

We are all cowards now

Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me? lyrics - Elvis Costello

Hey Clockface

Keep your fingers on the dial

You stole those precious moments

And the kisses from her smile

And now I'm living in these hours

Away we will while

I'm not wasting any more time

Hey Clockface

I really want to know

Why is it when we're apart

You always take it slow

And when she's here

You always say "It's almost time to go"

You said you'd be a friend to me

But time is just my enemy

And it is hurting me so

The moon comes through the window shining crescently and bright

The sun rolls round again

If I could turn your face back

Before all of this started

Forty minutes past four when her secrets she parted

Forty minutes past four in the faithless A.M

She wound up in his arms and not the man that I am

A spring that is sprung

A cuckoo-bird that sung

Now there's a nail in a bare wall

Where your face once hung

Hey Clockface

Now I don't feel a thing

You stole away the heart in me

And then removed my spring

The winding mechanisms shot

The movement is unwound

Don't tick or tock or dare to make a sound

Hey Clock-face

Well, don't you ever dare

Count me down to zero hour

And keep me waiting here

A minute from departure

I will twist your key and have her come back to me

And have her come back to me

How can you face me?

After what I've been through

After you broke that vow

How can you face me now?

How can you face me now?

How can you face me now?

The Whirlwind lyrics - Elvis Costello

I came out to this town

To seek a new career

Or just another kind of whirlwind

Than one that brought me here

I stare up through the ceiling

Past the plaster and the paint

Considering the stars that shine

And flare and fall before they're spent

How could you know?

My common senses had deserted me

On certain nights

When other gentlemen have courted me

But in the light of morning

They would turn to see me go

I've had my moments

But all too few

You think you know me

Maybe you do

But in the light of morning

You will turn to see me go

Nothing's lost and no one's won

It's over now and now it's done

I may be lying

This may be true

You think you know me

Maybe you do, maybe you do

Maybe you do

Hetty O'Hara Confidential lyrics - Elvis Costello

Hetty said if you ask me nicely

I'll write you up well

Don't tell me twice

Or quote you directly

Or you'll pay the price

I'll peel off your skin like a thin veneer

If someone tells me something that I didn't hear from you

Who's got the dope?

Who's got the potential?

Hetty O'Hara Confidential

Those were different days

Those were different drugs

From a gold-plated palace with the half-mast flags

To a chalk lined body that was full of slugs

She was trading favors for footnote plugs

Who's got the needle?

Who is fit to burst?

A morphine tattoo on an unquenchable thirst

Who's got your girlfriend?

And who had her first?

Reading her column was essential

Hetty O'Hara Confidential

She could kill a man with a single stroke

She is not the one you want to provoke

If you can't take the heat

Or you can't take a joke

Who's got the dope?

Who's got the potential?

Hetty O'Hara Confidential

If there was a gentleman caller

To a comely wench

And a snooping peeper

In a coat of trench

She'd place a line or two

At the foot of the page

A cue or a clue

To the latest rage

With your true dimensions

And your actual age

Trade a life of scandal

For a career on the stage

These little things seem inconsequential

Except to Hetty O'Hara Confidential

On the night he came home

From the debutante ball

Passed out drunk on the bathroom floor

Call-girl called after taking a peek

At the secret drawer of atomic secrets

Repeating something that I whispered about

They have to take it

But they can't dish it out

Who's cleaning up his act?

And breaking the bank?

But unfortunately didn't remember to thank me

But now the rumor is doing the rounds

That his only friends

Are villains and scoundrels

Her reputation curled like yellow smoke

She named the wrong man in the story she broke

She had an unfortunate character trait

The irresistible impulse to assassinate

But the damage she did was quite substantial

Hetty O'Hara Confidential

They've got witch trials now

With witches to spare

And a jukebox jury full of judgement and fury

With bright neon dresses and porn star hair

She was thrown to the wolves

Or the dogs or the foxes

Once they'd had their fill of shares and stocks

Their gaze is unforgiving

If your morals are lax

Pointing manicured fingers and making a mockery

With voices that sound like broken crockery

Hetty said "I'm powerless and I feel alone..."

Now everyone has a megaphone

Who's got the dope?

Who's got the potential?

Hetty O'Hara Confidential

The Last Confession Of Vivian Whip lyrics - Elvis Costello

Hear the last confession of Vivian Whip

If you're reading this

"My life was lonely

Never hurt a fly

Or spared a kiss

Never killed a soul

Except my own"

But when I took you in my arms

I wondered why it took so long

For me to recognize this precious song

Had it been playing all along?

Just when I needed it

When I couldn't conceive that it's

So hard to lose your nerve

To just get what you need

And not, not what you deserve

See the first impression of Vivian Whip

Still denied parole

He's etched in charcoal

"Never hurt a fly or killed a soul

Entertained a doubt

I cared about"

But now I fear we fear too much

I tried my best to keep my watch

To bear up in the light that strips

So stop my mouth up with your lips

What Is It That I Need That I Don't Already Have? lyrics - Elvis Costello

What is it that I need that I don't already have?

Who was there in the past that I couldn't seem to save?

But will I seem so smart, me and my broken heart

When I am pretending to be brave

What is there up ahead that I can't already see?

Startling as it seems, well, it's supposed to be

Where am I going next?

And if no one objects

Just close the door and that'll be the end of me

What is it that I lost that I don't really need

Some glasses for my eyes

And an hour or two of speed

My hands don't blister, my hands don't bleed

But I'll never be contented, repent or ever be lamented

'Til I'm planted down like rotten crops

And covered up with weeds

What is it that I want that I can't already taste?

A damson from a tree

A girl that I once chased

A girl who ran away and wanted to be caught

Then bade farewell to my love like some merchandise she bought

Things are going up like blasphemous prayers

I burned up all my paper money on those London derrieres

Prayers and paper money will burn until you choke

The things I should have said

They were so easily left unspoken

I didn't break you down

You were already broken

What is it that I need that I don't already have?

Who was there in the past that I couldn't even see?

But will I seem so smart, me and my broken heart

When I am pretending to be free?

When I am pretending to be free

When I am pretending to be free

Radio Is Everything lyrics - Elvis Costello

I'm sitting here wondering if this matchbox will hold my dreams

Will the red head in my arms go up in flames?

Or dissolve mighty regimes with her screams, or so it seems

She dragged my face from the eye to my lip on the rough side of the striking strip

To the port side of a sinking ship

Staring in a compact mirror

A siren calling from another era

While you made faces and then blew kisses

Drowned in a pool that hypnotized Narcissus

They say I have a perfect face for radio

And a trumpet for listening

A cheek to turn to you

An eye for glistening

Tear that tear from me

Hold it in your memory

Pull away the powder and pain painted dream

Of this and that disgrace

A silver band of marching soles

A button of brass an epaulet of gold

That lenten light, that slight fanfare that consoles

That trivial, sniveling rosary, that ring-a-ding rosemary

Condemned a man, alas, at last, at requiem mass

I sound much better than I look

Like a hero in a book

Now there is too much at stake

But perhaps you mistook my mistake

For the tip in the print you dusted for

From the hand you forgot to shake

Tumbledown Dick said to King Oliver

"I don't shrink down at the thought of you

Give the people back their ringlet Prince just like you ought to do

Journey far from here like Gulliver

To lands at the edge of everywhere

That we have still to discover

Where there's a sole of a jackboot in a broken brace

Poised above a human face forever and ever"

You don't need to see my face

Radio Is Everything

You don't need to know my name

Radio Is Everything

The lie that I tell

It just doesn't matter

If I should deceive you

Or if I should flatter

If your bankroll gets thin while some kitty gets fatter

Radio Is Everything

From the straight to the narrow to the broadcast from within

Radio Is Everything

I Can't Say Her Name lyrics - Elvis Costello

How can I show my face?

I'm a mess

And I fear I may confess

I'm a fool with or without her

Make up what you will about her

It's part of the game

I can't say her name

I've been left in the dark

Shine a light

Right in my eyes

You'll never make me talk

Alibis I must protect

An alias you won't detect

I won't place the blame

I can't say her name

I whisper it so soft and slow

When I think no one's listening

No one knows

The thought of her so strong and slow

Stays on my mind

I won't ever let her go

How can I go to sleep?

When I know all too well I'm in this thing too deep

It's all I can do not to shout about it

I don't need your pity

I'm powerless and proud

And I don't feel ashamed

Oh, but I can't say her name

Byline lyrics - Elvis Costello

I read by line by line by line

Some words of yours, some words of mine

Some sentiments are best forgot

Some letters read then folded shut

The profile on a postage stamp

I traced it by my reading lamp

Remembered when I'd sit in wait

Then marked our parting from that date

I read by line by line by line

That old sarcastic Valentine

That you denied you'd sent to me

Then took it back

It's a thought that we shared, a careless phrase

A curse or a joke, some words of praise

But I didn't write

Did you wonder why?

It was the easiest way to say "Goodbye"

You'll see my photo beside the article

"That's just some guy I used to know

I was never his

He was always mine

But I wrote him off by line by line"

By line by line by line by line by line by line

By line by line